Top 5 Fat Loss Ab Exercises

Limiting fat loss ab exercises to only 5 is tough but I will do it!

My Fitness Hut’s Athletic Abs Training System trains movements and not just muscles! You will get the sculpted, toned abs that you want and you won't walk around like a stiff robot! You will build those abs for every day movements! We all kneel, stand, walk and run, so your abs and overall body strength and stability should be trained for you to live an active life every day!

So, based on that information, here are my Top 5 Fat Loss Ab Exercises:

1. Plank on Ball (rotate plank variations). These are important for foundational core strength. Variations include side planks, planks with leg lift, plank with hip abduction, etc.

2. Ab Ball Rollout/Ab Ball Jackknife. Do these exercises as a superset.

3. Hanging Leg Raises. This exercise belongs in any top 5 ab list.

4. Medicine Ball Diagonal Chop (also with knee lift)/Medicine Ball Front Chop. Do these exercises as a superset. These are important exercises to build core strength with movements used in every day life.

5. Medicine Ball Rotational Throw. This is another exercise that builds core strength with movements used in every day life.

Note: My apologies to bird dogs, supermans, cobras, burpees, mountain climbers, thrusters and back extensions! These are all great core exercises that you should do.

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"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Fat Loss Strength Exercises

Strength exercises for fat loss should focus on maximizing your time at the gym...build more lean muscle mass to speed up your metabolism and burn more fat.

To recruit more muscle fibers during workouts and improve your success, focus more on MULTI-JOINT OR COMPOUND EXERCISES.

COMPOUND EXERCISES will help you burn more fat because you are working large muscle groups in your body. For example, the largest muscle in the body is the gluteus maximus and squats/lunges would target this area (among other areas). You will also burn more calories after your workout.

Examples of SINGLE-JOINT EXERCISES are biceps curl, seated calf raise, leg extension, leg curl and triceps pushdowns. Spend less of your time on these exercises.

Here are my Top 5 Fat Loss Strength Exercises:

1. Squats - Bodyweight, dumbbell or barbell....do your squats!

2. Deadlift - Deadlift is a must for your exercise program. It is also one of the best ways to build muscle thickness in your lower back. Lower back fat is a problem for many people.

3. One-arm dumbbell rows and Pullups - These two are a must for any routine so I'm counting them as one exercise.

4. Clock Lunges - Clock lunges work your body in all planes of motion. Lunge with your right leg at 12 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock. That’s 1 repetition for your right leg. Lunge with your left leg at 12 o’clock, 10 o’clock, 9 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 6 o’clock. That’s 1 repetition for left leg. Maintain upright posture throughout to improve core strength.

5. Dumbbell Chest Press on Ball - Doing the chest press on the ball forces you to balance while lifting. Each arm also has to do equal work.

Note: I also include exercises like standing shoulder presses, step ups, pushups on medicine ball and tricep bar dips in my workouts.

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"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Common Sense Fat Loss Tips

Like alot of things in life, fat loss comes down to you applying common sense like:

1. If you severely limit candy, donuts, cookies, sugary drinks, calorie-packed desserts and other sugary products (while continuing to exercise), you will burn belly fat and lose weight.

2. Walk as much as possible (i.e., stay active during the day), exercise 4-5 days a week, stay with your meal plan at least 90% of the time and you will burn fat and lose weight!

3. If you don't replace bad foods (like sugary foods) with good foods like fresh fruits, you will probably continue to eat massive amounts of sugary foods. Try the replacement method--it works!

4. If you don't REALLY COMMIT to improve your quality of life with exercise, healthy nutrition, active lifestyle, etc., you probably won't change your bad habits for very long!

5. If you continue to try every new fad diet that hits the market (to get quick weight loss), you will continue to see your weight yo-yo and your health worsen. Make the commitment to fat loss with regular weight training and cardio exercise! In time, this will burn fat, give you a lean body and good health!

Share your common sense fat loss tips!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Fat Loss Cardio Workouts

You can do my top 5 fat loss cardio workouts in 20 minutes as interval cardio....each workout will burn fat like crazy!

1. Run sprint intervals on grass or in sand if you're at the beach! Sprints are absolutely one of the best ways to blast fat and sculpt your body. You don't have to be fast, just run as fast as you can! To make it more challenging, see #2.

2. Run uphill, stadium steps or step mill. You might need to start on the step mill machine and work your way up!

3. Jump training or plyometrics. This is high intensity and high risk. Perfect your jumping and landing techniques before advancing to full speed jumps. You may want to start with exercises like jump rope, jumping jacks and squat jumps.

4. Bodyweight cardio. Try rotating sets of exercises like step ups, squats, pushups and lunges for 20 minutes.....that's you doing cardio with your body and that would be a tough, fat-burning cardio workout! You will also improve your strength endurance!

