Exercise To Lose Belly Fat For Men – Complete Guide To Changes

You are a young and skinny 20-year-old man and you can eat and drink any time and anything you want; you’re boastful about your super-quick metabolism. You’re 30 and the whole system seems to unravel all of a sudden. Every burger-beer combination decides to hold on tightly to your belly. You’re 40 – the system with quick metabolism is not working. You can barely see your toes and the health issues keep coming. Belly fat is a combination of a passive lifestyle and excessive+unhealthy nutrition. Not only does it bring physical discomfort, but it also is a disturbing sign health-wise. Let’s dig deeper into the topic and help you choose the best fat burning exercises at home for males.

Get ready for lots of details and information📝

Types Of Belly Fat 

A fatty belly is quite a good reason to think about weight loss and start taking care of your health. Belly fat is typically a sign of a “work-eat-sleep” lifestyle and, often, of diabetes, liver, and heart problems. However, when we generally think of fat, it’s important to distinguish its types and functions.

Subcutaneous Belly Fat

The most visible part of fat, which is located right beneath your skin, is called subcutaneous. It forms one of the layers of skin, the deepest, after the epidermis and dermis.

This type of fat, when not exceeding its size, serves several essential functions.

• it protects your muscles when you fall, like amortization or pads.
• serves as connective tissue for your blood vessels and nerves, helping them to get from the skin to muscles
• serves as an energy reservoir
• it’s s temperature regulator, keeps you cool when it’s too hot and protects from being overheated.

Subcutaneous fat is something that everyone has from birth. However, our lifestyle and a far-from-being healthy diet can make it grow, and from its initially protective and connective functions, it becomes quite detrimental to our health.

Increased levels of subcutaneous fat may be detected if you are insulin resistant, have a low muscle mass, etc. It is also a sign that you may have an alarming level of inner (visceral) fat.

Visceral Belly Fat 

Subcutaneous fat is quite visible, as you can see it covers your body, being a part of your skin. [1] Visceral fat is also called ‘hidden’, it covers your body organs and makes up 1/10 of all the fat stored in your body. It is a real danger to your health, being the main reason for numerous diseases of the heart, circulation, pancreas, liver, etc. Besides, it can release dangerous toxins and hormones into our bodies, causing health issues.

Visceral fat is responsible for TOFI individuals – thin outside- fat inside. If with subcutaneous fat everything is pretty obvious, you can see it exceeding or not, visceral is deep inside the body, making it difficult to detect. Slender people may also be the carriers of such fat, without being aware of it.

How To Measure Belly Fat?

The most accurate ways of measurement are offered by special technologies, typically in medical or fitness centers. However, there are certain ways to get a more or less clear picture while defining body fat at home.

1. Body mass index

It is the most common way of taking measurements. All you need to know is height and weight; the ratio between them will show if you are on the safe side.

BMI (metric) = weight (kg) / [height (m)] 2

BMI (imperial) = [Weight (lbs) / Height (inches)²] x 703

 

 

 

A woman and a man with the same BMI can have different percentages of fat. Women tend to have more fat.

The same idea applies to younger and older people. Having the same BMI, youngsters have less body fat.

2. Waist circumference

The easiest type of measurement, for which you need a measuring type:

– Place a tape measure around your waist – not with the max exhale – just above your hip bones (usually near your belly button)

3. Waist-height ratio

This measurement will just help you see if you have problems with the waist size. divide your waist circumference by your height. A healthy ratio is no more than 0.5. You should keep your waist size less than half of your height.

Causes Of Belly Fat

Belly fat doesn’t appear for no reason. Even more, it typically is a combination of several factors.

