Belly Fat

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mrhutch33
mrhutch33 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Looking for some exercise idea’s that will assist with trimming my spare tire ;).
Don’t really consider myself over-weight; I actually have a small frame. My problem area seems to be belly fat.
I already run 3 times a week @ 30 minutes…
I’m a busy father of 3 small boys, so I really don’t have time for hitting a gym (or the money), even finding time for a run is challenging.

Just hope to get a few ideas that could be done at home.

Thank you in advance!

Replies

  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    Incorporate sprints into your running. It's called interval training. Run at normal pace for 2-4 minutes, sprint for 30-60 seconds, and repeat for the duration of your run. It will hurt. You will see results fast doing that 3 times per week.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    Edit: double post.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    You cannot spot reduce.

    My advice is to incorporate some weight lifting into your routine.

    Also, you have to make time.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
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    ANY exercise that burns calories will be as good for your belly fat as any other exercise, because you can not spot reduce fat. The only way to lose belly fat is to lower your overall body fat. Eat at a calorie deficit, and the fat will come from wherever it comes. Incorporate resistance training with adequate protein intake to preserve lean body mass while eating at a deficite to insure more of the lost weight is fat, and you will eventually lose the belly fat.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    I've read numerous articles that state that interval training does, indeed, help reduce belly fat specifically.
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/397880-interval-training-vs-cardio-for-belly-fat/
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    if you don't have a pull up bar, get one. they have the iron gym pull up bar, which can be taken out and put in doorways without any nails or screws, and without damaging the door frame.

    no time or money for a gym? okay. if you run 30 minutes a three times a week, can you also make time for 30 minutes of calisthenics at home those other three days?? doing five rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 body weight squats shouldn't even take that long. also, buy a jump rope. 10 minutes of jumping rope is the equivalent of running an 8 minute mile.

    since you are building yourself a little home gym, get a foam roller too. and a yoga mat, so you can be a little comfortable.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
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    I've read numerous articles that state that interval training does, indeed, help reduce belly fat specifically.
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/397880-interval-training-vs-cardio-for-belly-fat/

    Then you have read articles that are wrong. Interval training is more efficient at burning fat, period. It does not target belly fat.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    #2: Lose Belly Fat With Sprint Intervals: The Proof
    The following are examples of the superiority of anaerobic interval training for belly fat loss from the research:
    • A 12-week high-intensity interval training program produced a 17 percent decrease in belly fat in overweight young men. Subjects lost 1.5 kg of belly fat and 2 kg of total fat, while building 1 kg of muscle. Fat burning was increased by 13 percent due to the 3-day a week program of 20-minutes of cycling in which the subjects sprinted for 8 seconds and then did 12 seconds of recovery, repeating these intervals for a total of 60 sprints.
    • The same 20-minute cycling interval program produced 2.5 kg of fat loss in young women in 15 weeks, and the majority of the fat loss come from the legs and abdominal area. The sprint intervals were compared to a steady-state aerobic program that produced no fat loss.
    • A 16-week study had trained athletes perform either a sprint interval protocol or steady-state running four days a week. The sprint interval protocol varied each day, but an example of one of the workouts used was 10 intervals of 30-sec sprints with 90 seconds rest. The sprint interval group lost 16 percent or 1 kg of visceral fat as well as 2 kg of total fat, compared to the endurance group that lost no belly fat, but did lose 1.4 kg of lean mass. The belly fat loss appears to be small, but be aware that subjects were lean, trained athletes to begin with and had less belly fat to lose than overweight subjects.
    • An 8-week interval program using both high- and moderate-intensity intervals decreased belly fat by 44 percent in middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes. Subjects increased quad muscle size by 24 percent and improved insulin sensitivity by 58 percent—a dramatic improvement that highlights the other mechanisms involved in belly fat loss (muscle building, insulin health & blood sugar management).
  • mrhutch33
    mrhutch33 Posts: 2
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    Thank you for the link, good article.
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
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    if you don't have a pull up bar, get one. they have the iron gym pull up bar, which can be taken out and put in doorways without any nails or screws, and without damaging the door frame.

    no time or money for a gym? okay. if you run 30 minutes a three times a week, can you also make time for 30 minutes of calisthenics at home those other three days?? doing five rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 body weight squats shouldn't even take that long. also, buy a jump rope. 10 minutes of jumping rope is the equivalent of running an 8 minute mile.

    since you are building yourself a little home gym, get a foam roller too. and a yoga mat, so you can be a little comfortable.

    YES. All of this.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
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    #2: Lose Belly Fat With Sprint Intervals: The Proof
    The following are examples of the superiority of anaerobic interval training for belly fat loss from the research:
    • A 12-week high-intensity interval training program produced a 17 percent decrease in belly fat in overweight young men. Subjects lost 1.5 kg of belly fat and 2 kg of total fat, while building 1 kg of muscle. Fat burning was increased by 13 percent due to the 3-day a week program of 20-minutes of cycling in which the subjects sprinted for 8 seconds and then did 12 seconds of recovery, repeating these intervals for a total of 60 sprints.
    • The same 20-minute cycling interval program produced 2.5 kg of fat loss in young women in 15 weeks, and the majority of the fat loss come from the legs and abdominal area. The sprint intervals were compared to a steady-state aerobic program that produced no fat loss.
    • A 16-week study had trained athletes perform either a sprint interval protocol or steady-state running four days a week. The sprint interval protocol varied each day, but an example of one of the workouts used was 10 intervals of 30-sec sprints with 90 seconds rest. The sprint interval group lost 16 percent or 1 kg of visceral fat as well as 2 kg of total fat, compared to the endurance group that lost no belly fat, but did lose 1.4 kg of lean mass. The belly fat loss appears to be small, but be aware that subjects were lean, trained athletes to begin with and had less belly fat to lose than overweight subjects.
    • An 8-week interval program using both high- and moderate-intensity intervals decreased belly fat by 44 percent in middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes. Subjects increased quad muscle size by 24 percent and improved insulin sensitivity by 58 percent—a dramatic improvement that highlights the other mechanisms involved in belly fat loss (muscle building, insulin health & blood sugar management).

    So what you are saying is that the majority of the fat loss came from the place on men that the majority of fat is stored (the abdomen) and the places on women that the majority of the fat is stored (abdomen and thighs). Shocker.
  • jnlandfamily
    jnlandfamily Posts: 2
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    Great quesiton.............find FUN ways to be more active with your "growing" boys....as an active single mom/student of two :), even CD's are difficult to get excited enough to participate on their level (2 & 4 yrs) Zumba, Kick-Boxing, etc; their attention span is what it is. I find that playing with them, playground, chasing each other, chasing them, freeze tag, red light/blue light, jumping in place, jump rope, summer salts, skipping, hop stoch, whatever........I just try to actively play so I can get my cardio in :) Not sure what their ages but you might end up the DAD OF THE YEAR in their eyes and speaking from a woman's stand point, I'm sure your wife will be most appreciative in tiring them out while you work on your physique & let her do her own thing ;)

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