Abdominal exercises. Simply put, bashing out endless reps of sit-ups won't have any real impact on your belly fat, according to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning. Of course, these kind of exercises will help strengthen your abdominal muscles, even tone them, but they won't shift the layer of fat above them.

There is a belief, among some, that you are able to target a specific body part for weight loss, a process known as 'spot reduction'. Unfortunately, the majority of studies cast doubt of the validity of this process.

So let's make it clear: in order to reduce belly fat you'll have to reduce the body fat percentage of your whole body. Unfortunately, and we're sorry to be the bearer of bad news, you have no real control over where you'll lose the fat first. But that's not to say that the exercises below – a combination of full-body movements that demand a bucket load of effort – won't almost immediately start to bring your body fat down and, in time, shave flab from around your stomach. What's more, when they do finally make an appearance, they'll look strong and chiseled.

While there are many exercises, start with these two doable fat burning exercises to hammer the dozens of muscles between your shoulders and hips and get better metabolism at the same time. No gym equipment required!

1. Burpees

If you want to lose your gut, you need to work as many muscles as possible. The burpee does just that. The explosive exercise – which entails going from a push-up position to a jump and back to a push-up position – hits every muscle from head to toe.

In fact, a study from the American College of Sports Medicine found that 10 fast-paced reps are just as effective at revving your metabolism as a 30-second all-out sprint, so you can burn your belly fat faster than ever before.

DO IT:

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  • Lower your body until your palms rest on the floor about shoulder-width apart.
  • Kick your legs backward into a pushup position, perform a pushup, and then quickly reverse the movement and perform a jump when you stand. That's 1 rep.

Mountain Climber

Think of the mountain climber as a moving plank. You perform a mini crunch when you explosively draw one knee into your chest.

What makes this move so difficult, however, is that your core has to work overtime to keep your body stable and straight every time you lift a foot off of the floor, according to Gaddour.

"You can also do it interval-style, making it a serious conditioning move to ramp up your heart rate and burn a ton of calories," he says. For example, do as many reps as you can for 20 seconds, rest for 10 and repeat for 4 minutes.

DO IT:

  • Assume a push-up position with your hands below your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from your head to your heels. This is the starting position.
  • Lifting your right foot off of the floor, drive your right knee towards your chest. Tap the floor with your right foot and then return to the starting position. Alternate legs with each repetition.

 

Source: Excerpts of this article was taken verbatim from Men's Health: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a758971/the-5-best-exercises-for-burning-belly-fat/ which was published on by Men's Health