1. Sugary Foods And Drinks

Sugar gives us energy and keeps us going when we seem to have no strength to move on A handful of cookies and hot chocolate can help you finish the project and not to fall asleep while at work). However, we need a small amount of it during the day [2]:

Adults should have no more than about 30g of free sugars a day, (about 7 sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should – up to 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes)

At first, it may seem that you don’t even eat that much. However, try writing a food diary for a week, adding every single bite you make during the day. There’s a high chance that you’ll get a big surprise when you count the amount of sugar you consume: almost every type of packaged or canned food contains it.

Sweetened drinks are like silent calorie providers – a 600 ml bottle of soda will enrich with 60+gr of sugar (with 30 being the top per day). And that’s not to count other sources you use during the day.

Such high levels of sugar are worrying, because they provide you with nothing but empty calories, not benefiting your body in any way. However, such sugar-rich consumption wouldn’t be so high if people tried to do physical activities to burn all the calories they consumed. How to lose belly fat? Stop building it with the wrong food.

2.  Alcohol

Alcohol is considered a fun- and atmosphere-maker for every party and a friendly evening chit-chat; an element of socialization. If we have a closer look at the numbers (per 100 gr):

• whiskey – 250 calories ( approximately 30-min run, 5-miles walk, 30-min cycle – to burn);
• wine 80-100 calories;
• rum – 230-250 calories, etc.

Alcohol may be relaxing you, however, you accumulate calories and develop an addiction, if you don’t control how much you drink.

Apart from being rather detrimental weight-wise, alcohol is also claimed to be a reason for liver inflammation, and blood pressure disorder damage to the heart muscle. [3]

While a glass of dry wine may be acceptable once in a while, heavy drinking will sooner or later take its toll on your physical and mental health, making it extremely difficult to lose belly fat.

3. Trans Fats

Fats are not the enemies of your body. They make the third part of essential macronutrients, along with proteins and carbs. Fats give you energy, keep you warm and help regulate the level of hormones. By depriving your body of fat, you are about to have brittle hair and dry skin. Skinny people have a hard time in winter because the insulation doesn’t work.

However, not all fats are the same and their amount should also be considered. Saturated and unsaturated fats are obtained from natural sources of food, unlike the dangerous type – of trans fats. Trans fat was initially created to reduce the cost of food production: margarine or shortening instead of butter. This type of fat is made of vegetable oil which undergoes hydrogenation, hardens, and stays solid at room temperature.

Trans fats are pretty harmful to our health, especially when in excess. [4] Sure thing you will not get fat or unhealthy instantly, however, they tend to accumulate. You should avoid foods made with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (such as hard butter and margarine). They contain high levels of trans-fatty acids.

The most common types of food:

• Anything fried and battered
• Shortening and stick margarine
• Cakes, cake mixes, pies, pie crust, and doughnuts

Our body has zero benefits from trans fats, you get just the opposite:

• raised bad cholesterol, lowered good cholesterol
• increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.
• high chances of weight gain weight.
• risk for type 2 diabetes.

4.  Lack Of Exercising

A passive lifestyle is never beneficial. Your body needs training and load (every once in a while) to function properly. Muscles need to work to stay healthy. If you deprive your body of it, you become literally strengthless and unable to perform the simplest activities.

When the passive lifestyle is doubled by excessive eating, the situation worsens. You keep accumulating fat that your muscles and skeletal systems can’t handle, and you start moving even less, accumulating more. Looks like a vicious cycle.

To maintain a healthy weight you need to have at least 2-3 workouts a week. If you don’t change your eating habits, you’ll at least gain less or keep the weight at the same level. If you change your diet and do exercises for burning calories, you will have high cholesterol and high blood pressure regulated, belly fat melted, and physical health improved. Seems like a good deal, doesn’t it?

5. Diets With Low Protein

Some people who want to lose belly fat think that the only thing that matters is the number of calories consumed. If you reduce the intake, everything’s going to be fine. However, that’s a delusion. You can get 2000 a day in cakes and sweetened drinks, and have nothing but extras – no vitamins, no vital elements. After a week of such nutrition, you will face fatigue and a poor physical state.