5. Cardio blasts. Cardio blasts could work this way: between each weight training exercise set, do 30-45 seconds of a high speed exercise like jump rope, mountain climbers or squat jumps. Try to do the whole 20 minute workout without any rest between exercises.

If you have been needing to "ramp up" your cardio to burn more fat, any one of these workouts would work for you!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Fat Loss Snacks

One sure way to blow up your meal plan is to snack your way to excess pounds....what you eat between main meals can make the difference in you reaching your fat loss and weight loss goals.

I eat foods that I like. Another person's menu won't work for me. Find healthy foods that you like...here is my Top 5 Fat Loss Snacks:

1. Popcorn is my favorite snack of all time! I can eat popcorn anywhere, anytime! Its high-fiber and low calorie. Skip the butter and excess salt! I like to pop it on the stove in canola or olive oil. On the run, I eat natural, microwaved brands.

2. Nuts.....my second favorite snack. Peanuts, pistachios, pecans and almonds are my favs....it doesn't take much either (a handful will do). They are high-calorie so be careful. Again, skip the excess salt! Nuts have heart-healthy fats, fiber and vitamins. Great snack for people on the run.

3. Apples, bananas, watermelon and grapes. My favorite fruits to eat for snacks or anytime. Pick your fruits to eat. I've never heard of anyone getting fat from eating fruit! We all know the health benefits of eating fruit so enough said.

4. Peanut butter. I eat peanut butter almost every day, usually on whole wheat bread or crackers....a good protein source that will keep you full until the next meal. Peanut butter is high-calorie so two teaspoons will get the job done.

5. Green, leafy salads. I eat green salads on most days with very little dressing. You can't go wrong with green, leafy veggies any time of the day!

Note: Low-fat yogurt is a great snack! I just don't like yogurt so I don't eat it. Smoothies are also great options (especially after a strength workout). Just watch the sugar and fat. I drink water and unsweetened tea most of the time.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Fat Loss Lies!

There are alot of lies about fat loss out there! Why? Because people are trying to make money off of you and they'll lie to you to get your money!

Here are my Top 5 Fat Loss Lies (Federal Trade Commission backs me up on this):

1. "LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT DIET OR EXERCISE!" This is idiotic! Achieving fat loss and weight loss takes work! Take a pass on any product that promises miraculous results without the effort. Buy one and the only thing you’ll lose is money.

2. "LOSE WEIGHT WITH OUR MIRACLE DIET PATCH OR CREAM!" You’ve seen the ads for diet patches or creams that claim to melt away the pounds. Don’t believe them. There’s nothing you can wear or apply to your skin that will cause you to lose weight.

3. "BLOCK THE ABSORPTION OF FAT, CARBS, OR CALORIES!" Doctors, dieticians, and other experts agree that there is no magic non-prescription pill that will allow you to block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories. The key to curbing your craving for those "downfall foods" is portion control. Eat less when you do eat!

4. "LOSE WEIGHT PERMANENTLY! NEVER DIET AGAIN!" Even if you’re successful in taking the weight off, permanent weight loss requires permanent lifestyle changes like regular exercise and good meal plans. Don’t trust any product that promises once-and-for-all results without ongoing maintenance.

5. "LOSE WEIGHT NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU EAT OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS!" Beware of any product that claims that you can eat all you want of high-calorie foods and still lose weight. Losing weight requires smart food choices. Filling up on healthy vegetables and fruits can make it easier to say no to fattening sweets and snacks.

Doctors, dieticians, and fitness experts agree that the best way to burn fat and lose weight is to eat higher quality calories, exercise regularly and increase your daily activity! Don't look for shortcuts! Work hard and smart!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Metabolism Boosters For Fat Loss

If you want permanent fat loss, you have to continually boost your metabolism....metabolism is basically the rate at which your body burns calories. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories you'd burn if you did nothing all day (or the amount of calories your body needs to maintain itself).

Here are my top 5 metabolism boosters:

1. Do not skip meals (eat 4 to 6 small meals a day). Eating regularly keeps your metabolism humming during the day. Starving yourself or severely cutting your calories will only slow your metabolism.

2. Regular exercise (cardio 3-4 days a week/weight training 3 days a week). Building muscle mass will speed up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to maintain muscle.

The more intense the exercise, the more calories you will burn during and after your workout. So, high intensity interval cardio and circuit weight training will give you more fat burn and calorie burn. Breaking up your workouts also works well to speed up metabolism (i.e., two 20 minute workouts instead of one 40 minute workout).

3. Eat protein with your meals. Your body has to work harder to digest protein. This burns more calories and also helps you eat less during the day. Protein is also critical to repair and build muscle after a tough strength workout.

4. Eat good carbs like fresh fruits and veggies. Again, your body has to work harder to digest these foods and you feel fuller for a longer period of time.

