One machine stands out for shrinking fat stomach.
All the time people used to ask me when I was a personal trainer at a gym, “What machine will get rid of this?” as they then grabbed ahold of their fat stomach.
I told that there is one machine that beats out all other machines for ridding abdominal fat.
It is the legs! Yes, the legs. Think of your legs as a powerful machine or tool for melting fat.
Your legs are one powerful machine. And this human machine will get rid of stomach fat — when you know which exercises to perform.
So, the truth then is, there is no abdominal gym “machine” that will slash belly fat. But other gym machines will do this: machines that involve your legs!
Leg routines that will knock off stomach fat are: 1) high intensity interval training, and 2) plyometrics.
High intensity interval training (HIIT) may very well be the most effective way to burn fat — according to much research (e.g., Talanian et al).
HIIT involves very brief, but very intense, bursts of all-out-effort pedaling, sprinting, stepping, hill dashing, hill walking, staircase dashing, etc., alternating with just 1-3 minutes of casual pacing, done over a 20 minute (or longer) period, so that ideally, you complete eight “work intervals.”
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HIIT causes hormonal changes in the body that result in accelerated fat-burning that lasts for many hours after your workout, and this will help get rid of stomach fat.
Plyometrics refers to jumping drills: on an exercise box, leaping, jump lunges, pike jumps, squat jumps, etc.
Jumping explosively for 30 seconds is a form of HIIT, except that it’s more weight-bearing than, for example, running on a track or pedaling super hard on a bike.
There’s a weight training component to plyometrics, in that you are hoisting off the floor your bodyweight.
Leg routines with machines that will rid abdominal fat: 1) squats, 2) deadlifts, 3) leg presses.
Squats can be done with a free barbell, a Smith machine or by holding dumbbells. Squats engage the lower body plus the core, and when done intensely, will burn up a lot of pudge.
I had my clients doing intense squats and I saw their stomachs get smaller. I had them doing isolated abdominal exercises only for five minutes out of an hour training session.
Deadlifts. Anyone who’s ever done intense deadlifts knows that this movement engages the entire body.
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After completing an exhausting set of deadlifts, many trainees can’t pinpoint which part of their body gets hit the hardest, or what precisely makes them unable to complete another rep, because the entire body gets socked.
Intense deadlifts will burn significant amounts of fat, including abdominal.
Leg presses are best performed on the floor machine, as this more easily allows a deep range of motion.
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Like squats and deadlifts, the leg press is a multi-joint action. Multi-joint routines burn more calories, and the more fat burned, the smaller that your stomach will get.
In conclusion, there is no abdominal machine that truly “gets rid of” belly fat, though ab equipment is great for strengthening the ab muscles and making them more toned.
But, that layer of fat between the ab muscles and the skin will not budge simply from using an abdominal machine!
The best machine for getting rid of the fat in your stomach is that of your very own body: the legs (and butt), which will be highly engaged through HIIT and multi-joint lower body routines.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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