However, if you follow a healthy diet, filling your plate with proteins, fats, complex carbs, vegetables, and fruits, you will see and feel the difference. They will provide the same number of calories but also meet your needs for essential micro- and macro-nutrients.

Protein is the basement for healthy muscles. And not only for those that help you move. The heart and stomach are also made of muscular tissue.

Choose protein of lean types found in chicken, turkey, fish, low-fat cheese, seafood, lean beef, etc.

6. Stress

Stress, contrary to common belief, doesn’t have a weight-loss stimulating effect, only if for a short while. When you are constantly under stress, your body is always under the influence of high levels of cortisol.

When in normal amounts, cortisol helps you burn fat, decrease inflammation and regulate blood sugar levels. However, when the level is high, your brain always gets the signal of danger and wants to prepare the body for survival and holds on to more calories to keep the warmth. As more cortisol runs through the bloodstream, it increases your appetite, causes insulin resistance, and slows metabolism.

If you want to lose belly fat, manage your psychological health.

7. Low-Fiber Diets

To lose belly fat, you need to enrich your menu with fiber. Fiber mainly comes from fruits and whole grains. Unlike other carbs, it’s indigestible and works as water repel. It helps to improve bowel movement, and thus, improves the functionality of the digestive tract and prevents constipation (which can make up a bigger belly).

The insoluble fiber can be found in veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds, wheat bran, and whole-grain foods like whole-wheat pasta and brown rice.

8. Your Genes

Genes are the most unfair reason why it’s difficult for you to lose belly fat. If people in your family tend to accumulate fat in certain places, you are very likely to follow their steps. However, often not the genes define your complexion, but the style of nutrition, the family culture of food consumption: gulping up everything, or slow and mindful eating; healthy vs unhealthy, etc.

If you regularly follow a healthy dietary regimen and follow 150-200 minutes of moderate exercise during the week, you will prove that the genes are not that important.

9. Poor Sleeping Habits

Adults need to sleep 7-8 hours every night. It’s not just a whim, it’s a basic requirement of your body. During this time your body regains its strength, repairs the tissues, digests all the information, and prepares for the next day. Sleep deprivation tends to accumulate, thus you will always feel tired, and your immune system will not be ready to fight against the enemy, as it will have no strength. You will always want to chew something, for some spikes of energy, accumulating not just fatigue, but excessive calories and thoughts on how to lose belly fat.

Best Exercise To Lose Belly Fat For Men

Burning belly fat and losing weight is barely possible without exercise. Apart from making your body stronger, they will just make you feel better and fresher. Among all the exercises to reduce belly fat we came up with the best ones, if you want to reach better results.

We advise you to read — Is it possible to burn 2000 calories a day?

Leg In And Out

Even the best exercises for burning belly fat require you to be ready for the workout. Warming up your muscles, you prevent possible injuries and strains. Leg-outs primarily target the abs and prepare you for more intense workouts, promoting fat loss as well.

Instruction:

1. Sit on the mat with the toes out in front of you; feet and legs together, and place your hands on the floor by your hips, bend them and lean back.
2. Bring your knees toward the chest and then fully extend the legs without touching the ground.
3. Make sure to move slowly and smoothly to engage all the muscles.

Planks

Planks are among the best exercises for your body. It is performed during a relatively short time, however, it doesn’t make it less efficient. Planks strengthen your core, arms, and glutes. It helps to reinforce the back muscles, thus, alleviating back pain. This workout is static, you just need to hold a straight line with the whole body. However, it only loos as simple as that. In reality, holding a plank even for 30 seconds may seem like a nightmare. As you build up your strength, you will see how the exercise routine becomes easier.

Planks are also сost-efficient – you don’t need any equipment to reap all the benefits of this workout.

If you have no prior experience with workouts, it’s better to start with the simplest form of plank, from the knee. Just follow the instruction below.

