It’s a never ending quest to find scientifically proven exercises to lose belly fat. It seems like every day, somebody comes up with a new gimmick to get your attention.
According to the CDC, 73.6% of adults over 20 years old are overweight, while 42.5% of adults over 20 are obese. This data only applies to the United States, but we can assume that other countries have similar problems.
Knowing that should tell you that there is a problem within the United States. Unfortunately, too many people are sold the idea that there is a quick fix for losing belly fat.
This breaks my heart because people put false hope in products that don’t make a difference. Someone is getting rich on your hope that there is a minimal effort solution to making your problems disappear.
The good news here is that you are reading this article, and you now know that there are no quick and easy fixes. The best fix to burning belly fat away is building good exercise habits, combined with proper nutrition.
Before we get in to this, we highly recommend downloading our app All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Android). We have free workout plans, and built in high intensity interval training workouts that will rip belly fat from your body.
Building good exercise habits
Committing to going to the gym for even 5 minutes per day is going to change the trajectory of your life.
You are going to need to learn the 4 steps about creating habits before you can make a better life for yourself. These steps are to make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.
The best illustration that I have for this is from the life of a friend of mine. He struggled to put on muscle, because he had no routine. One day, he was driving to work and he noticed a sign for the gym within his community. He kept seeing this sign every day on the way to work, until one day, he decided to go check it out (make it obvious).
He went back the next day, and the next day, and the day after that. Every day he would go to the gym for just 5 minutes. He would workout for a few minutes and then head to work (make it easy).
After a few months, he started noticing his muscles were popping out a little bit (make it attractive). It was after this that he started going for 30 minutes per day. Then 45 minutes per day.
The more he worked out, the better he felt about himself, and the more results that he saw (make it satisfying).
From this simple example, we can see where he hit all of the 4 steps in creating good habits. He started off small, but worked his way up, making for a perfect vehicle for his goals. We highly recommend reading our article How to make exercise a habit.
Learning about proper nutrition
The first thing that you need to do is learn how to calculate your maintenance calories. I have heard it time and time again, “I don’t have time to count calories.” Believe me, if you care about your body at all, you have plenty of time.
It might be a little bit time consuming and frustrating at first, but it will be worth it. Once you calculate your maintenance calories, then you can eat calories based on your goals.
It is very simple. If you are looking to lose belly fat, eat less than your maintenance calories. If you are looking to build muscle, eat more than your maintenance calories.
The most important thing here is not the actual food portion, but the overall calories consumed each day. I recall a time when I went a little bit overboard on my bulk. My wife finally said that she didn’t like the muscle and fat anymore, and I needed to tone it down.
I took her advice, and started eating under my maintenance calories. Since I was counting every calorie I consumed, I was able to work in some of my favorite foods.
Here was a sample day for me during my time of fat loss:
Breakfast: Protein shake with vital proteins collagen peptides, peanut butter, frozen strawberries, and frozen banana.
Lunch: 6oz of grilled chicken over lettuce, tomato, red onions, and light balsamic dressing.
Dinner: Cheeseburger with 5oz of lean ground beef, 1 slice of sharp cheddar, a sesame seed bun, mustard, ketchup, and red onions
Snack: Beef jerky
Do you see what I did there? Everything was healthy except for the cheeseburger. But even that wasn’t so bad. If you are counting your calories, you can add one meal a day that makes you happy. But only if your total daily calories are below your maintenance calories.
Scientifically proven exercises to lose belly fat
I apologize that it took me so long to get here. I just needed to set the stage for you on what it would take to hit your goals and lose belly fat.
Every one of these exercises follows the same formula. They are what is called high intensity interval training, HIIT for short. Here is how you perform them:
60 seconds of warmup (light jog, jump rope, fast walking, etc…)
30 seconds of intense workout
60 seconds of rest
Repeat 10 times.
If you follow this formula, along with proper nutrition, you are guaranteed to lose belly fat rapidly. You can time this yourself, or you can follow along in our app with ease.
During your intense workout portion, it is important to give it your all and get within 90% of your maximum heart rate. Check out our article about calculating your maximum heart rate.
Now you know the formula, and you are ready to see the 5 scientifically proven exercises to lose belly fat. Luckily for you, I created quick videos to show you the technique. Use these videos as a guide, and apply the formula above.
Assault Bike HIIT
This is one of those things that doesn’t look all that hard. It’s a bike, so how hard can it be? Let me tell you, if you are giving it your all, this is one of the most intense exercises you can possibly do.
You will be engaging your core, working out your arms and legs, and even your back muscles. There is no muscle that goes untouched here.
Just be sure to give it your all during the intense workout portion. Otherwise you aren’t going to get that extreme fat burn that this exercise is known to give.
Treadmill Sprints HIIT
You actually don’t need a treadmill for this, so if you don’t have access to a gym, do not worry.
Being outside is a great place to do sprints. These are different from running or jogging though. Sprinting is what gets the heart rate very high.
If you want to add an extra level of intensity to sprints, try going up a hill. The higher your heart rate gets, the more calories you will be burning.
Battle Ropes HIIT
If you have a gym membership, I am sure you have seen these thick ropes laying around. You probably thought to yourself “what do people even do with those things?”
I am here to tell you that this is in my top 3 favorite exercises to lose belly fat. They are fun to do and really get your heart rate pumping.
The ropes are heavier than normal ropes, and really force you to use every bit of your body to move them rapidly. By the end of this workout, you will be happy with home many calories you burned.
Burpees HIIT
The best thing about burpees is that I call them the no excuses exercise. Why? Because you need nothing other than yourself and a flat ground.
People will come up with all sorts of excuses about why they can’t workout. Not anymore. Simply apply the formula above to this exercise and watch the belly fat melt away.
There is nothing magic about these exercises. They are all scientifically proven exercises to lose belly fat.
The major factor here is what you do with them. Be consistent, make no excuses, and watch yourself hit your goals.
Ski Erg Machine HIIT
If you have a gym and have access to a ski erg machine, you are in for a real treat. This exercise is very intense if done properly.
You are required to engage your core and your belly, which helps get rid of the belly fat.
You are working out your whole body while getting your heart rate to an intense level.
Main Point: There are many scientifically proven exercises to lose belly fat
By now, you have all of the tools you need to lose belly fat. We have provided you with 5 scientifically proven exercises to lose belly fat.
We also know that exercise alone just isn’t enough. You need to form habits of working out/going to the gym. If you don’t have a gym near your residence, you can always build your own home gym from Amazon.
You need to eat properly to make sure you are working towards your goals. If you are looking to burn belly fat, you are going to need to eat under your maintenance calories.
Using high intensity interval training combined with proper nutrition is an insane combination for losing belly fat. If you can keep a weekly routine, you will not regret it.
There are no excuses to not hit your goals here. Don’t have a gym? Can’t afford building your own home gym at your residence? No worries! We wrote an article about beginner HIIT workouts that you could do at home.
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How to Calculate My Maintenance Calories: An Easy Guide
What Does HIIT Workout Mean and Why Should I Care?
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