If you are struggling with belly fat, here are 7 workouts to lose the stubborn bulge ASAP!

Here are some of the most easy and effective workouts for you to shape up your core and get closer to your six-pack ab goal.

With most people leading a sedentary life today, being active is low on priority. Time constraints or other reasons could be the reason behind your feeling lazy. Throw in technology, and you’re definitely not moving anywhere from your chair. Â

Typically, you probably sit through most of your work hours and the additional driving and travelling time takes a toll on your body; your stomach, specifically. With a skewed posture comes in multiple problems and that adds to the fat concentration, predominantly on your stomach and thighs. However, you can fight it, provided you are working out regularly and correctly.

We asked Ashish Gupta, fitness expert and Director, Gold’s Gym, Gurgaon, to share a few exercises which are the most useful if one wants to lose stomach fat.

1. Swiss ball crunches and twist: Because of its ability to target the entire core, the Swiss-ball crunch should be a staple in your workout. The exercise primarily works the rectus abdominals, or six-pack muscles, and the transverse abdominals. However, when performed properly, it also calls on muscles that stabilise the hips and lower back. You can also add the Swiss ball twists, a good way to work your oblique; the muscles that help rotate your torso. The obliques are often neglected by body-builders seeking a tapered torso. Women who want a smaller waist and fitness fanatics obsessed with the six-pack or eight-pack trend should definitely try this. However, without a strong oblique, all the support of the core falls to the abdomen and lower back. Use Swiss ball twists to give your waist a strong, healthy shape, fighting off your ‘love handles’.

2. Skipping: Remember all those skipping races you did as a kid? All those rope games, fighting over the rope and jumping around for the fun of it? Those were the days when one could eat a whole load of pancakes, jalebis and samosas, but not gain a single inch of fat. Moreover, the reason is that all that jumping around was enough to burn it all, so why stop now?

3. Mountain climb: A mountain climber is an exercise that challenges your balance, agility, and coordination. It benefits muscular and cardiovascular fitness by increasing strength, flexibility and blood circulation. Mountain climbers require you to use your upper arms muscles, as well as your core and your legs. Practise the proper alignment of mountain climbers to get the most out of your workout.

4. Lunges: Whether you are trying to shape your lower body, increase muscle tissue, burn belly fat or make your hips more flexible, the lunge can help you achieve your goal. This functional, multi-joint exercise can be modified to meet your fitness level. Whether you are doing basic beginner lunges or take on a more advanced variety, the exercise is beneficial in many ways.

5. Plank/side planks: The plank is one of the best exercises for a flat, toned stomach because it works all the muscles in your core, including the six-pack abs, internal and external oblique, hips, and back. Use the side plank position to work on your love handles.

6. Isometric hold: Isometrics can be a useful part of an exercise programme to help reverse age-related muscle loss. Moreover, research has shown that you can sometimes obtain gains in both muscle size and muscle strength using these exercises. Isometric exercise–‘iso’ means equal, or the same, and ‘metric’ refers to length–involves tensing muscles either against other muscles or immovable objects, while the length of the muscle remains the same. For example, you might push hard against a wall for 10 seconds, and during that time the wall does not move and neither does your muscle. Research has shown that because of the reduced blood flow during prolonged muscle tension, numerous growth factors remain in the muscle tissue for a long time, which can actually stimulate muscle growth.

7. Spot jumping: One of the safest methods for weight management is spot jogging. Just like brisk walking, spot jogging benefits rank high in terms of watching your weight. The first and foremost benefit of spot jogging is that it gives you the leverage to start the workout at your own pace and progress forward with the same because you can start with a sprint on the spot and then slow down when you feel the need to. Furthermore, at the time of ending the session, staying on the spot makes it easier to recover from the troubles of heavy breathing, which can otherwise be difficult with other workouts such as running, mobile jogging or sprinting.