• KNEE Plank for beginners

Instruction:

1. Lie on the mat with elbows under the shoulders and place your hands on the floor; keep the core engaged.
2. Keeping forearms and knees on the floor, slowly raise upwards creating a straight line from your knees to your head.
3. Keep this position for as long as you can. Your muscles will start trembling and shaking, however, it’s important to bear.

You can rest for 20-230 seconds and repeat. It’s important to get used to this type of exercise and only then set the goals. The first few days must be dedicated to the correct performance, before moving on to the repetitions and time. If you feel that the plank is easy from the first day, check if you do everything properly.

• FULL PLANK

Full plank is the next step, after learning to do the knee plank. It engages more muscles and is more beneficial for abs, and thus, helps to get rid of belly fat.

Instruction:

1. Lie down into a press-up position.
2. Bend your elbows, forearms are on the floor beneath your shoulders, your body is in a straight line from your feet to your head.
3. Brace your abs tightly, and ensure a neutral spine position.
4. Hold the position for as long as you can.

• SIDE PLANK

Side plank is a more advanced form and helps to strengthen abs and transverse abdominal muscles.

Instruction:

1. Lie on your left side with your feet together with your forearm beneath the shoulder.
2. Brace your core and raise your hips to make the body in a straight line from your feet to your head.
3. Hold this position for as long as you can. Aim for 30 seconds in the beginning. Land softly onto the floor.
4. Repeat on your right side.

Crunches

Crunches are effective and diverse exercises to lose belly fat. They target upper and lower abdominal, oblique, and lower back muscles. However, the benefits are possible only if you follow the technique properly. Once you master the basics, you can move on to the variations.

Basic crunch

Instruction:

1. Lie on the back on a mat, bend your knees, and your feet are flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
2. Cross your arms in front of your chest or place your fingertips behind your neck or head, to feel get a more comfortable position.
3. While exhaling, lift your shoulder blades off the floor with a smooth, controlled motion.
4. Once your shoulders are raised, pause and hold that position for 1 to 2 seconds.

Land slowly back into the starting position; inhale. Be sure to make the move back slowly and smoothly. You need to control your muscles, not just drop back. 

Bicycle Crunches

When considering fat burning exercises at home for males, you certainly need to perform bicycle crunches. When done properly, you get a trained core and abs through rotation, and thus, they help to lose belly fat.

Instruction:

1. Lie on the ground, with the lower back pressed flat into the floor; your head and shoulders are raised slightly above the ground.
2. Place your hands on the sides of your head.
3. Lift one leg off the ground and extend it out.
4. Lift the other leg and bend your knee towards your chest.
5. Twist through your core so the opposite arm comes towards the raised knee. Don’t elbow to knee, focus on moving through your core as you turn your torso. It’s better to consider shoulder to knee rather than elbow to knee.
6. Lower your leg and arm at the same time when bringing up the opposite two limbs to mirror the movement.
7. Keep on alternating sides until you’ve planned.

Half Seated Reverse Crunch

Another beneficial belly fat exercise for man at home. Engages your abs, and strengthens the core. 

Instruction:

1. Lie down with your arms by your sides. Raise your legs to make your thighs perpendicular to the floor; your knees are bent at a 90° angle.
2. Exhale and contract your abs to bring your knees up towards your chest; raise your hips off the floor. Hold for 1-2 seconds n this position.
3. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position.

Remember to move slowly and control your movements. It will keep the abs under tension. Don’t do this exercise using back muscles.

Jackknife Crunch

The jackknife crunch is a more challenging form of the classic crunch, and thus, makes one of the best exercises to lose belly fat for men.

Instruction:

1. Lie on your back and bend your knees slightly; lift your left and right feet off the floor and keep like that throughout a set. 
2. Do a crunch to curl the shoulders up and toward the hips; simultaneously bring the knees slightly toward the shoulders. Maintain the tension in the abs to keep the upper and mid-back off the floor during the movement.

