Thursday, November 27, 2008

Using High Intensity Interval Training To Burn Off Belly Fat Fast

By Greg McKenzie

Really, if one thinks about it, it's ridiculous that so many people are still struggling to loose the belly fat. The reason I say this is because when one considers the astronomical amounts of money spent each year on weight loss supplements and exercise programs, the problem really should be long gone.

To be honest, I was also desperate to loose the belly fat at one point in my life and while I may not have tried all the different diet pills, I certainly made up for it by reading everything I could find on the subject hoping to stumble across the perfect secret.

Firstly, I came across a wealth of diets that all claimed to offer 100% positive results and while some do work, at least in the short term, others are just plain dangerous. Secondly, I looked at numerous exercise programs and here again, while some were that weak that they could never show results, others were completely over the top as far as your average person is concerned.

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.

Of course nobody can disagree that those results were amazing but what researchers also discovered, was that those who had been on the interval training program also benefited from a permanent change in their metabolism, the manner in which your body burns fat.

Now if we take a minute to consider that those tests were done more than a decade ago, it stands to reason that interval training techniques would surely have improved over the years, thus resulting in even more impressive results when practiced today. Even beginners just starting can expect to shed about 2lbs of body fat per week, based on three twenty minute sessions each week.

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. - 16463

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