Effective exercising is the one component of weight loss that
very few people understand. The first thing to understand is that
exercise is a necessity to lose weight and to shape the tummy. People
who ignore this fact will not get the greatest return from their
exercising efforts. In these fast-paced times, you want to get the best
returns from your exercise efforts, considering that everyone is pressed
for time. This article will address these issues.
Exercise is Necessary to Lose Belly Fat
It is almost impossible to get a toned stomach without proper exercise. You may be able to lose weight from fad diets but you will rarely lose enough fat to have a shapely stomach. This is because weight loss could be a combination of muscle loss, water loss and fat loss. Usually, there is more muscle and water loss than there is fat loss. Reducing calories helps with weight loss but also eventually suppresses your metabolism. Exercise helps balance this effect. A high metabolism is an essential asset in trying to lose fat especially in the belly area.
Most Effective Use of Exercise Time
Not all exercises will give you the same results. Some exercises are more effective than others. You want to do the exercises that give you the maximum return for your effort. This will ensure that you get results and stay motivated to complete your weight loss initiative.
Strength Training as the Base of Your Exercise Program
The base of your exercise program needs to be strength training and should be done 3 times a week. This is true irrespective of whether you are a man or woman. Women benefit from strength training as much as men do and should not discount this exercise. Your strength training regime should focus on whole body exercises. Emphasis should be on large muscle groups such as your legs, buttocks, back and chest. There is not much need to exercise the stomach area as it gets inevitably worked-out when you do these large muscle exercises.
Off course you could benefit from core strengthening exercises which help strengthen your core as well as prevent injuries.
Interval Training as a Supplement to Strength Training
Interval training is a form of cardio exercise but it is much more effective than your conventional walking, running or swimming. It is done in bursts to accomplish high levels of exertion. Let's take the example of cycling on a stationary bike. You first attempt to cycle as fast as possible for say up to a minute. This is the work cycle. You then slow down to a very slow pace for say 2 minutes. This is the rest cycle. One work and rest cycle make one complete cycle. You can try doing 6 to 8 cycles. This is an extremely intense and effective exercise. It causes the release of fat burning hormones such as the Human Growth Hormone. The only downside to this is that it is very intense and you should not attempt it unless you are reasonably fit. If you are new to exercising, do conventional cardio for 6 to 9 months to build up your fitness level. Once yo are fit enough, you could attempt interval training.
Conventional Cardio Training as a Last Choice
Most people will not agree with the above statement as they are very passionate about their walking, jogging and swimming. I am not against conventional cardio exercises but it is not the most effective use of your exercise time. A question to ask is whether you are doing conventional cardio for health purposes, fat loss or recreation. Conventional cardio is effective for improving health but not as effective for fat loss as strength and interval training is.
You need to use conventional cardio as a starting point and build your fitness level to the point that you can move to interval training.
This exercise is only recommended if you are not fit enough to do interval training. You should use conventional cardio to build your fitness level. You could also do it once you have done your share of strength and interval training for the week and yet have more time to allocate for exercise.
Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat
The above guidelines give you a macro view of how to plan your exercise regimen. Details of what exercise to do for each group is not discussed here as that is the topic of a different article. There is also no point to discuss detailed exercises if you do not have a broader understanding of what you are doing and why you are doing it. Once you get the fundamentals correct, you can easily find the necessary exercises to do. This article will hopefully give you that broader understanding so that you can effectively use your time to lose belly fat once and for all.
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Exercise is Necessary to Lose Belly Fat
It is almost impossible to get a toned stomach without proper exercise. You may be able to lose weight from fad diets but you will rarely lose enough fat to have a shapely stomach. This is because weight loss could be a combination of muscle loss, water loss and fat loss. Usually, there is more muscle and water loss than there is fat loss. Reducing calories helps with weight loss but also eventually suppresses your metabolism. Exercise helps balance this effect. A high metabolism is an essential asset in trying to lose fat especially in the belly area.
Most Effective Use of Exercise Time
Not all exercises will give you the same results. Some exercises are more effective than others. You want to do the exercises that give you the maximum return for your effort. This will ensure that you get results and stay motivated to complete your weight loss initiative.
Strength Training as the Base of Your Exercise Program
The base of your exercise program needs to be strength training and should be done 3 times a week. This is true irrespective of whether you are a man or woman. Women benefit from strength training as much as men do and should not discount this exercise. Your strength training regime should focus on whole body exercises. Emphasis should be on large muscle groups such as your legs, buttocks, back and chest. There is not much need to exercise the stomach area as it gets inevitably worked-out when you do these large muscle exercises.
Off course you could benefit from core strengthening exercises which help strengthen your core as well as prevent injuries.
Interval Training as a Supplement to Strength Training
Interval training is a form of cardio exercise but it is much more effective than your conventional walking, running or swimming. It is done in bursts to accomplish high levels of exertion. Let's take the example of cycling on a stationary bike. You first attempt to cycle as fast as possible for say up to a minute. This is the work cycle. You then slow down to a very slow pace for say 2 minutes. This is the rest cycle. One work and rest cycle make one complete cycle. You can try doing 6 to 8 cycles. This is an extremely intense and effective exercise. It causes the release of fat burning hormones such as the Human Growth Hormone. The only downside to this is that it is very intense and you should not attempt it unless you are reasonably fit. If you are new to exercising, do conventional cardio for 6 to 9 months to build up your fitness level. Once yo are fit enough, you could attempt interval training.
Conventional Cardio Training as a Last Choice
Most people will not agree with the above statement as they are very passionate about their walking, jogging and swimming. I am not against conventional cardio exercises but it is not the most effective use of your exercise time. A question to ask is whether you are doing conventional cardio for health purposes, fat loss or recreation. Conventional cardio is effective for improving health but not as effective for fat loss as strength and interval training is.
You need to use conventional cardio as a starting point and build your fitness level to the point that you can move to interval training.
This exercise is only recommended if you are not fit enough to do interval training. You should use conventional cardio to build your fitness level. You could also do it once you have done your share of strength and interval training for the week and yet have more time to allocate for exercise.
Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat
The above guidelines give you a macro view of how to plan your exercise regimen. Details of what exercise to do for each group is not discussed here as that is the topic of a different article. There is also no point to discuss detailed exercises if you do not have a broader understanding of what you are doing and why you are doing it. Once you get the fundamentals correct, you can easily find the necessary exercises to do. This article will hopefully give you that broader understanding so that you can effectively use your time to lose belly fat once and for all.