A flat stomach or visible abs are common fitness goals. This has resulted in countless products and exercise routines promising to target and eliminate belly fat. Many people believe that performing hundreds of crunches or other ab exercises is the direct path to a lean midsection, but does this widely held belief stand up to what we know?
This guide will explore what studies on fat loss suggest. We’ll look into whether you can target fat loss from specific body parts – a concept known as spot reduction. You’ll learn effective strategies for reducing overall body fat, which is the key to revealing a more defined abdomen. We’ll provide research-informed exercise recommendations and a clear understanding of what it really takes to achieve your physique goals.
Ab workouts are exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of your core, which includes more than just the “six-pack”. Your core musculature is a complex series of muscles that extends far beyond your abdominals. It includes your:
A strong core is vital for stability, posture, and generating power for other movements (2).
When you perform exercises such as crunches, planks, or leg raises, you’re challenging these core muscles, which encourages them to adapt and become stronger. This process is similar to how any other muscle in your body responds to resistance training.
The direct answer is no. Ab workouts don’t specifically burn belly fat.
This is one of the most persistent myths in the fitness industry, and it’s tied to the concept of “spot reduction”. Spot reduction is the idea that you can lose fat from a specific area of your body by exercising the muscles in that area.
However, the human body simply doesn’t work that way. When you need energy, your body mobilizes fat from stores all over your body, not just from the area you’re currently working (3).
Your genetics largely determine where your body stores fat and from where it will lose it first. Some people tend to store more fat in the abdominal region (an “android” or apple shape), while others store it more in the hips and thighs (a “gynoid” or pear shape) (4).
While ab workouts build stronger, more defined abdominal muscles, those muscles will only become visible once the layer of subcutaneous fat covering them is reduced. To achieve this, you need to focus on losing overall body fat.
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Since you can’t spot-reduce fat, the “fastest” way to burn belly fat is to focus on strategies that promote overall fat loss. This requires creating a consistent caloric deficit, meaning you burn more calories than you consume.
Exercise is a powerful tool for increasing your daily calorie expenditure (5). The most effective exercises for fat loss are those that engage large muscle groups and have a high metabolic cost (6).
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves short bursts of all-out effort followed by brief recovery periods. For example, sprinting for 30 seconds and then walking for 60 seconds.
Research has suggested that HIIT can be superior to steady-state cardio for improving body composition. It significantly increases your metabolic rate for hours after the workout, a phenomenon that is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) (7).
While the total contribution of EPOC to fat loss can be overstated, the primary benefit of HIIT comes from the high number of calories burned in a short time (8).
Compound Resistance Exercises
Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at once. Think of:
As they recruit a large amount of muscle mass, these exercises burn a significant number of calories both during and after your workout (9).
Building more muscle through resistance training also increases your resting metabolic rate (RMR). Muscle is metabolically active tissue, which means it burns calories, even at rest. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns throughout the day, which aids in long-term fat loss and management (10).
This makes a full-body resistance training program a great option as a belly fat exercise for men at home or for women who are looking for similar results.
This program is designed to be performed three times per week on non-consecutive days (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
Program Notes:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell goblet squat | 3 | 8-12 | 8 |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 3 | 10-15 | 8 |
| Dumbbell bench press | 3 | 8-12 | 8 |
| Bent-over dumbbell row | 3 | 8-12 | 8 |
| Dumbbell overhead press | 3 | 10-15 | 8 |
| Plank | 3 | Hold for 30-60 sec | 9 |
| Leg raises | 3 | 15-20 | 9 |
This program can be a great starting point if you’re looking for an exercise to reduce belly fat for females at home or for men who want a structured routine.
Read more: Does Pilates Give You Abs? Here’s What Science Says
Dumbbell Goblet Squat
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
Dumbbell Bench Press
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Bent-Over Dumbbell Row
Dumbbell Overhead Press
Plank
Leg Raises
For more targeted routines once your overall body fat is lower, you can explore the best ab workouts for women.
