We all know Santa Claus’s trademark appearance: a jolly face, snow-white beard, and, uh, very large belly. But while it looks cute on greeting cards, having a large gut in real life can hurt your health. If you want to look and feel your absolute best, it’s vital that you melt your belly. So we’re here to sleigh the day with the best exercises to lose your large “Santa” belly. Consider them our Christmas present to you!
With the holiday season upon us—and all that plentiful and tasty food—it’s even more important to combat weight gain with the best methods to get lean. Let’s explore the best exercises to lose your large “Santa” belly while building stronger core muscles.
The Exercises
- Reverse Lunges
- Pull-ups
- TRX Pushups
- Dumbbell Overhead Press
- Stir-the-Pot
Reverse Lunges
The lunge is one of the best total-body exercises to torch calories and fat. Because you target each leg at a time, it also challenges your stability, which forces your midsection to work harder.
- Take a long step backward—long enough so that your knees make two 90-degree angles at the bottom.
- Press yourself back up with your forward leg.
- Repeat on the same leg until you finish all your reps; then switch legs.
Pull-ups
This is an amazing move to strengthen your traps, shoulders, lats, and arms. To increase your core work, keep your legs completely straight or extend them in front of your body so you make an “L” shape.
- Grab a pull-up bar with your palms facing away.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together, pull yourself up, and lead with your chest.
- If you can’t do a bodyweight pull-up, wrap an exercise band around the bar and put one knee through the bottom loop, allowing the band to support you throughout the movement.
TRX Pushups
Regular pushups are already great, but doing them on a suspension trainer adds more instability, so your core and shoulder-stabilizing muscles work even harder!
- Assume a pushup position with your hands in a TRX about shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your lower back flat, and don’t let your hips sag.
- Lower yourself, and keep your elbows close to your body as you descend.
- Push up, and repeat.
Dumbbell Overhead Press
Believe it or not, overhead presses work your core tremendously, too! You have to tense your body from the ground up to stabilize yourself and push the weight.
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- Grab two dumbbells and hold them by your shoulders.
- Keep your core tight and glutes squeezed, and push the dumbbells directly overhead.
- Your biceps should be next to your ears at the top. Don’t lean back or arch your lower back.
- Lower the dumbbells to the start position.
Stir-the-Pot
While abs are “made in the kitchen,” if you want to show off a six-pack, you still need to target those muscles. Stir-the-pot is one of the simplest and most effective moves to strengthen your whole core.
- Assume a plank position with your forearms on a stability ball.
- While keeping your torso still, move your forearms in a circle.
- Then, switch directions.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together, and don’t let your lower back sag.
