Standing exercises are incredibly popular, especially among older adults—and for good reason. They help build strength, balance, and coordination while engaging multiple muscle groups at the same time. These movements closely mirror everyday actions like walking, climbing stairs, lifting, and standing up from a chair. Another major benefit is that standing workouts are generally gentle on the joints. When practiced consistently, they can also support overall fat loss, including stubborn belly fat.
We spoke with Steve Chambers, Senior Certified Personal Trainer and Gym Manager at Ultimate Performance, who highlights five standing exercises that can help reduce belly fat more effectively than traditional gym machines for adults over 55.
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“Your core’s main job is to stabilize your body while upright. Walking, lifting, bending, carrying groceries, or getting out of a chair all require your abdominal muscles to stay active while standing,” Chambers explains. “Simply standing already activates the core. When you add movement, load, or instability, the demand on your abs increases significantly. That’s why standing core exercises are so powerful—they force the abs to brace, stabilize, rotate, resist movement, and support the spine in real-world positions.”
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Another advantage of standing workouts is how easily you can apply progressive overload by increasing weight or time under tension.
“Progressive overload is essential if you want your muscles—especially your abs—to actually change,” Chambers says. “After 55, it becomes even more important. You’re no longer training just for appearance. You’re training for strength, balance, posture, metabolic health, and longevity. Standing core exercises deliver all of that together.”
Five Standing Exercises That Help Reduce Belly Fat
Chambers emphasizes that spot reduction is a myth, and fat loss happens throughout the entire body.
“Doing endless crunches won’t reduce belly fat unless your diet supports fat loss by keeping you in a calorie deficit,” he notes. “Standing core exercises are highly effective because they help build muscle, increase energy expenditure, and strengthen the muscles that shape and firm your waist as body fat decreases.”
Farmer’s Walk
The farmer’s walk is often overlooked, yet it’s one of the most effective core exercises. Carrying heavy weights while walking forces your core to stay braced and your torso upright and stable.
“Farmer’s walks heavily engage the abdominals, obliques, lower back, shoulders, and grip while also elevating your heart rate,” Chambers explains. “That blend of muscular tension and cardiovascular effort makes them extremely effective for fat loss.”
- Hold a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell—about 50% of your body weight—in each hand at your sides.
- Walk forward with control, keeping your torso tall and steady.
Deadlifts
Although they’re not typically seen as an ab exercise, deadlifts are among the most powerful core builders.
“Every rep requires the abs and obliques to brace hard to protect the spine while the lower body produces force,” Chambers says. “For adults over 55, deadlifts help preserve muscle mass, strengthen the posterior chain, and increase metabolic demand. This is especially important due to age-related risks like sarcopenia and osteoporosis, both of which can impact posture. More muscle also means higher calorie burn at rest, which supports belly fat reduction.”
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, holding a heavy dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
- Keep your legs mostly straight with a slight bend in the knees.
- Hinge at the hips and lower the dumbbells along your legs toward the floor.
- Maintain a flat back and keep the weights close to your body.
- Engage your glutes and hamstrings to return to standing.
Squats
Squats are a foundational movement that deserves priority. They activate nearly the entire body, including the abs, which work continuously to maintain balance and posture.
“To maximize the core benefits of squats, focus on bracing—take a deep breath, tighten your midsection, and maintain tension throughout the movement,” Chambers advises. “This transforms the squat into both a powerful core exercise and an effective calorie burner.”
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Extend your arms forward or place your hands on your hips. Use a chair for support if needed.
- Bend at the hips and knees to lower into a squat.
- Lower with control until your thighs resemble a seated position or go slightly deeper.
- Push through your heels to return to standing.
Dumbbell Side Bends
“Side bends are excellent for targeting the obliques and deep spinal-support muscles,” Chambers explains. “Unlike many floor exercises, they allow you to use meaningful resistance, making progressive overload possible. After 55, maintaining muscle around the waist supports posture, spinal stability, and the appearance of the midsection as fat decreases.”
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a light dumbbell in each hand.
- Engage your core and slowly bend to the right, lowering the right dumbbell toward your thigh.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat on the left side.
Standing Woodchops
“Woodchops are a highly effective rotational movement,” Chambers says. “They can be done with a dumbbell, cable, resistance band, or bodyweight, and they train the abs, obliques, shoulders, and upper back together. The twisting motion under tension challenges the core in ways that sit-ups and planks cannot.”
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- Hold a dumbbell with both hands and stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the weight toward your right side with arms extended.
- Rotate your torso and legs to bring the dumbbell down toward your left side.
- Bend your knees and lower your hips as the weight moves toward the ground.
- Reverse the movement, lifting the dumbbell back up to the right and overhead.
