Should I Workout My Abs If I Have Belly Fat: Answer Revealed!

By - Haleema Sadia

Should I workout my abs if I have belly fat? This curiosity is common among a group of people eager to get six-pack abs. Many people think that belly fat is a hurdle in the way of getting abs. So, do ab exercises help you burn belly fat?

Well, the researchers say that spot reduction does not work much. Because it is not possible to lose fat from a target area. However, some tips and tricks can prove beneficial in this regard.

Abdominal exercises or ab exercises work to strengthen and stabilize the core of the human body. Working on the abs constantly can help athletes and bodybuilders to get the desirable six-pack abs. 

The article will bust out the myths related to ab exercises and belly fat. It will demonstrate the important facts that can lead to losing belly fat. At the end of this article, you will be able to get benefits from an ab workout program to lose belly fat.

Should I Workout My Abs if I Have Belly Fat?

A large amount of subcutaneous fat will hide your ab muscles. You will not be able to see your abs under belly fat. So, it is better to workout your abs to lose belly fat.

Abdominal muscles or abs are the major muscles that make the front wall of the abdomen. These muscles include rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique and transversus abdominis.

If you want to lose belly fat, you should workout to mobilize the layer of fats on these muscles. When the subcutaneous fat above these muscles will melt, you will ultimately get abs with a flat belly.

Can Your Workout Target Abdominal Muscles to Shape Abs?

Losing belly fat is the most common concern of bodybuilders these days. Many people ask, how to reduce belly fat? Or should I work out my abs if I have belly fat?

This is what we call spot reduction. People also call it targeted fat loss. It is the idea that you can selectively lose body fat from specific areas or body parts.

The question of whether I should start doing ab workouts even while I still have belly fat is common. This is because, people think that by doing certain ab exercises, the body will pull more fat from the ab area. As a result, a person can lose belly fat and get abs.

To solve this query, we need to first look at how the body burns fat in the first place? Fat lies inside the fat cells in the form of triglycerides. But muscles cannot use triglycerides directly as fuel.

The target is to first break out the fat into glycerol and free fatty acids. These free fatty acids will then enter the bloodstream. The blood circulates through the entire body. So it means fat can come from any area. It is not just from the area you are targeting by exercise.

However, local muscular work increases blood flow to that nearby fat tissue. It creates the mobilization of fat stores. 

So, you must do low-intensity cardio, right after hitting the targeted abdominal muscles. 

For example, doing crunches only will not help you but if you do cardio right after the crunches, it will burn off the fatty acids. Those fatty acids were liberated from fat covering your abs.

So, here lies the answer to the question. That is, should I do abs before or after a workout? The answer is, do abs before a cardio workout to get the best results.

How to Lose the Layer of Fat over Your Abs?

Along With doing ab workouts and cardio, the following are the three pillars of quality fat loss. These tips along with exercises can be really helpful in losing belly fat.

Calorie Deficit

A calorie deficit is a reduction in the number of calories you need to maintain the current body weight. You can create a calorie deficit in your body by burning more calories than you’re consuming.

You can do high-intensity exercises to create a calorie deficit in your body. Before doing that, you must consult your nutritionist or gym trainer.

Creating a calorie deficit will stimulate your body to use the fat stores. The stores of fat around the abdominal area will also melt this way.

Progressive Resistance Exercise

In a progressive resistance exercise, the muscles have to work against a force. This increases the size of muscles. To perform more work against the resistance, the number of muscle fibers increases.

The resistance exercises use resistance bands or weights to train the specific muscles. However, a beginner should start with a low-intensity resistance exercise. Gradually, you can increase the amount of resistance to gain more muscles.

To lose belly fat and gain abs, resistance exercises specifically for ab muscles can prove beneficial.

Protein Intake

Proteins are the major source of food for muscles. If you increase your protein intake, your muscles will get more energy to grow. Low carb and high protein diet will also help you lose belly fat.

Protein shakes are the best source of protein to take before or after a workout. There are many protein supplements available in the market. These supplements can help build up the muscles.

Along with the supplements, certain foods are high in protein. These foods include lean meat, milk and other dairy products, eggs, and some nuts.

Exercise

Certain aerobic exercises can help you lose belly fat. These exercises specifically strengthen the core.  They help stabilize the abdominal muscles.

These are:

FAQs

Should I work out my abs every day?

Answer: Ab muscles are just like the other muscles of your body. They also need rest intervals between strength training exercises, so you should not work out your abs every day. You can do it three times a week.

Should  I work out my abs when I have considerable belly fat?

Answer: Having belly fat doesn’t mean you can not work on abs. The ab exercises will also help you lose body weight. As the spot reduction doesn’t work much, you should combine the ab exercises with a low-intensity cardio workout.

Can I lose belly fat while doing an abs workout?

Answer: It is possible to reduce belly fat while doing abs workouts. As the abs workout will mobilize the fat stored in the abdominal area. It will easily get into the bloodstream, making your belly fat.

How do you know if your abs workout is working?

Answer: Initially, you can feel itching and burning sensations in your abs muscles. Gradually, your belly starts to flatten. After a specific period, you can see a noticeable change in your abdominal wall. Your abs will start to become visible.

Should I work out my abs if I have belly fat?

Answer: The simple answer is yes. You should work out your abs to lose belly fat. Along with this, you should keep in mind that a combination of ab exercise and cardio is way more effective to lose belly fat.

Bottom Line

Should I workout my abs if I have belly fat? The final answer is that a combination of ab exercises and cardio will help you lose belly fat. It will also strengthen your abdominal muscles and will increase their tone.

According to researchers and experiences, the most stubborn fat areas like the belly lean out slowly. However, if you keep your diet and exercise continuous, this stubborn fat area will eventually lean out.