Abdominal slimming exercises

In the human body, the main fat "deposits" are concentrated in the subcutaneous tissue and in the abdominal cavity and its wall, that is, in the abdominal area. In a normal state, an adult accumulates fat due to an increase in the size of existing fat cells (adipocytes). But with an excess amount of fat in the cell, the process of their reproduction is launched, which leads to a multiple increase in the number of fat cells. They begin to accumulate, including between the organs of the abdominal cavity (visceral fat), as well as in the lower and upper parts of the body. At the same time, the layer of fat on the abdomen of obese people can reach a thickness of 10, 15, or even 20 cm (for comparison: walruses and seals have a subcutaneous fat thickness of 5-10 cm). Will exercises for losing weight in the abdomen help "shake off" excess fat?

Effective exercises for losing belly fat

In principle, exercises for rapid weight loss of the abdomen - without a system of correct balanced nutrition - will not give the desired effect. Because adipose tissue is not just a "storage" of extra kilograms. It actively maintains its presence in the body with a specially produced peptide hormone leptin, which performs the function of "control and audit" in the energy exchange system.

But not everything is so hopeless. Triglycerides are synthesized in fat cells, which mainly make up adipose tissue. When triglycerides are broken down, the body receives energy, and the more energy is spent, the more triglycerides are broken down. That is, exercises for losing belly fat are the same intense physical activity that increases fat consumption. The main thing is that morning exercises for losing belly fat are not accompanied by breakfasts, lunches and dinners, which in their caloric content would exceed the energy spent on their implementation...

So, home exercises for losing belly fat, as weight loss experts say, should be done at least three times a week. From the beginning of the exercises, each exercise is performed 8-10 times, and after a person gets into this business, all exercises for losing belly fat at home should be performed at least 20-25 times each.

A standard set of exercises for losing belly fat includes performing exercises in various positions – standing, sitting and lying down. The following exercises are performed in the lying position:

• Lying on your back, legs and arms straight, arms extended along the body. Without bringing your shoulders forward, while inhaling, lift your back off the floor, raise your straight arms along your legs, sit up and lean forward, trying to reach your toes with your hands. While exhaling, smoothly return to the original position.
• Lying on your back, bend your legs at the knees, with your feet almost shoulder-width apart. Place your hands behind your head, fingers interlocked, elbows out to the sides. Inhale – lift your head, shoulders and shoulder blades off the floor (your chin should not be pressed to your chest), tense your abdominal muscles. Hold this pose for 5-10 seconds. Exhale – return to a lying position.
• Lying on your back, legs and arms straight, arms extended along the body. Straight legs are raised 30 degrees in relation to the plane of the floor on inhalation, this position is held for five seconds, and the initial position is taken upon exiting.
• The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise. While inhaling, bend your knees and perform a movement that imitates riding a bicycle (30 seconds three times with 5-second breaks).
• Lying on your back, legs bent at the knees, straight arms extended along the body. While inhaling, lift the pelvis off the floor (with emphasis on the shoulder blade area of the back) so that the stomach is in line with the knees. The position is maintained for 5-10 seconds and upon exiting, slowly return to the original position.
• Lying on your back, legs bent at the knees, hands behind your head, elbows out to the sides. Inhale - the elbow of your left hand is extended towards the right knee. Exhale - starting position. Inhale - the elbow of your right hand is extended towards the left knee. Exhale - starting position.

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Exercises for losing belly fat while standing

Simple, but at the same time effective exercises for losing belly fat while standing are traditional squats and bends.

• Stand up straight, feet together, hands on your hips. Keeping your back and shoulders as straight as possible, squat down without lifting your heels off the floor. The lower the squat, the more your abdominal muscles will strain during the straightening. If you have difficulty, you can do this exercise holding on to the back of a chair with your hand, for example.
• Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart, hands on your waist or behind your head. Inhale – bend forward, exhale – straighten up, inhale – bend back, exhale – straighten up.
• Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms raised. Inhale (on the count of 1-2-3) – spring forward bend with fingers touching feet or the floor. On the count of 4 (exhale) – take the starting position.
• Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart, hands on your waist. Pull in your abdominal muscles strongly, then (without holding your breath) relax the muscles. Repeat the exercise 10-15 times.

