How to Get Rid of Muffin Tops With Pilates Machines

The bad news about using Pilates machines to lose your muffin top is that you can't actually use a Pilates machine to lose your muffin top. Weight loss, whether it's from exercise, changes to diet or both, doesn't target any particular part of your body. Instead, the fat comes off from your stored fat essentially at random. The good news is that using a Pilates machine effectively can help you burn the calories you need to take fat off your entire body -- including that upper stomach area that's poking out the top of your jeans.

Things You'll Need

  • Measuring tape
  • Pilates machine
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure your waist at your belly button while holding your breath after exhaling. Record the result somewhere you can check regularly.

    • 2

      Schedule three days a week for a 30- to 40-minute session on your Pilates machine. Write your workouts down in your daily agenda to maximize your likelihood of keeping this commitment to yourself.

    • 3

      Jump rope for two minutes to start your workout, warming up your muscles and elevating your heart rate for maximum cardio burn while you're on the Pilates machine.

    • 4

      Perform your first Pilates machine exercise according to the instructions for that particular motion. Which exercise you choose is up to you and will vary according to what kind of Pilates machine you own, though moves that engage your largest muscle groups -- your legs, glutes, chest and core -- demand the highest amount of blood and thus burn more calories than exercises that hit smaller muscle groups.

    • 5

      Jump rope for two more minutes, at as fast a pace as you can manage while still breathing normally, then move on to your next Pilates machine exercise. Continue cycling through these stages until you've completed your session.

    • 6

      Measure your belly again every two weeks. Since your goal is to eliminate the belly fat that makes up a muffin top, using your waist measurement better monitors your progress than tracking your body weight. Whenever possible, measure on the same day of the week and the same time of day.