Exercise – Brew Zen Master

Top 7 Best Workouts To Cut Down On Your Beer Gut Let’s face it, you’ve come to this site due to your undying passion for beer. In fact, I will say something controversial and brave: Beer is Great. Well, that’s not much of a statement but in the real world, the occasional pints can quickly add up and they, unfortunately, end up around the midriff. One of the ways to remove that beer gut that you’ve been rocking is to give up your favorite beer. But who wants to do that? Weight loss doesn’t mean that you need to give up your favorite food or alcoholic beverages. You can decrease your overall calorie intake but dieting can be sometimes counterproductive because your body reacts by slowing down your metabolism. That’s why we recommend the following exercises that will help you burn that beer belly without the deprivation. Top 7 Workouts to Eliminate Your Beer Gut According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), any exercises or workouts that bring a person’s heart rate up to between 50 and 85 percent of the maximum heart rate will help develop cardiovascular fitness and burn off that excess beer fat. So if you can, get a gym membership and zone in on these workouts: 1. Bicycle Crunches Why they are great for your beer belly: Bicycle crunches can do wonders to stimulate more abdominal activity in your rectus abdominus (also known as your six pack), along with your inner and outer obliques. It’s just a better and more interesting alternative to the traditional crunch. How to do bicycle crunches: 1. Lie flat on a mat or the floor, whichever you prefer. 2. Bring your knees to a 90-degree angle. 3. Put both your hands behind your head but make sure you apply minimal pressure to the neck as possible. 4. Lift your upper body and rotate from your midsection while simultaneously doing a bicycle motion with your legs. Draw the opposite armpit toward the opposite knee. 5. As much as possible, keep your elbows open and draw your core in and up. Do 2-3 sets of these with 12-15 reps for each set. One to the right and one to the left count as ONE REP. 2. Hanging Leg Raises Why they are great for your beer belly: The hanging leg raise exercises works the transverse abdominus. This muscle helps with the breathing process but its main function is to activate your core musculature and stabilize the pelvis. This is an essential part of achieving core strength. How to do hanging leg raises: 1. Look for a pull-up bar. 2. Hold yourself up and make sure to pull down the shoulders and back as much as possible. 3. Keep both feet together and bend your knees and pull them up to a 90-degree angle. Pause for a second while your knees are up. Make sure that you exhale while bending the knees. 4. Slowly lower your knees back to the hanging position. Perform 3 sets with 10-12 reps each. For an added challenge, you can perform the raises by raising both legs straight (with toes pointed away from you) instead of just bending the knee. You may also alternately twist to left and right to also work your internal obliques. 3. Incline Reverse Crunches Why they are great for your beer belly: The incline reverse crunch is a great variation of the traditional crunch and it’s also far more challenging. Fortunately, doing a reverse crunch is also just as easy. For this exercise, the higher the incline, the higher the resistance. It’s also a good alternative to hanging leg raises if that’s too difficult for you. How to do incline reverse crunches: 1. Position yourself in an adjustable incline bench. 2. Set the incline to about 45 degrees. 3. Position your head at the top of the incline and your legs at the bottom with the knees bent. 4. While grabbing the bench behind your head, bring your knees up towards the head, rolling up just one vertebrae at a time. Pause at the top position for a bit. 5. Slowly lower down your back (again, one vertebrae at a time) while still controlling your core and until you get back to the starting position. Do 3 sets with 10-12 reps each. 4. Mountain Climbers Why they are great for your beer belly: Well, it’s an exercise that you can do at home and not having to sign up for a gym membership. Mountain climbers are also great as they engage the whole body and stimulate most major muscle groups. This might be a simple-looking workout but it’s incredibly hard to maintain for very long. How to do mountain climbers: 1. Assume the push-up position. Make sure that your arms are straight under your shoulders and with both legs extended straight behind you. 2. Start by bending a knee and bringing it up to your chest until the ball of the foot is aligned with your hip. 3. Then, bring back the knee by straightening it back to the original position while also bringing the other knee to your chest. 4. Speed up the movements and make it more explosive, almost like jumping. Start with 3-4 sets and doing it 15-20 seconds for each set. Gradually work on doing a minute-long set to power up your metabolism. 