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Exercises for losing belly fat while sitting

When doing abdominal slimming exercises while sitting, you need to make sure that your back and shoulders remain straight. This helps increase the load on the abdominal muscles.

• Sit on the floor, legs straight, arms slightly back in a support position. Keep your straight legs together, lift them off the floor and “draw” circles in the air with both feet – three times to the left and the same number to the right. Repeat the exercise 3-4 times with short pauses.
• Sit on the floor, legs straight, arms straight and stretched forward. Alternately lifting the buttocks and straining the abdominal muscles, move forward and backward (one meter). Repeat the exercise 5-6 times.
• Sit on the floor, legs straight, arms slightly back in a support position. Keep your straight legs together, leaning back slightly, alternately lift them from the floor. The exercise is repeated in three sets of 10 times.

Belly Fat Loss Exercises For Men

All the above exercises for losing belly fat can be done by men with the same success as women, but the number of repetitions should be increased (up to 20-25 times). And here are exercises with increased load:

• Lie down on the floor, legs straight, arms straight and stretched along the body. As you inhale, lift your straight legs up (do not lift your head and shoulders!) and hold them in this position for 10 seconds. As you exhale, return to the original position. As you practice, the time you hold your legs up should be gradually increased.
• Sit on the floor, legs straight, arms slightly back in a support position. Keep your straight legs together; lean back slightly, lift your legs off the floor, bend them at the knees and press them to your chest. Then straighten your legs and lower them to the floor.
• The starting position is similar to the previous exercise, but the legs are raised, bent and pressed to the chest alternately - right and left separately.

Exercises for losing belly fat for men involve active use of the horizontal bar. The simplest of them is this: hang with straight arms, then inhale, bend your legs at the knees and slowly straighten them, simultaneously lifting them parallel to the floor (or ground). Exhale, smoothly return to the starting position.

Bodyflex exercises for belly fat loss

A popular set of breathing exercises for losing belly fat is bodyflex, developed over 20 years ago by American Greer Childers.

It is believed that bodyflex exercises for losing belly fat are aimed at "saturating the body with oxygen", which is achieved by temporary breath holding. In this case, breathing exercises are combined with isotonic and isometric exercises, that is, static and forceful muscle tension without movement of the body parts that participate in the exercise.

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Breathing exercises for losing belly fat using the bodyflex method

According to the bodyflex method, you first need to exhale all the air from your lungs - through your mouth, making your lips a "tube". Then take a quick, intense breath through your nose (the breath should be noisy) - to fill your lungs to capacity. After that, lifting your head, you need to exhale all the air again with all your might - but through a wide-open mouth. Now you should completely hold your breath, tilt your head to your chest and pull your stomach in as much as possible (for 8-10 seconds). The last stage - you need to relax your abdominal muscles and take a normal breath. All bodyflex exercises for losing belly fat are performed precisely at the stage of holding your breath (and pulling in your stomach).

Starting position: kneel down, bend over and rest your palms on the floor with your straight arms. Keep your back straight and your head raised. Do a breathing exercise (as described above) and while holding your breath and drawing in your stomach, tilt your head and arch your back as much as possible. Hold this pose for 8-10 seconds. Then exhale and relax your back and stomach. Repeat the exercise three times with intervals of 15-20 seconds.

Here is another exercise, for which you need to lie on your back, spread your legs slightly less than shoulder width apart and bend them at the knees (your feet are completely on the floor), arms extended along the body. Then do a breathing exercise (as described above) and pull in your stomach. While holding your breath, you should: raise your arms up and lift your head off the floor (throwing it back), shoulders and back, lifting them as high as possible; return to a lying position and, touching the back of your head to the floor, repeat the movement. After the second lift, smoothly return to the original position and inhale, relaxing your stomach. This exercise is repeated three times at intervals of half a minute.

