How to Sweat to Lose Stomach Fat

The stomach can be a stubborn area to lose fat. Although you cannot spot-reduce fat, a structured exercise routine and healthy diet will lead to weight-loss all over the body including the belly. Sweating itself does not necessarily equate to weight-loss; you could sweat in a sauna or on a hot day but lose primarily water weight. However, sweat produced during physical activity and moderate to high intensity workouts indicates you are working hard and burning off calories for fat-loss.

Lose Your Stomach with Sweaty Workouts

Step 1

Increase the intensity of your workouts. Three to four moderate-intensity workouts per week will get your sweat on by elevating the heart and breathing rate, but still allow you to carry on a light conversation. High-intensity workouts are done at efforts in which you cannot carry on a conversation, which revs up the body's metabolism and core temperature, leaving most people dripping in sweat. Aim to do two vigorous workouts per week with a day of recovery in between.

Step 2

Increase the duration of your workouts. Longer workouts mean you will burn more calories and more stored fat all over the body including stomach fat. Schedule five 45-minute cardiovascular workouts, such as running, biking or swimming into your weekly workout plan and increase workouts up to 60 minutes as you get fitter.

Step 3

Lift weights to tone up muscle and drop excess pounds. Muscle has a higher metabolic rate than fat which means you can burn more calories even while at rest. A sweaty strength-training session fires up the metabolism, builds lean muscle and decreases fat stores. Aim to do a circuit-training session two to three times per week in which you do eight to 10 exercises, targeting the upper, lower-body and core back to back, with little rest in between to get your heart rate up and subsequently start sweating. Repeat the circuit three times.

Step 4

Add high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, into your weekly workout program to sweat off unwanted pounds. HIIT workouts involve alternating harder, all-out efforts with lighter recovery periods. A sample workout would be to sprint hard for 30 seconds followed by one minute of easy jogging; repeat eight to 10 times and include a five- to 10-minute warm-up and cool-down. Do this type of workout twice a week with a day of rest or moderate-paced cardio in between sessions.

Things You'll Need

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