Top 8 Workouts to Melt Stubborn Belly Fat

Getting rid of stubborn belly fat at 40 requires more than simply prolonged cardio sessions. Apparently, strength compound movements that build lean muscle increase metabolism all day long, and they are much more beneficially focused by the body. These stack exercises help burn about one hundred calories in no time while simultaneously shaping the midsection from any angle.

Stop endless crunches and infinite miles on the treadmill and implement functional-type exercises to engage many muscle groups all at once. The workouts work on your abs, obliques, and lower back, all while burning fat through total-body effort. The more muscle you recruit, the more energy you need, keeping on burning that fat long after you’re through working out.

Here are eight extra good fat-burning exercises that hit the sweet spot in terms of core strength and calorie-burning. They stabilize, strengthen, and define your midsection while never wasting time doing isolation exercises that simply don’t work. It would be best if you included them in your weekly workout schedule if you want to develop a solid, leaner waistline while also speeding up fat loss from head to toe.

Overhead Press

Train your legs, shoulders, and core altogether in this powerhouse combination, and you will burn fat faster and more efficiently, training all parts simultaneously using the most effective fat-burning exercise. With a squat, your abs need to stabilize while your lower body does its strength thing, then overhead presses weights while driving to a strong finish, keeping the heart rate elevated. Another perfect strength and cardio crossover keeps it on point for blasting belly fat and building power through the whole body.

How-To:

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and dumbbells at shoulder height.
• Drop deep into a squat while maintaining an upright chest and tight core.
• Drive up through the heels, press the weights overhead in one smooth motion.
• Lower the weights back to the shoulders and repeat for 10-12 reps.

Mountain Climbers

The mountain climbers power your abs, shoulders, and hips while now doubling as something of an intense cardio burst. As you rapidly drive the knees, your core must stay braced because the movement creates stability and endurance within your midsection. If performed quickly, it has the power of a sprint with continuous pressure on the core musculature.

How-To:

• Get into a high plank position – hands under your shoulders, body in a straight line.
• Drive one knee in toward your chest, quickly switching legs.
• Hips down with abs tight throughout.
• For 30-45 seconds.

Reverse Lunge with Rotation

Balance, coordination, and core control are in action here as it works the legs and obliques in tandem. A step back into a lunge requires stability through the hips, then throws in that torso twist, which brings your abs in play in a rotational fashion—just as real-life movement would have it. Every single rep effectively targets the lower body musculature while working away on the waistline.

How-To:

• Stand with a dumbbell or medicine ball at chest height.
• Step back into a reverse lunge while rotating the torso over the front leg.
• Return to standing and repeat on the other side.
• Aim for 8-10 repetitions on each leg.

High Knees

High knees combine the speed and action intensity with direct core activation, making them one of the most rapid means to raise heart rates. Each explosive driving up of the knees pulls back the abs while training coordination and agility. When done at a fast speed, this exercise melts fat like sugar inside the body while building endurance and speed in the lower body.

How-To:

Stand tall with feet hip-width apart.
Run on the spot, driving knees to the chest as high as possible.
Vigorous pumping of the arms accompanies it.
30-45 seconds.

Side Plank

The plank extension with little twists will create a full-on workout that seriously sculpts the waist, strengthening it in the process. Add to all this an improvement in balance and shoulder stability, and you would easily fit it into a fat-burning regimen.

How-To:

Beginning in a side plank on one forearm, feet stacked. Slowly lower your hips toward the floor, then lift again.
Maintain shoulder and hip alignment at all times.
Dips of 10 to 12 counts per side.

Burpees

Burpees will forever be a gold standard on the fat-burning chart because they work essentially every muscle and are designed to challenge the cardiovascular system. Every rep combines strength with power and speed, and urges the body to work extra hard with less time to recover. Not only is it going to set calories ablaze, but it will also train explosive movement patterns applicable to everyday life functioning.

How-To:

Standing up, squat down, and reach your hands toward the floor. Jump feet back to plank and lower down into a push-up.
Jump feet forward to the hands, and explode upwards into a jump.
8-12 reps.

Standing Oblique Crunch

This standing version keeps working those abs while engaging the legs and balance. Driving that knee up to that elbow fires up the obliques through a strong contraction, which really sculpts the sides of your core. Keeping things constantly moving will ensure your heart rate stays up, turning a simple crunch into a fat-burning, waist-shaping drill.

How to Do It:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands clasped behind your head.
• Drive one knee up while bringing your elbow on the same side down to meet it.
• Back to standing and repeat on the other side.
• Do 12-15 reps on each side.

Jump Squats

Jump squats are the hallmark of lower-body power in high-intensity cardio, serving as the best way for fat burning. Every repeat trains the legs and glutes to explode up while your core stabilizes during the landing. This constant motion keeps your metabolism going full throttle and burns a lot more calories in a much shorter time.

Steps to Do It:

• Stand up straight with feet at shoulder width.
• Drop down into a squat and explode with a jump upwards.
• Land softly on your feet and drop into the next squat immediately.
• Do 10-12 repetitions.

RUSSIAN TWIST

Russian twists are one of the best exercises to strengthen the oblique muscles while working off that extra fat around the waist.

Here’s how to do it:

• Start by sitting on the floor with your legs bent at the knees and with your feet off the ground.
• Lean back so that the back is parallel to the ground.
• Balance on the tailbone while supporting your back with your hands either wrapped around a dumbbell or interlaced.
• Rotate the torso to the right side, toring the core, to the point where the hands or weights touch the ground.
• Now return and rotate to the left side of the body. Repeat the movement back and forth.

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