Exercises to burn fat!

mkonig1
mkonig1 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone! I'm relatively new at My Fitness Pal. I've just started weight training and trying to gain muscle, but I have a layer of belly fat that I have to get rid of first... what exercises are good for this? My goal is to lose ten pounds. TIA!

Replies

  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,213 Member
    You can't spot reduce, so trying to only lose fat around your belly is impossible. Your best bet is to get some cardio or HIIT in as well to help burn the fat overall. There are many options for this, I personally use FitnessBlender.com and their videos because they are fun, varied (much better than 30 minutes on a treadmill). Others will use other things. good luck.
  • Grnhouse
    Grnhouse Posts: 254 Member
    Avidkeo wrote: »
    You can't spot reduce, so trying to only lose fat around your belly is impossible. Your best bet is to get some cardio or HIIT in as well to help burn the fat overall. There are many options for this, I personally use FitnessBlender.com and their videos because they are fun, varied (much better than 30 minutes on a treadmill). Others will use other things. good luck.

    I like fitnessblender a lot. Good mix and the instructions for proper form are great.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Exercise doesn't burn fat, it burns calories. Where those calories come from varies based on a number of factors. Most people see much better results/consistency if they control their eating such that they lose weight, and then exercise to supplement their dietary changes and for health/strength/conditioning benefits.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,475 Spam Moderator
    As mentioned, to burn off EXCESS fat it's down to calorie deficit. Exercise is for FITNESS and HEALTH and to just burn calories. You're NOT burning stored fat calories when exercising. You burned excess stored fat calories IF you're in a calorie deficit and do it exclusively when your body is AT REST.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • kcjchang
    kcjchang Posts: 709 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Cardio and HIIT will burn GLYCOGEN first and foremost. To even touch fat (and we're not talking stored excess bodyfat), the glycogen level will have to be pretty depleted and many would have to exercise a pretty long duration to get there.

    Cardio? Glycogen usage (and rate) depends on the energy system being used (see pic and note one need ramp through the other two systems in order to "use" ATP-PCr, think is as a energy spectrum and you can't just drop at the top) and how one is adapted. Below critical power, you can go on forever as far as energy utilization. Other factors, such as central and localized fatigue comes into play which will drastically reduce the duration. Two to three hours can be easily done with plenty of glycogen still in storage. But you pointed:
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    None of this matters at all if a calorie deficit isn't in place.

    k4zjcumt9za4.png
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
    I've always liked this description of fuel consumption during exercise: "Fat burns in a carbohydrate fire"
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    OgQD wrote: »
    3x per week I start my gym session with about 10 minutes on the stair stepper, or until I burn 125 calories (whichever comes first). If the gym you work out at is within a mile or two, I would say walk that once or twice per week (if you want to better that, walk to the gym before you hit the stair stepper!). I lift after I complete either of these cardio sessions. In terms of diet, attempt an 8 hour window of eating. I eat breakfast at 9 or 10 am, and my last meal is around 5 or 6 pm. With the cardio I recommended to you there should be little difficulty in losing weight unless you have a high carb high fat diet, but if you are dedicated then lowering your calories isn't a bad idea. Make sure you are getting all of your preferred macros if you do choose to cut calories.
    None of this matters at all if a calorie deficit isn't in place.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    It still helps. Over eating and exercising is better than over eating and not exercising. People shouldn't not exercise just because their diet isn't perfect.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    As mentioned, to burn off EXCESS fat it's down to calorie deficit. Exercise is for FITNESS and HEALTH and to just burn calories. You're NOT burning stored fat calories when exercising. You burned excess stored fat calories IF you're in a calorie deficit and do it exclusively when your body is AT REST.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    This isn't exactly true. All energy systems are at work during exercise, just at varying degrees. The higher the intensity the more is going to come from glycogen, but you hardly need to burn through your glycogen stores before tapping into fat reserves. The higher developed your aerobic system is the better you can use fat as fuel and extend your glycogen stores during lower to moderate intensity exercise.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    OK, now I'm getting lost. I am curious/interested in this topic, but you've lost me a bit.

    Are we debating about whether or not exercise burns fat from a literal standpoint, or whether or not exercise is an important factor in fat loss/weight loss?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I think we started of talking about using exercise as a way to contribute to a calorie deficit to lose fat over time. And then we went on a bro-science tangent about running out of glycogen.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Lol. Yeah.
  • Brabo_Grip
    Brabo_Grip Posts: 285 Member
    Abs are made on the kitchen.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,808 Member
    Brabo_Grip wrote: »
    Abs are made on the kitchen.

    No they aren't - but they may be revealed by staying away from the kitchen.
  • Brabo_Grip
    Brabo_Grip Posts: 285 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Brabo_Grip wrote: »
    Abs are made on the kitchen.

    No they aren't - but they may be revealed by staying away from the kitchen.

    I baked mine.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Mmmmm. Baked abs. Zombies everywhere approve.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,864 Member
    mkonig1 wrote: »
    Hey everyone! I'm relatively new at My Fitness Pal. I've just started weight training and trying to gain muscle, but I have a layer of belly fat that I have to get rid of first... what exercises are good for this? My goal is to lose ten pounds. TIA!

    No particular exercise is going to target fat reduction in a specific area. Regular exercise is very good for your health and overall well being and has the added benefit of increasing your energy expenditure which can make maintaining a calorie deficit easier. It also makes weight maintenance a lot easier...but it doesn't target fat from a specific area.

