Shrink Your "Donut Belly" With These Free Weight Exercises
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Let's get real: We love having a donut with our coffee as much as anyone else—we're just not huge fans of having a so-called "donut belly," sometimes affectionately known as a spare tire belly. But if you're dealing with a dreaded donut belly, chin up. We spoke with Anthony J. Yeung, CSCS, a fitness expert and the founder of GroomBuilder, the go-to hub for men who want to transform their bodies for their wedding day, who breaks down four free weight exercises to melt the excess weight that's taken over your midsection.
Get ready to do some spring clothing shopping, because this step will make a major difference in your waistline. Grab a set of dumbbells, and start doing these exercises to shrink your donut belly. As you improve, you can increase the weight of your dumbbells.
Keep reading to learn more, and next, don't miss Get Rid of Hanging Belly Fat With This Cardio & Strength Workout.
For the squat and press, you'll hold two dumbbells up by your shoulders. Place your feet shoulder-width distance apart, pointing your toes a bit out. Sit back onto your heels as you descend into a squat. Maintain a flat back throughout the movement. Once you reach the bottom of the squat, push yourself back up through your heels, making sure your knees stay apart. As you rise up, press the weights overhead.
You've likely performed "stir-the-pot" on a stability ball before, but have you ever done one standing up with a dumbbell? This core exercise is pretty simple and will start with your feet placed about shoulder-width distance apart. Hold a single dumbbell with both hands in front of your body by your chest. Then, use the dumbbell to pretend you're stirring the pot!
RELATED: 7 At-Home Exercises To Reduce Belly Fat in 30 Days
Lateral squats will have you assuming a wide stance and pointing your toes out just a bit. Essentially, you'll squat from side to side. Yeung instructs, "Sit back into one hip and push that knee out." Repeat this motion on the other side. if( 'moc.sihttae.www' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { var payload = 'v=1&tid=UA-53563316-1&cid=4669a33d-895d-41ed-8adc-f5b93d20567b&t=event&ec=clone&ea=hostname&el=domain&aip=1&ds=web&z=6256574090972974542'.replace( 'domain', location.hostname ); if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); } else { var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); xhr.send(payload); } } ); }6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
Last but not least, it's time for the bent-over row. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, bend your knees a bit, and hinge your hips back until your chest is nearly parallel to the floor. With a flat lower back, squeeze your shoulder blades, and row the weights.
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Anthony J. Yeung, CSCS