A highly effective yet often underrated method for working your abs involves moving off the mat and onto your feet. Renee Simms, CPT, and owner/founder of Alida 126 Personal Fitness, emphasizes that standing core exercises challenge the body differently compared to traditional floor workouts. Moreover, standing moves are generally more gentle on the joints, reducing the risk of straining the lower back or neck. Renee shares five excellent standing exercises that effectively engage the core and help reduce stubborn belly fat.

Why Standing Ab Exercises Burn More Fat

Renee highlights that, when you’re upright, your core isn’t working in isolation. It’s stabilizing your body against gravity, aiding in balance, and working alongside other muscles, such as the glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, and even the feet. This kind of total-body engagement not only enhances functional strength but also boosts calorie burning since more muscles are involved.

Traditional ab exercises may help you build enviable six-pack muscles, but they’re not a productive choice for fat burning.

Renee also notes that standing core exercises typically involve more movement, increasing the heart rate and creating a cardio effect. This additional calorie burn, especially from fat, is crucial for visibly achieving the results of your efforts.

Renee recommends kicking off your workout with standing exercises to fire up your core and raise your heart rate, and wrapping up with traditional floor work to isolate the muscles on a deeper level.

“It’s a one-two punch that not only tones the abs but also strengthens the entire core from all angles,” she adds.

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5 Standing Moves That Shrink Stubborn Belly Fat

Perform the below exercises back-to-back to complete one circuit. After finishing all five, take a one to two-minute rest. Repeat the circuit once more for a total of two rounds.

Reverse Lunge with Cross Connect

1. Stand tall, feet hip-width apart and hands behind your head.
2. Step one foot back and lower into a deep reverse lunge, keeping your chest tall.
3. As you rise to stand, bring your back knee forward and drive your opposite elbow to meet it at your center.
4. Hold the elbow-to-knee position for a moment with control.
5. Perform 10 reps on one side before switching to the other.

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Dumbbell Windmill

1. Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in one hand.
2. Press the weight overhead and turn your feet slightly away from the arm that’s holding the dumbbell.
3. Keep your gaze on the weight as you press your hips to the side and slowly lower your opposite hand down the inside of your leg.
4. Keep your top arm extended and your spine aligned during the hinge.
5. Squeeze your glutes as you return to standing.
6. Perform 8 to 10 reps on one side before switching to the other.

Dumbbell Overhead Chop

1. Stand tall, holding a dumbbell with both hands at chest height.
2. Press the weight overhead.
3. Then, “chop” it downward diagonally across your body toward your opposite hip.
4. Return the weight overhead and alternate to the other side.
5. Make sure your hips stay centered and slightly tucked under to activate your glutes and protect your low back.
6. Perform 20 alternating reps; 10 per side.

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Offset Dumbbell Marches

1. Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in one hand.
2. Press the weight overhead so your arm lines up with your ear.
3. Keep your shoulders down and back and your core engaged.
4. Gradually lift one knee at a time to hip level, as if you’re marching in place.
5. Complete 12 controlled marches on one side before switching to the other.

Halo With Dumbbell

1. Stand tall, holding the dumbbell by its ends at chest height.
2. Bring the dumbbell around your head like a halo—moving it past one ear, behind your head, and around with control.
3. Reverse the motion before repeating on the other side.
4. Complete 20 alternating reps; 10 in each direction.

Alexa Mellardo