Finally, an exercise for losing weight in the lower abdomen. Lie on your back on the floor, straight legs together, arms bent at the elbows (palms down) placed under the buttocks. After the breathing exercise is completed - while holding your breath and pulling in your stomach - straight legs are slightly raised above the floor (toes extended, head and shoulders remain motionless) and quick wide "scissor" swings are made, changing the position of the legs (over or under the other). The movements are made for eight to ten counts. Legs are lowered and inhaled. Repeat - 3-4 times with pauses of 20 seconds.

Despite the fact that most breathing exercises, including breathing exercises for losing belly fat, are beneficial, there is an opinion that the bodyflex system is potentially unsafe, since holding your breath leads to increased blood pressure and heart rhythm disturbances.

There is another system of breathing exercises (again in combination with physical exercise) to reduce fat deposits on the hips and abdomen - oxysize. True, here you do not need to hold your breath. In general, oxysize is a modified Russian version of American bodyflex, supplemented with abdominal breathing. There is nothing new here, because diaphragmatic breathing (eastern, lower or abdominal breathing) has long been practiced by yoga, which has special pranayama techniques.

Yoga exercises for belly fat loss

Abdominal breathing is used both to increase the flow of oxygen into the blood and to strengthen the muscles in the lower abdomen. This is where the Svadhisthana chakra is located, which in Ayurveda is considered responsible for a person's immunity and overall vitality.

The most accessible technique for performing a yoga breathing exercise to lose belly fat is as follows: place one palm on your chest and the other on your stomach, take a deep breath through your nose, inflating your stomach so that your palm rises (along with the abdominal wall). The palm lying on your chest should remain motionless. Exhale through your nose as well, and it should be longer and calmer than inhalation. When exhaling, the abdominal wall should be “pressed” to your spine, causing the palm on your stomach to drop to its original position.

Now let's look at the simplest yoga exercises for losing belly fat.

Bhujangasaga – Cobra Pose

Lie on the floor on your stomach, legs straight, knees and feet pressed together, toes extended; arms bent at the elbows, lying along the chest with palms forward. As you inhale, leaning on your palms, slowly and gradually raise your body to the height of your straightened arms. At the same time, your back arches, your sternum stretches forward and up, your shoulders move back and down, your elbows press against the sides of your chest, and your head tilts back. Hold the pose for half a minute (holding your breath for 5 seconds), then bend your arms at the elbows and, as you exhale, smoothly lower yourself to the starting position. Repeat the exercise three times.

Ardha Navasana – Half Boat Pose

Sit on the floor, knees bent, arms down along the chest. Round your back, press the lower part of your back tightly to the floor, shoulders and the rest of your back remain suspended. Then straighten your legs and lift them 25-30 cm above the floor. Stretch your arms towards your feet. Keep your legs, stomach and lower back tense, breathe evenly. Hold this pose for 15-20 seconds.

Dhanurasana - Bow Pose

An effective exercise for losing weight in the lower abdomen, as well as for strengthening the spine (reminiscent of the “frog” exercise familiar from childhood).

Lie on the floor on your stomach, bend your legs at the knees, lift them up and grab your ankles with your hands. As you inhale, arch your back and lift both legs, pulling them to your back with your hands. Hold your breath for 5 seconds, as you exhale, release your hands and smoothly lower your legs to the floor. Repeat the asana three to four times.

Halasana – Plow Pose (Simplified Version)

Lie on your back with your head towards the wall (about half a meter away), straight legs, straight arms along the body. As you inhale, lift your straight legs up, bend your arms and place your hands on your hips, supporting your body. As you exhale, throw your straight legs behind your head, touch your feet to the wall. Stay in the asana for 10 seconds, breathing deeply. As you exhale, slowly straighten up, when your back lies firmly on the floor, smoothly lower your legs. This yoga exercise for losing belly fat is useful for fat deposits not only on the stomach, but also on the hips.

The body is a "burden" that a person constantly "carries" with him. And to lighten this burden, effort and persistence are needed. Only they will help to systematically perform exercises for losing weight in the abdomen and thus part with extra pounds.