Do Sit-Ups Burn Belly Fat? Get Effective Ways To Trim Belly Fat

Take a magical pill, drink a magical beverage, or perform a magical exercise – these and other claims about the fast-burning way to lose belly fat have taken over the minds of thousands of people. Meanwhile, we can use more natural ways to lose belly fat without relying on alleged fast-resulting exercises or medications. Today, we’re going to flick through sit-ups. Sit-ups have been regarded as an effective exercise to strengthen your upper body, particularly your core, but can sit-ups reduce belly fat? You’re about to uncover real effective ways to burn belly fat. And find answers to the question, “Do sit-ups burn belly fat?”

Will Sit-Ups Burn Belly Fat?

The sit-up is a classic abdominal workout performed by lying on your back and lifting your torso. Since you’ll be using your body weight, you tone and stabilize your abdominal muscles. It’s a versatile exercise involving not only rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques but also chest, hip flexors, and neck.

But the main question here is whether sit-ups burn belly fat. 

The simple answer is — no, they can’t. 

The thing is, the visceral or abdominal fat you so badly want to get rid of is the result of unhealthy eating choices and a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, if you change your diet and start engaging yourself in the right kinds of exercises, then you’ll be able to reduce belly fat (1).

Read further to know more about the ways of losing belly fat.

What Are The Benefits Of Sit-Ups?

Crunches or sit-ups for belly fat are not working? Still, don’t rush to eliminate sit-ups from your workout routine as this activity offers plenty of advantages for your physique. After reading, you’ll get down on the floor and perform as many sit-ups as you can because this exercise is “wild”. 

Here are some of the benefits you can gain by doing Sit-Ups: 

• Get a stronger core. A healthy core means the ability to get on and off the floor, carry loads, stand up from the chair, and do other daily activities (3). By strengthening and toning your core, you lower your risk of back pain and injuries. Plus, you get a chance to complete more challenging exercises that can transform your physique by giving you the desired shapes.  
• Improve muscle mass. Sit-ups build muscle strength in the hip and abdominal muscles. 
• Improve your athletic performance. A stronger core means more power to complete higher-level exercises. 
• Improve your balance and stability. Sit-ups benefit your pelvis, lower back, and hip muscles, which helps your body stay balanced and stable. 
• Get a better posture. Building a strong core makes it easier to keep your spine, hips, and shoulders in alignment. This improves your posture. Consequently, a better posture enhances spine and neck health, leads to better breathing, and fewer headaches (4). These advantages may prevent injuries and back pain.

Read More: How Many Sit Ups To Burn 1000 Calories: Get Ready To Fire Up Every Inch Of Your Core!

How Do You Do Sit-Ups Properly?

After the aforementioned benefits, you probably yearn to lie on the floor and get down to business. This exercise is a definite plus in your workout routine, however, you need to perform it properly to squeeze out all the benefits from the movements.

Traditional Sit-Up

A traditional sit-up will effectively strengthen your core. Beginners can do it with body weight, while more advanced athletes can utilize weights for new results.

To do a Traditional Sit-Up:

1. Lie on your back and bend your knees. 
2. Place your hands on either side of your neck.
3. Exhale as you lift your upper body toward your thighs.
4. Inhale while slowly lowering yourself back down to the floor.

How Many Sit-Ups A Day To Burn Belly Fat?

Even if you complete 20, 50, or even 150 sit-ups a day, you still won’t burn your belly fat. If your trainer tells you that it’s possible to reduce fat in one area by targeting one spot — change your coach!

You can lose fat from your belly by losing fat in your entire body.

Completing sit-ups may not make your belly fat disappear, but it can still make your core stronger, which is a valid reason to include this exercise in your routine. 

Thus, you can start your sit-up challenge by doing 3 sets of 8-12 sit-ups thrice a week.

Can Long Sit-Ups Burn Belly Fat?

While sit-ups don’t specifically target your belly area, they can help you lose fat in your whole body. The same goes for long sit-ups for belly fat. They don’t burn fat directly in your belly but they play a big part in strengthening your core muscles and stabilizing your body.

If you tend to let yourself off the hook, raise the white flag when things get tougher than you expected, send yourself on an unconscious binge-eating trip – BetterMe app is here to help you leave all of these sabotaging habits in the past!

Can Reverse Sit-Ups Help Remove Belly Fat?

Reverse sit-ups for belly fat, as well as other types of sit-ups, do not target your belly. However, this exercise might benefit the lower part of the stomach. 

To do Reverse Sit-Ups correctly, you will need to: 

1. Stand up and stretch your body by leaning backward as a starting position.
2. Lean backward all the way, tighten up your glutes, and go forward.
3. When bending the back, tighten up your core and butt muscles to stabilize and protect your back.
4. Do a back and forward motion of about 25 reps in 4 sets with a 30-second rest in between. When you rest, you can arch your back forward and go back again.

What Burns The Most Belly Fat?

If you want to lose belly fat, you need to concentrate on natural and healthy ways that take time instead of relying on magical “speedy” solutions. You need to keep one thing in mind: you can’t lose fat by targeting only one area. Instead, redirect your goal into losing fat in the entire body by making healthier dieting choices and intensive training. 

Here is the short instruction for you to lose belly fat effectively. By following them, you won’t only trim the belly fat but end up with a perky and stronger physique:

• Get rid of sugary drinks. Research demonstrates that a high amount of sugary intake might increase levels of visceral fat by promoting insulin resistance and evoking inflammation in your body. Thus, by drinking fewer sodas and other sugary beverages, you’ll see positive changes in your waist. 
• Eat less refined carbs and switch to fruits and vegetables. Sugary food and drinks are high in calories and are linked to the development of abdominal fat (2). Instead, consume healthy fruits and vegetables. Plus, take advantage of the summer berries and mix up delicious smoothies. 
• Eat healthy fats. Saturated fats are harmful to your heart, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. They are also linked to the development of visceral fat and general weight gain. Therefore, consuming healthful fats, such as avocados, chia seeds, fatty fish, nuts, olives, and eggs is vital to belly fat reduction (1). 
• Stay active every day. Combining healthy food with regular training reduces fat in your entire body by making you stronger and fit. Taking up cardio, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training, or simply daily strolling speeds up your chances to get a flat tummy (1).

Read More: Crunch Vs. Sit-Up: Which Is The Best Exercise To Work Your Core And Why?

The Bottom Line

Doing sit-ups is an effective exercise for strengthening your core, improving your balance and stability, benefiting your posture, and building muscle mass. These benefits enhance your athletic performance, and ease up daily activities, like standing up or carrying things. 

Sit-ups don’t reduce belly fat – although you can lose belly fat by incorporating versatile sporting activities, such as cardio or high-intensity interval training (HIIT). A big must is, of course, healthier food, packed with veggies, legumes, fruits, berries, and hearty fats. 

Overall, you can change your waist size by staying active and switching to a healthful diet.