What Exercises Target Upper Belly Fat?

You’re showing up. You’re sweating. You’re lifting heavy, hitting cardio, even throwing in some core work at the end of your session… But that upper belly fat? It’s still hanging around like an uninvited gym buddy.

Don’t worry, it’s not just you. That stubborn pocket of fat above your abs is one of the toughest spots to lean out. Why? Because your body stores fat where it wants, and the upper belly is a prime target for visceral fat, especially if stress, lack of sleep, or a not-so-clean diet are part of the mix.

But here’s the thing: You don’t need to do 500 crunches a day; you need a smarter plan. That’s exactly why Crunch Fitness put this guide together to help you stop guessing and start training with purpose.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• Understanding Fat Loss
• How to Lose Upper Belly Fat with Exercise
• What actually Causes Upper Belly Fat
• Diet Tips for Reducing Upper Belly Fat
• How to Combine Core Work, Cardio, and Clean Eating for Real Results

Are you ready to finally feel stronger, leaner, and more confident in your core? Let’s dive into the workouts that make it happen.

Understanding Excess Fat: The Science Behind the Strategy

Upper belly fat is one of the most stubborn areas to slim down, not just for aesthetic reasons. This type of fat, especially when it accumulates in the abdominal cavity around organs, is called visceral fat. It’s linked to serious health concerns such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.

According to Harvard Health, people with more visceral fat face a greater risk of metabolic complications, even if their overall weight appears healthy.

So, how do you lose it? The key is understanding that targeted fat loss doesn’t really work. You can’t “burn” upper belly fat by doing sit-ups alone. Instead, aim to reduce overall body fat through:

• Cardiovascular exercise, like HIIT, cycling, dancing, or walking.
• Strength training to increase muscle mass and metabolic rate.
• Core exercises to build abdominal strength and definition.
• A clean, balanced diet, with fewer processed foods and more whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
• Better recovery through stress management and enough sleep.

Our HIITZone features unique workouts, each designed to provide a dynamic training experience:

• AccelerateHIIT: Engage in high-intensity, drill-based cardio exercises that torch calories and leave you dripping with sweat.
• PunchHIIT: Prepare for a fight in this hard-hitting workout featuring moves inspired by martial arts and boxing.
• StrongHIIT: Focus on control, power, and strength through triple-round work efforts to chisel your body while burning calories.
• ExtremeHIIT: The most grueling of the four classes, ExtremeHIIT will push you to the max with a special course and challenge rounds at every station.
• Hardcore 360: Engage in a total body workout featuring high-intensity cardio, challenging strength segments, and core exercises designed to push you to the max.

Here are additional classes that focus on building abdominal strength and definition:

• B30 Body: A nonstop fitness fest of total body strength with barbell cardio and core training, available in 30-minute or 45-minute sessions for a comprehensive workout.
• Bodyweb with TRX: Use TRX® ropes to push, pull, lift, and lower your body through various movements for a total-body suspension workout that strengthens your core.
• Cardio Sculpt: Experience nonstop body sculpting paired with heart-pumping cardio, featuring upper and lower body strength training segments alternated with high-intensity cardio bursts for a total body workout.

Focusing on your waist measurement, improving body fat percentage, and maintaining a healthy calorie deficit are more effective than doing endless ab workouts. Real results happen when training, nutrition, and recovery are aligned.

How to Lose Upper Belly Fat with Exercise

Let’s explore the best workouts for upper abs, focusing on form and smart programming. Whether you’re going to the gym or working out at home, these exercises will help you quickly reduce belly fat when combined with a balanced diet and consistent effort.

Boat Pose

This yoga-inspired move isn’t just for Instagram aesthetics. Boat Pose, including the transverse abdominis, targets your deep abdominal muscles and encourages core stability.

How to do it:

• Sit on a mat with your legs extended in front of you.
• Bend your knees, lift your feet off the floor so your shins are parallel.
• Reach your arms forward and straighten your legs as far as you can.
• Hold for 30+ seconds. Rest. Repeat 8–10 times.

