The #1 exercise to lose belly fat in 1 week fast, according to studies!
Most of us are aware that exercise is a big part of losing belly fat, and it is.
The question is what exercise brings better results faster?
That’s what this post is going to be all about.
As a disclaimer, losing belly fat takes clean eating and exercise. There are other factors like sleep, hormone balance, and stress that affect belly fat, so staying regimented in those areas also helps.
There are many types of exercise that are recommended for weight loss and belly fat.
And that’s for a good reason. Each exercise has a specific purpose and benefit. That’s why oftentimes, it’s ideal to incorporate several different exercises to have a well-rounded plan.
But there is one element of fat-burning workouts that’s a must in losing belly fat.
That is cardio.
But if your idea of cardio is going for a jog or 5km run in the morning, you are missing out.
Loosely speaking, there are two types of cardio, and one is suited for fat burning far more than the other.
The Best Exercise Lose Belly Fat In 1 Week
Aerobic vs Anaerobic Cardio
There is aerobic cardio which is performed at a steady pace. It’s a type of cardio you can perform for 30-40 minutes at a time, such as walking, jogging, and leisure biking.
It’s called steady because your heart rate remains steady and you perform the activity at around 60% of maximum capacity.
The other type of cardio is anaerobic, which involves high-intensity activity. This type often gets performed in bursts of intense and explosive activity like sprinting and weight lifting.
Anaerobic is more intense in nature, performed at up to 80% of your maximum capacity.
Both types of cardio benefit your health and fitness level, but each affects your body differently.
Because of that, one type of cardio is said to be more effective for fat burning, especially for belly fat.
The high-intensity cardio differs from low-intensity cardio in how your body uses stored energy and oxygen levels.
In steady aerobic cardio like walking, your muscles have oxygen surplus and are able to produce the energy needed for the activity.
In contrast, anaerobic means ‘without oxygen.
High-intensity cardio places more energy demand in a shorter time frame than there is a supply for.
And in anaerobic, those calories are burned off from carb reserves for immediate availability.
In aerobics, you are sourcing from multiple energy servers like carbs and fat to fuel the body.
Because steady cardio taps into your fat storage for fuel, it’s often said to be effective for fat loss, but this is quite short-sighted.
Though fewer calories come from fat in high-intensity cardio, it burns far more total calories in a short period of time than steady cardio does.
The Most Effective Exercise to Burn Fat
Because of this difference in the energy demand, there are more research points today that HIIT ends up burning more fat.
Not to mention, HIIT builds lean muscle and boosts your metabolism. Because muscles are more metabolically active than fat, having a leaner body leads to more efficient fat burning.
Another attribute of HIIT is its oxygen consumption. The Harder you work out, your body gets triggered into the afterburn effect (EPOC). It’s an effect that your body continues to burn more calories post-workout, due to the higher oxygen consumption during a workout.
All in all, it’s a workout that’s designed to expand the most amount of calories in a short workout.
HIIT for Belly Fat
So can HIIT be used to lose belly fat? Absolutely!
A 2018 study compared the effect of HIIT and moderate-intensity exercise on belly fat. With HIIT they saw a significant reduction in abdominal fat and visceral fat.
So if you are looking for one exercise to lose belly fat in a week, add this HIIT.
HIIT to Lose Belly Fat
Cardio HIIT for Fat Burning (1)
5 -10 rounds of:
- Sprinting for 30 seconds
- Rest for 15 seconds
3 rounds of:
- Burpees for 60 seconds
- Rest for 30 seconds
- Jumping jacks for 60 seconds
- Rest for 30 seconds
- Mountain climbers for 60 seconds
- Rest for 30 seconds
