What Exercise Burns the Most Belly Fat? Separating Fact From Fiction

Losing excess belly fat is the number one fitness goal for many people, and for a good reason. It’s not just about how you look, but how you feel and the impact it can have on your general health.

As a physical therapist, I’ve worked with countless clients who felt frustrated by stubborn belly fat despite exercising regularly and trying to eat well. In this article, we’ll look at what the science really says about belly fat and what actually works.

I’ll also share insights from my clinical experience and perspectives from a registered dietitian and a sleep medicine doctor.

Can you really target belly fat with specific exercises?

No, you can’t target belly fat with specific exercises like crunches. Fat loss doesn’t work that way — your body decides where it loses fat first.

What does make a difference is being in a consistent calorie deficit through a mix of movement, nutrition, and lifestyle habits. You’ll lose belly fat over time as your overall body fat decreases, but you can’t force your body to choose that area first.

Fat loss happens when your body breaks down stored fat (called triglycerides) from fat cells in your body’s fat tissue and uses it for energy. For this to take place, your body must be in a calorie deficit.

A 2021 review published in Frontiers in Physiology explored the effect of exercise training on fat loss. Researchers found:

• Exercise can help reduce both deep belly fat and fat under the skin, even if your overall weight doesn't change.
• Exercise tends to reduce deep belly fat (around your organs) more than the fat just under your skin (subcutaneous fat), especially in people who are overweight.
• Research shows that how hard you exercise matters more than how long you exercise when it comes to losing deep belly fat.
• Short, intense workouts are effective at reducing belly fat. This suggests they improve how body fat is used, even though the fat burned during the workout doesn't fully explain the results.

This information suggests that you can’t ‘spot reduce’ fat from one area with ‘belly fat exercises’ like crunches. However, certain types of exercise, especially high-intensity training, are proposed to be particularly effective at reducing visceral belly fat (deep belly fat) overall.

Dietitian Melissa Mitri (MS, RD, Nutrition Writer, and Owner of Melissa Mitri Nutrition) adds, “You can perform certain exercises like planks, crunches, and bicycles to gain muscle mass in the belly area, but you can't target belly fat loss specifically. However, focusing on exercises that reduce total body fat can also help decrease belly fat.”

The real secret to losing belly fat

As a physical therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how sustainable lifestyle changes make the biggest difference when it comes to losing belly fat. With consistency, you’ll lose weight in a healthy way, gain muscle, and the way your stomach looks will change, too. Here’s what works long-term:

1. Prioritise protein-rich, whole foods
2. Move daily — walking, strength training, or any other type of movement you enjoy
3. Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep every night
4. Reduce stress as much as possible
5. Aim for consistency over perfection

I’ve helped many patients lose weight after injuries that led to weight gain, or while managing chronic conditions where weight loss made a real difference. And in every case, slow, steady progress was the key to long-term results.

Exercises that help reduce belly fat

Research from 2021 suggests that the type of exercise you do is not an important factor in how much weight you lose. What matters is how much energy you use and the extent of calorie deficit that pushes you into.

However, a varied range of exercise types can help you lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. Dietitian Melissa Mitri suggests including a mixture of aerobic workouts, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and strength training.

In my clinical practice as a physical therapist, I often worked with people who needed to lose weight as part of their rehabilitation goals. I’ve found that consistency and following a workout program tailored to your goals are more important than the exact exercises themselves. Ideally, this program should be designed by a fitness professional to make sure it’s sustainable, safe for you, and aligned with what you’re trying to achieve.

If you're short on ideas, here are some exercises you can try adding to your routine to support your weight loss goals. Speak to a fitness professional before you get started to learn how you can build these into your routine safely.

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic workouts help you burn calories and are great for your heart and lungs. They're perfect for beginners because they're easy to modify and can be done every day without putting too much stress on your body.

High-intensity interval training

HIIT alternates short bursts of intense effort with periods of rest or more gentle activity. It can be highly effective for burning calories in less time than standard aerobic exercise.

