Top Cardio Exercises To Lose Belly Fat

In one of my recent posts the HIIT Workout Routine I gave you the low-down on a complete cardio training program and in this post I’m going to continue by sharing my top cardio exercises to lose belly fat.  I know a lot of my readers unfortunately don’t have access to a treadmill or maybe they just want to mix up their cardio workouts.

There’s more ways to get your HIIT workout in besides running on a treadmill to lose belly fat.  If you’re unaware about interval training then know it’s much superior to standard cardio workouts because it’ll boost your metabolism as you train harder and in less time.  The reward is you’ll burn more fat calories during the workout and afterwards as well for up to 38 hours!

Doing an HIIT cardio exercise program like this along with a consistent nutrition program can help you lose belly fat very quickly.  For my recommended nutrition program check out my The Flat Belly Formula.

The big caveat with these top cardio exercises is that you’re going to have to do work and prepare to get your butt kicked!

Perform these top cardio exercises in a circuit routine after your regular resistance training workouts or on days in between them.  They should last around 20 minutes and no longer than 30 minutes.

My Top Cardio Exercises

  1. Core Rows: Also known as Renegade Rows these make my top cardio exercises list because they’ll not only help you build lean muscle but also accelerate your heart rate.  To do these hold a pair of dumbbells while in the push-up position.  Row one dumbbell up at a time while you keep your hips steady and after you’ve successfully brought up both arms go down for a full push-up.
  2. Walking Lunges:  With your hands behind your head or holding a pair of dumbbells take a giant step forward as you lower you back knee towards the ground.  Bring the back leg back up to the starting position with the forward leg and repeat with the other leg.
  3. Burpees:  One of my favorite top cardio exercises because you’re working multiple muscle groups explosively.  For the burpee exercise just start with your hands at your hips and squat down until your hands touch the floor. Then drive your feet back until you’re in the push-up position and then explosively bring them back up towards your hands and hop up in the air. I easily consider these to be one of my best fat burning exercises and if you’re physically able you should be doing them in the majority of your workouts.
  4. Squat Jumps:  This is probably going to be one of the most fundamental exercises on this list but it’s still one of the best.  To perform a squat jump place your hands behind your head and then squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and then explosively jump in the air as high as you can.  It’s important to land back in the squatting position and as softly as you can to prevent knee pain.
  5. Mountain Climbers:  These are probably one of the most hated cardio exercises that I make my clients do but that usually means it’s good for them!  Start off in the push-up position and then drive one knee under your chest and while you start to bring the same foot back to the start position simultaneously start driving the other knee forward.

These are my top cardio exercises to drop the belly fat and it’s really unlimited to how many different combinations you can put them through.  These are just the ones I find to be both the simplest and the most effective for fat loss.  They require minimal equipment but they all provide an intense punch when done correctly.

As an example with the above top cardio exercises you could do the following:

A1:  Core Rows (40 seconds ON)

A2: Jumping Jacks (20 seconds RECOVERY)

B1: Burpees (40 seconds ON)

B2: Jogging (100m RECOVERY)

As you noticed I’m not recommending that you just hang out and grab a drink of water on the recovery sets but instead do work that will keep your heart rate going but not bring it down to a stand still.  Jogging, jumping jacks and high knee runs are all examples of recovery exercises you could do.

As always I recommend seeing my Gymboss review for an awesome little gadget that keeps track of all you HIIT ON/OFF sets for you so you can 100% focus on the exercise at hand and not on your watch.

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed my top cardio exercises list and if you’re looking for more awesome cardio fat loss programs also see my HEAT Blast 7 training system.