The 8 Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat, Backed by Science

Many people are looking for quick ways to lose belly fat for different reasons. Maybe you want to improve your health, or maybe you just want to feel more confident in your appearance. The best way to slim your midsection is by following a plan that includes a balanced diet, positive lifestyle changes, and the right kinds of exercises. 

If you’re looking to trim your waistline, these science-backed exercises will help you lose belly fat. And it may also help you live a longer, healthier life. 

What’s the best way to lose belly fat fast?

If you’re looking to shed some belly fat, the key is to burn more calories than you take in. This usually includes three steps: increasing your activity level, modifying your diet, and doing resistance training (for strength). We’ll take a closer look at each of these methods below.

To lose belly fat, you need to move your body and get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Exercising for longer can help you lose weight faster. In one study, postmenopausal women who increased their exercise time from 30 minutes to 60 minutes, 5 days a week, lost significantly more belly fat. 

Exercise intensity also matters. You should aim for moderate intensity. This means you’re working hard enough that talking takes some effort, but you can still hold a conversation.

One study found that combining exercise with eating fewer calories helped people lose more body fat while keeping their muscles. 

It’s also important to be realistic about how long it’ll take to reach your goals. Depending on how much belly fat you want to lose, it may take several months of regular exercise and intentional dietary changes to see results.

Strength training is also important. Adding strength training helps you lose more belly fat than just doing cardio alone. We’ll show you the best exercises to help you reach your goals.

Exercises to lose belly fat

If you’re not sure where to start, these eight exercises work your whole body. They burn calories, strengthen your muscles, and help you change your body composition. Try to do them in a series (one after the other) to get your heart rate up. If you’re new to exercise, talk to a healthcare professional to make sure these are right for you.

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1. Mountain climbers

A mountain climber exercise is like running in place while holding a plank. This move raises your heart rate and strengthens your whole body. Here’s how to do one.

• Step 1: Start in a push-up position, with your legs straight behind you and hands under your shoulders.

• Step 2: Lift your right foot and quickly pull your right knee towards your chest.

• Step 3: Keep your hands on the floor as you quickly switch leg positions. Extend your right leg behind you as you pull your left knee to your chest.

• Step 4: Keep switching legs for 30 seconds.

2. Squat jumps

Squat jumps are a good exercise for burning calories while strengthening your lower body and core. Follow these steps for a squat jump.

• Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.

• Step 2: Bend at your hips and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

• Step 3: Push through your feet and jump up as high as you can.

• Step 4: Land with knees slightly bent and go back into a squat position.

• Step 5: Repeat the jump.

• Step 6: Continue doing squat jumps for 15 to 30 seconds.

3. Burpees

Burpees are another compound exercise that increases your endurance and overall strength. This will help you burn calories. 

• Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

• Step 2: Hinge at your hips to drop into a squat.

• Step 3: Place your hands on the floor and jump your feet back into a plank.

• Step 4: Do one push-up.

• Step 5: Jump your feet forward towards your hands and jump back up to standing.

• Step 6: Repeat the above steps for 30 to 60 seconds.

4. Jumping lunge

The jumping lunge is a plyometric move that improves strength and cardiovascular fitness. It also enhances balance and coordination.

• Step 1: Start in a lunge position with the right leg bent in front and left leg behind.

• Step 2: Bend both knees slightly, then jump and switch legs in the air.

• Step 3: Land with your left leg in front and right leg behind.

• Step 4: Continue alternating legs for 30 seconds.

5. High knees

The high knees exercise is a fun, high-energy move. You’ll feel your abdominals working hard as you do them.

• Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

• Step 2: Quickly lift your right knee up to your chest.

• Step 3: As your right knee comes down, pull your left knee up to your chest.

• Step 4: Continue alternating both legs at a fast pace for 30 to 60 seconds.

6. Kettlebell swing

The explosive kettlebell swing exercise not only strengthens your core and blasts calories, it’s a great exercise for strengthening your legs. You’ll need a kettlebell (start with a 10 lb to 15 lb weight).

• Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.

• Step 2: Hold the kettlebell with both hands, palms facing down.

• Step 3: Engage your core and swing the kettlebell between your legs by pressing your hips back.

• Step 4: Push your hips forward to swing the kettlebell to chest level as you stand up.

