5 Bed Exercises That Firm Belly Overhang Faster Than Crunches After 55

By Alexa Mellardo

July 12, 2026

When you’re getting dressed, there’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with a dreaded belly overhang. This unwelcomed fat in the abdominal region seemingly creeps up without regular physical activity as you age. Hormonal shifts and changes in body composition are also to blame. If you’re looking to revamp your fitness routine to reclaim your waistline, we spoke with Denise Chakoian, Rhode Island Certified Fitness Trainer and Owner of Core Cycle and Fitness LaGree, who has 16+ years of experience under her belt training individuals of every age and level of fitness, to learn five bed exercises that can help.

Bed-based exercises can be surprisingly effective when it comes to engaging the core.

According to Chakoian, “When you’re lying down, your spine isn’t under any compression the way it is when you’re standing or sitting, so your deep core muscles can actually kick in without everything else tensing up to protect itself. The mattress being soft also makes your body work a little harder to stay stable, which sounds counterintuitive, but actually gets the right muscles firing. Since there’s no impact and you’re not holding your own body weight up, your joints basically get a free pass, nothing is being loaded or stressed.”

You end up activating the muscles that are supposed to provide spinal stability instead of the larger “surface muscles” that typically take over when the intensity is revved up. Speaking of the surface muscles, exercises like crunches only train these muscles and essentially do nothing to burn fat in the belly.

Below, Chakoian walks us through five bed exercises to add to your routine.

Dead Bug

1. Lie flat on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and knees lifted in a tabletop position.
2. Press your back into the mattress and engage your core.
3. Lower one arm and the opposite leg, counting to 3 seconds.
4. Return to the start position.
5. Repeat on the other side and continue to alternate.
6. Perform 3 sets of 8 slow and controlled reps.

Pelvic Tilt

1. Begin by lying flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the mattress.
2. Activate your core and rotate your hips by driving your belly in toward your spine.
3. Hold for 10 seconds.
4. Slowly release.
5. Perform 3 sets of 15 reps.

Supine Leg Slides

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1. Start by lying flat on your back with your legs on the mattress.
2. Place your arms at your sides and gently press your lower back into the mattress.
3. Slide one heel back toward your hips before lengthening it back out.
4. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.

Glute Bridges

1. Begin by lying flat on your back with bent knees and feet hip-width apart on the mattress, arms at your sides with palms pressing into the surface.
2. Press through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
3. Squeeze your buttocks, holding at the top for a moment.
4. Lower your hips back to the start position.
5. Perform 3 sets of 12 reps.

Heel Taps

1. Begin by lying flat on your back.
2. Bring your legs to tabletop and brace your core.
3. Slowly tap one heel to the mattress.
4. Keep your ribs and pelvis stable.
5. Repeat on the other side, continuing to alternate.
6. Perform 3 sets of 15 reps on each side.