Melt off the winter gut with these no-equipment exercises you can do at home.
Winter is full of belly-pleasing festivities around the table. From holiday cookies to warm hot cocoa, if your jeans have gotten too tight from the winter, you are not alone.
Winter weight gains are common and often come with a winter belly with a few inches around the waist.
Luckily, your winter belly or winter gut doesn’t have to stick around and stay permanently. You can fight off the extra pounds and belly fat you gained during the cold months right off your body and get back into shape.
The best way to do that is with exercise, particularly high-intensity exercise.
They don’t require any equipment, and you can easily perform them at home or anywhere.
All you need is some commitment, space, and 15 minutes of your time several times a week.
These exercises will blast fat, speed up your metabolism, and help you get back in shape.
Workouts To Lose Belly Fat at Home
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Burpees
Burpees are almost universally hated by exercisers. This movement is exhausting, no matter who you are. Best of all, burpees provide a way to get both muscular endurance and a cardiovascular workout in a very small amount of space.
How to Perform
- Start in standing.
- As quickly as you can, drop into the “up” portion of a push-up position.
- Next, jump your legs forward and return to standing.
- Perform as many burpees as you can in the span of one minute. Then take a break for 30 seconds and repeat for 5 rounds.
- Perform this workout 2-3 times per week.
Bodyweight Squats
If you were to only pick a couple of exercises to do for the rest of your life, squats should be on the list.
This movement is extremely functional, as we use the squatting motion and muscles to sit, stand, and perform various other functions throughout the day.
How to Perform
- Start standing with your feet roughly hip-width apart.
- Slowly, bend your knees and allow your hips to flex, keeping your back straight.
- Once you’ve gone down as low as you can (without your heels lifting up), straighten out your knees and hips, returning to standing.
- Complete 10-15 reps per set, for 3 sets per session. Perform 3-4 sessions per week.
Straight Arm Crunches
There are endless variations on the crunch exercise. One popular variation is the straight arm crunch.
This movement is used in some common abdominal strength assessments because it is easy to standardize and ensure that the results of the test are reliable and valid.
How to Perform
- Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Next, place your hands down at your sides, with your palms flat on the floor.
- Perform a crunch, sliding your hands forward on the ground.
- Once you’ve lifted your shoulder blades off of the ground, return to the starting position.
Reverse Crunches
Reverse crunches are a great way to mix up your ab strengthening routine.
This move emphasizes the lower portion of the abs, but, like all ab exercises, it works the whole rectus abdominis as well.
How to Perform
- Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.
- Place your hands down by your sides.
- Lift your legs and most of your low back off of the ground as you kick your feet toward the ceiling.
- Then, slowly lower back down to the starting position to complete the rep.
Planks
Isometric exercises, such as planks, are awesome for core strength. By slowly increasing your hold time on planks, you’ll slowly but surely increase your strength and endurance. A great upper and lower ab exercise.
How to Perform:
- Start on your forearms and toes, with your back flat as a board.
- Ensure that your spine is completely straight and not bending upward or downward.
- Hold this position for as long as you can (aim for 30 seconds to start) and perform 3 sets per day, 2-3 times per week.
Side Crunches With Leg Lift
A modification of the traditional side crunch, this exercise incorporates the obliques as well as some hip abductor muscles. Beyond that, the movement also forces you to balance on a small point of contact, bringing even more core muscle activation into play.
How to Perform
- Lying on your right side, place your left hand on your head.
- At the same time, you’ll elevate both of your legs as you bring your right shoulder blade and ribs off of the ground, effectively bending your body in half.
- Slowly lower back down into the starting position and repeat for half of the timed set, switching to the left side at the halfway mark.
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