Bonus: Your spine and posture will thank you.

Russian Twists

These twists are a great way to target the upper belly and hit the sides of your core.

How to do it:

• Sit with knees bent, feet flat, and torso leaned back at a 45° angle.
• Clasp your hands above your abdomen and twist side to side.
• Add a dumbbell or medicine ball for extra challenge.
• Try 1-minute rounds. Do 3–4 sets.

Bonus: Cross your ankles for better balance. Feel the burn? That’s your core getting stronger.

Upward Plank

This full-body move tones upper abdominal muscles and your posterior chain, making it a sleeper hit for posture, too.

How to do it:

• Sit with legs straight, hands on the ground behind you.
• Press your palms and heels into the floor, lifting your hips toward the ceiling.
• Imagine your belly button rising to the sky.
• Hold for 15–20 seconds. Lower with control. Do 10–12 reps.

Burpees

Burpees torch calories, spike your heart rate, and work nearly every major muscle group. They’re also your best friend in reducing belly fat fast.

How to do it:

• Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart.
• Squat down, place hands on the floor, and jump feet back into a plank.
• Perform a push-up (optional), jump feet forward, and explode up.
• Do 3 rounds of 8–12 reps. Rest 1 minute between rounds.

Bicycle Crunches

This classic ab move combines rotation and crunching to activate your upper and lower abs, as well as your obliques.

How to do it:

• Lie on your back, raise your legs, and keep your spine neutral.
• Bring your right knee toward your chest and twist your left elbow to meet it.
• Alternate sides like you’re pedaling a bike.
• Aim for 30 reps per side, 4 rounds total. Rest for 1 minute between.

Mountain Climbers

This fat-burning ab routine hits your core, shoulders, and legs while keeping your heart rate high.

How to do it:

• Start in plank position, shoulders over wrists.
• Drive one knee toward your opposite elbow.
• Alternate quickly without bouncing your hips.
• Do 1-minute rounds, 4 times. Rest 30 seconds in between.

Reverse Crunches

While this move primarily hits the lower abs, it helps shape the entire midsection, creating contrast that makes the upper abs more visible.

How to do it:

• Lie on your back, hands at your sides.
• Bend knees and lift hips, curling them toward your chest.
• Lower slowly, keeping your core tight.
• Do 30 reps, 4 rounds. No momentum—control is key.

V-Crunches

This move forces your upper and lower abs to engage simultaneously, creating a strong V-shape contraction.

How to do it:

• Lie on your back, arms at your sides.
• Raise both torso and legs, reaching hands toward feet.
• Lower down gently—don’t slam your back.
• 3 rounds of 30 seconds (or max reps). Rest 1 minute between rounds.

Floor Sit-Ups

Sit-ups still earn a spot in core routines because they build muscle and improve the body fat-to-muscle ratio, which is crucial for reducing abdominal fat.

How to do it:

• Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat.
• Hands behind your head or crossed over your chest.
• Lift your torso toward your knees without yanking your neck.
• Do 4 rounds of 30 reps.

What Causes Abdominal Weight Gain?

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, fat doesn’t just disappear from one specific body part. While working on your legs is a great step, upper belly fat might still be hanging on, and being honest can be frustrating.

So what’s causing that soft layer above your abs that refuses to budge?

Let’s explain like your favorite group fitness instructor:

• Poor Diet: Processed foods full of trans fats, sugar, and refined carbs don’t just mess with your gut, they trigger inflammation and stimulate fat storage right where you don’t want it: your upper belly.
• Poor Movement: If your workouts are more “walk from couch to fridge,” your body stores fat instead of burning it, especially in the abdominal cavity.
• Bad Sleep: Poor sleep causes hormonal chaos. Cortisol and insulin become out of control, and your metabolism slows down like a treadmill on cooldown.
• Stress: Chronic stress tells your body to store fat. And where does it go? Yep, around your midsection.
• Genetics: Some bodies store fat in the thighs, while others store it in the belly. You can’t change your DNA, but you can outsmart it.

