Say Goodbye to Belly Fat With This Expert's Simple Weekly Workout Plan

Updated on 5/21/2019 at 8:20 PM

You've probably noticed that there's a lot of information floating around about how to lose belly fat, and we know it can be difficult to weed out what's correct and, well, just wrong. Because figuring out how to work out in general can be stressful, let alone figuring out how to lose fat and build muscle, POPSUGAR spoke to Tiffany Chag, MS, RD, CSCS, a sports performance specialist and sports dietitian at the Hospital For Special Surgery's Tish Sports Performance Center.

Beginner or gym rat, Tiffany's workout plan will help you lose fat and transform your body.

The Best Way to Lose Belly Fat

"First, I hate to break it to you, but you can't spot reduce," Tiffany told POPSUGAR. "The idea is awesome, but it doesn't work that way." Instead of doing hundreds of crunches with the hopes of getting rid of belly fat (spoiler: it won't work), you should focus on training your entire body. According to Tiffany, "All exercise has a global effect," meaning exercise can improve your overall body composition, not just one specific area.

Pro tip: when weightlifting, you should do compound exercises because they give you the most bang for your buck. Compound exercises work multiple groups of muscles at once and, as a result, require more energy to perform. Because of this, you'll be burning more calories and fat with each move!

And although lifting weights alone can definitely help you burn fat and build muscle, Tiffany also recommends doing cardio to burn fat. If you don't want to spend hours in the gym (we definitely don't), Tiffany said to mix cardio into your strength sessions. For example, you can complete a set of deadlifts, then jump rope for 60 seconds afterward.

The Weekly Workout Plan to Lose Belly Fat

If coming up with a game plan for your workouts sounds stressful and exhausting, we've got you covered. Tiffany shared a simple weekly plan to help you lose body fat. "Aim for two to three strength days and two to three cardio days weekly, plus rest," Tiffany said.

Here's a breakdown of how to set up your weekly workouts. Feel free to adapt the schedule as needed.

Monday:
A full-body strength workout

Tuesday:
A low-impact cardio workout

Wednesday:
Stretch or try this yoga flow for weightlifters

Thursday
A metabolism-boosting strength workout

Friday
An at-home cardio-boxing workout

Saturday (optional)
A 30-minute dumbbell workout

Sunday (optional)
A 20-minute rowing workout

You don't have to follow these exact workouts or train on these exact days. For example, Thursday could be your rest day. Play around with your schedule, and find what works best for you. If you're looking for something more long term, try this four-week strength-training workout plan.

And while we're at it, yes, your workouts are an important part of losing body fat, but you'll also need to focus on your nutrition. Tiffany doesn't recommend eliminating entire food groups with restrictive dieting. Instead, she said to focus on eating vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains daily. You also don't have to cut out doughnuts or your favorite sweets. In fact, Tiffany recommends eating fried foods, candies, and pastries some of the time.

Now that you've got an idea of what your weekly workout routine should look like, be sure to adapt it to fit your schedule! You should follow this plan for at least six weeks in order to see results. Good luck, and have fun training.