As we’ve established, the number of ab exercises you do per day has no direct impact on belly fat loss. Instead of counting crunches, your focus should be on consistency with a well-rounded fitness plan and a supportive diet.
Treat your abdominal muscles like any other muscle group. They need time to recover and rebuild after a workout. Training them every day is unnecessary and can be counterproductive.
Aim to include 2-3 direct core training sessions per week in your routine. This is more than enough to build strong, developed abdominal muscles. On your “off” days, focus on other activities such as cardio or training other muscle groups.
Read more: 8-Week Workout Plan for Abs at Home: Build Core Strength Without Equipment
Performing 20 minutes of ab exercises every day isn’t an effective strategy for losing belly fat. It’s an excessive amount of volume for a single, relatively small muscle group. This time would be much better spent on activities that burn more calories and promote overall fat loss.
For example, a 20-minute HIIT session or a 20-minute circuit of compound exercises will burn far more calories than 20 minutes of crunches. It will also contribute more to building lean muscle mass across your body, boosting your metabolism.
An effective core workout doesn’t need to be long. A 10-15 minute session incorporating a few different exercises, performed with good form and intensity 2-3 times per week, is sufficient.
If you’re just getting started, you might want to review some exercises to lose belly fat at home for beginners.
The time it takes to see visible abs depends on two main factors:
There’s no magic timeline. If you have a higher body fat percentage, it will naturally take longer to shed the fat that covers your abdomen. A gradual and sustainable rate of fat loss is typically 1-2 pounds (about 0.5-1 kg) per week.
Achieving this requires a consistent caloric deficit of 500-1,000 calories per day, which can be created through a combination of diet and exercise (11).
For men, abs generally start to become visible at around 15% body fat, with a more defined “six-pack” look appearing closer to 10-12%. For women, abs may start to appear around 20% body fat, becoming more clearly defined at 16-18% (12). These are just general estimates, as genetics and body composition play a significant role.
Rather than fixating on a timeline, focus on creating sustainable habits. Progress isn’t just about what you see in the mirror. Celebrate non-scale victories such as:
This is the key to achieving a flat stomach for men, no abs look initially, before more definition appears.
For tailored exercises to help with this goal, you may find it useful to check out the best exercises to lose belly fat for females.
It isn’t possible to noticeably burn a significant amount of belly fat in just seven days. Sustainable fat loss is a gradual process that requires a consistent caloric deficit over weeks and months. Any rapid weight loss in a short period is mostly water weight and is neither sustainable nor healthy. Abs aren’t necessarily the hardest muscle to build, but they are often the hardest muscle to see. Everyone has abdominal muscles, but they are only visible at a relatively low body fat percentage. Building the muscles themselves through consistent training is straightforward, but the challenge lies in the dietary and lifestyle discipline that is required to reduce the fat that covers them. For men, abs typically become visible at a body fat percentage of around 15% and become well-defined at 10-12%. For women, who naturally carry more essential body fat, abs may start to show around 20% body fat and become more prominent at 16-18%. These numbers can vary based on individual genetics and muscle development. There is no single “best” ab exercise. A comprehensive core routine should include exercises that target all the muscles of the midsection. This includes movements for the rectus abdominis (e.g. crunches, leg raises), the obliques (e.g. Russian twists, side planks), and the deep transverse abdominis (e.g. planks, vacuums). The most effective approach is variety.Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn belly fat in 7 days?
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The journey to a leaner midsection isn’t about finding a secret exercise or a quick fix, it’s about understanding how your body works and applying fundamental principles of wellness and fitness consistently. Rather than chasing the myth of spot reduction with endless crunches, dedicate your energy to a holistic plan.
Combine full-body strength training, smart cardiovascular exercise, and a calorie-controlled, nutrient-dense diet. This approach will help you reduce overall body fat and reveal the strong core you’re building, in addition to improving your well-being and strength in the long term.
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