Can You Lose Stomach Fat by Lifting Weights?

Can You Lose Stomach Fat Lifting Weights

Introduction

Can you lose stomach fat by lifting weights, even without cardio?

It’s a common belief that only vigorous aerobic exercises, like running, can burn body fat. However, research and experience suggest weight training is an excellent way to combat excessive visceral body fat.

A study published in the Journal of Obesity found that resistance training effectively reduces visceral fat in overweight and obese adults (Strasser & Schobersberger, 2011). ¹

My personal experience with weight training illustrates the research.

This article explores two key questions:

1. My experience lifting weights to burn stomach fat.
2. Why is lifting weights an excellent method for reducing body fat?
3. What type of weightlifting is best for targeting belly fat?

Does Lifting Weights Burn Belly Fat?

You bet!

Most remarkable is that I did not do hours of weightlifting every day or three times a week, nor did I do eight or ten different strength training exercises.

Instead, I did only one full-body compound lift week in and week out, neither using weight machines nor doing dumbbells.

Surprisingly, I lost eighteen inches of excess belly fat after only six months without doing cardio.

I walked the treadmill for decades and performed typical upper-body exercises, such as curls and triceps press-downs.

I also read many diet books recommending a calorie deficit as the best way to reduce body fat.

Despite plenty of physical activity and calorie counting, nothing helped me get that spare tire off my waist.

“What was I doing wrong? How can you work out, diet, and do regular exercise for decades and still be obese?” I wondered.

Can you relate to that problem?

My Experience Weightlifting to Lose Belly Fat

I first read about a free-weight compound exercise called the deadlift at 56. 

The claim that deadlifts work most of your body’s muscles piqued my interest.

“Why should I go to the gym and do only biceps curls – I’m not even hitting the biggest muscles of my body,” I realized.

But, with the deadlift, I could exercise the most significant muscles, such as the:

• quadriceps,
• hamstrings,
• gluteal muscles,
• erectors (lower back),
• abdominal muscles,
• latissimus dorsi (upper back), and
• even my grip.

Plus, I would not have to squat, which seemed impossible at that time because of my torn meniscus and tight hamstrings from years of sitting in an office.

Because deadlifting is within the mobility range of most people, even older adults, I wanted to try it.

The free-weight area of the Vanderbilt Y

One day, in the summer of 2012, despite my embarrassment, I went to the Y’s free weight area late one night before closing time.

I was terrified of deadlifting like any other sane man my age because I had already had my first experience of lower back pain closing the door to my apartment!

How ridiculous was the idea to try to deadlift when I could not even close my apartment door without back pain a few years before?

On the other hand, I had high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and my doctor told me that I was a prime candidate for cardiovascular disease.

Also, I could barely walk up the hill to my apartment because of my weight.

The fear of health conditions like heart disease and diabetes was more frightening than the fear of hurting my back by deadlifting.

Besides those concerns, feeling fat and depressed did not make my day any happier.

Last, I was sick of hiding in oversized clothing to mask my obesity.

So, I felt I must try something new, like the deadlift, to help me lose weight.

Six Month Transformation

Compared to the former types of weightlifting I did in the gym, deadlifting is hard work!

But I loved it. I could feel immediate results.

And I needed a good week or so to recover from my first deadlift workout.

I was hooked.

Not only could I sense that my whole body had a great strength workout, but I also had fewer depressive thoughts.

So, when I walked out of the gym after a deadlift workout, I felt great, and the results were visible within months.

After only six months of deadlifting, my 50-inch stomach turned into a 32-inch. 

At most, I did about 30 – 45 minutes of weight training twice a week.

Also, I was not lifting heavy weights per se; instead, I continued to progress to heavier weights that were appropriate for me. 

I finally lost the stomach fat at 56!

The good news is that losing belly fat is one of the most critical health and fitness benefits of lifting weights.

The Magic of Muscle Mass

Why is lifting weights a great way to shred body fat? It’s the magic of muscle mass.

The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will burn, even when not working out!

While aerobic activity like walking does burn body fat, it does little to increase your resting energy expenditure. 

Plus, intense cardio workouts can result in muscle loss, as you can see in the body composition of long-distance marathon runners.

Now you know why too much walking on the treadmill and too little resistance exercise will rarely change your physique.

On the other hand, lifting weights provides long-term benefits because of the muscle gains.

Research suggests that muscle can burn up to three times more calories than fat, emphasizing the importance of resistance training in your fitness regimen. ²

More muscle mass will make you look and feel better and function as a furnace that burns fuel all day.

If you have been hitting the gym for years and still have a triple muffin around your waist, isn’t it time for a new approach?

