Belly fat often appears unexpectedly, catching many off guard. If you’ve been diligently engaging in daily walks but notice the scale isn’t budging, it might be time for a change. We consulted fitness experts who recommend eight effective exercises to help burn stubborn belly fat and expedite your results.

“As we grow older, our metabolism tends to decelerate, and we begin to lose muscle mass. Walking, or similar steady state cardio, though beneficial for heart health, lacks the intensity or resistance necessary to ignite the metabolic response required to incinerate belly fat. This is particularly true for individuals over 40 or 50,” explains Elyse Familant, a certified group fitness and yoga instructor, wellness coach, and the owner of Living in the Light Wellness. “Building muscle mass is key to enhancing metabolism and increasing fat burn around the clock. Additionally, prolonged cardio can elevate cortisol levels, which might contribute to belly fat. After 40, integrating strength and intensity into your routine will yield better results.”

This is where high-intensity interval training (HIIT) becomes crucial. Elyse notes that this training method—combining short, intense exercise periods with brief recovery—is one of the most effective strategies for reducing abdominal fat.

“You can perform HIIT with your body weight or added resistance,” Elyse tells us. “HIIT pushes you into the anaerobic zone, where you are breathing hard and wouldn’t be able to sustain effort for too long. Anaerobic training revs up your metabolism and leads to greater fat burn, even after your workout ends.”

Below, experts break down the best belly-blasting moves.

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Dumbbell Thrusters (Squat to Overhead Press)

“This exercise offers strength and cardio in one explosive move,” Elyse notes. “It also builds muscle while spiking your heart rate.”

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-distance apart.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level, palms facing inward.
3. Bend your knees and press your hips back to lower into a squat.
4. Drive through your heels, exploding out of the squat as you extend your legs and press the dumbbells overhead in a smooth motion.
5. Lower the weights to shoulder height.
6. Return to a squat.

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Plank With Shoulder Taps or Toe Taps

“This is an amazing core stabilizer that gets at the deep abs,” Elyse points out. “This exercise is far more effective than crunches.”6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

1. Begin in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and body straight.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your chest to the ground.
3. As you rise, lift your right hand and tap your left shoulder.
4. Place your hand on the floor.
5. Tap your left hand to your right shoulder.

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Mountain Climbers

“If you do these at a fast pace, this core-driven exercise torches calories while targeting the lower abs,” Elyse explains.

1. Begin in a high plank position.
2. Quickly drive your right knee toward your left elbow.
3. Return to a plank.
4. Repeat the movement with your left knee.

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Deadlifts

“This exercise engages the glutes, back and core,” Elyse says. “Deadlifts also boost metabolism, boosting muscle.”

1. Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, with a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Bend your knees slightly and hold the weights in front of your thighs.
3. Press your hips back as you lower the dumbbells down your leg. Maintain a straight back as you do so.
4. Squeeze your glutes to stand up tall.

Burpee With Pushup

“Love this combo. This offers a high-intensity, total-body and most efficient workout,” Elyse tells us. “It gets at multiple muscle groups and elevates heart rate for fat burn that continues post-workout.”

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-distance apart.
2. Lower into a squat and place your hands on the ground.
3. Jump your feet back to assume a high plank.
4. Perform a pushup.
5. Jump your feet up toward your hands.
6. Explode upward, reaching both arms overhead.

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High Knees With Arm Swings

“This exercise is great for spiking the heart rate and targeting the core,” Elyse notes.

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart and arms at your sides.
2. Lift your right knee up toward your chest, as high as you’re able to.
3. At the same time, swing your left arm forward and right arm back.
4. Alternate sides at a fast pace.

Walking Lunges

“This exercise targets the large muscles in the lower body, engages the core for stability, and can be progressively overloaded (made more challenging for continued muscle growth),” explains Siarra Shantel, NASM CPT for The Edge Fitness Clubs. “[Walking lunges] give you the ability to build/preserve muscle, increase the heart rate. and improve your metabolism so you can burn more calories just at rest.”

Because walking lunges can create discomfort for those dealing with knee pain, Siarra recommends goblet squats as an effective alternative.

1. Stand tall.
2. Step forward with one foot.
3. Lower into a lunge until your knee almost touches the ground.
4. Maintain a tall posture and keep your front knee aligned with your foot.
5. Alternate legs.

Dead Bugs With Resistance

“I love programming dead bug variations,” Siarra tells us. “These help focus on the deep core musculature to help cinch the waist from within. Holding onto a weight like cables increases the demand for your core to stabilize while training core endurance and coordination.”

1. Lie flat on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and knees lifted in a tabletop position.
2. Hold lightweight dumbbells or resistance bands anchored overhead.
3. Press your back into the floor and engage your core as you lower one arm and the opposite leg.
4. Return to the start position.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Alexa Mellardo