With the right core exercises, diet, and consistency, you can shift that balance in your favor. Are you ready to move from frustration to fierceness? Keep reading.

Cardio + Strength = Winning Combo

By now, you’ve probably realized that spot-reducing fat (like just focusing on legs or upper abs) isn’t how the body works. As we said earlier, fat loss is a full-body strategy. And when it comes to results that punch, cardio + strength = the ultimate combo.

Why? Cardio helps burn calories and tap into fat stores. At the same time, strength training builds muscle, boosting your metabolism even when you’re not working out. Together, they’re like your gym’s power couple.

At Crunch Fitness, you have many options to make this combo work for you.

Cardio Classes

• HIITZone: Think of it as cardio on beast mode, short, explosive intervals that help reduce overall body fat percentage.
• Zumba: Burn hundreds of calories while dancing your stress away—fun, sweaty, and surprisingly ab-focused.
• Ride: An indoor cycling experience that pushes your endurance and legs hard. Bonus: You’ll leave drenched and proud.

Strength Training

• BodyWeb with TRX: Suspension training that hits every major muscle group, especially your core and lower body.
• Barbell Bound: Classic strength circuits with barbells to tone your legs, glutes, and abs.
• Chisel: Sculpting-focused strength class that blends resistance and bodyweight moves for max burn.

Combining these two styles creates a fat-burning environment in your body that lasts for hours post-workout. So if you’re serious about slimming your legs and trimming that upper belly fat, this is your sign to build a routine that does both, and Crunch has everything you need to make it happen.

Diet Tips for Reducing Upper Belly Fat

As we’ve covered, exercise is essential, but your diet can make or break your results when it comes to losing upper belly fat.

Here’s what science and sports nutrition experts say works best:

Balanced Diet

A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and lean proteins supports fat loss by improving digestion, stabilizing blood sugar, and helping you feel full longer. Studies show that high-fiber diets are linked to reductions in waist circumference and overall body fat percentage.

Reduce Sugar

Refined sugars and processed carbs, like white bread, pastries, and soda, are quickly absorbed, spike your insulin, and are often stored as abdominal fat. Excess intake is also related to increased visceral fat, which carries higher health risks.

Stay Hydrated

Proper hydration supports metabolism, improves exercise performance, and helps fiber do its job. Aim for at least 8–10 cups of water daily, especially if you’re active.

Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating isn’t just trendy; it’s effective. Paying attention to hunger cues, avoiding emotional snacking, and slowing down at meals can help reduce overall calorie intake and improve your relationship with food.

How to Create a Weekly Routine from These

Now that you’ve got a list of upper belly fat exercises, it’s time to build a realistic, energizing weekly routine. It’s important to balance strength, cardio, and recovery.

Here’s a simple structure to follow:

• Monday – Strength: Lower body + core (add Russian Twists & Reverse Crunches)
• Tuesday – Cardio: HIIT or Zumba® (Burn fat fast!)
• Wednesday – Core focus: Boat Pose, Upward Plank, Mountain Climbers
• Thursday – Strength: Upper body + V-Crunches
• Friday – Cardio: Ride or outdoor brisk walking
• Saturday – Total body: Burpees, Sit-ups, and BodyWeb with TRX®
• Sunday – Recovery: Stretching, Yoga, mindful eating check-in

Mix it up based on your schedule, but aim for 3 strength days, 2 cardio days, and 1-2 core-focused sessions. Add hydration, a healthy diet, and enough sleep, and you’re ready!

Reach Your Fitness Goals With Crunch

Losing upper belly fat isn’t just about looks; it’s about feeling stronger, more confident, and in control of your health. There’s no quick fix, but with the right mix of workouts, clean fuel, and support, it’s 100% possible.

Crunch promotes a culture of positivity, inclusivity, and fun with no judgments by providing an environment for all individuals regardless of their health and fitness goals. Find a Crunch gym near you to try our free trial membership, or join Crunch now. We’re here for you – at the gym or at home. Access the best live & on-demand workouts anytime, anywhere with Crunch+. Ready to get sweaty? Try hundreds of workouts for free! Start your free trial now!