I often get asked, “What’s the most effective way to burn fat and lose my belly?” Many people wish to know if aerobics is much better than weight training, or if traditional cardio exercise is better than intervals. Well, to say I’ve done all of them might possibly be an understatement. With over many years experience helping others, training myself, training for sports, investing plenty of hours in the fitness center, AND definitely conducting laboratory research studies on different exercise methods, I’m pretty confident in knowing what works and exactly what does not.
But to start with, I want to frame my responses. I’m going to speak about what works for people that have a little period of time to exercise, generally because I believe your readers don’t have 90 minutes per day to devote to a workout, unlike the typical people of any fitness magazine. That is why there is a big disconnect between several of the information found in magazines and the ability of the reader to apply it to their lives.
That is why there is a large disconnect between many of the information found in magazines and the ability of the reader to use it to their lives. We just don’t have 6-8 hours each week for workouts, nor do we want it. In case you are a triathlete, you might need that, but not someone that just really wants to lose fat and gain muscle. Having said all that, the results for getting a better body is…
Take advantage of bodyweight exercises to warm-up, strength training supersets to build muscle, and finish your regular workout with interval training to reduce weight within a short amount of time. I’ve truly structured my system so that you are in and out of the gym in 45 minutes, three times a week. You can do 5 minutes of bodyweight exercises to warm-up. This is a a lot more efficient approach than just spending 5 minutes walking on a treadmill, which often doesn’t prepare you for anything except more walking on a treadmill. After that we go into the weight training supersets, where we use two exercises performed back to back with minimum rest between each. This cuts our workout time, while still giving us optimum results. We only need 20 minutes just for this, and we’ll use basic exercises, or even more bodyweight exercises, depending on the client’s end goal for muscle building.
Last but not least, we shall do 18 minutes of interval training. A warm-up, followed by six short intervals at the appropriate fitness level for the client, interspersed with small intervals of low-intensity recovery. End with a cool-down. And that’s the workout. Again, about 45 minutes total. Comparing that to what many people do, which can be run, jog, cycle or use the cardio machines for 45 minutes straight. Sure, which will burn calories from fat, however it doesn’t build a better body. The fact is, there are some “dark sides” to long slow cardio, including less-than-optimal results, the potential for overuse injuries, and it is an inefficient form of workout. If you only have 30-45 minutes for your workout and you spend it all on a cardio machine, when are you going to train most of your muscles and sculpt a much better body? So the easiest way to burn fat around your belly is with combining strength training and interval training. It’s fast, it really works, which is even more fun!
This article has been written by the author, Frank Bell. Should you require any moreslimming teaplease visit his weight loss resources!