• Step 5: Swing the kettlebell back down between your legs.

• Step 6: Do 2 to 3 sets of 5 swings, resting for 30 seconds between sets.

7. Farmer’s walk

For the Farmer’s walk exercise, you’re basically just walking with a set of heavy weights in each hand. This exercise works your whole body, especially your core, and helps rev up your metabolism to burn fat.

• Step 1: Hold a heavy dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in.

• Step 2: Stand up straight with your shoulders back and core engaged.

• Step 3: Walk the length of a room or for a set time (like 30 to 60 seconds).

• Step 4: If you don’t feel fatigued at the end of the walk, use heavier weights.

• Step 4: Repeat 3 to 4 times.

8. Dumbbell woodchop

The dumbbell woodchop exercise is another move that works your whole body and gets your heart pumping. The diagonal motion of this move really works your core muscles, especially your side obliques. 

• Step 1: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold one heavy dumbbell in front of you with both hands.

• Step 2: Squat as you move the dumbbell down to one side behind your legs.

• Step 3: Stand up and lift the weight across your body, up to the other side.

• Step 4: Repeat the move on one side for 10 to 12 reps.

• Step 5: Then switch sides.

• Step 6: Do 2 to 3 reps on each side.

What exercise burns the most belly fat?

Studies show that high-resistance, moderate-endurance exercises lead to the most significant belly fat loss. This includes exercises like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or circuit training. You can also mix endurance training with high-resistance training. For example:

• Interval running with weight lifting: Go for a short, brisk run, then lift weights for a set number of reps.

• Circuit training with body weight exercises: Jumping rope or riding a stationary bike, and then doing burpees, lunges, or squats are good circuit training combinations.

• Cardio plus resistance: Do cardio like running, brisk walking, or riding a stationary bike, followed by resistance training (lifting weights or bodyweight exercises).

You might be surprised that this list doesn’t include sit-ups or crunches. Studies show that doing only abdominal exercises doesn’t help reduce belly fat when compared to making dietary changes. 

Abdominal exercises can strengthen your core, but they won’t help you lose belly fat unless you also do aerobic exercise and make changes to your diet.

Diet and lifestyle tips for losing belly fat

If you’re exercising but eating more calories than you burn, you won’t lose belly fat. Research shows that intermittent fasting combined with a high-protein diet was most effective at losing belly fat. 

Along with aerobic exercise, strength training, and a balanced and nutritious diet, the following lifestyle tips will also help:

• Prioritize sleep

• Don’t smoke

• Limit alcohol

• Reduce stress

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications (like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro) have also been found to be effective at reducing deep belly fat (also called visceral fat). Talk to your healthcare team to see if these are right for you. 

How harmful is belly fat?

Having excess belly fat can be harmful and can lead to an increased risk of premature death. But not all belly fat is created equal. There are two types of belly fat: 

• Subcutaneous fat: This is the fat you can feel just under your skin when you poke or squeeze your belly. 

• Visceral fat: This fat is deeper and surrounds the organs inside your body.

Visceral fat is the more dangerous type. It’s important to pay attention to visceral fat because it can trigger inflammation. It can also increase your risk for health issues like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and even cancer. 

Both men and women tend to gain belly fat as they get older. This is often due to factors like slower metabolism and changes in hormones. But there are things you can do to lose belly fat and support your long-term health. And your body breaks down visceral fat more easily. So, you’ll actually lose that first before the subcutaneous fat.

Can you just reduce belly fat?

No, you can’t target fat loss to just your belly or control where your body loses weight first. When you lose weight, it comes off from all over your body, including your waist. 

You can do abdominal exercises to tone and strengthen your core muscles. These will help support your back and improve your posture. But by themselves, they won’t reduce belly fat.

As you lose weight, you can measure your waistline to keep track of your belly fat loss. Research suggests that you should aim to keep your waist size to less than half your height. 

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Written by:

Kim Grundy, PT

Kim Grundy, PT, is a writer, editor, and licensed physical therapist. She worked at an outpatient orthopedic facility, where she treated patients with chronic conditions and post-surgical athletes working towards recovery.

Edited by:

Karla Robinson, MD

Karla Robinson, MD, is a medical editor for GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified family physician with almost 20 years of experience in health through varied clinical, administrative, and educational roles.

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