Bugged by Belly Fat? Then Read This!
By Craig Ballantyne.
I often get asked, "What's the best way to burn fat and lose my belly?... Do aerobics work better than interval training?... Does resistance training help at all?"
Many personal trainers aren't even sure. They will guess that the best way to lose belly fat is "crunches", "sit-ups", or "aerobic cardio". But the truth is -- none of these works best -- or even works at all!
When it comes to exercise, if you want to lose stomach fat fast, you need to increase the intensity of your workout by using both resistance training and interval training.
Australian researchers, such as Professor Steve Boucher, even believe that interval training can lead to a spot reduction of belly fat. That's something that no amount of abdominal training can do!
Time is also a factor. While bodybuilders and young guys without any cares in the world can spend an hour a day on cardio -- and sometimes get results -- men and women who only have 45 minutes, 3 times per week for exercise just can't depend on slow cardio workouts to burn belly fat.
Let's take a look at the perfect workout plan to get you maximum fat burning results in minimum workout time. Here are the keys.
First, start with a circuit of bodyweight exercises to prepare your body for a fat burning workout. Three good ones are bodyweight squats, pushups, and lunges. This warmup should only take 5 minutes.
Follow that up with supersets of resistance training using multi-muscle exercises for maximum metabolism boosting. A superset is two exercises done back to back with minimal rest between each. A great superset is dumbbell squats and dumbbell chest presses. This works so much better for post-exercise calorie burning than slow cardio workouts. It will lead to more belly fat burning as well.
After 15 minutes of resistance training, finish with 15-20 minutes of interval training. You don't need a lot of intervals to get great fat burning results. Start with a 5-minute warmup. Do one interval at 60 seconds working at a slightly harder than normal cardio pace. Then recover for 60 seconds at an easy pace. Repeat 5 more times. Finish with a 5-minute cool down.
With that workout schedule, you'll be in and out of the gym in 45 minutes, three times per week. Compare that to what most people do, which is run, jog, cycle, or use the cardio machines for 45 minutes straight. Sure, that will burn calories, but it doesn't build a better body.
Men and women love the fast fat-burning results they get from short-burst exercise sessions. Remember, your body was not meant to run marathons. Instead, it was meant to perform quick bursts of exercise, and that is why resistance training and interval training sculpt a better body than long, slow cardio workouts.
Of course, your diet is also essential if you want to lose belly fat. In fact, I always give more credit to nutrition for being a key factor in fat burning than I do exercise. No matter what you do, you can't out-train a bad diet! So cut excess sugar from your diet, and increase your protein and fiber intake (through fruits, vegetables, and nuts).
With the right exercise and a proper diet, you'll shed that unwanted fat in no time!
About the author:
Craig Ballantyne is an expert consultant for Men's Health magazine. If you're looking to burn fat, build muscle and quickly step into the body you have always wanted with just three workouts each week, check out Craig's fat-loss system, turbulence training.
By Craig Ballantyne.
I often get asked, "What's the best way to burn fat and lose my belly?... Do aerobics work better than interval training?... Does resistance training help at all?"
Many personal trainers aren't even sure. They will guess that the best way to lose belly fat is "crunches", "sit-ups", or "aerobic cardio". But the truth is -- none of these works best -- or even works at all!
When it comes to exercise, if you want to lose stomach fat fast, you need to increase the intensity of your workout by using both resistance training and interval training.
Australian researchers, such as Professor Steve Boucher, even believe that interval training can lead to a spot reduction of belly fat. That's something that no amount of abdominal training can do!
Time is also a factor. While bodybuilders and young guys without any cares in the world can spend an hour a day on cardio -- and sometimes get results -- men and women who only have 45 minutes, 3 times per week for exercise just can't depend on slow cardio workouts to burn belly fat.
Let's take a look at the perfect workout plan to get you maximum fat burning results in minimum workout time. Here are the keys.
First, start with a circuit of bodyweight exercises to prepare your body for a fat burning workout. Three good ones are bodyweight squats, pushups, and lunges. This warmup should only take 5 minutes.
Follow that up with supersets of resistance training using multi-muscle exercises for maximum metabolism boosting. A superset is two exercises done back to back with minimal rest between each. A great superset is dumbbell squats and dumbbell chest presses. This works so much better for post-exercise calorie burning than slow cardio workouts. It will lead to more belly fat burning as well.
After 15 minutes of resistance training, finish with 15-20 minutes of interval training. You don't need a lot of intervals to get great fat burning results. Start with a 5-minute warmup. Do one interval at 60 seconds working at a slightly harder than normal cardio pace. Then recover for 60 seconds at an easy pace. Repeat 5 more times. Finish with a 5-minute cool down.
With that workout schedule, you'll be in and out of the gym in 45 minutes, three times per week. Compare that to what most people do, which is run, jog, cycle, or use the cardio machines for 45 minutes straight. Sure, that will burn calories, but it doesn't build a better body.
Men and women love the fast fat-burning results they get from short-burst exercise sessions. Remember, your body was not meant to run marathons. Instead, it was meant to perform quick bursts of exercise, and that is why resistance training and interval training sculpt a better body than long, slow cardio workouts.
Of course, your diet is also essential if you want to lose belly fat. In fact, I always give more credit to nutrition for being a key factor in fat burning than I do exercise. No matter what you do, you can't out-train a bad diet! So cut excess sugar from your diet, and increase your protein and fiber intake (through fruits, vegetables, and nuts).
With the right exercise and a proper diet, you'll shed that unwanted fat in no time!
About the author:
Craig Ballantyne is an expert consultant for Men's Health magazine. If you're looking to burn fat, build muscle and quickly step into the body you have always wanted with just three workouts each week, check out Craig's fat-loss system, turbulence training.
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