4 Simple Exercises to Get Rid of Belly Fat At-Home for Women

Belly fat is the most persistent part to get rid of for most women. Lucky for you though, because it is hard, it does not mean it is impossible.

There are many different exercises that can help work the belly fat for women, and these can be done at home with little to no equipment required.

Some simple exercises that can help tone the abdominal muscles and reduce belly fat include crunches, planks, dead bugs, or any other bending movements at your belly.

On the other hand, belly fat exercises are not enough. Regular cardiovascular exercise is also important in order to help shed excess body fat. Walking, jogging, stair climbing, and biking are all excellent exercises to help burn calories and blast away belly fat.

In addition, your food intake is also a big part of this process. You cannot get rid of belly fat if you keep eating excess calories compared to how much you use daily.

With all this being said, let us jump into our 4 simple exercises to get rid of belly fat at home for women, regardless of their physical fitness.

Planks

Planks are simple exercises that most people think of when it comes to exercises to get rid of belly fat. The goal of this type of exercise is for you to hold the position.

No need to go crazy over the holding part. In my training experience, you only need around 1 minute per repetition for planks. Ignore the crazy people.

To start doing a standard plank, lie flat on your belly. Use your arms as support. Have them bent at around 45° angle pointing down with your palms shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be together.

Begin by taking your belly off the floor, contracting the entire time. Hold for as long as you need. Start with 10 seconds and increase from there.

If you find the standard plank challenging, you can make it easier by doing the high plank. Instead of bending your arms, have them straight like you are doing a push-up. Contract your belly muscles and hold for as long as you need.

On the other hand, if you want to make the planks harder, you can do side planks. Lie on one side, in the position of  “one of your French girls” pose. Contract and raise your belly off the ground. Hold for as long as you need.

Related post: Will Belly Fat Ever Go Away?

Crunches

Crunches are one of the most popular exercises to get rid of belly fat. You might have seen it or even done it yourself. 

The simple starting point of a standard crunch is to lie down on your back and face up to the ceiling. Have your knees bend at a comfortable angle and around shoulder width apart.

The exercise begins by you extending your hands toward your heels and trying to reach them. For most of us, we cannot physically reach the heels in the position, hence working our belly.

You can also do tabletop crunches. The starting position is the same as the simple crunch, but only this time your bent knees lift off the floor, making a 90° angle in the air. 

From this starting position, have your hands extend toward your knees and try to reach them. You should mostly use your belly muscles, and bend at your belly just a little, not enough to take your back off the ground.

For you more advanced exerciser, we can go even further with the crunches. Raise your legs up, pointing toward the ceiling. Now, crunch toward your toes.

For each crunch exercise, make sure to do around 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Related Post: How to Start Exercising

Dead Bugs

Dead bug is a funny name, isn’t it? You might not think of dead bugs as one of the exercises to get rid of belly fat. It does use your abs like the other exercises.

The dead bug requires less force but more coordination. You will begin in the same manner as the tabletop crunches. 

Lower your left hand and kick out your right leg at the same time. Do the same thing for the other side. Lower your right hand and kick out your left leg. The two motions count as one repetition. 

For the dead bug, do around 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

To make this exercise easier, do the same side. Lower your left hand and leg together and repeat on the right side. Of course, you can make the dead bugs easier by holding the starting position and contracting your abs.

Other Exercises to Get Rid of Belly Fat

Besides these exercises mentioned above, there are more types of abs exercises that you can use. 

Each exercise can be made easier or harder depending on your abilities. Focus on using your imagination to do abs exercises in a safe manner.

If you have noticed by now, I did not mention sit-ups as one of your exercises to get rid of belly fat. Why?

Because the risk of you hurting your back is greater than the gain you get from doing the sit-ups.

If you look at the figure below, notice how you have 2 different curves on your spine. The sit-ups bend the lower part of your spine backward, overextending the lower back muscles.

For a more detailed explanation, check out this video from Bob and Brad, two famous physical therapists.

The most critical point of any abs exercise is to NOT use your lower back muscles, or minimize them as much as possible.

Other exercises to get rid of belly fat are Russian twists, knee tucks, and even bridges. Abs exercises are not enough to get rid of belly fat though. There is more.

Related post: Part 2 to Find Abs Exercises for You

Another Note Regarding Getting Rid of Belly Fat

Abs exercises are often mistaken for being the ONLY way you can do to get rid of belly fat. This cannot be further from the truth.

As I mentioned from the beginning, there are more factors that are involved in the process. You will not be able to get a flat stomach with just abs exercises.

Abs exercises are a good motivator and beginning point, not the end all be all. You need to do regular cardiovascular exercises. Think of things like walking, running, or swimming.

Most important of all is your diet or calorie intake. There are many opinions on diet and what you should do. 

To be honest, the best way is for you to eat less than you currently eat. Instead of just eating less, focus on eating healthier food. 

Get more white meat and vegetables into your system. Drink more water. Do not worry about supplements. Yes, very boring stuff.

Guess what? They work. That is why they are so basic. It is not some marketing chic. It is how things work.

Is getting rid of belly fat something you want to do? Or is it because that is what you think you are “supposed” to do?

I have written a part 2 to this topic. Feel free to check it out.

Fitness is fun, not regressive and limiting. That is why I have created a FREE guide for you, summarizing parts 1 and 2 into a compact PDF guide, “Abs Workouts @ Home.” The infographic below gives you what it contains.

If this is something you would be interested in, download the free PDF guide by clicking the button below.