5. Deadlifts Why they are great for your beer belly: Deadlifts are a must for those who are serious about bodybuilding. This is because it works essentially everything below the neck like traps, lats, pecs, abs, glutes, quads, and so on. By building more muscle mass, your body’s fat-burning capabilities are also jacked up. How to do deadlifts: The deadlift routine is one of those workouts that must be performed properly. The right form and execution are a must when deadlifting not only for optimal benefits but to prevent any potential injuries. With that said, we refer you to the folks over at StrongLifts for a comprehensive guide on how to do proper deadlifts. If you prefer a more visual guide, there’s no shortage of videos on YouTube that can help you. 6. Low Planks Why they are great for your beer belly: If core stability is your priority, then look no further than doing planks. I totally love this exercise because it creates a lot of stability around the body’s core. With better stability, the core supports the spine better which decreases the risk of lower back pain. As expected, this is an excellent way to cut down your beer gut. How to do low planks: 1. Assume the push-up position but by resting with your elbows directly under the shoulders. Your legs should be fully extended with locked out knees. The idea here is to be parallel to the ground as much as possible. 2. Don’t allow your head to push forward or your hips to drop. The more aligned your entire body is, the more effective the plank. 3. Draw your midsection in and squeeze your buttocks. Then, try to pull your elbows towards your feet. Hold the position properly for 20 seconds. 4. If you can’t hold it, rest for a bit and have another shot at it. Try to hold the plank a minute or more. 7. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Why they are great for your beer belly: HIIT is not exactly a specific exercise but more like a training method. This is an excellent program if you are already a bit fit but still can’t shake off that nasty beer belly. Basically, the program requires you to do a quick round of exertion followed by a recovery period. HIIT can help you boost your metabolism, lose weight, and build muscles. How to do HIIT: This is an intense program that is designed for advanced individuals. If you’re planning to do HIIT, I would suggest that you find a certified personal trainer or physical therapist. This is because you can easily overtrain while doing HIIT, especially for beginners. Quick Tips on How to Lose Your Beer Gut On top of doing the exercises above, here are some tips to help you tackle that gut and be ready for shirtless season. 1. Tweak your diet Dieting doesn’t mean starving yourself. The key here is to reduce calorie intake but be careful not taking it to the extreme. Starving yourself is counterproductive because your metabolism will slow down and your body will fight to keep every last calorie and ounce of fat. Plus, prolonged hunger only leads to gorging and defeated tears. Fuel yourself with natural foods, whole grains, lean meats, and green vegetables. 2. Get some sleep Sleep deprivation can disrupt your metabolism and sabotage your weight loss plans. Any decent weight loss regimen will include a full night’s rest. Getting ample sleep will give you energy and reduce any carb cravings. A good sleeping routine will also help build a gut-busting muscle. If you are constantly exercising, you also need a full night’s sleep to repair your muscles. Strive to sleep at least seven hours a night. 3. Mind your protein Protein is the main component of building any muscle tissue. If you’re looking to build muscles and bust your gut, you should primarily focus on getting your protein. As a rule of thumb, consume about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of your target bodyweight. Always have some type of protein with your every meal to ensure that your muscles are fueled throughout the day. This is also good for stabilizing your sugar levels. Under normal circumstances, you should consume a gram of protein of bodyweight. 4. Take it easy on the beer For us, beer is an important social convention that many of us just can’t do without. However, the wonderful blend of malt, water, hops, and yeast can lead to several consequences – including flabby ones. An average pint of beer amounts to about 180 calories which is fine on its own until the pints start adding up. There’s no need to cut down on beer but recognize if you’re drinking it too much. If swapping off your signature beer is not an option, maybe a low calorie beer will do. There’s plenty of great-tasting low cal beers out there. Torch that Beer Gut That wraps up our guide on how to eliminate that nasty beer belly without eliminating your favorite drink out of the picture. As you can see, removing your beer belly is not as easy or straightforward as it sounds – it actually requires a good deal of effort. However, if you’re really serious about losing that gut and your health in general, these exercises are a good way to start. Plus, as you lose weight, you will start to feel great and even maybe, change your life for the better. Any other tips to help reduce that beer belly? Share with us your tips via the comments! KW: beer gut