For belly fat loss, weight training is your #1 ally
In fighting belly fat the biggest mistake you can make has nothing to do with how much or how little you eat or even what you eat. The biggest mistake you can make is to not hit the weight room and pump some iron. The best way to reduce belly fat is to build muscle and the best way to build muscle is to do weight training. Hey, I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t pay attention to what you eat, I’m a huge nut about proper nutrition. What I’m saying is that when it comes to fighting fat, nothing beats the power of weight training. Why is weight training (resistance training) so effective? It has to do with what is called your BMR.
Want to lose belly fat and have nice flat abs? Increase your BMR. What’s the best way to increase your BMR? Having more muscle. The higher your BMR the better your body is at burning calories instead of storing them as fat. Let me hear a shout out for muscle, yeah! REMEMBER: For less belly fat muscle=metabolism
Weight training actually puts little tears in muscle tissue. The body repairs these tears leaving stronger muscle behind. It take a lot of extra energy (calories) to do this work so while your muscles are being repaired, you’re actually burning extra calories. So, More muscle=more calories burned=less fat stored=less belly fat! Here are some of the cool reasons for hitting the weight room and building yo’self some defined, toned muscles: • Muscles are sexy. (Most women say that defined abs on a man turn them on more than big arms) • You get to eat more. I love to eat so I really dig this fact. Since muscles burn more calories you can get away with eating more without getting fatter. Gotta love this. • You’ll have less aches and pain. Muscles make you stronger, better able to handle physical exertion, and less prone to injury. Most back pain is the result of weak abdominal and back muscles. If you are injured, having strong muscles will help you recover more quickly. • Sex will be better. A big part of working with weights is strengthening your core and pelvic muscles. Stronger pelvic muscles in women increases blood flow to the genitals which increases sexual pleasure. • If you’re an athlete, strong muscles will make you faster and more durable. • Your image will improve. People who are in great shape are perceived as being more together than folks shuffling around with stooped shoulders and protruding bellies. With a toned, well muscled body, you’ll feel better about your self when you look in the mirror. • You’ll be able to fly. I’m kidding…just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
“But I don’t want to build big old muscles, besides those weight rooms are so intimidating. I’m just going to hit the cardio room for a couple of hours every day to lose weight.” Does this sound like you? I have heard this one too many times to count. Every time I hear this I feel like chokin’ some neck. If you’re a woman don’t worry about getting too muscular. You don’t have the hormones for it. Even for 99.9% of men out there this is never going to be a problem. I agree that weight rooms can be intimidating but so can most things that are tried for the first time. Hire a trainer for a couple of sessions to help you get past your hesitation. After a week or two you’ll be over your intimidation. I guess all of those cardio workout tapes that women collect have done their programming well. This programming goes something like this: to lose body fat, do cardio exercises till you’re blue in the face. BAD IDEA. Don’t get me wrong, cardio is important. Heck, even I’ve run a marathon before and still do cardio. But for losing belly fat, you don’t have to do hours of cardio everyday. Besides, it’s not the best way to lose belly fat anyway. Cardio can be a great ally in helping you lose weight, have flatter abs and in helping your heart stay strong. It has its place for sure. For losing belly fat however, nothing beats muscle-nothing. Research has shown that after doing cardio exercise your body will continue to burn extra calories for 30-60 minutes after you stop. But after hitting the weights, you’ll continue to burn extra calories for up to 48 hours! Talk about more bang for your buck! If you compare people who say only run to lose weight against people who just do weight training, you’ll find that the weight trainers will lose more belly fat and fat in general, while the runners will lose both muscle and fat.
Three of my favorite exercises for building sexy, toned muscles are Squats, Pushups and Pull-ups. All of these exercises are so effective in fighting body fat because they are what are called compound exercises. This means that a lot of muscle groups are worked at the same time.
SquatThis is my favorite exercise. If you want a great butt, include Squats in your workout. This exercise is shown holding a dumbbell in each hand but can also be done with a barbell resting on your upper back. Keep feet shoulder width apart with toes pointing straight ahead (you can turn feet out about 10 degrees which is more comfortable for some knees). Looking straight ahead, lower your body into a seating position. Inhale as you do so. You’ll have to lean slightly forward just as you would to sit into a chair. Try to bring your thighs parallel to the floor or as close to this position as possible. Squeeze your butt cheeks together (like you’re clinching a coin with your cheeks), exhale and push back into standing position with slight bend in the knees. Squats work your butt, thighs, abs and back. It is a big bang exercise which can really help you reduce belly fat. Try to do 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions and increase the weight when you can get the reps in easily. Do Squats 2-3 days per week. Pushup
You can bend your knees if the straight leg position is too difficult. Inhale as you lower and exhale as you push up. The Pushup really hits your abs, shoulders, triceps and back. Try for 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Do Pushups 2-3 days per week. I tell my clients that I don’t care how many Pushups they do as long as they maintain perfect form. If you can only do a few, do them correctly and try to add 1-2 reps every week. They’ll give you a sexy upper body.
Pull-up (chin up)The Pull-up isn’t easy to do but is worth mastering. If you are working at home you should invest in a Pull-up bar that fits in your door frame. I had one for years that never wore out. Start with arms straight, hands about shoulder width apart, palms facing forward and your body hanging (knees can be bent or straight). While squeezing your shoulder blades together and down, lift your chest up toward the bar. Exhale while you lift and inhale on the way down. For variation you can face the palms towards each other (can’t do this with regular Pull-up bar) or use an underhand grip. The hardest position is with palms pointing straight ahead. In many gyms you’ll find a machine called a Gravitron which helps you do a Pull-up. Pull-ups work just about every muscle in your upper body and it feels like it! Don’t give up on them because you’ll be rewarded with some cool, shapely muscles. Try for as many as you can get with perfect form. Do 2-3 sets, 2-3 days per week. In my monthly newsletter , I will share some of my other favorite exercises and tips for reducing belly fat. Make sure that you sign up for it. So, with that being said, go hit the weight room and discover the awesome belly fat fighting power of weight training.
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