Are you looking to change up your fitness program? Perhaps you're just after a few new stomach exercises that will enhance your current fat burning workout? Fear not. Here are 11 effective options that not only strengthen and tone your mid-section, but will also elicit a powerful fat burning response. Try adding a few of these to your next gym session. We promise you won't regret it!
Plank Walks
Benefits of Plank Walks
The plank walk is an effective fat burning stomach exercise that uses a large number of muscle groups from throughout your body. It requires no equipment, simultaneously engages the core, arms and other muscles, and can also provide a boost to overall fitness. If the full movement is too difficult you can begin with a modified position on your knees and progress to the full plank walk over time.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Deltoids (Shoulders)
- Biceps (Arms)
- Triceps (Arms)
- Obliques (Abs)
- Rectus abdominis (Abs)
- Pectoralis major (Chest)
- Latissimus dorsi (Back)
- Gluteus maximus (Butt)
- Gastrocnemius (Calves)
- Quadriceps (Legs)
- Hamstrings (Legs)
How To Do The Plank Walk
1. Begin in a press up position, elbows bent, and resting on your forearms.
2. Extend arms one at a time, pressing your body upwards until in standard press up stance.
3. Pause briefly, then reverse the movement until you return to your starting position.
4. A mat or some form of cushioning under your forearms is often useful to minimise any discomfort with this exercise.
Bicycle Crunch
Stomach exercises bicycle crunch
Benefits of Bicycle Crunches
The bicycle crunch is a simple to perform exercise that requires no equipment. It is a great option for targeting the muscles of your core, and also helps with toning your thighs.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Rectus abdominis
- External obliques
- Internal obliques
- Transverse abdominals
- Pectoralis major
- Gluteus maximus
- Hip adductors
How To Do The Bicycle Crunch
1. Begin by lying flat on your back on the floor.
2. Bend knees to a 45 degree angle with hands touching the side of your head (do not lock fingers behind your head).
3. Touch elbows to the opposite knee by twisting the core and slowly pedalling the legs. Once you have touched either side that counts as 1 rep.
Russian Twists With Medicine Ball
Russian twists with medicine ball
Benefits of Russian Twist With Medicine Ball
Russian Twists are a potent exercise for training the abdominal region and strengthening the back. Introducing a medicine ball not only slows down the movement, allowing for greater control, it also increases resistance on the core muscles and shoulders - as the deltoids contract to maintain the ball in an extended position throughout the motion.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Obliques
- Rectus abdominis
- Latissimus dorsi
- Deltoids
How To Do The Russian Twist With Medicine Ball
1. Sit on the ground with knees bent, feet flat on the ground.
2. Create a 45-degree angle between your torso and the floor, ensure you back remains straight.
3. Hold medicine ball out straight in front of your chest.
4. Contract your core and rotate slowly to the left hand side as far as possible.
5. Reverse the movement and rotate to the alternate side to complete one repetition.
Cross Body Mountain Climbers
Benefits Of Cross Body Mountain Climbers
Performed with sufficient intensity, mountain climbers are an extremely powerful full body exercise that can improve strength, flexibility, blood circulation and, most importantly, can supercharge your fat loss.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Pectoralis major
- Deltoids
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Rectus abdominis
- Obliques
- Trapezius
- Latissimus dorsi
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Hip adductors
- Hip abductors
How To Do Cross Body Mountain Climbers
1. Start in a traditional push up position.
2. Flex your right knee and hip, bringing the knee under your body towards your left elbow.
3. Reverse the position of your legs, returning your right knee and foot to the starting position and bringing your left foot, knee and hip up towards your right elbow.
