How To Lose Belly Fat At The Gym?

Wondering how to lose belly fat at the gym? The stomach is problem area number one. With the right mix of exercise and nutrition, a flat center does not have to remain a dream. We show the most important steps toward your goal.

Content

• Why is belly fat unhealthy?
• How can I work off belly fat?
• How do I eat to lose weight on the stomach?

For many people, a flat, well-toned stomach is the ultimate goal.

No wonder, as the six-pack is often celebrated as an ideal of beauty on social media. A lifebuoy, on the other hand, is generally considered unaesthetic.

However, the health risks of “bad” belly fat are much more serious than the supposed visual flaw.

Why is belly fat unhealthy?

In earlier times, belly fat was vital for people in times of starvation. Unlike fat reserves on the buttocks or thighs, the so-called visceral belly fat, i.e. lower abdominal fat, can be converted by the body directly into sugar and thus into energy.

Today, however, this protective mechanism is superfluous, especially in western industrial societies. The belly fat still remained in humans.

The dangerous thing about it: Visceral fat is very metabolically active. It contains around 200 messenger substances and inflammatory molecules, which primarily have negative effects on the body.

The dangerous belly fat adheres to organs such as the liver and pancreas and thus increases the size of the abdomen. The consequences of years of increased abdominal fat can be diseases such as:

• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• Arteriosclerosis (calcification of the arteries and vessels)
• Fatty liver
• Inflammation of organs

According to the Federal Center for Nutrition, a waist circumference of over 80 centimeters in women and over 94 centimeters in men is considered unhealthy. It becomes dangerous from 88 or 102 centimeters. This corresponds to a fat percentage on the stomach of around 30 to 35 percent.

One can speak of a healthy stomach if the fat percentage in women is between 19 and 22 percent and in men between 13 and 16 percent.

How To Lose Belly Fat At The Gym?

How can I work off belly fat?

First of all, the most important information: Exercise can help you to reduce your body fat percentage, but it is not possible to lose weight through training in specific parts of the body.

A six-pack is therefore not visible through daily ab training, but rather through a combination of full-body training and the right diet.

In order to reduce your body fat and thus also lose weight on the stomach, you should focus on strength training and short, intense interval training ( HIIT ).

Why? With full-body strength training alone, you can increase muscle mass, which allows you to burn calories even when you are resting, for example, while sitting or standing. Every extra kilo of muscle increases your daily basal metabolic rate by around 100 kcal.

So concentrate on training larger muscle groups at the same time. This works ideally with these full-body exercises:

Squats

Trained: Buttocks, thighs, abdomen, lower back

Note: Knees and toes rotate slightly outwards, the upper body remains upright, beginners work with a raised heel

Lunges

Trained: Buttocks, thighs, stomach, back

Note: Front knee rotates slightly outwards, upper body upright, the stomach is firm

Bench press

Trained: Arms, shoulders, chest, upper back, stomach

Note: Press your lower back onto the bench, keeping your wrists straight

Pull-ups

Trained: Arms, shoulders, upper back, chest, stomach

Note: Belly is firm, fix shoulder blades firmly and pull them back and down

Shoulder press

Trained: Arms, shoulders, chest, stomach

Note: Belly is firm, press your heels into the ground, pull your shoulder blades back and down

The ideal training mix consists of 30 to 45 minutes of strength training three to four days a week and one to two HIIT workouts or cardio units per week.

Important: You should avoid too frequent and intensive endurance or interval training if possible, as otherwise, the production of the stress hormone cortisol increases. As a result, you feel more hungry for sweets and as a result, fats are stored mainly in the abdominal region.

In addition, testosterone levels decrease. The growth hormone promotes muscle building and stimulates fat burning and is therefore important for losing weight on the stomach.

How do I eat to lose weight on the stomach?

Whether on the stomach, legs, or buttocks — to lose weight, you have to go into a calorie deficit. In other words, burn more calories than you eat.

If you exercise regularly and increase your basal metabolic rate by building muscle, you are already on the right track. But sport is only half the battle. Diet is at least as important.

If you want to bother with belly fat, you should focus on a reduced-calorie diet and save around 200 to 500 calories per day at times.

Tip: calculate your basal metabolic rate in advance. The calories can be easily tracked throughout the day with a fitness tracker and a calorie app.

The macronutrients should be distributed as follows:

• 45% carbohydrates
• 30% fat
• 25% protein

Our tip

You should definitely not do without carbohydrates completely, after all, your muscles need the energy to grow. High-quality carbohydrates include millet, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal. They are particularly useful after training to fill up your empty glucose stores before your body draws energy from the muscles.

Healthy fats can be found in foods like avocado, linseed oil, olive oil, and nuts ( almonds, walnuts). You should never demonize fats because the body needs them to produce its own testosterone. A high testosterone and progesterone balance promotes fat loss and the build-up of muscle mass.

Reach for protein-rich foods as well. They not only help you reach your ideal weight faster and stay full longer but also regulate your metabolism, muscle building, and fat loss.

Good vegetable sources of protein are, for example, lentils, pumpkin seeds, kidney beans, soy flakes, and tofu.

To lose weight, you should stay away from alcohol, sugary drinks and sweets, light products and sweeteners, wheat products, ready meals, and trans fats. These are often found in chips or other fried foods.

How To Lose Belly Fat At The Gym? by Jack Michael