Does Lifting Weights Burn Belly Fat?

Fat loss is at the top of the list for tons of people who start a new fitness regimen, with belly fat loss a close second for many. But what is truly the best form of exercise for burning belly fat—and does lifting weights burn belly fat? Here, we’re sharing the facts about weightlifting to lose belly fat, busting the myths surrounding it, and explaining exactly how to tailor your program to maximize your results.

Let’s dive in!

What is belly fat, and why is it hard to lose?

There are two types of fat in the body. The first, subcutaneous fat, is the soft, squishy layer that’s found just under your skin. This is the fat that you can pinch and it typically accumulates around your hips, thighs, butt, and belly. 

The second type is visceral fat. Visceral fat is more dense than subcutaneous fat and is found deep in your abdomen, surrounding your organs. Visceral fat, while more dangerous than subcutaneous fat, is actually easier to lose—but because it’s deeper in your belly, you won’t notice the results right away. 

So even if your waist starts to shrink, you may still be stuck with a layer of fat around your middle (at least at first).

Can you spot-reduce belly fat with weightlifting?

Many people wonder if targeted exercises can burn fat in specific areas—a concept known as “spot reduction.” However, this idea is a myth. You can’t lose fat from just one part of your body through localized exercise.

Here’s the way fat loss really works: Your body’s preferred form of fuel is glucose, which it gets from carbohydrates that you consume, or glycogen, which is glucose that has been stored in cells. If these forms of energy aren’t available or have been used up, your body will break open fat cells to release the stored fats within and use them for energy. This process leads the fat cells to shrink, aka fat loss. 

The problem is that you have no control over which fat cells are going to be opened for fuel. Just because you’re working your abdominal muscles, for example, doesn’t mean that your body is going to use fat cells that are located in the same area for energy. Instead, it will pull equally from fat cells all over the body.

How lifting weights helps burn fat—including belly fat

Have you heard the phrase “muscle burns fat?” While this is an oversimplification, it is more or less true—and it’s the reason why lifting weights can burn belly fat. Weightlifting has many benefits that help boost fat loss, including:

• Increased muscle mass

• Higher resting metabolic rate

• The afterburn effect

Increased muscle mass

This perk is the crux of the idea that muscle burns fat. Remember, the way to burn fat is to force your body to open up fat cells and use this as energy. There are a few ways to speed up this process, such as eating fewer carbohydrates, exercising more in general, and building your muscle mass. 

Muscle cells require a lot of energy, and the higher your muscle mass, the higher your metabolism and the greater your body’s energy requirements. The result? An increased need for energy from fat cells.

Higher resting metabolic rate

Your resting metabolic rate is the number of calories your body burns while at rest. Or, put into the terms we have been using to talk about fat loss, it is the amount of energy your body is using while at rest. 

Studies show that because strength training increases your muscle mass, it also increases your resting metabolic rate, upping your body’s overall energy requirements and boosting fat burning.

The afterburn effect

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), aka the afterburn effect, refers to the body’s increased energy demands in the hours following a workout. In general, the harder you work during your workout, the greater the afterburn effect you will experience. 

Research shows that both resistance training and high-intensity interval training yield a significantly higher energy expenditure 14 hours post-workout compared to a pre-workout baseline. This means that a challenging weightlifting session will leave your body needing more energy for hours after, increasing your body’s ability to burn fat. 

Weightlifting vs. cardio for fat loss

It’s an age-old question: What form of exercise is best for fat loss? Will lifting weights burn belly fat, or is it best to pile on the cardio? In truth, both strategies will help you maximize fat loss, and the best approach is likely a combination of the two. 

We just discussed the benefits of weightlifting for burning fat, all of which center around the fact that strength training helps to optimize your metabolism and keep you burning more calories for energy throughout the day, even when you aren’t working out. 

On the flip side, a session of cardio (such as rowing, running, or dancing) is likely going to require more energy during the workout than a session of weightlifting. That’s because your average heart rate is typically higher during cardio than it would be during lifting, which means that your heart is working harder for longer stretches and thus using more energy to sustain your effort. 

Why is a combination the best? Because cardio is going to utilize more immediate energy while exercising. Lifting weights, on the other hand, kickstarts that encourage your body to continue burning fat for hours after you’ve finished working out. 

The perfect way to organize your workouts to maximize your body’s ability to burn fat is to perform strength training first, then finish up with cardio to help continue burning fat. 

Best weightlifting strategies to reduce overall body fat

Now that you know how weightlifting as a fitness strategy can promote fat loss, what types of workouts should you be doing? We recommend the following strategies:

• Full-body workouts: Using more muscles during your workout will increase both your muscle mass and your afterburn effect. So, if you’re looking to maximize these benefits, we suggest incorporating full-body strength workouts into your regimen as opposed to focusing on one muscle group at a time.

