With many folks trying to lose weight and burn fat, there are always new diet trends and gimmicks out there that supposedly help.
Well, I hate to bring the bad news, but most of these are a waste of your hard-earned cash.
Sometimes, the answer is a simple exercise that’s far better than any of these latest fads you can find online.
That’s right- we’re on about sit-ups!
They’re an epic exercise for many reasons, and in this article, we talk about whether they can help you burn back fat.
Can Sit-Ups Burn Back Fat?
It’s important to point out that you can’t spot-reduce fat from any specific location of your body.
You can have a nutrition and exercise plan that helps you burn fat, but you can’t pinpoint exactly where the fat will be burned from.
With that said, sit-ups can help you burn back fat as part of a fat-burning program.
Sit-ups help build muscle in many muscle groups. The more muscle you have, the more calories and fat you burn.
And this is exactly how sit-ups can help reduce back fat.
They can’t and won’t burn back fat directly, but they can help optimize your body for fat loss.
The Secret To Burning Back Fat
The most important factor of fat loss is to ensure you’re in a calorie deficit every day.
This means that you need to burn more calories than you consume.
Once you’re in a calorie deficit, your fat-burning potential increases dramatically.
Getting into a calorie deficit is easy in theory but harder in practice.
If you’re not currently losing weight, it means that you need to burn more calories (through exercises like sit-ups) or eat less food.
Do Sit-Ups Help Reduce Love Handles?
Without sounding like a broken record, sit-ups can certainly help you lose love handles if used as part of a fat-loss program.
If you’re doing 8 sit-ups then stuffing your face with cake, then I hate to break it to you, but sit-ups likely won’t help.
But, if you’re doing plenty of sit-ups and are in a calorie deficit, then they’ll burn fat, which will eventually come off your love handles!
How Many Sit-Ups Should You Do To Burn Back Fat?
This depends on your current fitness levels and how many sit-ups you can currently do.
Generally, you should be aiming for a high rep range for fat loss, so doing 3-5 sets of around 20-30 sit-ups can help as part of a fat-burning program.
But if you can’t do that many sit-ups, just do as many as you can.
Like most exercises, sit-ups get easier the more you practise them so you just need to stay consistent and stick with it.
How Often Should You Do Sit-Ups To Burn Back Fat?
This also depends on your current sit-ups abilities, but doing them around 4 times a week can help you reduce back fat.
However, you’ll need to factor in any other exercise you’re doing and adjust the frequency of your sit-ups accordingly.
Other Great Exercises To Burn Back Fat
Squats
Squats are great for burning back fat because they’re a compound exercise.
This means they work many different muscles, so they burn a ton of calories.
Push-Ups
Push-ups are an epic bodyweight exercise that you can do anywhere.
Since they work many muscle groups simultaneously, push-ups can reduce back fat.
Crunches
Crunches are similar to sit-ups in both muscles worked and how you do them.
And like sit-ups, crunches can help burn back fat as part of a fat-burning program.
Sources
Calorie Deficit Key To Weight Loss
I’ve been in the fitness and strength training industry for nearly a decade. In that time, I’ve gained 30 pounds of muscle, written hundreds of articles, and reviewed dozens of fitness supplements. As for my educational background, I’m a currently studying for my Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training.