Eating fresh fruits can help you cut out the excess sugar in your diet in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard endocrinologist, who is widely cited by obesity researchers, says that sweetened drinks are the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain. "Highly concentrated starches and sugars promote overeating, and the granddaddy of them all is sugar-sweetened beverages," said Ludwig, who runs the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital in Boston.

5. Get enough sleep and stay away from long-term stress. These two imposters will wreck your metabolism and health!

Do these things on a consistent basis and you will get the fat loss and weight loss you want!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Fat Loss Plateau Busters

Bust through your fat loss plateau by adjusting your exercise routine (and eating routine which I'll deal with later). Make the most of your workout time by exercising smarter not just harder! Here we go:

1. Get off of the weight machines! They do too much of the work for you and many of the exercises are done sitting down. You're not engaging enough muscle groups when you work out on machines.....so it means less calories burned, less muscles developed and less fat loss. Don't be afraid to try new exercises.

2. Do as many compound strength exercises (with weights or bodyweight) standing up as possible. These types of exercises work major muscle groups and many times are full-body strength exercises. Squats, deadlift, lunges, standing bentover rows, squat-to curl-to press and bench press are great examples. Full-body core exercises like planks and side planks work well also. Spend less time posing on "mirror exercises" like bicep curls, calf raises and tricep extensions.

3. You have to work with enough weight to overload your muscles and build muscle. In other words, working out with 5 pound dumbbells won't get the job done (unless you are a beginner). You don't have to "max out" during your workouts but you need to challenge your body.

4. Don't forget about full-body medicine ball exercises like chops and throws (especially done full speed).

5. Train your muscles in all 3 planes of motion. Your body is 3-D so you need to train it that way. It will also help your dynamic balance to train in all 3 planes.

Train hard, smarter and eat right to break out of your slump!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Fat Loss Commitments

You have to make fat loss commitments to lose fat! Just common sense right? And, you have to make the right commitments or you'll end up frustrated and going in circles! So, here is my Top 5 Fat Loss Commitment List to get you started on the way to blasting the fat and getting the lean and toned body that you want:

1. Make a commitment to a lifetime of fitness. This commitment trumps all other fitness commitments. Without it, you will always fall prey to the inevitable obstacles and pitfalls along the way.

2. Be willing to change your eating habits! Sixty to 70% of your fitness goal success or failure will depend on good nutrition. Since you must eat to survive, get ready to change! Get rid of the fad diets! Start planning your own meals using a mix of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

3. You MUST change your body composition! You must increase lean muscle mass to become a “fat-burning machine.” You don't need to be a body builder but you need to replace the fat (to an acceptable body fat percentage) on your body with muscle mass.

4. You must do more than cardio exercise to change your body composition! That's right cardio queens and kings---read commitment #5!

5. Make a commitment to full-body strength training! Among other things, it builds muscle mass, speeds up your metabolism (the body has to work harder to maintain muscle) and helps improve your bone density. And, you’ll look great!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Fat Loss Eating Tips

The top 5 fat loss eating tips will help you achieve your fat loss goals sooner because they give you an easy point of reference....everyone can remember 5 things, right?! The top 2 eating tips for fat loss have nothing to do with actually eating food:

1. Start keeping a food journal as soon as possible! Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your meal plan and fat loss if you keep a food journal! By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will also be forced to plan your meals better and avoid binge eating and emotional eating.

2. Social support is critical! Get an accountability partner such as a spouse, friend or personal trainer. You can challenge each other to make good food choices.

3. Eat small meals every 3-4 hours (starting with breakfast) to keep up your energy and to keep your metabolism humming along. When you skip meals, your body slows down its metabolism to conserve energy and store fat.

4. Plan and pack your meals for the day. This way, you are more likely to stay with your meal plan. Otherwise, you may end up eating fast food, overeating or grazing (haphazard eating)!

5. Eat protein with every meal. Protein helps you feel fuller for a longer period of time, helps keep blood sugar levels from spiking and repairs your muscles after a tough workout.

Start your summer off right with this 5 point eating plan!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Top 5 Summer Fat Loss Cardio Workouts

Here are my Top 5 Summer Fat Loss Cardio Workouts....if you know me at all, you know that all "workouts" are in the great outdoors! Have fun this summer with your cardio! Get off the machines and be creative!

1. Run sprint intervals on grass or in sand if you're at the beach! Sprints are absolutely one of the best ways to blast fat and sculpt your body. You don't have to be fast, just run as fast as you can!

2. Play sports....on a rec soccer team...the "pitch" is huge and you will jog and sprint forever! Flag football works great too!

3. Run at the lake trails...beautiful scenery takes you away from it all.

4. Biking outdoors.....enough said!

5. Go swimming! Laps are great but water volleyball, water basketball, water football or water polo is more fun! Do the laps in the winter!

***BONUS SUMMER FAT LOSS CARDIO: Cut and edge your lawn....with a push mower and no automatic accelerators allowed in the engine!

See one of my clients having "fun in the sun!"

Get your Athletic Abs Training System now!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »