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This is a very common question. "How can I burn more belly fat?"
The answer is, there are 3 main ways you can go about burning more belly fat. It's important to understand the 3 main categories as well as understand which specific exercises within each category will help you burn the most belly fat possible.
The 3 Main Categories are:
1. Cardio Exercise
2. Strength Training
3. Core-Focused Exercises
As mentioned before, not all forms of each of the categories are created equal. Sure, participating in a well-rounded routine of cardio, strength training and core-focused exercises will help you burn belly fat overall; however, if you'd like the fastest results possible, we recommend adding these specific exercises into your regular routine.
Let's examine each category together:
CARDIO EXERCISE
According to WebMD in their article, "Top Exercises for Belly Fat":
"Your first step in burning off visceral fat is including at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise or cardio into your daily routine. Studies show that aerobic exercises for belly fat help to reduce belly fat and liver fat.
Some great cardio of aerobic exercises for belly fat include:
Walking, especially at a quick pace
Running
Biking
Rowing
Swimming
Cycling
Group fitness classes
WebMD goes on to say that the most effective Cardio workouts are HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) Just a few examples of some HIIT workouts we have available here at Group Fitness Live are: Cardio HIIT, Insanity, Turbo Kick and Tabata.
STRENGTH TRAINING:
To get the maximum calorie burn, which results in less body fat, you'll want to use heavier weights with less repetitions, in general.
According to Emily Hutchins, Chicago-based Nike NTC Master Trainer & Run Coach: “Strength training will develop lean muscle tissue that will magnify the amount of fat you can lose...” Plus, as she notes, if you’re stuck on a cardio-heavy program, your fitness can actually plateau. “Strength training will increase your exercise threshold so you can go harder when you do those cardio workouts, helping you make even bigger gains,” she says. (From Women's Health article: "The Best Strength Workouts to Blast Belly Fat")
The most effective strength training classes we offer at Group Fitness Live that go hand-in-hand with this style of fat-blasting strength training are: P90X, Chest & Back Circuit as well as Arms and Abs.
CORE-FOCUSED EXERCISES:
When people think of a slimmer and trimmer mid-section, usually they think of crunches. It's a common misconception that all you need to do in order to flatten your tummy is to do abdominal exercises.
So much of the fat that surrounds our organs (which can lead to many health issues in the long run) has to do with the food we eat, cardio exercise and strength training.
According to this article, 15 Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat, According to Personal Trainers
“Spot reduction isn’t a viable approach to losing belly fat," explains fitness trainer and nutrition expert Corey Phelps... "But there are some great core-focused exercises that will torch fat all over the body, resulting in a strong and more chiseled core.”
There ARE; however, several highly effective abdominal exercises that do seem to be more effective than others. Here are a few examples:
- Flutter Kicks
- Side Plank
- Plank
- Bicycle Abdominal Crunches
If you'd like to check out a Core Strength Class here are Group Fitness Live, try these free workouts: Core Sculpt or Pilates
Of course a blend of each category will give you the best results and help you maximize your belly fat loss. In general, a workout schedule which will help you achieve such results will be something similar to this:
4 days per week Cardio
3 days per week Strength Training
2 days per week Core-Focused Exercises
Depending on your schedule and current level of activity you could increase or decrease and some workouts can be combined on certain days as well (ie a 30 min HIIT followed by a 20 min Core class)
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