Exercises to Lose Lower Belly Fat

Unless you are in extreme physical health, there is a high likelihood that you have more than a little belly fat accumulated than you would like. Spot burning doesn’t work but you can tone up your lower midsection muscles while also burning some calories in order to lean out all over. There are exercises that are great for that. Below we discuss exercises to lose lower belly fat that can help you as long as you are willing to put in hard work.

When it comes to belly fat, by far, the most troublesome area has to be the lower abdominal region. Upper belly fat is not always difficult to get rid of, but lower belly fat is a different beast altogether. As a result, it requires you to work a little bit harder.

But not to worry – in this blog post, we will let you know the best exercises that will allow you to proudly flaunt your toned midsection during the next beach season. Check out the below exercise details and demonstrations pulled from our exercise demonstration database.

1) Flutter Or Scissor Kicks

Flutter kicks, sometimes known as scissor kicks, are one of the most effective lower abdominal exercises. They are an absolute must if you’re serious about losing belly fat from this region. 

Most of the moves to bring about a reduction in lower belly fat are notoriously more difficult than the ones targeting fat from the upper abdominal regions.

To perform this exercise:

• Using an exercise or yoga mat, lay flat on your back with your legs outstretched. Place your arms placed beneath your head for support.
• Gently raise your head towards your chest so that your upper back raises off the floor slightly. Hold this position as you feel the muscles in your abdomen become activated.
• Now, raise both legs of the mat to an approximate 45° angle with your torso, or slightly higher if permissible.
• Being sure to control the movement of your legs, slowly let one side fall towards the floor. Be sure to stop this leg before it hits the floor.
• Simultaneously bring this leg back up as the other leg begins falling towards the ground. Your legs mimic the cutting action of a pair of scissors and that is why it is called a scissor kick.
• Alternate for a total of 20 reps, performed for 2 to 3 working sets.

2) Kettlebell Swings

Kettlebell swings are an extremely effective exercise that targets numerous core muscles. They also target all of the muscles that form the strong posterior chain.  An exercise that burns a lot of energy and strengthens your core fits perfectly into the group of exercises to lose lower belly fat

These muscles include the hamstrings, glutes, lower and middle back muscles along with rhomboids.

Kettlebell swings have the unique advantage of acting as a cardiovascular and strength exercise in one. The frequent swinging and activation of many muscle groups yield a significant caloric expenditure,

To perform:

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart while holding a kettlebell hanging in front of you with both arms.
• To initiate the movement, bend slightly at the knees, and thrust your hip backward while keeping your chest high. Swing the kettlebell backward with arms fully extended.
• Press forcefully through your hips and hamstrings as you straighten your body.
• Use the momentum generated to swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height.
• At the top position, contract your muscles to feel the tension and resistance of the kettlebell. Swing back once more and repeat.
• Depending on the resistance used, you should try to perform between 10 and 20 reps per working set. Aim for three total sets.
  

3) Mountain Climbers

If you’ve ever hiked on a steep hill, you understand why people call this exercise mountain climbers.

This exercise helps to build strength in the lower abs as explosive strength in your hamstrings and glutes. 

But it’s more than that, as the rest of your core is also recruited for stability since the greater part of this exercise can be considered a unilateral movement.

To perform:

• Start by assuming a push-up position with arms shoulder-width apart. Your legs and back should form a straight line.
• Explosively bend one knee as you contract and raise it towards your chest. Your goal here is to raise the knee as high as possible explosively to stimulate the lower abdominal muscles.
• As soon as that leg returns to the start position, perform a repetition with the other leg. Try to go for a total of 20 reps performed per set, and aim for three working sets.

4) Burpees

Burpees are considered a high-intensity technique since it essentially combines three exercises into one. Your goal while doing a Burpee is to work as many muscles as possible at one time, making it much more than just a core exercise. Do your movements explosively in order to maximize your results.

To perform the Burpee:

• Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart
• Drop and lower your body into a push-up position kicking your legs out simultaneously.
• Perform the reverse – explosively tuck your knees in and jump to a standing position.
• Alternatively, to add even greater difficulty to the movement, as you drop yourself into the push-up position, perform a repetition of the push-up before jumping back up. Or, in the top position after raising, perform a jumping jack before lowering yourself once more.
• Owing to the intense nature of Burpees, don’t be disappointed if the first couple of times you perform this exercise you are only able to do five or 10 reps. Eventually, as your body builds efficiency you will be able to do as many as 50 reps in one set!

