I often
get asked, “What’s the best way to burn fat and lose my belly?” People want to
know if aerobics is better than strength training, or if traditional cardio
exercise is better than intervals.
Well, to
say I've done them all would be an understatement.
With over
15 years experience helping others, training myself, training for sports,
spending countless hours in the gym, AND actually conducting laboratory
research studies on different exercise methods, I'm pretty confident in knowing
what works and what does not.
But first
of all, I want to frame my responses. I'm going to talk about what works for
people that have a limited amount of time to exercise, mostly because I expect
your readers don't have 90 minutes per day to devote to a workout, unlike the
typical audience of a fitness magazine.
That's why
there is a huge disconnect between some of the information found in magazines
and the ability of the reader to apply it to their lives.
We just
don't have 6-8 hours per week for exercise, nor do we need it. If you're a triathlete,
you might need that, but not someone that just wants to lose fat and gain
muscle.
Having
said all that, the bottom line for getting a better body is...
Use
bodyweight exercises to warm-up, strength training supersets to build muscle,
and then finish your workout with interval training to burn fat in a short
amount of time. I've structured my system so that you are in and out of the gym
in 45 minutes, three times per week.
You'll do
5 minutes of bodyweight exercises to warm-up. This is a much more efficient
approach than spending 5 minutes walking on a treadmill, which really doesn't
prepare you for anything except more walking on a treadmill.
Then we
move into the strength 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 maximum results. We only need 20 minutes for this, and we'll
use basic exercises, and sometimes even more bodyweight exercises, depending on
the client's goal for muscle building.
And
finally, we'll do 18 minutes of interval training. A warm-up, followed by six
short intervals at the appropriate fitness level for the client, interspersed
with short periods of low-intensity recovery. Finish with a cool-down. And
that's the workout. Again, about 45 minutes total.
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.
In fact,
there are a few "dark sides" to long slow cardio, including
less-than-optimal results, the potential for overuse injuries, and it is an
inefficient form of exercise. 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 the rest
of your muscles and sculpt a better body?
So the
best way to burn belly fat is with a combination of strength training and
interval training. It’s fast, it works, and it’s fun!
About the Author
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fatloss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit TurbulenceTraining for Fat Loss
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