Let’s face it: Dealing with a thick waistline can be frustrating. If you’re longing for a trim, slim midsection, we’ve got some exciting news. We talked to TJ Mentus, CPTa certified personal trainer and fitness expert with Garage Gym Reviews, shares seven of his top recommended exercises for a slimmer waist in 30 days.
While carrying a little extra padding around your belly may be a cosmetic concern, it’s also not doing your health any favors. Excess abdominal fat increases the risk of dangerous health conditionsincluding heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. That’s why it’s critical to your overall health, well-being and longevity to consistently do movements that will help you stay in top shape and drop a few inches off your waistline.
Without further ado, let’s explore how to perform Mentu’s seven killer exercises for a slimmer waist in 30 days.
Air Bike Sprints
Air bike sprints are a high-intensity workout that burns calories and promotes fat loss, making them an ideal choice for sculpting a slimmer waistline.
“Sprinting is one of the most effective ways to burn fat,” says Mentus. “The high-intensity burst quickly increases caloric requirements while requiring muscle strength and power output, which preserves the body’s muscles. Using an air bike helps reduce the impact on the joints while working the entire body as the arms work the legs.”
Aim for 10 minutes of 30-second sprints followed by 30 seconds of rest.
Bicycle Crunches
Abdominal exercises such as crunches can be very effective in strengthening your core. This move also targets your obliques to help sculpt a sculpted stomach.
Mentus tells us, “This style of crunch will work the entire core and help tone up the midsection. A normal crunch works the six-pack muscles, but a bicycle crunch involves the obliques, and you rotate your shoulders with each rep for the knee. to the elbow.”
Here’s how to do it:
- Lie flat on your back and then place your hands by your ears.
- Turn right with left elbow.
- As you twist, bring your right knee toward your chest to meet your elbow as your other leg is extended off the ground.
- Repeat on the other side as you straighten your right leg and keep it off the ground.
- Perform 4 sets of 25 bicycle crunches per side.
Kettlebell swings
Kettlebell swings are a dynamic exercise that works your whole body. This move will engage your core, glutes, upper back and legs.
“Kettlebell swings are a full-body exercise that will raise your heart rate. The core must stay tight during the movement because the hips and legs generate the power while the upper body stabilizes the weight and holds it,” explains Mentus.
Here’s how to do it:
- Hold the kettlebell in both hands between your legs.
- Keeping your back flat, reach the kettlebell back through your legs by pushing your hips back.
- Keeping your arms straight and aggressively extending your hips, swing the kettlebell to chest height.
- Control the kettlebell back with your arms and step into the next rope.
- Do 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest.
Burpees
By combining squats, planks and jumps, burpees provide a high-intensity cardio workout while activating your abs, obliques and lower back.
“Burpees may be the best bodyweight exercise for burning calories,” says Mentus. “Your arms and legs will be working hard to move your body, which gets your heart rate up quickly. They can also be done anywhere because they’re a bodyweight movement.”
- Drop to the ground.
- Kick your feet behind you and let your chest touch the floor.
- Press your chest off the ground and jump your feet forward at the same time.
- Lift your hands off the ground and jump back up.
- Do 4 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Medicine Ball Slams
This underrated exercise will engage your entire body and help you build a slimmer waist.
Mentus says, “This is a simple high-intensity exercise that allows you to exert as much force as possible when throwing a medicine ball to the ground. Use a medicine ball that is not too bouncy and has a moderate weight, in the 15- to 20-pound range.”
- Start with a medicine ball placed between your feet.
- Pick up the medicine ball and bring it completely over your head.
- Throw the medicine ball back between your feet as hard as possible.
- Complete 5 minutes of 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off medicine ball slams and see how many reps you can do.
Squat jump
An explosive plyometric exercise that works the lower body and engages the core, the squat jump combines a squat and a vertical jump to increase calorie burn and increase leg strength, leading to a slimmer waist.
“Squat jumps are a great plyometric movement to get your heart rate up and burn calories. Any type of jump requires a lot of effort, which increases your heart rate significantly,” says Mentus.
- Squat down by bringing your hips back and down while keeping your chest up.
- Once you’ve reached full depth, explode from the bottom and jump as high as possible.
- Land and recover before the next rope.
- Do 10 minutes of squat jumps, alternating between a minute of maximal squat jumps and a minute of rest.
Dumbbell propeller
The dumbbell propeller is a compound exercise that works with several muscle groups at the same time, which provides a calorie pocket of the highest class.
“Thrusters are a movement that will tire most people out quickly,” says Mentus. “They combine a squat with a shoulder press in one movement. This combination requires a lot of energy and muscle power, which makes them very effective for burning fat.”
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand horizontally, with one end of each resting on your shoulders.
- Perform a squat, keeping the dumbbells upright.
- Explode out of the bottom of the squat while pressing the dumbbells overhead.
- Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders and begin squatting for the next rep.
- Do 4 sets of 12 to 15 push-ups with a challenging weight that allows you to maintain proper form.
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