Weight Training Research

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health who analyzed the physical activity and fat loss of more than 10,000 men over 40 and older concluded that:

“Aerobic exercise is not enough to fight belly fat.  Instead, weight training is also key to fighting the battle against the bulge. Dr. Rania Mekary, the study’s lead author, found that healthy men who did 20 minutes of daily weight training had less of an increase in age-related abdominal fat than men who spent the same amount of time doing aerobic activities. Also, engaging in weight training or, ideally, combining it with aerobic exercise could help older adults lessen abdominal fat while increasing or preserving muscle mass.” ³ (Harvard School of Public Health)

Which Exercise Burns the Most Belly Fat?

No one exercise is the best for everyone.

The best exercise to lose stomach fat is the one you enjoy and stick with for the long term.

However, not all forms of exercise, no matter how long you do them, will vanquish your abdominal fat.

To figure out which exercise is best, try this experiment:

Look at yourself in the mirror.

What are the most significant areas of muscle that you can see?

Your Anterior and Posterior Chain Muscle Groups

Your thighs and chest are the largest muscles on the front (anterior) of your body.

When you compare your thighs to your arms, it is easy to see which muscles cover the most area.

Now, imagine taking a look at the back of your body.

The most massive muscles in the rear (posterior) area are your legs, glutes, and back.

And the muscle you are likely sitting on right now, your gluteus Maximus, aka butt, is the largest of all your muscles.

These muscles on the backside of your body, also known as the posterior chain, take up most of the area.

Now, consider what specific exercises can simultaneously work your legs, glutes, back, and abdominal muscles.

Choosing the most effective weightlifting exercises

Will you get the best results by doing leg extensions?

While you will build up your quadricep muscles, that will not help you build your hamstrings and glutes.

Leg extensions, a favorite weight training machine in gyms, are the worst exercises you can do for your gluteal muscles.

Why?

It is because you are still sitting during the exercise!

But what about doing arm exercises?

Will the biceps curl help transform your physique?

Focusing on the small biceps muscle alone makes little sense, especially when you have limited time to work out.

Which type of lifting is best for burning belly fat?

The most effective type of weight training for building muscle and burning fat uses the most significant number of muscle groups.

Also known as full-body compound barbell weight training.

Barbell exercises that work your entire body include:

• Deadlifts
• Squats
• Bench presses
• Barbell rows
• Overhead presses
• Power Cleans
• Clean and jerk (Olympic weightlifting)
• Snatch (Olympic weightlifting)

For example, the squat is a great candidate. 

Squats hit the front and back of your legs, abs, back, and glutes, the most massive muscle in your body.

True, squats are certainly one of the best for overall body development.

However, in my case, I could not squat (at that time) with a torn medial meniscus.

And you might have a similar lack of mobility if you need to lose stomach fat.

While Olympic lifts can build a powerful physique, there is a steep learning curve to perform them safely and effectively.

They also require a lot of flexibility, especially the snatch.

The bench press is a popular weightlifting exercise; however, it fails the test for an activity focusing on the lower body muscle groups.

Compared to squats or deadlifts, the bench press is like taking a little vacation.

While the bench press is challenging, few exercises match squats and deadlifts for the title of the King of all Exercises!

Since I could not squat, I started with the deadlift.

Here is a sample deadlift workout to start your body transformation.

Disclaimer:
Please consult with your physician beforehand to ensure that exercise will not exacerbate
any medical issues.

A Sample Deadlift Workout 

Because I was concerned about the risk of injury, I focused on light weights, lower volume, and good form from the beginning.

I didn’t want to burn myself out, so I trained two to three times a week.

At first, all I did was Romanian deadlifts with an Olympic barbell.

In the Romanian deadlift, you hold the bar while you are standing and then hinge (push) your hips (butt) back towards the wall and lower the barbell to a bit lower than your knees.

Then, drive your hips forward by squeezing your glutes together to stand up.

To get accustomed to the hip hinge, do three sets of 8 repetitions using the barbell alone for a couple of weeks.

As you feel more comfortable, add weight to the barbell.

You can use a bit more weight because you are doing the second half of the deadlift movement, meaning lifting the bar from your knees to an upright position.

Once you can do the Romanian deadlift with 10-pound bumper plates on each side of the bar, you should be able to start lifting from the floor.

From now on, start on the floor with an Olympic barbell (45 lbs) and at least two 10-pound bumper plates, a total weight of 65lbs.

