Belly fat is not only unsightly but it is also the most dangerous form of fat. Too much belly fat increases your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and a host of other health problems. The most effective way to minimize your belly fat is not to perform countless numbers of crunches but rather to combine a healthy diet with cardiovascular and strength-training exercises.

Cardio exercise is the most effective means of losing excess fat, including the accumulation of fat around your belly. It is not possible to target belly fat only, belly fat responds well to a regular exercise routine. In fact, you may notice that your belly is the first area to shrink once you begin an exercise program. It requires a substantial amount of calories to perform sustained cardiovascular activity. In order to burn the most amount of fat, it is best to engage in activities that require several large muscles to perform such as running, rowing and swimming. Performing any of these activities at a moderate to vigorous intensity, a 150-pound person can burn an average of 10.6 calories per minute. If you were to perform the American Heart Association's recommendation of at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise, you could burn 318 calories per session. Performed five days a week, that's 1,590 calories. In a little over two weeks, that would result in 1 pound of pure fat loss, some of which would ultimately be from your belly.

 

Kettlebell exercises are an effective means of shedding fat and building metabolically active muscle. Kettlebell snatches can be performed in a continuous interval session for a sure fire method of torching excess fat. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently performed a study in which participants performed an interval workout of 15 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest for a total of 20 minutes. Researchers found that the participants burned at least 20.2 calories per minute for a total of 404 calories. Regularly performing this exercise would definitely help to burn belly fat as well as strengthen your glutes, quadriceps and core muscles. To perform the kettlebell snatch begin by bending at the hips and knees to squat down to the starting position. Firmly grasp the kettlebell, flatten your back and look straight ahead. Simultaneously, pull the kettlebell toward your body, as if you were starting a lawn mower, and explode with your hips, driving them upward and forward. As the kettlebell reaches slightly above shoulder height, punch upward to fully extend your arm to complete the snatch. In the final position, you should be standing in an upright position with an erect torso, straight legs, and your arm extended straight above your head. After each 15 second work interval, switch to the other arm.

 

The barbell thruster, a combination of a front squat and an overhead press, is an intense and powerful exercise. A thruster workout will tax your cardiovascular system while simultaneously increasing your total body strength and core stability, thereby increasing muscle mass. Performing a thruster interval workout will have similar effects as those observed during a kettlebell workout. The muscle mass gained during the workout will burn extra calories even when you are at rest, resulting in a greater caloric deficit, and thus, fat loss. To preform a barbell thruster, begin with your legs shoulder-width apart and a loaded barbell resting across the front of your shoulders as you secure it in place with an overhand grip. Keeping the barbell in place, slightly arch your back, stabilize your core, and bend at the hips and knees to lower into a squat. As soon as you reach the bottom of the squat, explode upwards with your legs while, at the same time, pushing the barbell upwards with your arms. If you coordinate the movement accurately, you should be able to use some of the momentum from your legs to assist in thrusting the barbell upwards. At the end of the movement your legs should be straight, torso erect and arms fully extended overhead. You can make thrusters into a workout of their own similar to the kettlebell intervals, or you can perform them in addition to your cardio exercise. If this is the case, perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions using a challenging weight.