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Cardio Exercises To Lose Belly Fat
There are a number of different cardio exercises to lose belly fat. In this article, I will show you which cardio exercises are most effective when it comes to losing belly fat and flattening your stomach.
Cardio is often forgotten about when it comes to losing weight and burning off stomach fat. Cardio is one of the most powerful tools you can use to lose belly fat and achieve that flat stomach look. Performing regular cardio will not only help you lose belly fat but will also provide a whole list of health benefits.
Cardio will strengthen your heart and lungs, prevent diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, help reduce stress, improve energy levels and help improve the quality of sleep you get.
Let’s take a look at some of the best cardio exercises to lose belly fat:
Running
One of the best cardio exercises you can do is running. Running is my personal favorite. Running can be done anywhere, any time, any place. You do not need to sign up to an expensive gym to get some much-needed cardio into your daily routine.
Running can be performed outside on the streets or in a nearby park and is one of the most convenient cardio exercises you can do. If your consistently finding excuses to avoid cardio because of the expensive gym prices and lack of facilities around you then running should be top of your list when it comes down to choosing an effective cardio workout. If your going to start running then make sure you own a good comfortable pair of running shoes.
Your feet may get damaged anyway when running as its only natural when your feet are constantly pounding the floor for long periods of time but running shoes will help protect your feet to a certain extent and keep you comfortable when running.
If your interested in running but are a complete beginner with very little experience of cardio be sure to check out my quick guide on Cardio For Beginners. This will help you if you’re just starting out and have very little fitness. Running is one of the best cardio exercises to lose belly fat.
Swimming
Swimming is another great cardio exercise to lose belly fat. Swimming is not just a cardio workout but can also count as a strength workout. When your swimming you are using a number of muscles to move you forward or backward in the water.
This can be very tiring but also extremely beneficial helping you build both stamina and strength. If you ever watch swimming on the TV you will notice the majority of swimmers have great physiques. They are not just skinny and thin they are lean and muscular proving that swimming is a great exercise to build muscle and lose fat.
Unfortunately, swimming is not the most convenient cardio exercise there is. The hard part is actually finding a swimming pool to perform your cardio exercise in. If your not rich and do not possess one in your home then it may be challenging and time-consuming to find one nearby.
Of course once you do find one the swimming pool is likely to be busy making it hard to perform any type of cardio exercise in the water. Your best bet will probably be to sign up to some swimming classes as the pool is normally vacated when classes commence. Either this or try your best to get to a swimming pool at a time when it is less crowded and quiet.
Cycling
Another cardio exercise you can do to lose belly fat is cycling. Cycling can be done outdoors or indoors with the use of a stationary bike. Cycling is more beneficial outdoors as it will force your body to work harder and burn more calories due to the various inclines and resistance you are faced with.
If you want to start off slow and use a stationary bike then that’s fine as well. Some cardio is better than no cardio. Just be sure that if you are using a stationary bike you make it challenging enough to increase your heart rate and burn calories.
Set a duration or distance you want to cover on your bike/stationary bike and begin your cardio workout. As you progress you should try and up the intensity of your workouts by either performing them faster or cycling for longer distances. Always try to progress each week in your cardio, this is what will get you the results your after. Your body gets fitter and adapts to the stress placed upon it over time. Keep pushing yourself to consistently see the results your after. This goes for all cardio exercises.
Punching Bag
A punching bag is not only a great piece of equipment for boxers to practice their punching technique and speed on, but its also a great piece of equipment for an intense cardio workout. In my opinion, the punch bag workout is definitely up there as one of the best cardio exercises to lose belly fat, even though it is rarely used by anyone these days apart from boxers.
The idea behind the punch bag is to throw continuous hard and quick punches at the bag, forcing you to use powerful and quick movements. If you’ve never had a cardio workout on the bag before you will be surprised as to how effective this workout actually is. Similar to swimming, the punch bag workout will work on your strength and cardio fitness at the same time as well as teach you to throw proper punches. It will also help to increase your speed and quickness.
To make the punch bag workout effective you should try and throw quick and powerful combinations at the bag whilst moving around and bouncing on your toes. Don’t just stand there and punch, use your legs so you are continuously moving and dancing around the punch bag. Try and do this for 2-3 minutes then take a minute break and repeat the cycle. Decide how long you want the workout to last and pace yourself to finish it. Once finished, chances are you will be sweating quite heavily. The sign of a great workout!
Jump Rope
Jump rope is a great convenient and inexpensive cardio exercise. Jump rope is also referred to as skipping and can give you a great cardio workout in the garden of your own home.
No need to venture out into a gym or health club, grab yourself a jump rope from any fitness store or shop and perform 20 minutes of jumping rope/skipping in your garden.
Easy and convenient. Jump ropes are extremely cheap and can be used for an effective cardio workout at home. Read the health benefits of jumping rope if you want to find out more about this particular cardio exercise.
HIIT Cardio Training
Possibly saving the best till last. HIIT Cardio Training is regarded by many as the best cardio exercise you can do to lose belly fat.
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training and is performed by using intervals in your workout. For example, set off on a light jog for 2 minutes. This is one interval. After the two minutes are up you will then switch to a fast jog or a sprint. This should be performed for around 1-2 minutes.
This is another interval. Once completed, switch back to either a light jog or a brisk walk for a couple of minutes in order to catch your breath. Repeat the intervals as many times as you desire. The example above is just that, an example. You can choose your own interval times and workout duration but it should follow the above pattern. HIIT is intense and probably best performed once you have built up a good level of fitness. Check the HIIT Cardio Training article for everything you need to know about HIIT.