Focus on Your Form

• Place your feet below the barbell about shoulder-width apart.
• Line up the bar over midfoot.
• Take a deep breath and think of long arms, straight and tight, while you push your hips back (hip hinge) and lower yourself to the bar.
• Grab onto the bar with a firm grip, exhale entirely, and take another deep breath as you lift your chest and touch your shins to the bar.
• Think of bending the barbell across your shins to help engage your lats.
• If you are deadlifting at home, you do not need to wear flat-soled or deadlift shoes, but you should at least wear over-the-knee deadlift or soccer socks under a pair of sweats or even jeans to protect your shins.
• Tighten your entire body, especially your core; this is called bracing or engaging your core.
• Your back should be perfectly flat at this point in the deadlift setup.
• To deadlift the barbell, think of pushing the ground away from you with your feet.
• The barbell should remain in contact with your shins as it lifts off the floor. When you reach your knees, drive your hips forward to stand up straight.
• NEVER attempt to lift the barbell with your arms! That is a sure way to strain your biceps or back
• Just maintain a tight grip on the barbell.
• Do NOT round your back; keep your entire core tight with intra-abdominal pressure and your back flat.

Deadlift workout warm-Up

Before you start working out, you have to warm up. No warm-up, no workout! 

The most important parts of your warm-up are:

#1. Light Cardio

Some light cardio for 3 – 5 minutes raises your body temperature and brings more oxygen-rich blood to warm up your muscles.

You have many options, such as using a;

• rowing machine
• treadmill
• elliptical
• jump rope
• spin bike
• air bike
• brisk walking
• treadmill
• Even high-knee walking in place helps

Start slowly and increase until you’re slightly out of breath.

But, don’t overdo it, you need to save energy for your workout.

#2. Dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises

After warming up your muscles, add some stretches and joint-mobility exercises.

Here is one sequence to try:

• Glute hip bridges – 15 – 20 reps
• Side planks – 10 – 30 second hold
• Bird dog – 5 – 10 repetitions
• Pushups – 5 – 10 repetitions
• Bodyweight Romanian deadlifts

#3. Ramped warm-up sets

Warm up with several sets of deadlifts using 2 to 5 repetitions. Rest for 3 minutes between warm-up sets

For example, your warm-up sets can look like this:

• 65lbs x 3 reps
• 75lbs x 3 reps
• 95lbs x 3 reps

Workout Sets

After your ramped warm-up set, do three sets of 5 repetitions using your selected work set weight, such as 105 pounds.

If you can deadlift all three sets with five repetitions using good form, increase your weight the next time you lift.

Deadlift two to three times a week with a full day off between workouts.

If you are not getting stronger, take more time off and get enough sleep to help your body build the lean mass it needs to continue progressing in your strength training.

This goal of losing stomach fat leads to eating right, which could be the most important thing you need to do to get leaner and stronger.

Nutrition to Lose Belly Fat

When you start deadlifting, a healthy diet is more important than ever if you intend to get great results.

After a good deadlift workout, you will not want to ruin your hard work by wolfing down a big fat blueberry muffin.

Do you?

I don’t think so!

Unless you are eighteen and still burning calories like a furnace because you are still growing, it is impossible to out-train a bad diet.

A healthy diet means just that: see the food you eat as fuel for your body to build muscle and burn fat.

The best foods are natural foods that grow in nature, such as;

• vegetables,
• lentils,
• beans,
• whole grains like brown rice,
• oatmeal,
• quinoa, and
• animal sources like fish, eggs, chicken, and lean meats.

Avoid fast food, processed food, and junk foods like the plague!

Can You Lose Stomach Fat Lifting Weights – Wrapping up

Full-body compound weight lifting is one of the best ways to build muscle mass.

Since muscle tissue has a higher metabolic rate than fat, it burns three times more calories than fat, even after you finish working out.

Lifting weights will help you burn body fat, including stubborn belly fat.

Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, burns fat but can also result in muscle loss.

When you are obese or overweight, you are likely limited to the types of exercises and sports you can do.

For example, it might be challenging to do push-ups on the floor if you are overweight.

But you can likely use dumbbells or a barbell to do bench presses.

Similarly, while running a mile may be too challenging, you could probably lift a weight from the floor.

Therefore, weight lifting is an effective way to build muscle mass and promote fat loss.

The deadlift is an excellent strength training option if you cannot squat.

Not only will the deadlift work all of your body’s major muscle groups, but it is also one of the most accessible exercises for exercisers of all ages.

And even better, the deadlift is one of the most effective exercises for blasting overall body fat.

While you cannot lose body fat from a specific area, you can lose stomach fat by lifting weights with a consistent deadlifting program and excellent nutrition.

What’s Next?

Learn How to Deadlift for Beginners – A Step-by-Step Guide.

Related Posts

• Deadlift to Lose Belly Fat – The Fastest Way to Lean Out You
• 7 Mighty Deadlift Muscles Worked: WHY Deadlifts Are Great
• Weight Lifting for Weight Loss: Strength Training to Lose Weight
• What Are Air Squats; Exercise Benefits + How to Guide

Footnotes

¹ Evidence for Resistance Training as a Treatment Therapy in Obesity – Journal of Obesity

² The Benefits of Weight Lifting for Reducing Body Fat – ACE Health & Fitness

³ How to Control Your Girth – Harvard Health