Most experts agree that cardio to lose belly fat is by far more
effective than targeted ab workouts. This is because it is only through
cardiovascular exercise and overall body fat composition reduction,
including around the belly, allowing your abdominals to show through,
that you can truly achieve a flat stomach. But not all types of cardio
to lose belly fat are created equal, and you could certainly end up
wasting significant effort unless you focus in on the right types of
"intervals" to use in your cardio. If done incorrectly, you could spend
more than an hour a day on low intensity cardio workouts such as brisk
walking, without achieving the desired results. Alternatively, you could
spend as little as 20 minutes a day performing the right types and
intensity of cardio and gain superior results. Below is a sample outline
of a cardio program specifically designed to lose belly fat:
1) Begin with a five-minute warm-up, as the following cardio program is relatively intensive. By beginning with a brief warm-up including stretching, you greatly reduce the risk of injury, such as pulling a hamstring muscle.
2) Begin with 15 seconds of your absolute top capacity (that means 90% to almost 100% of your maximum capacity). That means if you're running, sprint as hard as you absolutely can, and if you're cycling, peddle like you've never peddled before. But it's just for 15 seconds. Now that's the best way to lose belly fat!
3) After 15 seconds, go into a "rest" phase for two minutes. This is not really resting at all however, as you will still be performing some level of activity (at about 30% of your maximum capacity). So for example, if you just finished sprinting as hard as you could for 15 seconds, now you would go on a leisurely stroll for two minutes.
4) After the two minutes are up, perform another 15 seconds of intense activity, followed by a two minute rest, and continue to repeat this cycle as long as you wish to.
Following this method, as little as 20 total minutes could be the same as a full hour of low intently cardio! And that's it. This amazing scientifically proven "intensity" strategy can significantly augment the basic cardio workouts you may already be performing. By simply inserting very brief 15 second bursts of rapid activity surrounded by much larger intervals of relaxed effort, you can significantly raise your metabolism and thus ability to lose belly fat.
The above-described process is the "basic version", which you should follow over the first couple of months if you're just starting out. You can later upgrade to the more advanced version, which is still based on the same premise of intensive intervals of effort, but is taken to the next level. In the advanced version, the 15 second bursts become 30 to 60 second bursts. Furthermore, instead of pushing yourself to 90% of your upper limit, you go the full 100%. Finally, the rest intervals are reduced to only 60 seconds. The principle is the same, but the effects are obviously more intense.
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1) Begin with a five-minute warm-up, as the following cardio program is relatively intensive. By beginning with a brief warm-up including stretching, you greatly reduce the risk of injury, such as pulling a hamstring muscle.
2) Begin with 15 seconds of your absolute top capacity (that means 90% to almost 100% of your maximum capacity). That means if you're running, sprint as hard as you absolutely can, and if you're cycling, peddle like you've never peddled before. But it's just for 15 seconds. Now that's the best way to lose belly fat!
3) After 15 seconds, go into a "rest" phase for two minutes. This is not really resting at all however, as you will still be performing some level of activity (at about 30% of your maximum capacity). So for example, if you just finished sprinting as hard as you could for 15 seconds, now you would go on a leisurely stroll for two minutes.
4) After the two minutes are up, perform another 15 seconds of intense activity, followed by a two minute rest, and continue to repeat this cycle as long as you wish to.
Following this method, as little as 20 total minutes could be the same as a full hour of low intently cardio! And that's it. This amazing scientifically proven "intensity" strategy can significantly augment the basic cardio workouts you may already be performing. By simply inserting very brief 15 second bursts of rapid activity surrounded by much larger intervals of relaxed effort, you can significantly raise your metabolism and thus ability to lose belly fat.
The above-described process is the "basic version", which you should follow over the first couple of months if you're just starting out. You can later upgrade to the more advanced version, which is still based on the same premise of intensive intervals of effort, but is taken to the next level. In the advanced version, the 15 second bursts become 30 to 60 second bursts. Furthermore, instead of pushing yourself to 90% of your upper limit, you go the full 100%. Finally, the rest intervals are reduced to only 60 seconds. The principle is the same, but the effects are obviously more intense.