• Lift heavy…and then heavier: While there are plenty of perks you can get from lifting light weights, the fastest way to increase your muscle mass (and thus your metabolism and fat burning) is to lift heavy weights. And don’t forget to progress your workouts, challenging yourself with more weight or more reps, in order to continue to see strength gains and fat loss over time. 

• Compound movements: Compound exercises, or those that utilize more than one muscle group at a time, are an incredibly efficient way to maximize the fat-burning benefits you get from weightlifting. It’s also significantly easier to hit every muscle group in one session if you’re using compound movements.

Other important factors for belly fat loss

Does lifting weights burn stomach fat? It certainly can, as long as you’re keeping these additional factors in mind as well: 

• Nutrition: We mentioned earlier that the body’s preferred source of fuel is glucose, which comes from carbohydrates. So, if you’re weight lifting to lose belly fat, you’ll want to cut back on simple and processed carbs and fill your plate with protein, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains. 

• Sleep: Studies show that people who get an adequate amount of high-quality sleep consume fewer calories during the day, thanks to the way sleep helps control appetite-boosting hormones. With fewer cravings, it’s that much easier to eat the foods that will fuel you and promote belly fat loss.

• Stress: Not only do large amounts of stress make it difficult to eat healthy and sleep well, but high levels of the stress hormone cortisol also prompt the body to accumulate belly fat. Utilizing strategies to control your stress will help you get the most out of your efforts to lose belly fat.

• Consistency: This is important to any fitness regimen, regardless of your goals. You simply won’t see the results you are looking for if you are not consistent in sticking to and progressing your workouts. 

A sample weightlifting routine for fat loss

Ready to get started? These are some of our favorite exercises to maximize the benefits of weightlifting for fat loss:

1. Squats

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

2. Lower your body by bending or hinging at the hips and knees, keeping your chest up.

3. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground while maintaining an engaged core

4. Push through the soles of your feet with an emphasis on driving through the heels as you return to the starting position.

5. Repeat. 

2. Deadlifts

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hinge at your hips, and bend your knees to lower your torso to grab the bar.

2. Grab the bar with your hands just outside your knees—either with both palms facing you or one palm facing you and the other facing away.

3. Keep your back flat, chest up, and shoulder blades pulled back.

4. With your hips higher than your knees and your eyes looking slightly ahead, brace your core and drive through your heels to raise the bar.

5. Keep the bar close to your body—almost grazing your shins and thighs—as you unhinge and stand tall.

6. Reverse the movement by pushing your hips back first, then bending your knees to lower the bar in a controlled way.

3. Kettlebell swings

1. Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell in both hands hanging in front of you.

2. Hinge your hips, and with a straight back and slightly bent knees, gently swing the kettlebell between your legs.

3. Contract your glutes and push your hips forward to stand straight while letting the kettlebell swing forward as far as it will go naturally.

4. Thrusters

1. Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells or a barbell at shoulder height.

2. Squat down until your thighs are about parallel to the ground.

3. Drive up through your heels to stand up.

4. As you rise, press the weights overhead in one smooth motion.

5. Lower the weights back to your shoulders and repeat.

5. Forward lunges

1. Step forward with one leg, lowering your back knee toward the ground.

2. Keep your front knee in line with your ankle, not going past the toes, and your back straight.

3. Push through your front foot to return to standing.

4. Repeat on the other side. 

6. Chest presses

1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet on the floor and core engaged.

2. Hold the weights above your chest with arms fully extended, palms facing forward.

3. Lower the weights slowly toward your chest, keeping elbows at about a 45-degree angle.

4. Stop when elbows are just below the bench level or when arms form a 90-degree angle.

5. Press the weights back up to the starting position, squeezing your chest at the top.

6. Repeat for your desired reps.

7. Renegade rows

1. Get into a high plank position, with your hands gripping dumbbells directly under your shoulders and your feet slightly wider than shoulder width for better balance.

2. Keep a straight line from your head to your heels, engaging your core and glutes.

3. Row one dumbbell up toward your ribcage, bending your elbow and lifting it straight back toward the ceiling, keeping it close to your body.

4. Lower the dumbbell slowly back to the floor, then repeat on the other side.

5. Keep your hips level throughout the movement.

6. Continue to alternate to complete all reps.

8. Russian twists

1. Sit on the floor, keep your upper body tall, lift your feet off the floor, and lean your upper body back slightly, creating a V shape with your thighs and upper body.

2. Clasp your hands out in front of you, and using your ab muscles, twist to one side then to the other.

Get stronger, leaner, and healthier today!

Pursuing a weightlifting regimen geared toward burning belly fat will offer so many perks, from stronger muscles to a leaner physique to a lower risk of chronic illnesses. One smart step that will get the ball rolling is to utilize Hydrow’s vast library of strength training workouts, which are filled with powerful and efficient movements taught by world-class instructors to help you achieve your goals in no time.

Learn more about Hydrow today!