When it comes to exercise for weight loss, Did you know that there are two types of belly fat? Even more important is the fact that good exercises to lose belly fat change depending on what type of fat you are looking to lose.
There are two types of fat: subcutaneous fat, which is directly below the skin, and visceral fat, which surrounds the organs and is found beneath the abdominal. In this article, I will be revealing some good exercises to lose belly fat of both types.
Subcutaneous Fat
This is that fat that is found directly beneath the skin that you can actually pinch. It is characterized by being notoriously difficult to lose and being responsive to very few exercises. There are not many good exercises to lose belly fat of this variety.
One of things many people do not know about weight loss is that in order for the body to use fat for energy, it must retrieve the fat from the fat cell and bring it to another cell (usually the muscle cells) to be used for energy.
The problem with subcutaneous fat is that it naturally has an extremely low blood supply, making it fairly difficult for your body to use for energy. The only good exercises to lose belly fat found subcutaneously will be those that can stimulate blood flow to this fat in the first place.
Crunches or other ab work are not effective at reducing this type of fat. While counter-intuitive to many, these exercises do little to stimulate the blood flow to the subcutaneous fat. Blood flow to the muscles does not necessarily increase blood flow to your fat cells.
Additionally, it is hard for your body to use fat for energy when you are performing intense exercise. Fat is a great storage source for energy, but it takes your body a long time to convert fat into a usable form of energy.
For this reason, during high-intensity exercise (such as running) your body actually prefers to use carbohydrate (glycogen) for energy instead of fat. This is why many distance runners do not have 6-pack abs but rather a thin layer of fat covering the abdominal muscles.
Surprisingly, the easiest way to increase blood flow to your subcutaneous fat is to perform low-intensity aerobic exercise (such as walking). Low intensity aerobic exercise has been shown to increase blood flow to subcutaneous fat.
You do need to perform this for a solid duration (30 minutes to an hour); a short walk works when you are heavier, but if you want good exercises to lose belly fat consider walking for a few miles a day, several times per week.
A low-carb diet has also been shown to increase blood-flow to subcutaneous belly fat as well. Consider going low-carb for short 2-3 day bursts in combination with long walks for the ultimate fat-burning solution, especially for those last few pounds.
Visceral Fat
Visceral fat is the fat that surrounds the organs in the abdominal cavity. This fat is prevalent in people with “beer bellies” as it forces their stomachs to stick out. Since it surrounds the blood-rich inner organs, it too has a naturally high blood supply.
The good news is that this naturally high blood supply makes it very easy to lose. The bad news is that this naturally high blood supply also results in increased risks of heart disease since visceral fat can raise cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides.
Your body loves to use this type of fat for energy for daily functions. If you go into a calorie deficit (eat less calories than your body needs to survive), your body will start rapidly using this type of fat for energy.
You can achieve a calorie deficit by dieting or by exercises. All exercises that burn a lot of calories are good exercises to lose belly fat. This includes full-body weight training and any form of high-intensity exercise, such as sprinting. You can “sprint” on an elliptical or recumbent bike if you only work out in a gym:
- Increase the resistance and go all-out for 30 seconds
- Lower the resistance and cost for 60 seconds to 2 minutes
- Repeat for 10-30 minutes (depending on how good of shape you are in)
Putting It All Together – Good Exercises to Lose Belly Fat Conclusion
To wrap it up, the best exercises to lose belly fat depend on how much weight you want to loss. If you just have a few pounds of stubborn fat left to lose that just will not seem to go, try to do a lot of walking combined, a few days of resistance training, and a low-carb diet.
If you have a lot of weight left to lose off of your stomach, work on getting a few full-body resistance training sessions in each week, a few sprinting workouts, and walk at lunch on your off-days from the gym.
By applying these scientifically proven strategies, you can finally drop the weight and get the body you have always wanted!