10 Best Workouts to Burn Stubborn Belly Fat

10 Best Exercises to Burn That Stubborn Belly Fat

Belly fat is one of the most stubborn areas of the body for fat to reside. Most people struggle to lose it even when exercising and dieting. The truth is, belly fat is not only a matter of appearance – it is directly related to serious health risks including diabetes, heart disease, and hormonal disorders as well.

The good news is that through the right combination of exercise you will burn fat, lose weight, and strengthen your core muscles. The exercises I will mention engage the whole body, raise metabolism, and gradually release stubborn belly fat when properly balanced with a good diet.

Best Belly Fat Exercises

1. Reverse tabletop single-leg glute bridge

“This exercise is an excellent way to hit the backside, and it’s equally as important as the abs. Your glutes and abdominals are both part of your core,” explains Jennifer Jacobs, CPT, a Beachbody Super Trainer and Job1 programming creator.

How to do it:

• Place a resistance loop around the legs a few inches above the knees.
• Begin in a seated position. Put hands on the floor behind glutes, fingertips facing the same direction as feet, feet under bent knees.
• Press hands against the floor, pushing the hips up so shoulders, hips, and knees are in a straight line.
• As the hips push off from the floor, bring one knee into the chest, and the knee stacks on top of the hip.
• Return to the beginning, lowering hips towards the ground.
• Alternate between each side in the set.

2. Cycling

“Cycling is a very efficient method for burning calories and burning fat while building your muscles, heart, and lungs,” Jacobs says.

How to do it:

• Alternate between moderate-intensity rides (70%-80% of your maximum heart rate) and HIIT (high-intensity interval training).
• One of the best cycling workouts is Job 1 HIIT & HILLS, which consists of short, hard efforts with descending recoveries.
• The session consists of an interval set, “Jacobs’ Peaks,” which is a four-minute set of intervals.

Jacobs’ Peaks:

• 15 seconds (8/10)
• 15 seconds (9/10)
• 15 seconds (10/10)
• 15-second recovery
• Repeat for four total sets.

3. Standing oblique crunch

“This exercise isolates the obliques without stressing the neck and shoulders,” says Jacobs.

How to do it:

• Hold a dumbbell horizontally at each end, slightly above the chest.
• Drive one knee up while rotating in its direction, drawing the opposite shoulder to the knee.
• Return to start and repeat. Maintain the dumbbell above the chest at all times.

4. Mountain climber

High-intensity interval training is a good method for burning lots of calories in a short space of time, Jacobs says. It’s an excellent move to engage the core while traveling explosively with a mountain climber.

How to do it:

• Assume a high plank position, shoulders over wrists, hips aligned to shoulders.
• Punch one knee up under the chest, alternating sides. The quicker the movement, the greater the intensity.

5. Scissor rock

“The scissor rock is a unilateral hollow-hold body rock working the internal obliques [using a resistance loop],” Jacobs states.

How to do it:

• With the body in a lying position, encircle the resistance around one foot, holding the other end of the loop with the opposite hand.
• Straighten the legs above the hips and scissor the opposite foot down 45 degrees from the ground.
• Activation of the core by pulling the abdominals away from the waistband slightly.
• Lift the shoulders and head while gently rocking from the floor, keeping the tension in the resistance loop and tension in the midsection.

6. Hollow body hold

Hollow body holds are the most valuable foundational movement to build stronger abs and engage that core, says Kari Pearce, professional gymnast and award-winning fitness trainer. Hollow body holds will engage your six-pack ab muscles and deep stability core muscles.

How to do it:

• Begin on the floor, lying flat on your back.
• Reach up with your arms over your head.
• Extend your legs out straight.
• Eyes looking up at the ceiling.
• Push shoulders and legs up, keeping the back pressed into the floor. No gap between the lower back and the ground!
• Maintain a tight core in the hollow body position.
• To adjust this position, if you are unable to hold your back pushed flat against the floor, bring your knees into a bent position. You may also bring your arms from being over your head down by your sides.
• As you get more comfortable in that starting position, gradually work towards lengthening your arms and legs to the original hollow body position.