Scissor Kicks

The scissor kicks strengthen the core muscles, glutes, quads and adductors. They work perfectly if you want to lose belly fat and tone up your stomach muscles.

1. Lie on the mat facing the floor. Place the arms by your sides, palms facing down, or under the glutes. The pelvis is slightly tucked and the ribs are down. Brace your core.
2. Lift your legs 3–5 inches off the ground with the toes pointing away from the body.
3. Maintain your alignment, cross your left foot over the right one, and immediately cross your right foot over the left.
4. 4. Continue to move your legs in a controlled, alternating fashion until you’ve completed the desired number of repetitions.

Sit-ups

Sit-ups are like full-cycle crunches. When doing crunches, you slightly lift off the ground, however, with sit-ups, you fully raise your body off the floor.  Sit-ups improve your posture and stability, increase athletic performance and reduce the risks of back pain.

 

Instruction:

1. Lie on your back with knees bent at 90 degrees; your feet are flat on the floor.
2. Place the fingertips on the back of your ears; elbows are bent and point out to the side.
3. Exhale as you contract the core muscles and lift your torso off the ground. Continue until your chest is as close to your thighs as possible.
4. Inhale as you lower back down to the starting position, slowly and smoothly. That’s one rep.

Lying Leg Raises

The lying leg raise is a flexion exercise that keeps the lower abs under constant tension throughout the whole motion. It helps to tone lower body muscles.

Instruction:

1. Lie on the mat with the face up; your hands are underneath your lower back for support.
2. While contracting your abs and exhaling, raise your straight legs towards the forehead.
3. When the abs are contracted and the legs are slightly above parallel, lower your legs back to the starting position.
4. The number of repetitions depends on your fitness level.

Skinny legs fat upper body — an article on the topic.

Lying Alternate Toe Taps

The alternating toe tap is a warming up and pilates exercise. It primarily targets the abs, groin, hip flexors, lower back, and quads. It can also help you cool down after the workout.

Instruction:

1. Lie down on your back and lift your feet.
2. Hold your legs at a 90-degree angle.
3. Keep your legs at a 90-degree angle and lower your left foot down to the ground and then back up.
4. Do the same with your right foot/leg now.
5. Alternate the legs or the desired amount of repetitions.

Crossbody Mountain Climbers

How to lose belly fat exercise men? Try cross-body mountain climbing. It is a core strengthening exercise targeting the entire abdominal part. This workout improves upper body strength and stability in the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

1. Get into a push-up position and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Your body forms a straight line from the feet to your head.
2. Brace your core and maintain the contraction throughout the set. 
3. Bring one knee toward the opposite elbow. 
4. Return to the starting position to repeat on the other side.

Thrusters

The thrusters work the entire body, it is one of the best abdominal exercises and involves most of the major muscle groups. The thruster combines press, squat and explosive movements. It’s one of the most challenging workouts to perform.

Instruction:

1. Start with the barbell placed in your hands with your palms towards the ceiling at shoulder height and elbows high. 
2. The bar should remain in the front rack position and your chest should stay tall as you squat.
3. As you sit in the squat, your weight must be distributed evenly across your feet. Push your knees out and forward to get low enough. 
4. From the squat, press through the floor and drive up, using the power of your legs. 
5. When in a standing position, forcefully extend your knees and drive the barbell off your shoulders. 
6. As you thrust the bar overhead, lock out your arms.
7. Once your elbows are locked out, return the bar to the front rack position and get ready for another rep. 

Russian Twist

The Russian twist is an abdominal exercise to work the core, shoulders, and butt. 

Instruction:

1. Sit on the floor and bring your legs out straight.
2. Lean back slightly so your torso and legs form a V-like shape; brace your abs and core.
3. Keeping your legs stationary, twist your torso from side to side. Remember to move slowly and breathe.