4. Repeat the mountain climbers for 30-40 seconds - explosively.
Side Planks
How to do side planks
Benefits Of Side Planks
Side planks may at times appear like a lazy persons excuse for exercise. However, performed correctly it can be an excellent way to tone your waist and improve core strength. By itself it won't be the silver bullet to shifting those love handles, but combined with a range of other fat burning stomach exercises it can be a valuable contributor to a sexy tummy.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Rectus abdominis
- Tranversus abdominis
- Obliques
- Quadratus lumborum
- Gluteus medius
- Gluteus minimus
- Hip adductors
How To Do Side Planks
1. Lie on your side, legs together, feet stacked, with your weight on your forearm beneath your shoulder.
2. Contract the abdominals and raise hips until your body forms a straight line from head to toe.
3. Maintain a stable position for the desired time period and then repeat on your alternate side.
Reverse Crunch
A video posted by Cassey Ho (@blogilates) on Aug 24, 2016 at 4:37pm PDT
Benefits Of The Reverse Crunch
A study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise suggests reverse crunches are one of the most effective exercises for developing core strength. Reverse crunches target the lower part of your rectus abdominis muscles and, if your belly fat levels are low enough, can help turning your lowly four pack into that super desirable six-pack stomach.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Rectus abdominis
- Obliques
- Transversus abdominis
How To Do Reverse Crunch
1. Lie on the floor, legs extended and arms to your side (palms down).
2. Move legs upwards until thighs are at a 90 degree angle to the floor, knees together and slightly bent (starting position).
3. Lift knees towards the chest and pelvis backwards, raising your tailbone off the ground while performing a traditional crunch.
4. Pause briefly at the top before reversing to the starting position.
5. Ensure the movement utilises your abdominals not hands to direct the required motion.
Hanging Knee Raises
A video posted by Michelle Lewin (@michelle_lewin) on Jun 2, 2016 at 8:05am PDT
Benefits Of Hanging Knee Raises
Hanging knee raises can add some much needed variety to a fat burning workout, but beware it is also a more advanced stomach exercise and should be approached with care. The exercise can be completed hanging from a pull up bar, or alternatively using a dip or vertical knee raise machine.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Rectus abdominis
- Hip flexors
- Iliopsoas
How To Do Hanging Knee Raises
1. Hang from a pull up bar with a medium overhand grip and arms extended.
2. Alternatively, hang from a knee raise machine or dip bar with weight on forearms.
3. Raise your legs until knees form a 90 degree angle with your torso.
4. Pause briefly at the top of the movement and then slowly return legs to the starting position.
Bear Crawl
Benefits of Bear Crawl
The bear crawl can be a brutal, demanding and wonderfully time efficient fat burning exercise. Without the need for any equipment you can engage more than two dozen muscles in your upper body and legs as you maintain a rigid body position throughout the movement.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Triceps
- Pectoralis major
- Deltoids
- Rectus abdominis
- Quadriceps
- Gluteal muscles
- Lower back muscles
How To Do Bear Crawl
1. Start by getting down on all fours, hands below shoulders, knees raised off the ground and bent at 90 degrees.
2. Back should be parallel to the floor with your head up.
3. Crawl forward by placing one hand and the opposite foot forwards.
4. Keep hips down, knees off the floor and back straight at all times.
5. Repeat with alternate arm / leg.
5. Crawl for your desired distance, rest and repeat.
V Crunch
V crunch stomach exercise
Benefits Of V-Crunch
The V Crunch provides a slight modification to traditional sit ups or crunches and is an intermediate level abdominal exercise. When performed correctly The V-Crunch, or Jackknife, engages the abdominal and upper back muscles.
Muscle Groups Involved
- Rectus abdominis
- Transversus abdominis
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Middle & upper back
How To Do V Crunch
1. Starting position: Lie flat on your back, arms extended above your head.
2. Contract your abdominals, simultaneously lift your upper back, legs and arms off the floor and towards the ceiling.
3. Pause briefly, then lower legs, arms and torso back towards the floor, ensuring shoulders / upper back remain slightly elevated from the floor / mat.
4. Repeat for desired repetitions.
I hope you found some useful exercises to include in your next workout. Good luck with achieving your fitness goals and slashing that unwanted fat!
While you are here check out the following three minute stomach burning plank workout. It is sure to get your fat metabolism humming along and start to tone that waistline. Enjoy!
