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3 Workouts That'll Help You Blast Belly Fat, According to a Trainer

Belly Fat Burning Workouts

3 Workouts That'll Help You Blast Belly Fat, According to a Trainer

Belly Fat Burning Workouts
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Kathryna Hancock

Belly fat can be stubborn, but Sarah Chadwell, NASM, CPT, a certified trainer, has three simple but effective full-body workouts to increase fat-burning.

Full body? Yes, target fat reduction isn't really a thing, meaning you can't tell your body to only loose fat around your midsection. You must burn fat all over your body to reduce belly fat — as well as add a healthy diet and plenty of sleep. We know that's a rough thing to accept, but when you start practicing these three workouts, you'll definitely see results.

Related:
Different Types of Belly Fat
Ugh, There's More Than 1 Type of Belly Fat — but They're All Equally Stubborn

1 Incline Treadmill Walking or Running

Incline Treadmill Walking or Running
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography

"An incline significantly increases the amount of effort your body must make in a workout. This means more calories burned and saying bye to fat," said Chadwell. It's about creating a bit of resistance — you use the gradient increase to force your body to work harder, burn more calories, and slim your belly.

It also helps to mimic outdoor workout conditions. According to one study, a one percent treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energy spent when running outdoors.

Most treadmills will increase in half increments, so you could walk or run at a 0.5, 1, or 1.5 percent grade, all the way up to 12 percent or more depending on what equipment your gym has and your level of expertise.

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2 High Intensity Interval Training

High Intensity Interval Training
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone

If you are completely new to high intensity interval training or HIIT, it really is simple: you're working out at varying intensity levels, ranging from short bursts of "all you've got" coupled with short rest intervals, over a 15- to 30-minute time span.

The belief used to be that extended sessions of steady-state cardio was the most effective means of burning fat, but we know now that HIIT is much more effective for weight loss.

Chadwell cautioned about potentially overusing this technique. "HIIT should only be completed about three times per week because it's taxing on your body, and you need to give yourself ample recovery time between HIIT sessions. Even adding it one day per week to your current routine will yield results."

There is HIIT training for every person at every level of fitness! Try one of these routines:

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3 Heavy Weights

Heavy Weights
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone

"The key is to train large muscle groups with little rest between sets. Lift heavy weights regularly (four to five times per week) to build lean muscle mass," Chadwell said. "Maintaining muscle requires your body to use more calories. Therefore, you will burn more calories sitting on the couch binge watching TV than someone who does not lift."

Lifting heavy increases the intensity of your workout, as does cutting down the rest time to 30 to 45 seconds. Combining those two elements will help you torch calories and belly fat.

Like HIIT, this style of lifting has a potent afterburn effect, causing your body to burn calories long after you leave the gym. The added benefit is that you have a curvy, toned body. "We promise you won't get bulky," said Chadwell.

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