7 Best Compound Exercises for Belly Fat

When it comes to losing belly fat, you must focus on compound exercises that hit multiple muscle groups and use enough resistance to challenge your muscles, rev up your metabolism, and kick your body into its fat-burning gear. To help you out with your fitness routine, we’ve rounded up the seven best compound exercises to lose belly fat and get your midsection into shape.

The benefits of compound exercises for fat burning include increasing the number of calories you burn, which helps you maintain the daily caloric deficit needed for fat loss. Additionally, you will see improved definition due to the muscle growth you get from these exercises.

Perform the below routine in three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. You can also complete it as a circuit using 30 seconds of working time, 30 seconds of rest per exercise, completing three to five total rounds.

Now, let’s explore how to perform the seven best compound exercises to lose belly fat and sculpt a lean, mean midsection.

Jump Squats

Jump squats work the big muscles in your lower body. The explosive jump increases the demand of the exercise compared to air squats. If jumping is too difficult for you, perform squats without the jump.

How To Do It:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width distance apart.
2. Squat about halfway down while keeping your spine braced and neutral.
3. Quickly explode through both feet and jump upward, clearing the floor.
4. Absorb the landing with a half squat and immediately jump into the next repetition.
5. Repeat for the target repetitions.

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Pushups

Pushups hit your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core, providing a calorie-burning, muscle-building boost to your workout.

How To Do It:

1. Begin in a plank position, arms positioned under your shoulders.
2. Take a deep breath, brace your core, and keep your spine neutral.
3. Bend at the elbows to lower your chest toward the floor.
4. When your chest reaches the floor, push through both hands to return to the top.
5. Repeat for the target repetitions.

Lunge Jumps

Lunge jumps are great for hitting your glutes and quads.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

How To Do It:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width distance apart.
2. Step forward with your right leg.
3. Lower your back knee toward the ground about ⅓ of the way toward the ground.
4. Quickly drive through your front foot and jump up, maintaining the right foot forward.
5. Land in the same stances, absorbing the force by lowering the back knee and bending the front leg.
6. Immediately head into the next repetition.
7. Repeat on both sides for the target repetitions.

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Burpees

Burpees are a full-body metabolic blaster exercise great for circuits, calorie burning, explosiveness, and general fitness.

How To Do It:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart.
2. Quickly kick your legs back and drop into a plank position.
3. Upon landing, bounce back to a crouched position.
4. Quickly jump upward and reach overhead.
5. Absorb the landing with a quarter squat, then drop into the next repetition.
6. Repeat for the target repetitions.

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Parallel Grip Pull-ups

Parallel pull-ups are awesome for building a strong upper body and arms while burning calories and building muscle. You will need parallel pull-up bar handles.

How To Do It:

1. Hand onto the pullup bars, gripping the bars with your palms facing each other.
2. Pull your body upward aiming to reach your chest to the bar.
3. Lower all the way down.
4. Repeat for the target repetitions.

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Ring/TRX Row

TRX rows are great for building your back and biceps while also training core stability.

How To Do It:

1. Hold the TRX handles in each hand, facing up, with your hips off the ground.
2. Row your body upward until the handles are next to your chest.
3. Lower to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the target repetitions.

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are an explosive core exercise that hit your abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and arms.

How To Do It:

1. Begin in a pushup position.
2. Bring one knee to your chest, keeping the toes of that foot floating an inch above the floor.
3. Explosively switch your feet and place the front foot behind you as the planted foot.
4. Repeat for the target repetitions.

Tyler Read, BSc, CPT