Read the title of this article again. “The Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat.” Let me be frank now. It does not exist. In the body building and weight training world, there are hundreds of exercises that we can use to work our abdominal muscles. All can be effective exercises that can help us lose belly fat fast if we consider some key points in our training. When we ask questions like, “How to lose belly fat fast?”, “How do get a flat tummy?”, and “How to get ripped abs?” we must understand that losing weight and belly fat will only come about in a holistic way. Just doing hundreds of crunches everyday and not paying attention to other aspects of abdominal training like diet and general endurance work will not lead to a flat and lean tummy. Here are some things you need to consider and include when thinking of the best exercise to lose belly fat.
1. Increasing General Fat Burning Capacity
Fat is present in every part of our body, but we tend to only associate body fat to belly fat. Studies have shown that in order for fat to be burned in our body, aerobic exercises must be done beyond twenty minutes. Before that, the body depends more on carbohydrates as fuel to supply the aerobic activities. Beyond twenty minutes, fat metabolism kicks in big time because it is by far the most efficient energy mechanism to support long term aerobic exercise. It does not matter what kind of aerobic activities you perform. The best exercise to lose belly fat is actually any form of aerobic activity in excess of twenty minutes. The activity itself need not be too intensive. Low intensity activities like brisk walking or tour cycling for extended period of time are very effective forms of fat metabolism activities. So the next time hear someone ask, “How to get a flat tummy? get them on some form of prolonged low intensity aerobic activities first.
2. Diet Watch
No matter how good and comprehensive your exercise program is to lose fat, it will never be effective if you do not watch your diet. How do you expect to lose weight if you indulge in high calorie sinful meals immediately after your perfect workout? It is just not possible. Losing belly fat and fat is a very simple thing for the body. As long as calorie intake is lower than calorie output, the body will eventually tap on the fat reserve in the body to make up the difference. The end result is a leaner body. The best exercises to lose belly fat must be complemented with a diet that will lead to a calorie deficit. This will result in fat lost, and you can bet that a lot of your belly fat will be used to fuel your energy needs.
3. Abdominal Training Focus
All abdominal exercises are best exercises to lose belly fat. The reason is that these exercises build up the abdominal muscle groups. These have an indirect effect on “how to lose belly fat fast?” and “How t get ripped abs?” When muscle mass of the abdominal muscles increase, this will result in a higher metabolism rate. Chances are, the muscles will tap on close by body fat to fuel this increase rate. Where is the nearest fat source for the abdominals? That’s right! Your belly fat. So one of the key to “how to lose belly fat fast?” is to develop all abdominal muscle groups as best as possible. However, most weight watchers often concentrate only on the rectus abdominals, forgetting the larger obliques. Do pay attention to the obliques as well. If you can shape your obliques up, this will provide a greater mass of muscle for increase metabolic rate and also shape the V-shape trunk that many people desire.
There is no best exercise to lose belly fat. All abdominal exercises are important and beneficial to losing belly fat fast. These must be combined in a holistic way with a proper diet, inclusion of prolonged aerobic activities as well as a general development of all abdominal muscle groups to induce the greatest weight loss of belly fat.
"Mike Mass is a professional trainer offering free advise in his Free Body Building Blog. He also keeps a Fitness and Diet Guide."