Kettlebell Exercises to Reduce Your Stomach

If you want to reduce the size of your stomach, exercising with kettlebells can help you reach your goal. Spot-reducing exercises aren't effective, says the American Council on Exercise, but a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training with kettlebells can help you whittle your middle. Get health clearance from your doctor before you start working toward your goal to lose weight all over, including around your stomach, and tone your abs.

  1. What Are Kettlebells?

    • Kettlebells have become increasingly popular at the gym as well as for home workouts, but these free weights with handles have been around since the 1700s. First used by Russian strongmen, you can incorporate kettlebells into your fitness routine to increase strength and endurance, as well as tone your abdominal muscles. Start out with a kettlebell weight that you can lift for 12 repetitions before your muscles become fatigued. Once the weight becomes easier to lift, it will be time to change to heavier kettlebells.

    Strength Training Exercises for the Stomach

    • To tone your stomach muscles, you should perform kettlebell exercises two to three times per week, for 15 to 20 minutes per session. Kettlebell exercises engage the core muscles, which helps to build your abdominal muscles for a slender midsection. Target your stomach muscles by doing squat rotators, stepout swings and push presses. Combine your kettlebell stomach workout with exercises for your legs and upper body for a well-rounded strength training session.

    Lose Belly Fat

    • You can burn about 300 calories in 15 minutes with a kettlebell workout. Since you must burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound, this means that you can drop a pound after fewer than twelve 15-minute kettlebell workouts. To increase your daily calorie burn and avoid exercise boredom, it's wise to include other types of aerobic activity in your fitness plan. Combine a 15-minute kettlebell workout with 30 minutes of bike riding, or follow your strength training with a one-hour walk to burn an additional 250 calories. A daily calorie burn of about 500 calories will help you lose 1 pound per week, which will help you reduce your stomach.

    Other Considerations

    • As you perform your kettlebell exercises and cardio workouts, following a calorie-reduced diet can also help you reduce the size of your stomach. Decrease your daily caloric intake by 250 to 500 calories per day to lose an additional 1/2 to 1 pound of body fat per week. Ask a family member or friend who has similar fitness goals to work out with you to add accountability and a social aspect. If it's been a while since you've worked out, start out slowly. It's better to do kettlebell exercises for five minutes and build up from there than push yourself too hard to complete 15 minutes and give up after the first try.