5) Jackknife Sit Up

The jackknife is an exercise that targets the entire abdominal region since it combines the movement of the lower and upper body. It is another key exercise in the list of exercises to lose lower belly fat.

The explosive nature of this movement actually makes it easier to perform than a basic leg raise.

To perform:

• Place an exercise or yoga mat on the ground and lay flat on your back. Extend your arms to your sides.
• Lift both of your legs off the ground and into the air bringing them as close to your midsection as possible.
• While doing that, your arms should simultaneously try to touch your toes, lifting your upper back and chest away from the ground.
• At the top position of the movement, your body should form what looks like a V-shape.
• Lower yourself to the start position without touching the ground. The added tension will lead to greater muscle stimulation in the long run.
• Perform 10 to 15 reps of this exercise and repeat for 2 to 3 sets.

6) One-Arm Medicine Ball Slams

A medicine ball has to be one of the most underrated pieces of equipment in the gym. 

Apart from being viewed as an eccentric tool for CrossFit or yoga, the medicine ball has many other functions which people just don’t know about.

Take, for instance, the medicine ball slam. 

This exercise almost seems stupidly simple, and yet nine out of 10 people have never even heard of it. 

However, this exercise is perfect for building some serious core strength, as it requires coordination of the upper and lower body to perform.

Just keep in mind that your goal is to explosively thrust the ball.

To perform:

• Start with a 3 kg weight medicine ball.
• With the ball in arms over to one side, ground your feet at about hip-width apart.
• Slam the ball as hard as possible into the floor at an angle so that it bounces off the ground in a trajectory that can be caught by your arms to repeat the movement.
• Feel free to tiptoe if you need to extend upwards to catch the ball, as this might also help with force generation.
• The harder and faster you slam the ball into the ground, the more calories utilized and muscle stimulation of the core that occurs. So don’t be shy, let off some of that steam with this useful exercise.

7) The Plank

The plank is another one of those deceivingly simple exercises at first appearance, only to devolve into one of the most difficult ones when actually performed. 

It’s a classic example of expectation versus reality!

The plank is so difficult owing to the fact that it requires static contraction of most of the muscles in the body in order to maintain form.

To perform:

• From a standing location, assume the push-up position but instead of supporting your body with your hands, bend at the elbow and allow your entire forearm to rest on the floor.
• Keep your spine relaxed but core tight in order to support your body. Many other muscles of the body including the legs and arms are tensed to maintain the static position.
• In contrast to other exercises, the plank is performed and measured against time. You should strive to maintain the plank position for at least 20 seconds towards the end of your workout, gradually increasing as your endurance improves as well.

Bonus Exercise: Cardio

Since when has anyone ever considered cardio a bonus? 

As ironic as it sounds, cardiovascular exercise is probably the truest manifestation of the perfect exercise to really get rid of that stubborn lower belly fat.

While resistance exercise is great for building muscle and improving fatty acid metabolism over the long term, aerobic type exercise is best for improving the body’s immediate usage of fat.

It doesn’t require high intensity – low-intensity cardio surprisingly works best at targeting fat itself. The key, it seems is ensuring that you devote sufficient time to getting it done. Cardio is yet another exercise to lose lower belly fat.

Sessions should last 30 to 60 minutes and be performed 3 to 6 times weekly for the best effect.

Final Words

Having a toned lower belly region is definitely harder than getting a toned upper abdominal region, but it is totally worth it.

The key takeaway, as you might’ve observed, is knowing exactly what to do. 

Exercises that target the lower abdominal regions generally require recruitment of the lower body (that is to say, the legs need to move as opposed to the upper torso). 

This also explains why you won’t see basic crunches or sit-ups mentioned here as they just don’t suffice. That is why they weren’t mentioned above in our list of exercises to lose lower belly fat. What’s more, you can get one of the best fasting apps to control your diet better.

Lastly, you must ensure that your nutrition and meal planning is on point. 

Fail to do so and you will have stronger abs, but will not possess sufficiently low body fat to show your hard work.