They work out a lot of different muscle groups at once, which helps build strength, balance, and coordination. These movements are very similar to things we do every day, like walking, climbing stairs, lifting, and getting up from a chair. Another great thing about standing workouts is that they are usually easy on the joints. When done regularly, they can also help you lose fat all over your body, even in hard-to-reach areas like your belly.
We talked to Steve Chambers, the Senior Certified Personal Trainer and Gym Manager at Ultimate Performance. He told us about five standing exercises that can help adults over 55 lose belly fat better than regular gym machines.
“Your core’s main job is to keep your body stable when you’re standing. Chambers says that your abdominal muscles need to stay active while you stand up, walk, lift, bend, carry groceries, or get out of a chair. “Just standing up activates the core. Your abs have to work a lot harder when you add movement, weight, or instability. That’s why standing core exercises are so effective: they make the abs brace, stabilise, rotate, resist movement, and support the spine in real-life positions.
Chambers says, “If you want your muscles, especially your abs, to really change, you need to do progressive overload.” “After 55, it becomes even more important.” You’re not just training to look good anymore. You are working on your strength, balance, posture, metabolic health, and long life. All of that comes together in standing core exercises.
Five standing exercises that can help you lose belly fat
Chambers says that spot reduction is a myth and that fat loss happens all over the body.
He says, “Doing endless crunches won’t help you lose belly fat unless your diet helps you lose fat by keeping you in a calorie deficit.” “Standing core exercises are very effective because they help build muscle, burn more calories, and make the muscles that shape and firm your waist stronger as you lose body fat.”
Walk like a farmer
People often forget about the farmer’s walk, but it’s one of the best core exercises. When you walk with heavy weights, your core has to stay tight and your torso has to stay straight and stable.
Farmer’s walks work your abs, obliques, lower back, shoulders and grip a lot, and they also raise your heart rate’, Chambers says. “That mix of muscle tension and heart work makes them very good at helping you lose weight.”
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At your sides, hold a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand. It should be about 50% of your body weight.
Walk forward with control, keeping your body straight and tall.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts are not usually thought of as an ab exercise, but they are one of the best ways to build core strength.
“Every rep requires the abs and obliques to brace hard to protect the spine while the lower body produces force,” Chambers says. “For adults over 55, deadlifts help keep muscle mass, strengthen the posterior chain, and raise the body’s metabolic needs. This is especially important because of age-related risks like sarcopenia and osteoporosis, which can both affect posture. More muscle also means you burn more calories while you sleep, which helps you lose belly fat.
Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart and a heavy dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
With a small bend in the knees, keep your legs mostly straight.
Bend at the hips and let the dumbbells fall down your legs toward the floor.
Keep your back straight and the weights close to your body.
To get back up, use your hamstrings and glutes.
Squats
Squats are an important basic exercise that should come first. They work almost all of the body’s muscles, including the abs, which work all the time to keep balance and posture.
Chambers says, “To get the most out of squats, focus on bracing—take a deep breath, tighten your midsection, and keep the tension throughout the movement.” “This makes the squat a great exercise for your core and a great way to burn calories.”
Put your feet shoulder-width apart.
Put your hands on your hips or stretch your arms out in front of you. If you need to, use a chair for support.
To get into a squat, bend your hips and knees.
Lower yourself slowly until your thighs look like they’re sitting down, or go a little deeper.
To get back to standing, push through your heels.
Side Bends with Dumbbells
Chambers says, “Side bends are great for working the obliques and the deep muscles that support the spine.” “Unlike a lot of floor exercises, they let you use real resistance, which makes progressive overload possible.” Keeping muscle around the waist after age 55 helps with posture, spinal stability, and the look of the midsection as fat decreases.
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With your feet hip-width apart, hold a light dumbbell in each hand.
Engage your core and slowly bend to the right, bringing the right dumbbell down toward your thigh.
Go back to where you started.
Do the same thing on the left side.
Woodchops while standing
“Woodchops are a very good way to move around,” Chambers says. You can use a dumbbell, cable, resistance band, or your own body weight to do them. They work the abs, obliques, shoulders, and upper back all at once. The twisting motion under tension works the core in ways that sit-ups and planks can’t.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in both hands.
With your arms straight, lift the weight to your right side.
To lower the dumbbell toward your left side, turn your torso and legs.
As the weight moves toward the ground, bend your knees and lower your hips.
Lift the dumbbell back up to the right and over your head to reverse the move.
