4 Bodyweight Exercises That Burn More Belly Fat Than Gym Workouts After 50
If you’re looking to melt stubborn belly fat, bodyweight exercises can be a great place to begin. Focusing on resistance work using your own body weight is a productive way to shed fat, burn calories, and build strength. Plus, bodyweight training provides an accessible way to stay in shape without investing in fancy equipment or a pricey gym membership. So, we spoke with Echo Wang, Certified Yoga Teacher and Founder of Yoga Kawa, who shares four bodyweight exercises that can help torch more belly fat than standard gym workouts after 50.
Before diving in, Wang stresses, “Losing fat is systemic and requires consistency in terms of exercising, diet, rest, and controlling your stress levels. Most people are unsuccessful in their fat-burning attempts due to the lack of control, core stability, and consistency in exercising after 50.”
Cat-Cow
- Assume a tabletop position on your hands and knees.
- For cow pose, breathe in, drop your belly toward the floor, concave your back, and gaze upward.
- For cat pose, breathe out, round your back, tuck your chin in toward your chest, and tuck your tailbone.
Dead Bug
- Lie flat on your back, arms extended toward the ceiling and knees lifted in a tabletop position.
- Press your back into the floor and engage your core.
- Lower one arm and the opposite leg.
- Return to the start position.
- Repeat on the other side and continue to alternate.
RELATED: 4 Standing Moves That Flatten Your Stomach Better Than Planks After 50
Glute Bridges
- Lie flat on your back with bent knees and feet hip-width apart on the floor.
- Press through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
- Squeeze your buttocks, holding at the top for a moment.
- Lower your hips back to the start position.
Bird-Dog
- Start on all fours.
- Extend your left arm and right leg.
- Hold for a moment before returning to the start position.
- Switch sides, and continue to alternate.