Sadly, there’s no secret elixir that magically eliminates stubborn belly fat—but many gym-goers wish one existed. The best approach to melting abdominal fat is by optimizing your diet, workout routine, and lifestyle habits—and being consistent with them.
Abdominal fat can accumulate for several reasons as you age, including the natural loss of lean muscle, hormonal shifts, a slower metabolism, and reduced physical activity. Excess belly fat is not only frustrating to deal with, but visceral fat—the type of belly fat that wraps around your internal organs—can place you at greater risk of serious health issues. It can even negatively impact your longevity. Research shows that a larger waist circumference can increase your risk of dying by as much as 24%.
To learn a productive way to tackle belly fat, we spoke with Francesco Zen, Founder of ZTraining Executive Fitness Coaching and Founder of Mr Z AI, who has 18 years of experience in the health and fitness world. After all, you want to spend your workout time wisely and choose workouts that support your goal.
“Home-based exercises are at the same level as gym workouts. The ideal core is trained using bodyweight and performed through functional movement. Specifically, to strengthen the midsection, the goal is improving core stability for all movements of life. This helps avoid lower back pain, incorrect posture, and injuries. The only difference may be access to equipment such as fit balls, a power tower, or a proper workout bench. Core workouts at home are 100% effective and efficient, just like a gym workout for someone over 60,” Zen tells us.
Below are five home exercises that can help strengthen your midsection and promote fat loss after 65.
Chair Squats
“The nature of the exercise is glute and quad-based, but over 60, it prepares the whole lower body and avoids lower back and spinal load. It also offers great core activation in the initial phase,” explains Zen.
- Begin by standing tall in front of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart on the ground, toes pointing forward.
- Activate your core and keep your chest lifted.
- Reach your arms forward.
- Bend at the knees and hips and lower slowly into a squat—as if you’re about to sit down. Make sure your weight stays in your heels.
- Hover just about the chair’s seat, holding for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Press through your heels to rise back up.
Planks
“The secret for people over 60 is to make sure to relax the neck and shoulders while squeezing the glutes. This positioning allows strong core activation while also enhancing lower back and spinal support,” Zen points out.
- Place your hands under your shoulders.
- Press into the pads of your fingers and hug your inner arm toward your armpit.
- Walk your feet out to hip-width.
- Engage your abs, squeeze your buttocks, and pull upward through your quads.
- Hold the plank position with proper form.
RELATED: If You Can Hold a Plank This Long After 50, Your Core Is Stronger Than Most
Mountain Climbers
“To make this simpler, while bringing your knee toward your chest you can keep your foot in contact with the floor once it reaches the top position. If you have enough strength, keep it elevated from the floor to engage more of the side core toward the ribs. Keep the neck and shoulders relaxed while always squeezing the glutes,” Zen instructs.
- Assume a high plank.
- Quickly drive your right knee toward your left elbow.
- Swiftly return to a plank.
- Repeat the movement with your left knee.
- Continue to alternate at a fast pace.
RELATED: These 4 Lower-Body Moves Burn Belly Fat Without Touching Your Core
Supine Leg-Supported Arm Reaches
Now that your entire abdomen is activated, it’s time to flow into a more complete movement.
- Lie flat on your back on a workout mat with your legs resting comfortably over a sturdy chair.
- Press your back comfortably into the mat.
- Reach your arms toward the ceiling, then reach them forward toward the ground, keeping your hands 1 to 2 inches off the mat.
- Hold the reach for a moment while activating your core.
- Make sure your neck remains relaxed and aligned with your spine.
RELATED: The 5-Minute Morning Routine That Shrinks Belly Fat Fast After 50
Supine Leg Raises
“This is the hardest level and can be performed one leg at a time. The tension can shift toward the lower back on this one, which makes it the hardest, but also one of the most rewarding for posture and injury prevention,” Zen tells us.
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides, palms facing down and pressing lightly into the mat.
- Activate your core.
- With control, lift one leg up toward the ceiling.
- Hold for a moment before lowering.
- Repeat on the other side.
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