Strength training

Building muscle through strength training can help you burn more calories at rest (although this effect is much more subtle than people often think). The main benefits of strength training are improved bone health and improved insulin sensitivity, among others.

Abdominal exercises to strengthen your core

Ab exercises won’t magically melt belly fat, but they do help tone your waist by building stronger abdominal muscles. They’re also a great way to build core strength, burn calories, and add variety to your workouts.

Remember, no matter what type of exercise you choose, it’s the bigger picture that matters. When it’s combined with dietary and lifestyle changes that create a calorie deficit, you’ll lose weight, including belly fat, over time.

The importance of sleep and stress management in belly fat reduction

According to sleep medicine specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta (Chief Medical Advisor for Sleepopolis), “sleep and stress can play a significant role in how much belly fat you carry, especially when you’re trying to lose weight.”

When you don’t get enough sleep or experience chronic stress, your body produces more cortisol, a hormone that’s linked to storing fat, particularly in your midsection. Poor sleep can also affect your hunger hormones, making you crave unhealthy foods and overeat, which can lead to weight gain, especially around the belly.

Dr. Raj Dasgupta

What does the research say about stress and belly fat?

Research on stress and belly fat is mixed, but here are some findings:

• One study suggests that when you're under constant stress and also eat a diet high in sugar and fat, you're more likely to gain harmful belly fat than if you were just eating poorly without the stress. However, this was a small study with only 61 participants, so further research is needed to confirm these findings.
• A research review implies that stress can play a big role in belly fat gain, especially in people who are more sensitive to the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol. This sensitivity varies between individuals and may help explain why some people are more prone to stress-related weight gain than others.
• A meta-analysis found that people who feel more stressed tend to have higher BMI, larger waist size, and higher diastolic blood pressure. While the results varied across studies, the overall findings suggest a potential correlation between stress, belly fat, and cardiovascular disease risk. However, more research is needed to understand the nature of this relationship, as correlation does not imply causation.

What does the research say about sleep and belly fat?

Further research is also needed on sleep and belly fat to better understand their connection. But a few studies have addressed this topic:

• Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) suggest that getting too little sleep is linked to higher levels of visceral fat in the belly area for all genders. The benefits seem to level out at around eight hours a night, so aiming for enough quality sleep could help keep your belly fat in check.
• A small 2022 study found that sleeping just four hours a night made people eat more and gain weight compared to those with unrestricted sleep. There was no significant difference in the number of calories burned across groups. Most of that extra fat was stored around the belly, including visceral fat, which is associated with an increased risk of conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This suggests that poor sleep could increase your risk of abdominal fat gain.

Creating sustainable habits for long-term belly fat loss

Burning belly fat isn’t about crash diets or pushing yourself through long, exhausting workouts with little recovery. For lasting results, it’s better to focus on gradual, sustainable lifestyle changes, which can include structured workouts like HIIT, when balanced with proper rest and recovery.

Start small: go for a daily walk, add more whole foods to your meals, and ease into new exercises to avoid injury or burnout. Remember, overtraining can do more harm than good. Most importantly, speak to a healthcare professional before starting any new fitness or nutrition routine.

Dr. Dasgupta chimes in on the sleep aspect of weight loss: “To improve your sleep and support weight loss, aim for a consistent sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends.”

Try to get 7–9 hours of quality sleep each night. Managing stress is key, too — practices like meditation, yoga, or even deep breathing can help lower cortisol levels and improve sleep. Creating a calm, cool, and dark sleep environment and avoiding caffeine or screen time before bed can also make a big difference in how well you sleep and support your weight loss goals.

Dr. Raj Dasgupta

Final thoughts

Losing belly fat takes time and a whole-body approach. There's no quick fix, but with small, consistent changes, you can absolutely see progress. Focus on building habits you can stick with that make you feel good.

In my clinical practice, the clients who saw lasting results weren’t the ones chasing perfection. They were the ones who kept showing up. Your body is always changing, and if you give it what it needs, it will reward you in time.