Plank exercise
This morning I was really struggling for motivation. I eventually dragged myself out of bed following two forceful taps on the snooze button, and finally made my way downstairs.
In my basement I have a home gym which consists of a bench, a variety of free weights, a swiss ball and my bike resting on a wind trainer. The gym is rather light on equipment so it does take a bit of work setting up weights and changing them between exercises.
Related: The 50 Best Exercises For Weight Loss You Should Consider Adding To Your Workout
Today my lack of motivation meant I didn't have the stomach for all that tinkering around. I decided instead to create a super efficient and effective calorie burning workout using just three exercises and a single set of dumbbells.
The workout engages a significant number of muscle groups throughout your body. It will super charge your calorie burning and lean muscle growth as well as providing a significant excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, the fancy name for an 'afterburn'.
You might be sitting there wondering if you can get an effective workout with only three resistance exercises. Don't worry, you can. After all, running is only one exercise but can be one of the best exercises to reduce tummy fat - so long as you approach it right.
The Best Exercises To Reduce Tummy Fat
Let me explain the individual exercises first and then we'll look at how to blend them together to create an effective workout.
Dumbbell Squat Press
The dumbbell squat press is a fantastic fat burner. It combines two powerful moves, the squat and the overhead press, and targets multiple large muscle groups including the shoulders, quads and glutes. The two-in-one nature of the exercise means you can work a significant portion of your body in minimal time.
Related: 10 Squat Variations That Should Be Part Of Your Belly Fat Burning Workout
To begin hold a set of dumbbells at shoulder level, standing with your feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and squat down until thighs are parallel to the floor and knees create a 90 degree angle. Pause briefly at the bottom of the squat before contracting the buttocks and legs to move back towards your starting position. As you rise press the dumbbells directly above your shoulders until arms are extended. Lower the weights and repeat for the desired repetitions.
Burpees With Push Up
The second exercise I included was a simple burpee with push up modification. Burpees, which also commonly referred to as squat thrusts, work your entire body and are fantastic for building strength and muscular endurance.
Begin by standing tall, feet shoulder width apart. Move into squat position with hands placed on the ground. Kick both feet backwards with arms extended. Perform a single push up and then return feet to squat position. Jump up to standing.
Burpee push up step 1
Burpee push up step 2
burpee push up step 3
Burpee push up step 4
Burpee push up step 5
Burpee push up step 6
Plank Walk
A normal plank (or bridge as it is commonly known) is one of the best exercises for core conditioning, requiring constant abdominal stabilisation. It works all the muscles that support proper posture including the rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, your obliques and lower back. It also engages other important muscles such as your glutes and hamstrings as you maintain tension throughout.
To increase the intensity of this exercise I added an additional upper body component - the 'walk' - where you move from plank to push up position.
Related: The 50 Exercises That Will Supercharge Your Weight Loss
Start by lying on your stomach, flat on the floor. Push up onto your forearms, elbows bent and positioned under your shoulders. Your body should form a flat line - legs, hips, and butt level. From here move into the push up position, one hand up at a time, before returning to your plank. Complete for the desired repetitions.
The Workout
3 Best Exercises To Reduce Tummy Fat
Ok, I've outline the exercises. Now for the workout. What I did was perform a 'countdown' workout where the number of repetitions reduced with every set.
I started off with 12 reps of each exercise, one after the other. So, 12 x dumbbell squat press, then I moved straight onto burpees with push up, and finally the plank walk. The only rest between each exercise was the time it took to get into position.
After I had completed 12 of each, I repeated the process but this time with only 11 reps per set. Then 10, 9... you get the picture I'm sure. In total I completed 234 reps. At about 3 seconds per rep - that gave me an intensive 11-12 minute workout (plus a little of extra time moving between sets).
While three exercises and only 234 reps may sound easy... try it out. I think you'll be surprised at how tough it is. On the other hand, if you're struggling to get all the way from 12 down to one - start with a smaller number and work upwards as your strength and endurance improves.
Done properly this workout will boost your fat burning metabolism for hours. The best part though is you don't even need to move from the comfort of your living room to complete it.
Have you tried my tummy fat reduction workout? Let me know how you got on below.
