is there an exercise to lose belly fat, NO situps

nanainkent
nanainkent Posts: 350 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I need to lose belly fat and shrink my belly. I cannot do situps because it hurts my back too much. Are there any other exercises I can do?
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Replies

  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You can't spot reduce in one place. However, you can strengthen the muscles so that when you do lose fat, you can see the muscle underneath. Various planks, pushups, burpees will all work the abdominals. Squats, and touching your toes. Keep your belly button pulled in toward your back on each one.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.
  • freeone17
    freeone17 Posts: 18 Member
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.

    These can be the most difficult exercises, but totally worth it.
  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
    Reverse crunches. I found they have helped strengthen my back tremendously as well. As you get stronger you can lift your legs higher.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You can't spot reduce and no matter how many ab exercises you do you can't see abs under rolls of fat.
  • Lalouse
    Lalouse Posts: 221 Member
    Cardio!
    (going along with the others who are saying you can't target one area)
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    You can't spot reduce and no matter how many ab exercises you do you can't see abs under rolls of fat.

    This. I am lifting heavy and my muscles are getting stronger. Unfortunately, they are still under layers of the old me. I am losing slowly. But the exercises mentioned above (Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks) are the hardest and most effective. Good luck!!!
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.

    Hahahaha, perfect! This is what I do, cuz I HATE actual exersize. :) And it works!
  • ptjolsen
    ptjolsen Posts: 365 Member
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.

    These can be the most difficult exercises, but totally worth it.

    Squats, Deadlifts and pushups are nice as well
  • nanainkent
    nanainkent Posts: 350 Member
    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:
  • kenhelms17720
    kenhelms17720 Posts: 62
    Crunches and sit-ups are horrible on the spine.
    (numerous studies show this, I can't believe that the military/le still use it as a measure)

    Have you tried any Plank Exercises?

    Diet gets rid of belly fat. A good core is the single most important part of any conditioning though.
  • Fuamami
    Fuamami Posts: 38 Member
    That's a ton of progress! Be patient - it will come.
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    Wow! 90 minutes of cardio every day is a ton!

    My suggestion would be to scale back a tad on the cardio and add in some strength training (which could range from lifting weights to doing lots of planks and lunges to almost anything). That will help you main your muscle mass through your body as you lose fat

    20 pounds is awesome progress! It's too bad you can't see it yet, but I'm sure the changes will come. Keep at it :)

    If you haven't already, you could take some measurements, wait a few weeks, and compare. Then you'll be able to better see how your body is changing - the weight is only part of the picture

    And yeah, you can't pick where fat burns from, everyone is different in that respect. I was lucky enough to lose some from my belly in the past few months, but I've (unluckily) lost nothing at all around the widest part of my hips or my thighs. Oh well.
  • CChandler81
    CChandler81 Posts: 100 Member
    I agree with the above post. Scale back your cardio- even competitive figure athletes don't do 90 mins of cardio. 20-30 minutes on a cardio machine (or walking/runnning) is enough for most individuals. 60 at the most. I'd recommend adding strength training as well. I don't workout at a gym but use Jillian Michaels or Youtube videos that are circuit based, meaning you switch between short 2-3 minute (sometimes less) burst of cardio and strength. It really is one of the most effective ways to burn through calories and change your body. Best of luck!
  • j75j75
    j75j75 Posts: 854 Member
    Maintain a slight calorie deficit, do cardio on an empty stomach (preferably first thing in the morning), vacuum exercises
  • Mighty_Rabite
    Mighty_Rabite Posts: 581 Member
    Calories out must be greater than calories in.

    A good clean diet (a snack here and there is fine but it can be helpful to count calories) and a boost in activity are pretty much the biggest catalysts for weight loss, which cannot be targeted, but will include the abdominal area, among everything else.
  • oDapho
    oDapho Posts: 50
    Plank. Doing a static plank for one minute 3 times a day dramatically reduces stomach fat. Tried and true method for me.
  • nicolmiller
    nicolmiller Posts: 4
    The plank is one of the best exercises for flat belly and one of the top ten abdominal exercises because it tightens the deepest core muscles. This exercise is a great way to develop your abs and toned your stomach.
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
    Crunches and sit-ups are horrible on the spine.
    (numerous studies show this, I can't believe that the military/le still use it as a measure)

    Have you tried any Plank Exercises?

    Diet gets rid of belly fat. A good core is the single most important part of any conditioning though.

    I came this close to being scared off of crunches, but then I researched more an found that the studies against which were conducted on cervical pig spines are simply bad science as applied to exercise science. Crunch on.
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
    The plank is one of the best exercises for flat belly and one of the top ten abdominal exercises because it tightens the deepest core muscles. This exercise is a great way to develop your abs and toned your stomach.

    Another exercise to consider is the stomach vacuum which works the transverse abdominus
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    You can do exercises that do not involve situps. Try planks. Try standing crunches (they do work)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:

    weight training helps tremendously with body recomposition. i've also lost around 20 pounds and since most, if not all, of it has been fat i've gone from a size 20 jeans to a size 14 jeans. i also do cardio but the crux of my workouts has been strength training
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
    Reverse crunches. I found they have helped strengthen my back tremendously as well. As you get stronger you can lift your legs higher.

    Actually if you have back pain, specifically lower back pain, I'd be really careful about doing reverse crunches, or avoid them altogether.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    My Dad used to do the following when he was brushing his teeth to strengthen his stomach muscles....
    Stand straight, exhale completely, suck in and hold your abdominal muscles as tight as possible without breathing in.

    You could also try using a gym ball for abs exercises - my back is a mess and the support of the gym ball makes a huge difference.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:

    So good, you've proven to yourself then that you are going the totally wrong route with that method.

    Just to confirm you got it - lots of daily cardio, 20 lbs lost, don't appear much smaller and clothes don't fit better, easy to push food away.

    My bet is you are also undereating for that level of activity (just because the odds are great), and you have burned off a decent amount of muscle mass with that cardio and undereating.

    So before you totally wreck your metabolism burning off more muscle, listen to the advice above about lifting with a reasonable deficit.

    As you have discovered and proven already, too much exercise is counterproductive.

    Dieting is a stress to your body.
    Excessive exercise is a stress to your body.
    You got other stresses in life?
    Your hormones are jacked up, and your body is going to fight fat and weight loss.
  • 20shan08
    20shan08 Posts: 219 Member
    Can't spot reduce, BUT! In order to lose belly fat you have to strengthen your core. If your back bothers you, you probably don't have a strong core. Planks are really good for this, as well as different types of crunches, supermans are good too (lay on belly, lift legs and arms, with both straight out, and bring down, up and down). And cardio, of course will help reduce fat :)
  • jessicameder
    jessicameder Posts: 8 Member
    How long and how many seconds are you supposed to hold for an effective plank?
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.

    These can be the most difficult exercises, but totally worth it.

    Squats, Deadlifts and pushups are nice as well

    Agreed!

    Planks and such are great for building a strong core, but will not make your tummy smaller. Only a deficit and time will do that. Strength training (of any kind) will help the overall "look" of the end product.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    How long and how many seconds are you supposed to hold for an effective plank?

    However long you can. Most people start with 20-30 seconds.

    Do what you can. Try to improve that.

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