Shrink Belly Fat After 60 With These Exercises, Says Trainer
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Get ready to shrink that stubborn belly fat after 60 with these exercises.
Losing belly fat at any age can be a challenge, but it’s even more difficult to achieve after 60.
As you age, your body and fitness level change. If you have excess belly fat, it’s partially due to the aging-related changes in your body.
The key to losing belly fat after 60 is to combine physical activity with a healthy diet that’s focused on whole foods.
Check out our (7-Day Belly Fat Plan)
This strategy works to reduce belly fat no matter what age you are.
If your diet is already on point then the next step is exercise.
Exercises are very effective in getting rid of belly fat after 60, but the question is which ones are best?
The exercises to lose belly fat are compound exercises. Compound exercises are effective fat-burning exercises that tackle multiple muscle groups. They help the development of lean muscle mass and consequently, speed up metabolism and fat burning.
In this article, I’ll share five exercises that’ll help you reduce abdominal fat after 60.
1. Goblet Squat
The dumbbell goblet squat is one of the most functional lower body exercises you can do in your 60s.
It primarily targets your hamstrings, quads, inner and outer thighs, and glutes. These lower-body muscles are large groups of muscles, working them leads to more calorie and fat burning.
Not to mention, this squat engages your abs and core. It helps you tone your midsection and builds your core strength.
How to do a goblet squat:
- Stand with your back straight and feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Adjust your toes so they point slightly outwards. Hold the end of a dumbbell in front of your chest.
- Tighten your abs and core and slowly lower your body down until your thighs are almost parallel to the ground. Pause at the bottom and come up. That’s one rep.
2. Dumbbell Lunge
Lunges are one excellent workout to burn belly fat.
It also serves as a functional exercise that trains your body for daily movements like walking. This is beneficial for older adults to maintain their independence and sustain their mobility.
By using resistance like dumbbells, you can enhance the lunge’s effectiveness as a muscle-building move. If you are an exercise beginner, you may also perform this as a bodyweight exercise with no weight.
The lunge is one workout that requires stability and balance. It involves your full body and recruits your entire core muscles to support the upper body.
It’s a great fat-burning workout that comes with so many benefits for older adults.
How to do a dumbbell lunge:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold dumbbells in each hand by your sides.
- Brace your abs and core and step forward with one foot, landing on your heel first. Go into a lunge until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Keep your back flat and your head looking straight as you lunge.
- Press into the front foot to drive back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side. Complete 10-12 reps per side and aim 2-3 sets.
3. Side Plank
While planks are rarely a favorite exercise, it is one of the simplest and yet most effective core exercises to work not only the love handles but the entire body.
A plank is considered an isometric exercise. This means you hold the plank position for a set period of time. While it’s not dynamic in nature, your body needs to recruit multiple muscles to keep the form. It’s a great exercise to build strong obliques and core.
Adding a side plank to your love handle workout routine helps target your oblique muscles and shrink your waist. On top of that, this bodyweight exercise can also improve your core strength and tone your ab muscles.
How to perform Side Plank
- To perform the side plank, lie on your right side with your legs straight. Have your right elbow directly under your shoulder. Spread the fingers on your right hand creating a stable base.
- Your right forearm is parallel with the front of the mat. Press through your forearm raising your hips until your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Raise your left hand creating a straight line from fingertip to right arm.
- Engage your abs and hold this side plank position for 30 seconds. Don’t let your right hip drop towards the ground.
- Add time with the more you practice. Return to the starting position and repeat on the left forearm for the same length.
4. Bike Sprints
If you are used to steady-paced low-intensity cardio for belly fat, consider trying this. The bike sprints are faster-paced cardio that gets your heart rate up and stirs up an after-burn effect.
It has a higher intensity than slow cardio and burns more calories.
It works in intervals. You perform 20 seconds of high-intensity, fast sprints and rest for 30 seconds. You repeat this same interval for 5-7 rounds or more depending on your fitness level.
This revamps your metabolism, burns more calories, and helps your body keep burning calories long after your workout.
It’s a great weight loss workout that builds your endurance, cardio, and stamina at the same time.
5. Incline Push-up
The pushup is one full-body exercise that recruits all the muscles in your upper body and more.
It’s a strength-building exercise that gets you to work against your own body weight. It’s one efficient way to work every muscle in your body and burn fat.
While regular pushups on the floor are strenuous, this incline push-up makes it a bit less demanding.
By reducing the gravity, you can still take advantage of this exercise’s benefits without having to push your body too hard.
Here is how to perform the incline pushup.
How to perform an incline pushup:
- Find a sturdy bench or couch. Stand in front of the bench and place your hands on the edge and keep them shoulder distance apart. Straighten your legs out to the back of you and keep them straight. Support your body with your toes and hands.
- Starting with your arms straight with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Tighten your core and glutes to keep your body in a neutral position before starting.
- Slowly bend your elbows to bring your chest down to the edge of the bench. Pause for a second and push your body up to return to the starting position. That’s one rep.
- Repeat 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions.
