Is Aerobic or Anaerobic Training Best For Getting Rid of Belly Fat?

Lose belly fat fast and improve your health by doing strength training and high-intensity intervals !ompelling research sho"s that the B#$T "ay to get rid of the belly fat is to train "ith hard but short bursts of e%ercise& a style that taps into the anaerobic energy system more than the aerobic There is over"helming evidence that belly fat loss is best achieved "hen e%ercise is "ith a high& but varied intensity& and a relatively large volume 'o"ever& this does not mean you have to spend hours and hours a day (illing yourself in the gym Less than an hour a fe" days a "ee( can produce dramatic fat loss if you do it right This article "ill tell you "hy you burn more fat "hen you favor anaerobic-style training and give you eight reasons to favor this style of training by lifting "eights and doing sprints rather than spending hours on aerobic e%ercise #1: Burn More Belly Fat with Sprint Intervals A large number of convincing studies sho" that high-intensity interval training is the best conditioning strategy for losing belly fat In contrast& one research group that has conducted a number of e%periments comparing aerobic and anaerobic training for belly fat loss "rite& )*isappointingly& aerobic e%ercise protocols have led to negligible fat loss + The reason anaerobic interval training "or(s so much better is that it re,uires the body to adapt metabolically-your body is forced to burn fat to sustain the level of intensity being as(ed of it It also elevates energy use for more than ./ hours post-"or(out& "hich has a dramatic effect on belly fat loss For e%ample& a .001 sho"ed that a 2-"ee( program increased the amount of fat burned during e%ercise by 3. percent and decreased the o%idation of carbohydrates-obviously& a favorable result for losing fat 4ore impressive& a .005 study sho"ed that in as little as . "ee(s& active "omen "ho performed interval training e%perienced a 62 percent increase in the use of fat for fuel during e%ercise Interval training is so effective for fat loss because it taps into different energy path"ays than aerobic e%ercise $imply& aerobic e%ercise tends to burn carbohydrates first and activate path"ays that are degrading to muscle& "hereas high-intensity e%ercise such as "eight lifting and sprinting "ill burn a greater percentage of fat& enhance the body7s production of en8ymes involved in fat brea(do"n& and activate path"ays that lead to muscle development The other reason anaerobic intervals are superior for belly fat loss is that they increase e%cess poste%ercise o%ygen consumption 9#:;!< a huge amount A .002 revie" sho"ed that protocols that are more anaerobic in nature produce higher #:;! values than steady-state aerobic training because the trained muscle cells must rest restore physiological factors in the cells& "hich translates to a lot of energy e%penditure #2: Lose Belly Fat With Sprint Intervals: The Proof The follo"ing are e%amples of the superiority of anaerobic interval training for belly fat loss from the research= > A 3.-"ee( high-intensity interval training program produced a 35 percent decrease in belly fat in over"eight young men $ub?ects lost 3 @ (g of belly fat and . (g of total fat& "hile building 3 (g of muscle Fat burning "as increased by 36 percent due to the 6-day a "ee( program of .0-minutes of cycling in "hich the sub?ects sprinted for 1 seconds and then did 3. seconds of recovery&

repeating these intervals for a total of 20 sprints > The same .0-minute cycling interval program produced . @ (g of fat loss in young "omen in 3@ "ee(s& and the ma?ority of the fat loss come from the legs and abdominal area The sprint intervals "ere compared to a steady-state aerobic program that produced no fat loss > A 32-"ee( study had trained athletes perform either a sprint interval protocol or steady-state running four days a "ee( The sprint interval protocol varied each day& but an e%ample of one of the "or(outs used "as 30 intervals of 60-sec sprints "ith A0 seconds rest The sprint interval group lost 32 percent or 3 (g of visceral fat as "ell as . (g of total fat& compared to the endurance group that lost no belly fat& but did lose 3 / (g of lean mass The belly fat loss appears to be small& but be a"are that sub?ects "ere lean& trained athletes to begin "ith and had less belly fat to lose than over"eight sub?ects > An 1-"ee( interval program using both high- and moderate-intensity intervals decreased belly fat by // percent in middle-aged men "ith type . diabetes $ub?ects increased ,uad muscle si8e by ./ percent and improved insulin sensitivity by @1 percent-a dramatic improvement that highlights the other mechanisms involved in belly fat loss 9muscle building& insulin health B blood sugar management< #3: Sprints Ta e Less Ti!e than "ero#i$ %&er$ise Cot only do sprints help you lose 4;R# belly fat& they help you lose it FA$T#R and "ith L#$$ training time Repeatedly& studies sho" that more fat loss is achieved in high-intensity programs that use .0 to .@ minutes of training time than those that use /@ or @0 minutes of aerobic training time $cientists "rite that anaerobic intervals are over"helmingly preferable to aerobics for producing belly fat loss& and that the estimated optimal dose of aerobic e%ercise necessary to lose belly fat appears to be 6&510 calories e%pended per "ee( This is an enormous volume of e%ercise that "ould re,uire 3 hour of moderate intensity aerobic cycling 5 days a "ee( to burn @@0 calories a day so that you could lose even a pound a "ee(D In less than half the time you can get better results "ith anaerobic training A 3AA/ study is indicative of this= :articipants did either .0 "ee(s of aerobic training or 3@ "ee(s of intervals 93@ sprints for 60 seconds each< and lost nine times more body fat and 3. percent more visceral belly fat than the aerobic group Ehat is so interesting about this study is that the energy cost of the aerobic program over the "hole study period "as .1&223 calories& "hereas for intervals it "as less than half& at 36&23/ calories In less time& the interval group lost much more "eight-nine times more "eight 'o" do researchers e%plain it? Aside from greater fat o%idation and higher #:;!& hormone response plays a ma?or roleF #': Sprints I!prove (or!one )esponse for More Belly Fat Loss $print intervals and anaerobic e%ercise in general improve your entire endocrine system Both training modes enhance the cells7 sensitivity to insulin& ma(ing anaerobic training a successful treatment for diabetes :erhaps most important& anaerobic e%ercise also elevates gro"th hormone 9G'< -a po"erful fat burning hormone that helps restore tissue and build muscle-much more than aerobic training G' is released by the body in greater ,uantities in response to physical stress above the lactate threshold& "hich is the reason heavy& sprints are so effective

