There are many ways you can lose your belly fat, and they all work collectively.
Implement the many tools available at your disposal to reveal your freaking sexy abs.
How do you lose belly fat doing cardio exercises? Frankly, it would help if you did the work. If you can sustain a moderate-intensity workout for 45 minutes, you will lose belly fat.
Time and time again, cardio exercises have shown to be the most effective way to lose belly fat. NCBI studied 52 obese women for 12 weeks, proves cardio’s efficacy on abdominal fat.
[source: Comparable Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training and Prolonged Continuous Exercise Training on Abdominal Visceral Fat Reduction in Obese Young Women]
A little something about belly fat
This is to give you context and reference on some of the things I will discuss in this article.
Belly fat is the most dangerous. It is the most visible killer of all, yet not many people know about its potential risks.
You see, you have 2 types of fat in your stomach. One is the unattractive but harmless subcutaneous fat. The other is called visceral fat, and that’s the one you should take into consideration.
Visceral fats are the ones that reside on your internal organs. Its sole purpose is to slowly poison you by releasing toxins into your organs.
This can lead to many types of diseases such as diabetes and digestive problems to certain types of cancers.
So, why aren’t you doing something about it? It’s because you tried but failed and didn’t want to keep losing.
Do you want to know why you failed? It’s because you haven’t been adequately educated on fat loss or in this case, belly fat loss.
I had no clue for years and have tried many times. Time and time again, I was left disappointed.
I decided to buy books and learn everything I can about fat loss. Only then did I start seeing results.
One of the things I’ve learned is that doing cardio exercises can help in losing the most dangerous fats of all, visceral fat.
Cardio exercises to lose your fat belly for good
The following exercises are effective to lose your fat around the middle. According to NCBI’s study, there are 2 ways you can do cardio to reduce your stomach fat.
One is the moderate-intensity continuous training, and the other is high-intensity interval training. Both are self-explanatory, I hope.
To further explain, moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) is when you maintain the constant measured energy for the duration of the workout.
While high-intensity interval training will have you whelping and wheezing periodically. To be in that state, you’ll have to be hitting your maximal heart rate zone at more than 80%.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
The following are steps on how to HIIT:
- When warmed up, start raising your heart rate up by 60% of your maximum heart rate.
- Keep it at 60% for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, speed your heart rate up by more than 80% of your maximum heart rate.
- Maintain a high heart rate for 1 minute then slow it back down to 60% or whatever you are most comfortable.
- Repeat.
In simpler terms, run slow for 5 minutes to prepare yourself for the next phase. The second phase is to run hard for 1 minute, then repeat.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been proven to reduce both subcutaneous and visceral fat. Similar to a moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT, which is what we’ll get into next.
Moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT)
Moderate-intensity continuous training is a good way to get rid of both subcutaneous and visceral fats. Especially if you can manage to sustain a longer duration.
Studies have shown a significant decrease in visceral fats when MICT was performed under prolonged volume, i.e., from 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
[source: Prolonged Continuous Exercise Training on Abdominal Visceral Fat Reduction]
How do you get started with moderate-intensity continuous training? By following these simple points:
- Start warming up.
- Once you feel warmed up and supple, start your prolonged workout.
- Choose the right fat burning zone for your age.
- Keep to this range for the rest of your workout, i.e, for 45 minutes or more.
- Cooldown.
NCBI has suggested that a longer bout of moderate-intensity continuous training is more effective against visceral fat when compared to high-intensity interval training.
Cardio exercises
Cardio exercise is not for building arms or legs or have big pecs. Well, maybe some cardio exercises you can. However, it’s better if you target your quads or pecs with a strength training regime.
You have to look at cardio exercises to improve your heart health and lose your excess fat. Not to get huge. Another way to differentiate the 2 is cardio for shredding, strength training for building.
Let’s look at some of the following cardio exercises you can incorporate into your regiment to finally reveal your six-pack abs.
- Running
- Walking
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Jumping
- Sports
Running
Running, when you think of cardio, you almost always think of running. Running is the best way to get your heart rate up in a short amount of time.
This is great to determine your fitness level too. If you are huffing and puffing running for only 30 seconds, you need to get fitter. You can do so if you keep showing up and getting it done.
Running is a great way to build your calf muscles also if you change the way you run. Do you know that before shoes were ever invented, we humans ran barefooted?
Yes, barefooted. Read more about running in this article, lose belly fat by running.
Walking
I love walking, we, walk anywhere and everywhere but do you know you can use walking as one of your cardio exercises?
It may sound less exciting to running, but it is effective. As long as you are hitting your fat-burning zone, you are on your way to great looking abs.
Find out how to use walking for cardio and calculate your fat-burning zone in this article, lose belly fat by walking.
Swimming
Swimming is excellent for preventing impact on your joints. Maybe you have been injured or suffer from debilitating diseases, such as arthritis.
Swimming is not only a good exercise for people living with arthritis but also a great way of preventing gout.
Why is it great for people with joint diseases? Well, the water supports your body weight while developing your overall body muscles, i.e., back, shoulders, legs, chest.
To read more, click on this article, exercises to lose belly fat.
Cycling
Cycling is also less impactful compared to running. You can also build your quad muscles using this type of cardio.
Remember to get geared up and be extra prepared for hazards on the road. This type of workout can be dangerous in bad conditions.
Read more about cycling to help you develop a plan to getting started safely with cycling. Click on this article, exercises to lose belly fat.
Jumping
Skipping ropes is an excellent example of jumping cardio. If you are jumping and find yourself landing on your heel first, you might want to change your landing habits.
Landing heel first presents a high impact on your joints, leading to complicated joint problems in the future.
For better landing technique, let’s look at parkour practitioners on how they land. You can imagine these guys jumping from tall buildings and breaking their legs. Yet, they don’t.
It made me research as to why…
Their ability to absorb the impact of jumping from great heights is simply extraordinary. I investigated even further and found out how they land safely with this landing technique at parkourpedia.
The method was shown in a series of images:
- Land on balls of feet first.
- Spread the impact from balls of feet to heel.
- Bend the knees, not going past 90°.
- Roll forward
The last part may not apply to you but look at the first step. The photo shows landing on balls of feet first then transferring all the force to the heel.
For the photos, you can go to their website. I didn’t want to steal their images. However, I am sure you can use your imagination.
I think the key takeaway for landing to minimize impact is to land on the balls of feet first to heel then bend at the knee.
If you are only jumping on the spot, then there is no need for the rolling part or bending at the knees when landing. You’ll look somewhat stupid.
Traceurs (parkour practitioners) jump from great heights uninjured. An average person attempting this feat may break their legs. I think it’s essential to study the efficacy of their methods in minimizing the impact on joints
Sports
Playing sports is a great way to do cardio while having fun. Let’s face it; cardio is boring and tedious.
If you love to play basketball or tennis, you should do so. Not only is it fun to catch up with friends, but it’s a surefire way to get much cardio for the week.
Conclusion
From running, swimming, sports to everyday walking. You can use all these activities to burn the fat in your belly.
However, you can’t just run or walk conservatively. The factor that determines your success is your determination and the amount of work you put in.
Moreover, there are many ways you can do cardio exercises. Pretty sure I have missed some of them.