This Workout That Can Help You Lose 2 Inches Of Belly Fat | Men's Health Magazine Australia

The Workout That Can Help You Lose 2 Inches Of Belly Fat

If you want to lose a belt size, skip the treadmill. Performing intervals during your regular workout may help you lose more belly fat than steady-state cardio, according to Greek researchers. 

In the study, participants performed hour-long workouts four times a week. While everyone did 40 minutes of strength training, they were divided into two groups for cardio. One group ran for 20 minutes on treadmills and the other group performed body-weight intervals for 20 minutes.

The researchers think interval training—which alternates high-intensity levels of work with lower-intensity work—contributes to your body’s afterburn effect.

 When you go all-out for short intervals, you quickly deplete your body’s oxygen stores. This forces your body to work harder afterward to reestablish its oxygen bank. So while you might burn as many calories during a jog, your body continues to burn more after the intervals.

And the harder and longer you go, the more calories you’ll burn later, says strength and conditioning expert Craig Ballantyne.

That’s why Ballantyne designs intervals to alternate between exercises that work different muscle groups. This allows certain muscles to recover while you hammer other ones, so you can dial up the intensity and minimise rest without getting fatigued too quickly, he says.

Do this, and you’ll turn your body into a fat-burning machine. 

Want to give it a try? Check out Ballantyne’s 20-minute gut-busting interval workout. 

DIRECTIONS

You’ll do as many reps as possible of an exercise in 30 seconds, rest 15 seconds, and then move on to the next exercise. Once you’ve completed the fifth exercise, rest for 30 seconds. That’s 1 round. Repeat 3 more times.

1. GOBLET SQUAT

Cup a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chin and push your hips back until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

2. PUSH-UP

Keep your elbows tight and pause at the bottom of the movement.

3. KETTLEBELL SWING

Push your hips back to swing the ‘bell between your legs, then thrust your hips forward to swing the ‘bell to chin height.

4. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT

Holding two dumbbells at your sides, step forward with your right foot and place your left foot on a bench or box. Lower until your front knee is bent 45 degrees. 

5. SINGLE-ARM ROW

Bend forward at the waist – keeping your back flat – and row a dumbbell or kettlebell to your ribs.

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