Burpees

The burpee is a full-body exercise used in strength training. Initially, it is an anaerobic exercise, however, when done repetitively, over a longer period of time, can serve as an aerobic exercise. Burpee is a whole body training, it strengthens the core, tones your body, and helps to lose belly fat. It is performed in 4 steps.

Instruction:

1. Get into a squat position with your hands on the ground.
2. Kick your feet back and get into a plank position; keep your arms extended.
3. Return your feet into a squat position.
4. Stand up from the squat position.

This is a basic variant, however, there can also be added a push-up after the plank.

Running or Walking

Running and walking are the leaders of physical activities. Walking is our basic everyday movement. It’s not just movement somewhere, but when performed with a certain speed and regularity it turns into a self-sufficient aerobic exercise. It helps to keep your muscles toned and get rid of extra calories after a heavy dinner. Walking has lots of benefits for your health, which aren’t limited only by belly fat.

Running is a great aerobic exercise, which offers you the benefits starting from a flat stomach and finishing with improved heart health and psychological health.

Running and walking help you meet the weekly requirement of activities: 150 minutes of moderate activity, and 70-80 of vigorous.

Diet And Belly Fat

Diet is unable to make you slender if you don’t exercise. Exercise is unable to make strong and healthy without proper nutrition. These two “partners” make up the core of your changes.

The facts about a healthy diet are everywhere, however people tend to go for something more “crave-satisfying”. If you deprive your body of essential nutrients, it will give up sooner or later and shower you with health issues and extra fat all over the body and inside (visceral fat, which we have discussed ⬆️)

When you start a healthy dietary regimen you will see how many tasty and nutritious dishes you can prepare. Your everyday menu shouldn’t exceed 1500-2000 calories and contain lean proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables.

You can have cheating days with a favorite cake and cup of hot chocolate, however, don’t get too active with them.

The Bottom Line

If your weight keeps bothering you and belly fat doesn’t let you see your toes, then it’s high time you changed something in your life. Belly fat isn’t just about the inconvenience of movement. It’s a sign of poor health and fatty covers of your organs. The longer you wait, the longer and more challenging the fight.

The two major changes must be made:

• physical aspects of life – more activities, regular workouts, active attitude towards life
• nutrition – help your body regain its strength. Don’t feed it with greasy, salty, and sugary things. Give more vitamins and building blocks – proteins, carbs, and fats. Increase its resistance and health.

Your complexion, strength, and health are your responsibility; you have a leading part in your life, don’t forget about it.

FAQ:

Which exercise burns the most belly fat?🔥

All the intensive strength and cardio workouts are beneficial for losing belly fat. The key to success is frequency and schedule. If you go running every day for 25-30 minutes, you will improve your overall health and see visible changes in waist circumference. Planks performed on daily basis will help to strengthen the core muscles, helping you get rid of belly fat.

What is the best way for a man to lose belly fat?🔥

The best way to lose belly fat consists of regular activities (150-200 minutes a week) and healthy nutrition. The single method will not work efficiently. The nutrients for your body can be found in fruits and vegetables, lean types of meat, dairy products, etc. and the strength comes from sport.

Do planks burn belly fat?🔥

Plank is extremely efficient for the core muscles and posture. They are time-saving. however, provide whole body training. If you include planks in your activity list, they will propel the loss of weight and belly fat.

How long can it take to lose belly fat?🔥

Such a question can only be answered after you have all the measurements and workout/diet plans. Everything is very individual. You may feel the first changes with active efforts after a week or two. More visible alterations come in 3-4 weeks.

Does cardio burn stomach fat?🔥

Cardio is beneficial for burning fat, including belly fat. It helps to make your body stronger and healthier, and combined with a healthy diet, will help you reach your weight loss goals.

Sources:

1. What is visceral fat? 
2. How does sugar in our diet affect our health?
3. Alcohol – balancing risks and benefits. 
4. Dietary fats explained.