A belly pooch can sometimes feel impossible to shrink, but the truth is you don’t need exclusively crunches or planks to see results. According to personal trainer Tyler Read, a smart standing workout can do the job in 30 days. These moves train your abs while also engaging the rest of your body, so you burn more calories and strengthen your posture at the same time.
When you’re upright, your core works harder to keep you stable. That constant activation helps flatten the stomach, improve balance, and make you feel stronger all around. Let’s cover six standing exercises from Read that target belly fat and build a firm midsection.
6 standing exercises to flatten your belly
Doing these moves will not only train your abs but also improve stability, balance, and mobility. Let’s break down the six exercises that make up this plan.
1. Standing wood chop
This exercise combines rotation with strength. By holding a light weight or even a water bottle, you twist from high to low across the body, forcing the abs and obliques to fire together. The chopping action mimics real-life movements, making it functional and effective for trimming the waist.
2. Standing oblique reach
Here, you lengthen and tighten the sides of your torso. By leaning to one side with an overhead reach, you activate the obliques while stretching them at the same time. It’s a controlled move that helps carve definition into your waistline and reduces the appearance of love handles.
3. Standing knee-to-elbow twist
This one looks simple but demands balance and coordination. Bringing the elbow toward the opposite knee challenges your deep core muscles while improving rotational strength. Done steadily, it also keeps your lower back safe by encouraging proper bracing.
4. Standing side crunch
Think of this as a crunch without lying down. As you bring your knee toward your elbow on the same side, the obliques and lower abs contract fully. Because you’re standing, your torso has to stabilize, making the movement more effective than its floor-based version.
5. Standing march with twist
A marching motion paired with a torso twist trains your abs and gets your heart rate up. This double benefit means you’re toning while also burning calories. The continuous alternating pattern makes it feel like cardio, but your core will be working the entire time.
6. Standing side leg raise with reach
Here, you lift one leg out to the side while reaching toward it with your arm. This combines balance, hip strength, and ab activation in a single move. It’s especially good for targeting the obliques while also building stability through the hips and lower back.
Stick with this standing routine—around 12-15 repetitions of each exercise—and you’ll notice progress in stages. Within 10 days, your core will feel tighter and your balance steadier. By day 20, your waistline will look more defined and you’ll move with more strength. At the 30-day mark, that stubborn pooch will be visibly smaller, your posture will be straighter, and your abs will stay engaged in daily life without you thinking about it.