Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Using HIIT To Burn Off Belly Fat Fast

By Greg McKenzie

You know, when one actually considers the vast amounts of money spent on weight loss supplements and various other weight loss programs, it's almost unbelievable that so many people are still struggling to loose the belly fat. On the other hand, there's a perfectly natural way to shed up to 5lbs of belly fat in as little as one week.

The truth is that i struggled to lose belly fat for a number of years. I actually devoured every book on the subject hoping to learn the secret key - the magic formula that would turn my body into this fat burning furnace so i could be lean.

The first thing i found was a bunch of fad diets. Most of them really didn't work and a lot of them are just plain dangerous. Just before we get onto what really works, consider this - in what way would starving ourselves of nutrients ever be able to benefit our health and weight loss? I also found a ton of exercise routines that were just plain wrong. No exercise is really bad, its just that when it comes to weight loss some exercises are canons, others are pea shooters.

And then i came across interval training. With the current scientific research that's been done on the subject, it is the most effective method of weight loss on the planet. I'll tell you why - one interval training session will help you get your body to lose the belly fat for up to 40 hours after you have exercised. (I bet you always wanted to lose weight in your sleep!). When you compare this to the 30 minutes you get out of standard steady state cardio you can see how effective it is.

If anyone reading this has doubts then just consider the results of a study which was conducted at Tremblay in 1994. Using two groups of volunteers, one group was put on a steady state cardio program while the second group was put on an interval training program. As you've more than likely already guessed, the results were overwhelming. Those on the interval training program had lost nine times as much subcutaneous fat compared to those who had been doing steady state cardio.

What impressed researchers even more, was the fact that the interval training had actually altered the participants' metabolisms in a permanent way. In other words, even after the study had been completed, their bodies remained more efficient at burning fat.

That study was done in 1994 and since then there have been enormous strides in making this method of fat loss even more effective. Result can vary depending how fit you are and how intensely you can exercise but they can range from about 2 pounds a week for a beginner workout doing the minimum of twenty minutes exercise, three times a week to up to 5 pounds a week on the more intense programs.

The exercises are pretty intense and if you are a beginner you would be advised to start slowly and ease into it. Whether you just have a few pounds to lose or a lot more, this is the most effective way to lose the belly fat. - 16004

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