Fact or Myth: Abdominal Exercises Can Help Lose Belly Fats

We all yearn to have a toned, flat tummy, but a stubborn fat bulge around the tummy is a common woe, even for ladies who are generally slim. When it comes to losing belly fat, many would turn to abdominal exercises as they believe that targeted training is the best way to burn those belly fats away. Is that the right way to get rid of a bulging tummy? Do abdominal exercises really work?

Exercising your stomach will NOT make it smaller.

Exercises that target the abdomen can only help you to tone and strengthen the muscles near the belly. They do not help you lose belly fats. What does work is a holistic fitness plan, consisting of intense fat-burning cardio workouts combined with toning exercises at the end of it. This will work all major muscle groups, helping you to lose fat all over and appear more toned and less flabby.

Crunching is not the most effective abs workout

Contrary to popular belief, crunches are not the most effective way to lose belly fats. Crunches work only the muscles on the front and sides of your abdomen, but it’s just as important to target other core muscles such as those on the hips, lower back and upper thighs, to achieve defined abs.

For instance, if you are extremely determined to lose those belly fats and force yourself through hundreds of crunches a day, you may strengthen your abs and they might firm up a little, but ultimately you will still have lots of fat covering those muscles. The result? You won’t look any slimmer. This is because 50% of our body fat is located directly beneath the skin. The rest of the fats are inside the muscles and doing crunches will not get rid of these fats. What gets rid of fats, is still cardio exercises.

Fat cannot be reduced in only certain areas of your body

Abdominal exercises are not the key to losing belly fat because it is impossible to lose fats only on certain areas of your body. To lose belly fat, you need to reduce your overall body fat. To achieve this, you need to burn more calories than you eat, and engage in fat-burning cardiovascular exercises.

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How to Do Abdominal Exercises in a Pool

Want firmer abs and a tighter stomach? Fancy the life aquatic? Doing abdominal exercises in the pool use the fun of swimming to combat the tedium of crunches and traditional abdominal workout routines. What's more, health experts suggest that the gentle resistance of the water helps reduce the chance of unnecessary strain.

Things You'll Need

• Pool
• Kickboard or wakeboard (optional)
• Pool noodle (optional)

Tips For You

1. Do leg lifts. Turn your back to the wall of the pool in deep water, and rest your elbows on the edge. Starting with your feet dangling straight down, but not touching the body, bring your feet to the surface while keeping your legs straight and your knees locked.
2. Do the jump and dig. A two-part exercise, the jump and dig works both the abs and the lateral obliques. Standing in water that is just above waist level, bend your knees and spread your legs. Cup your hands below the surface just in front of one hip. As you jump so your knees just barely come up above the water, bring your cupped hands up to the surface and towards the opposite shoulders. Repeat for three minutes or as desired, alternating the direction of the scooping motion.
3. Do the walk of life. Walking in a pool works the lower body, including the abdominals. Exaggerate the motion by bringing your knees to your chest while tightening your abs. This enhances and focuses the exercise. In deeper water, doing leg lifts while remaining stationary is also an effective abdominal exercise.
4. Use a kickboard. A small board can be used for several ab exercises. Leaning your chest on the kickboard, lift your knees to the kickboard, simulating a reverse sit-up or crunch. Alternatively, lying your back on the board, kick your foot to produce motion.
5. Use your noodle. Pool noodles are a great exercise tool. They require balance, so using the noodle for a pool ab workout can take some practice.
6. Straddle the noodle with about half of its length behind you and the rest pinched by your knees. Keeping your back straight, bring your knees towards your chest, using the buoyancy of the noodle to keep you afloat and your balance to keep from tipping to one side.
7. Tread water. Though treading water works the legs and arms in addition to the abs, it is a great total-body conditioning workout that will improve the abs. Aim to tread water for 5 to 10 minutes.

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