5 Best Bodyweight Moves To Shrink Your Waist in 30 Days

Sculpting muscle and shrinking belly fat through bodyweight training can be a highly effective way to achieve your fitness goals. How so? According to Jaqueline Gavino, MPH, CHES, exercise physiologist at Pritikin Longevity Center, muscle is a “metabolically active tissue,” meaning it torches more calories at rest than fat. When you perform bodyweight workouts, you rev up your overall energy expenditure and help transition your body into fat-burning mode, even long after your sweat session ends. That’s why we rounded up the five best bodyweight exercises to shrink your waistline in just 30 days.

What makes these exercises more effective than traditional crunches or sit-ups?

“These movements train the body to move better in real life. They activate the deep core, glutes, and stabilizers, promoting posture and joint alignment,” Gavino explains. “That’s important because the more efficiently we move, the more likely we are to engage in spontaneous physical activity, what we call NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This includes all the movement you do outside the gym, like walking, standing, gardening, or cleaning. Over time, those calories burned from NEAT can significantly contribute to reducing abdominal fat.”

7 Bodyweight Moves To Shrink Your Waist

According to Gavino, the exercises below are joint-friendly, core-safe, and support daily energy use.

Glute Bridge March

“This exercise builds glute and core strength, improves posture, and supports spine health, making daily movement easier,” Gavino tells us.

1. Lie flat on your back with bent knees and feet on the floor. Keep your arms at your sides, palms facing down.
2. Push through your heels to lift your hips into a glute bridge.
3. At the top, lift one knee to your chest.
4. Use control to lower, and switch sides.
5. Continue to alternate, as if you’re “marching.”
6. Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 marches per leg.

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Dead Bug

“This move trains deep core stabilizers and coordination, great for maintaining form during NEAT-based activity,” says Gavino.

1. Lie flat on your back, arms extended toward the ceiling and knees lifted in a tabletop position.
2. Press your back into the floor and engage your core.
3. Lower one arm and the opposite leg.
4. Return to the start position.
5. Repeat on the other side.
6. Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps per side.

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Bird Dog

“The bird-dog enhances balance and spinal alignment for improved movement throughout the day,” Gavino explains.

1. Start on all fours.
2. Extend your left arm and right leg.
3. Hold for a moment before returning to the start position.
4. Switch sides.
5. Perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.

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Side Plank With Knee Tap

“This exercise strengthens obliques and hip stabilizers, supporting rotational movements and gait efficiency,” Gavino notes.

1. Assume a side plank position, with your feet stacked and core tight.
2. Lower and tap the bottom knee.
3. Return to the start position.
4. Perform 2 sets of 8 to 15 reps per side.

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Wall Plank With Arm Reach

“This move promotes anti-rotation control and core endurance without spinal compression, ideal for older adults,” Gavino says.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

1. Stand in a plank position against a wall.
2. Maintain a tight core as you reach one arm forward.
3. Alternate sides.
4. Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per arm.