Another hormone called adiponectin that is released from fat tissue during e%ercise also helps burn fat #merging scientific evidence sho"s that any time you perform forceful muscle contractions& adiponectin is released& and then your body produces a substance called :G!3 that is li(e a )master s"itch+ that enhances muscle and metabolic functions& thereby burning belly fat Caturally& anaerobic training is most effective for increasing adiponectin and :G!3 to burn fat since sprints and especially "eight lifting re,uire e%tremely forceful muscle contractions #*: Stren+th Train to Lose Belly Fat To get a lean& trim your midsection and lose belly fat& you need to strength train "ith a high volume& using large muscle groups& and short rest periods This metabolically intense type of training is fantastic for increasing G' and aiding belly fat loss This doesn7t mean you have to spend hours and hours a day (illing yourself in the gymD Gou "ill get results from a resistance training program that includes the follo"ing components= > 4ulti-?oint lifts such as s,uats& deadlifts& lunges& split s,uats& step-ups& chin-ups& and chest presses in every training session Add isolation e%ercises only if you have e%tra time > Train "ith a higher volume-"or( up to more than / sets per e%ercise $hoot for ./ to 6. total sets per training session > Train "ith a higher intensity-include some training in the 50 to 1@ percent of the 3R4 range > Include short rest periods 960 to 20 seconds< and al"ays train a )finisher+ that re,uires near ma%imal effort for more G' response 9.@ reps of s,uats or . minutes of leg presses& for e%ample< > !ount tempo for every lift so that you apply a specific amount of tension to the muscles In general& opt for longer 9/ second< eccentric tempos and short or e%plosive concentric tempos > $hoot for 6 to / hours of total training time per "ee(& "hich includes resistance training and a fe" short sprint sessions #,: "naero#i$ Trainin+ Pro-u$es Less .ortisol For More Belly Fat Loss !ortisol is the stress hormone that is elevated "hen you are under both physical and psychological stress Research sho"s cortisol is chronically higher in endurance athletes-one study found that aerobic athletes had significantly higher evidence of cumulative cortisol secretion in their hair than controls In addition& cortisol is generally elevated more follo"ing aerobic training than anaerobic training :art of this has to do "ith the fact that strength training and intervals do elevate cortisol& but they also elevate anabolic hormones such as G' and testosterone that counter the negative effects of cortisol If G' and testosterone are not elevated& cortisol over"helms tissue& having a catabolic effect that leads to gradual muscle loss and fat gain By doing aerobic training "ithout strength training& you "ill lose muscle& lo"er your metabolic& rate& and gain fat Eorst of all& high cortisol causes chronic inflammation& "hich lead to belly fat gain over time-all-around bad ne"sD #/: "naero#i$ Trainin+ Is More Fun 0 Less Borin+ than "ero#i$ %&er$ise Intervals and strength training ta(e less time and provide much more variety than aerobic training Cot only are you doing many different e%ercises in a strength training session& but you are pushing yourself to reach ne" personal bests Ehen you see ho" it can transform a fat belly into a lean& cut midsection& you "ill be that much more motivated to continueD In addition& although sprint interval training can be mentally challenging& it only re,uires a short "or(out and many trainees find intervals less boring than endurance e%ercise :lus& most people en?oy feeling po"erful and fast from going all out Get a training partner to help push you through

the hard parts and (no" that by "or(ing hard but smart& you "ill reach your fat loss goal #1: Mi& It 2p with Mo-ifie- Stron+!an3 4arie- Stren+th Proto$ols 0 Sprints A fe" more anaerobic training suggestions include the follo"ing= > Try modified strongman training= *o sled training& tire flips& and a heavy farmer7s "al( to lose belly fat fast > 4i% up strength training protocols "ith circuit training and supersets that use very short rest periods For e%ample& do supersets "ith 30 seconds rest "hen s"itching from the agonist to the antagonist e%ercise and 20 seconds bet"een sets ;r& do a )death circuit+ of heavy& high volume deadlifts follo"ed by split s,uats follo"ed by lighter high volume s,uats "ith 30 seconds rest bet"een e%ercises > Try a sprint training "or(out in "hich you do .0 second all-out sprints "ith 30 seconds rest in / sets of / intervals Rest 6 to / minutes bet"een sets > Try hill or stair running in "hich you sprint up as fast as possible and ?og do"n-repeat immediately *o 1 to 32 reps > Try a sprint-endurance "or(out "ith si% to eight .00-meter sprints 9about 60 seconds each< "ith a 6 to / minute recovery