Many people want to lose weight and tone their bellies. Belly fat is a frustrating area to deal with, but it can cause serious health issues such as heart problems. Cardio exercise is an excellent option to improve your health and burn calories.
Studies reveal that it’s one of the most effective types of exercise for reducing belly fat while you shed some pounds.
1. Do Steady State Cardio
Steady-state cardio is an aerobic workout that maintains a relatively constant heart rate for at least ten minutes. This exercise aids in the burning of calories and supports your metabolism.
A study reported that after doing aerobic exercise, the “resting metabolic rate” remains increased for up to 12 hours, depending on the severity and length of the workout[1].
Medical professionals recommend at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity each week(thirty minutes 5 days per week ). Try to perform a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. This combo will help you burn fat and improve your cardiovascular health.
Moderate-intensity cardio exercises include running, jumping, biking, walking, hiking, swimming, or dancing.
Some studies suggest 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio is best for reducing belly fat[2].
Similarly, the research compared resistance training to aerobic training. This study stated resistance training (strength training) is beneficial for increasing lean mass (muscle), but aerobic training (cardio) is what actually helps you lose weight. This does not mean you should avoid strength training – after all, abs are created in the gym — but cardio should be preferred for fat loss[1].
Of course, this assertion is very controversial and usually causes a lot of misunderstanding in the fitness/workout industry. There are many (including experts) who believe cardio and aerobics training does very little to weight loss as compared to strength training.
2. Workout In The Morning:
It is important to perform cardio exercises early in the morning before eating breakfast. Exercising in this fasting state requires your body to draw energy from fat [3].
Your body will turn to burn fat because of a decrease in your glycogen stores.
So, Include some cardiac activity in your morning routine. Even a brief twenty-to-thirty-minute walk will help your body in burning extra fat for energy. You don’t have to run for hours to get the results. Just a 20 to 30 minutes’ walk will do just fine.
If you’re worried about muscle loss, take ten to twenty grams of “whey protein” before starting a workout, but avoid carbs.
It may be challenging to wake early in the morning. Prefer this choice and your mind and body will adjust to waking up early within a few weeks.
Additionally, ensure that you get to bed sooner. It’s important to get enough sleep, which means you may need to adjust your bedtime if you’re planning to do a cardio workout.
3. Include Spin Class or High-Intensity Biking
High-intensity biking and spin classes are an excellent way to burn a lot of fat and calories around the waist. The Peloton bike and all its accompanying hype come to mind.
You can use a stationary bike to perform spin class indoors. On an indoor exercise bike, you have complete control over your resistance and speed. However, the more vigorously you work and the quickly you pedal, the more fat you will burn[4].
If you’ve never taken a spin class before, it’s crucial to take the first few lessons. High-intensity indoor cycling and spin class are really intense, and it may take several weeks to improve your fitness level.
Spin class is also frequently performed in a closed room indoors. You may become quite hot and start sweating profusely. It is important to rehydrate frequently during a spin class.
However, stationary bikes are best for reducing belly fat.
4. Do Circuit Training
While cardio exercise is beneficial for calorie burning and fat loss, strength training is also important for weight loss. A comprehensive strength-training plan that targets all main muscle groups increases your body’s calorie-burning efficiency.
Strength-training activities should be performed quickly and consecutively to increase your heart rate, build muscle, and shed weight.
So, plan a circuit routine that includes exercises for the abs, back, arm, chest, legs, shoulders, and hips. The circuit can be timed (30–60 seconds per exercise) or based on repetitions (eight to 12 executions of each move(5).
Perform two to three rounds of the whole group of exercises, resting between rounds for one to two minutes. Use weights that stress each muscle group. This indicates that it will be difficult for you to accomplish the final two or three repetitions with proper form and range of motion.
5. Taper Off
Rather than starting slowly and increasing your speed, begin your workout with high-intensity cardio and taper off to a gentle finish to burn substantially more fat.
After a 2-to-3-minute warm-up period, instantly shift into high gear (80 to 85 percent of maximum heart rate) for 15-20 minutes before gradually decreasing to 60 to 65 percent of maximum heart rate for the last 10 to 20 minutes.
High-intensity interval training consists of short bursts of very high-intensity cardio followed by short bursts of more moderate-intensity cardio. HIIT cardio requires less time than steady-state cardio activities, often about 20 minutes (“with an additional 5 minutes at the start and end for a warm-up and cool-down”).
High-intensity interval training is a more intensive exercise that can be performed in a short duration.
So, you can start with high-intensity cardio and then slow down slowly to burn more fat.
Numerous studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between the intensity of cardiac exercises and the decrease in abdominal fat.
Research reported that High-intensity interval training can be extremely helpful in decreasing abdominal fat(6).
You don’t have to kill yourself or push hard to burn belly fat, 30 minutes of aerobic training will be enough. There is no evidence that excessive aerobic training for a prolonged period can help you in losing weight faster.
Conclusion
There are no quick fixes for losing belly fat. Weight loss is always going to demand some effort, dedication, and persistence on your behalf.
Cardio exercises can undoubtedly help you in losing excess weight around your waist. You can perform these exercises even at home without killing yourself.
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References
- Willis LH, Slentz CA, Bateman LA, Shields AT, Piner LW, Bales CW, et al. Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2012;113(12):1831-7.
- Hadzovic M, Lilic A, Prvulovic N, Ilic P, Stankovic MJJoAoS, Education P. Effects of the Aerobic Exercise Program with Music on the Body Composition and Subcutaneous Fat of Young Women: A Systematic Review. 2020;4(4):45-55.
- Mylsidayu A, editor The Influence of Cardio Workout to Aerobic Endurance. 2nd International Conference on Sports Sciences and Health 2018 (2nd ICSSH 2018); 2019: Atlantis Press.
- Poonia R, Munder S, Chahar P, Galay V. CONCEPTS OF HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING: A KEY OF ENHANCED SPORTS PERFORMANCE.
- Marcos-Pardo PJ, Orquin-Castrillón FJ, Gea-García GM, Menayo-Antúnez R, González-Gálvez N, de Souza Vale RG, et al. Effects of a moderate-to-high intensity resistance circuit training on fat mass, functional capacity, muscular strength, and quality of life in elderly: A randomized controlled trial. 2019;9(1):1-12.
- Ohkawara K, Tanaka S, Miyachi M, Ishikawa-Takata K, Tabata I. A dose-response relation between aerobic exercise and visceral fat reduction: systematic review of clinical trials. International journal of obesity (2005). 2007;31(12):1786-97.