7. Candlestick roll

“Candlesticks are a great movement to engage your abs in addition to getting in some high-intensity cardio at the same time,” Pearce says. “In addition to engaging your abs, the candlestick is an awesome movement as soon as you stand up and integrate the lunge jumps, it will engage your entire lower body, which allows you to burn fat and calories!”

How to do a candlestick roll to sit up (Level 1 variation):

• Begin sitting on your buttocks, feet together, and arms up by your ears, straight and nice.
• Roll backward slowly.
• As you roll onto your shoulders, stretch your feet up to the ceiling. Your feet and legs should be glued together. Ensure that when rolling back, your feet go up straight and not over your head.
• As you stretch your feet up, keep your arms straight above your head. This forms the candlestick position.
• Return yourself to your initial standing position, extending forward to tap your toes.
• Your legs should ideally be straight in the candlestick position and when returning to touch your toes.

8. Side-to-side floor thrusters

Floor thrusters from the side have you working your abs, obliques, and many other undiscovered muscles that would not usually be targeted using conventional ab exercises, Pearce says. Even though it’s high-intensity, you will catch your breath immediately, which means that you’ll be burning calories from the moment you start.

How to do it:

• Begin on the floor on your hands and toes, with a neutral head. Your core is tight, and your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
• With a tight core, jump both feet up to the side of your hands simultaneously (first to the right).
• Your knees will be bent, and your arms will be straight.
• Jump both feet together back to the beginning position.
• Repeat the movement, but rather than jumping your feet to the right, jump them to the left. For a lower-impact variation of this exercise, step up instead of jumping. The idea, however, is to be jumping!

9. Split jumps

This is an advanced movement but one that delivers high challenge. As you are working the glutes, legs, and core, you will also be increasing your heart rate, as well as introducing plyometrics, says Powell.

How to do it:

• Begin in a lunge position, pushing through both feet to come up to standing, jumping off the floor.
• If you can, switch feet and step back into the lunge position, keeping under control.
• If you need to, do a rep on one leg, then switch legs and do it again.

10. Side plank holds

Side planks sound scary, but your back (and stomach) will thank you for doing them.

“These are wonderful for building stability and strength in the core but not too stressful on other areas of your body, such as your lower back or shoulders, which can be typical for core exercises,” says Dr. Kyle Krupa, DPT, CSCS, KRU PT + Performance Lab founder.

How to do it:

• Begin by lying on your right or left side, with your legs in a straight parallel position. Your floor arm’s elbow should be extended beneath your shoulder, and your other arm should be straight against your body.
• Hold for approximately 30 seconds.
• Do five reps.
• Do this on the other side.

Advice to Optimize Belly Fat Loss

• Stay consistent: You don’t have to break any records, but aim to exercise 4–5 days per week.
• Strength and Cardio: This not only burns calories but builds lean muscle.
• Balanced Diet: Try to minimize processed foods, eliminate white sugar, and fried foods.
• Hydrate: Water helps with digestion and job of burning fat.
• Sleep: 7–8 hours of sleep reduces stress hormones that lead to belly fat.
• Follow Progress: Weigh weekly, or you can take measurement pictures instead of just using the scale.

Conclusion

Belly fat does not go away overnight, but with discipline and patience, you can be sure to get results. The above 10 workouts Reverse tabletop single-leg glute bridge, cycling, standing oblique crunch, mountain climber, scissor rock, hollow body hold, candlestick roll, side-to-side floor thrusters, split jumps, and side plank holds are some of the best exercises to target persistent belly fat.

When you pair them with healthy living, a good diet, and consistent practice, you won’t just lose fat but also gain strength, increase energy, and have greater confidence.

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