Do Ab Workouts Burn Belly Fat?

Contrary to popular belief, ab workouts don't burn much fat alone, but combined with weight training and cardio exercise, you can lose belly fat.

Ab workouts help “tone” the muscles in your stomach and core.

For burning belly fat you need to create a calorie deficit

Calories in vs. calories out.

The concept is simple: burn more calories than you take in daily, and on an ongoing basis.

To create a calorie deficit, you must burn off more energy than you take in.

Check out this article to learn more about burning belly fat.

Cardio exercises for abs

Cardio (aerobic exercise) such as running, biking, and swimming can be used to burn calories overall.

But if your goal is also to reduce belly fat specifically, you should choose high intensity cardio exercises like you can do with sprinting, stationary cycling, elliptical machines, and rowing machines.

Weight Training for abs

To get lean ab muscles, you need to add resistance exercises such as crunches and planks.

To burn more calories through weight training, focus on functional movements that work several muscle groups at a time.

For example squats, deadlifts, pull-ups and chin-ups, push-ups and rows with barbells or dumbbells.

If you don't have access to weights, or need to workout at home, you can also use our bodyweight workout.

Rapid Fire Reader Q&A

Here are some of the questions we've gotten related to this topic:

Do weight loss machines burn belly fat?

Unfortunately, no weight loss machine can burn belly fat alone.

You also need to follow a healthy diet plan and do weight training or bodyweight workouts along with cardio exercise like running or biking for best results in losing belly fat.

What are some good core exercises for a flat stomach?

Medicine ball slams

Medicine ball slams can be a good and effective choice for high intensity cardio to burn belly fat.

A medicine ball slam is an isometric exercise that works the muscles of your arms, legs and abs at once.

The great thing about medicine ball slams is that you don't need any specific equipment, so you can do them anywhere at home or outside to burn extra calories and lose belly fat.

Medicine ball slams are an excellent exercise to strengthen your core muscles, improve your hand-eye coordination and reduce the risk of back injuries.

Overhead medicine ball slam

The overhead medicine ball slam targets your shoulders and core muscles including the glutes and hamstrings, which are two powerful leg muscles that can help you burn more calories around the clock.

And you don't need any specific equipment to do this exercise, which can be done at home or outside.

Sprinting

Sprinting can also be an effective cardio exercise to burn belly fat.

Start by warming up for 3-5 minutes, then do 10-30 second sprints followed by light jogging or walking for recovery.

Repeat this type of interval training 3-4 times in your workout sessions for best results.

Is HIIT- High Intensity Interval Training Good To Burn Fat?

HIIT or high-intensity interval training is a good cardio exercise to burn fat and improve your cardiovascular conditioning.

Sprints aren't the only type of HIIT cardio, you can also use other cardio machines, elliptical trainers, rowing machines, stationary bikes and even jump rope.

What exercise burns the most belly fat?

It is not possible to target belly fat with just one type of exercise.

But you can reduce overall body fat and lose belly fat by doing a combination of weight training, cardio exercises such as sprinting, rowing machine or jump rope, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) along with healthy eating plan.

What are some good oblique ab workouts?

You can do side bends with dumbbells or cables to also work your obliques.

What workout should I do to lose belly fat?

I recommend high-intensity interval training with weights or cardio exercises, a healthy nutrition plan, and weight training exercises for best results in losing belly fat.

What are good ab workouts to lose my stomach fat?

To get lean abs muscles, you need to add resistance exercises such as crunches and planks.

You also need to follow a healthy nutrition plan and do weight training or bodyweight workouts along with cardio exercise like running or biking for best results in losing belly fat.

What are the most effective ab exercises to lose stomach fat?

Doing a combination of high-intensity interval training, weight training, cardio exercises such as running, rowing machine or jump rope, and crunches and planks will help you lose belly fat and improve your overall fitness.

What is the best oblique exercise for a flatter stomach?

There are many effective exercises to work your abs including crunches, leg raises, planks, and medicine ball slams.

You can do these exercises at home or outside to reduce body fat and get flat abs.

How can a woman get abs fast?

You can get lean abs by following a healthy nutrition plan and doing a combination of high-intensity interval training, weight training, cardio exercises such as running or biking, and strengthening ab muscles.

What is the best stomach exercise for flat abs?

Doing a combination of HIIT workouts or sprinting, squats, deadlifts and other resistance exercises, rowing machines or jump rope and crunches and planks can help you get flat abs.

Do 10-minute ab workouts actually work?

It depends on what you mean by “work”. Spending 10 minutes on ab exercises in your workout is more than enough to stimulate the abdominal muscles. This will strengthen and “tone” the muscles of your core.

Will taking 10 minutes to do ab exercises burn fat? Not really. You'll need to add some cardio and weight training exercises as I've mentioned earlier.

What is the best stomach workout for a flat stomach?

There are many effective stomach exercises to work your abs including crunches, leg raises and planks.

You can do these exercises at home to get a flat stomach.

What is a good ab workout with weights?

Weight training exercises like squats, deadlifts, and other full-body resistance workouts.

Weighted crunches and planks can also help you get flat abs.