What are the Best Waist Reducing Exercises?
Belly fat is a pain in the gut. Figuring out how to lose fat on the waistline is one of the biggest challenges. While obviously diet matters, exercise does, too. When it comes to losing fat on the waist, these are the best waist reducing exercises.
1. Cardiovascular HIIT Workouts
You reveal your waistline by dropping weight and toning up. To burn calories and body fat (3,500 calories burned equals one pound of fat lost), you have to get your metabolism going. Studies have shown that HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts are the best. These workouts consist of bursts of high intensity work followed by lower-intensity activities at an accelerated rate.
Cycling and running HIIT workouts pack a powerful punch; jump rope is also a great way to workout (and it’s fun). Here’s how a HIIT workout to reduce your waist size works:
Cycle for 15-20 minutes at the following intervals:
- 20-second sprint (pedal as fast as you can)
- 5-second regular pace (pedal at your normal speed)
- 15-second rest (catch your breath)
Run for 30-40 minutes at the following intervals:
- 4-minute run at your regular pace
- 30-second sprint at 80-100% of your maximum speed
- 1-minute brisk walk
Make sure to include a brief 3–5-minute warm-up and cool down before doing either of these HIIT workouts, and don’t forget to stretch. This kind of work will amp up your metabolism and keep it firing all day, which will result in you losing weight to reveal your waist.
2. Planks
Your abdomen is composed of several different muscle groups, which is why sit-ups or crunches alone won’t do much to tone your waist. This is why planks are considered such a great abdominal workout. Planks target your abdominals and your core muscles. Toning these muscles improves your posture, which can be an immediate improvement to your waistline.
To plank, get on the floor or a yoga mat and observe a push up position. Your feet should be hip-distance apart and your hands beneath your shoulders.
- Lower your tailbone and tuck in your glutes. Your goal is for your body to look like a board or a plank.
- Keep your core tight; don’t let your hips dip or your back sway.
- Tighten your quads.
- Pull your shoulders down.
- Keep your gaze neutral. Don’t look under you at your form, but don’t lift your chin and look straight ahead either.
Hold the plank pose for at least 30 seconds. Break for 30 seconds. Resume the pose. Try holding the plank longer each time you practice. Do 3-5 plank holds per session. If you do this every day, you will see a difference.
You can also vary your exercise by balancing on an unstable object (this is an advanced move) or lifting one arm straight in front of you then lowering it and then lifting the other arm. The goal here is to keep your core tight and to not shake. Adding arm and leg raises to your plank will boost the waist-trimming benefits.
Note if it’s too difficult to do planks with straight arms or if you have wrist problems, start in elbow plank, that is a plank position where you’re resting on your elbows. You’ll still be working your core.
3. Oblique Exercises
Think of obliques as your side abs. There are several oblique exercises that will taper the sides of your waist. Do daily repetitions of these oblique exercises to reduce fat on your waistline:
Side Plank Hip Dips
- Start in a plank pose.
- Rotate to one side so you’re supporting your body with one arm. Bend the other arm behind your neck for gentle support.
- Keep your feet together and stacked. If you’re having trouble balancing, stagger the top foot in front of the back foot.
- Once you’re in a position with your hips lifted, dip them down and lift them back up. This is one repetition.
- Repeat the move 10 times on each side.
- If you’re having a hard time with a straight arm, start with an elbow plank.
Oblique Plank Twists
- Start in an elbow plank position.
- Keeping everything else stable, twist your hips so your right hip touches the floor or your mat.
- Use your core to pull your body back to plank.
- Drop to the other side and come back up.
- Complete a total of 20 repetitions. Make sure your feet stay grounded and your core stays tight and lifted.
Standing Oblique Crunches
- Stand in an upright position with your feet just over hip-distance apart.
- Put your hands behind your head with your elbows out.
- Lift your left knee as high as you can and twist your body, so your right elbow touches your right knee.
- Return to your starting position and repeat the move on the other side with your left elbow touching your right knee.
- Repeat to get 30 repetitions.
4. Bicycle Crunches
The last exercise that really helps you reduce your waistline is bicycle crunches. Bicycle crunches work your upper and lower abdominals. If you do them right, they really work!
- Lay on the floor with your hands behind your neck. Bend your knees and press your spine into the ground; engage your abdominals.
- Raise your left knee toward your shoulder and extend the right leg straight in front of you; keep it lifted off the mat or ground; this engages your lower abs.
- Use your core to lift your upper body from the mat and twist so your right elbow meets your left knee.
- Try to get your scapula off the ground and keep your upper body lifted as your legs “bicycle”. Straighten the left leg and bend the right knee in while twisting to the other side so that your left elbow meets your right knee.
- Repeat these motions 20 to 30 times.
The best waist reducing exercises for reducing your waistline with a bicycle are to take as much time as you need. Make sure you feel your muscles engaging with each step of the movement. Just flopping through won’t help. If you’re doing bicycle crunches and you aren’t feeling the burn, you’re doing them wrong.
In fact, this applies to any exercise when trimming your waist. Pay attention to your body at work. You have to do these exercises mindfully for them to be effective. If you can take 10-15 minutes every day to repeat these strength-training exercises and if you do at least three HIIT workouts a week, not only will you build a stronger core, but you’ll also trim your waist.
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