Stop Trying to Spot-Reduce
If you’re doing hundreds of crunches a day in an effort to blast away belly fat, you’re just wasting your time. It’s a common mistake. People think you can spot-reduce fat. That’s the top mistake I see people make when trying to get a six-pack or flat tummy. Instead, losing body fat overall (including in your belly) requires a mix of eating in a calorie deficit, HIIT workouts, strength training, circuit training, and some cardio
It’s All About the Food/ Eat in a Calorie Deficit
The difference between weight loss and muscle is really about food. If you want to lose weight, you have to create a calorie deficit. No fewer than 1,200 calories a day with unlimited greens. Avoid heavily processed foods like white flour and white sugar, dial alcohol way back, and drink a lot of water. If you want to gain muscle, you need to have a calorie surplus. 10 percent more calories than you burn in a day to gain muscle. Make sure you eat enough protein to put on muscle: 0.5 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. So, if someone weighs 150 pounds, he or she should be eating 75 to 120 grams of protein daily to gain muscle.
Strength Train Multiple Times a Week
Most people think they need to do endless cardio to see results, but put more emphasis on strength training. Lifting weights absolutely speeds fat loss because it burns more calories during and after your workout if done right. Women should lift at least 2-4 times a week if possible. Train each muscle twice a week with two days of rest between training days. Although cardio plays a role in weight loss, don’t be afraid to step foot in the weight room!
Do Compound Movements
Multiple muscle group movements, or compound exercises, are exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups at the same time. Exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups at the same time not only burn more calories because they require more effort and energy to perform, but because they work different muscles at the same time, they kill two birds with one stone: you don’t have to be in the gym as long.
Do HIIT Cardio & Metabolic Circuit Training
Interval training is always going to be extremely efficient because it gets the work done faster. You tax your body at 100 percent, so it requires less time in the gym overall. Plus, it amps your calorie burn during the workout as well as your EPOC, or afterburn. And it accelerates how quickly you get fitter because of the intensified stress adaptation response. Metabolic circuit training, is performing exercises in succession with no rest in between moves. If you really need a rest, you can take a one-minute maximum break in between circuits and add a HIIT interval into each circuit. Some examples of good exercises for metabolic circuit training include mountain climbers, burpees, and jumping rope.
Mix Up Your Workouts
Although it’s important to find a workout you actually like and will stick to, don’t get complacent in the gym – it can stall your progress and cause you to plateau. Anything repetitive is bad. Your body adapts and stops progressing. She also explained that doing the same thing over and over again is more likely to cause overuse injuries.If you’re lifting weights, focus on your upper body one day and your lower body the next. For cardio, try alternating among spinning, jogging, the rowing machine, or a HIIT class. It’s important to have multiple workouts in your arsenal to really see progress.