    When you lose weight, you'll lose fat from all over. For many, belly fat is primary fat stores and kind of a first on, last off proposition...
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
    Welcome to the app. Unfortunately there's no exercise that can help you lose your belly fat. The only way to lose body fat is to eat at a calorie deficit. Unfortunately your genetics will determine how and where the weight comes off.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,475 Spam Moderator
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    OgQD wrote: »
    3x per week I start my gym session with about 10 minutes on the stair stepper, or until I burn 125 calories (whichever comes first). If the gym you work out at is within a mile or two, I would say walk that once or twice per week (if you want to better that, walk to the gym before you hit the stair stepper!). I lift after I complete either of these cardio sessions. In terms of diet, attempt an 8 hour window of eating. I eat breakfast at 9 or 10 am, and my last meal is around 5 or 6 pm. With the cardio I recommended to you there should be little difficulty in losing weight unless you have a high carb high fat diet, but if you are dedicated then lowering your calories isn't a bad idea. Make sure you are getting all of your preferred macros if you do choose to cut calories.
    None of this matters at all if a calorie deficit isn't in place.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    It still helps. Over eating and exercising is better than over eating and not exercising. People shouldn't not exercise just because their diet isn't perfect.
    Oh I don't discourage exercise. I'm more about ensuring that consumption is going to be the tell tale reason people are losing excess body fat or not.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png



  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,475 Spam Moderator
    kcjchang wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Cardio and HIIT will burn GLYCOGEN first and foremost. To even touch fat (and we're not talking stored excess bodyfat), the glycogen level will have to be pretty depleted and many would have to exercise a pretty long duration to get there.

    Cardio? Glycogen usage (and rate) depends on the energy system being used (see pic and note one need ramp through the other two systems in order to "use" ATP-PCr, think is as a energy spectrum and you can't just drop at the top) and how one is adapted. Below critical power, you can go on forever as far as energy utilization. Other factors, such as central and localized fatigue comes into play which will drastically reduce the duration. Two to three hours can be easily done with plenty of glycogen still in storage. But you pointed:
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    None of this matters at all if a calorie deficit isn't in place.

    k4zjcumt9za4.png
    Walking will burn more fat by "percentage" in total calories burned in that walk. But most will know it's much more important to burn more calories in a time duration more effectively than it is to focus on the fuel one is using. And the reality is, that it's not even that much fat. A 30 minute walk may burn like 60 fat calories on average.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,475 Spam Moderator
    rybo wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    As mentioned, to burn off EXCESS fat it's down to calorie deficit. Exercise is for FITNESS and HEALTH and to just burn calories. You're NOT burning stored fat calories when exercising. You burned excess stored fat calories IF you're in a calorie deficit and do it exclusively when your body is AT REST.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    This isn't exactly true. All energy systems are at work during exercise, just at varying degrees. The higher the intensity the more is going to come from glycogen, but you hardly need to burn through your glycogen stores before tapping into fat reserves. The higher developed your aerobic system is the better you can use fat as fuel and extend your glycogen stores during lower to moderate intensity exercise.
    But it's not the reserves you're tapping into (with the possible exception of a no fat diet). Dietary fat will be used first. But I do agree that people with better aerobic systems will utilize fat better however these people are usually much more serious in their cardio and endurance training than the average gym or exercise person who does it for general fitness.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    kcjchang wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Cardio and HIIT will burn GLYCOGEN first and foremost. To even touch fat (and we're not talking stored excess bodyfat), the glycogen level will have to be pretty depleted and many would have to exercise a pretty long duration to get there.

    Cardio? Glycogen usage (and rate) depends on the energy system being used (see pic and note one need ramp through the other two systems in order to "use" ATP-PCr, think is as a energy spectrum and you can't just drop at the top) and how one is adapted. Below critical power, you can go on forever as far as energy utilization. Other factors, such as central and localized fatigue comes into play which will drastically reduce the duration. Two to three hours can be easily done with plenty of glycogen still in storage. But you pointed:
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    None of this matters at all if a calorie deficit isn't in place.

    k4zjcumt9za4.png
    Walking will burn more fat by "percentage" in total calories burned in that walk. But most will know it's much more important to burn more calories in a time duration more effectively than it is to focus on the fuel one is using. And the reality is, that it's not even that much fat. A 30 minute walk may burn like 60 fat calories on average.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    What he's showing is it's not true that cardio automatically just burns glycogen until it's gone and only then begins to burn fat.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,475 Spam Moderator
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    kcjchang wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Cardio and HIIT will burn GLYCOGEN first and foremost. To even touch fat (and we're not talking stored excess bodyfat), the glycogen level will have to be pretty depleted and many would have to exercise a pretty long duration to get there.

    Cardio? Glycogen usage (and rate) depends on the energy system being used (see pic and note one need ramp through the other two systems in order to "use" ATP-PCr, think is as a energy spectrum and you can't just drop at the top) and how one is adapted. Below critical power, you can go on forever as far as energy utilization. Other factors, such as central and localized fatigue comes into play which will drastically reduce the duration. Two to three hours can be easily done with plenty of glycogen still in storage. But you pointed:
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    None of this matters at all if a calorie deficit isn't in place.

    k4zjcumt9za4.png
    Walking will burn more fat by "percentage" in total calories burned in that walk. But most will know it's much more important to burn more calories in a time duration more effectively than it is to focus on the fuel one is using. And the reality is, that it's not even that much fat. A 30 minute walk may burn like 60 fat calories on average.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    What he's showing is it's not true that cardio automatically just burns glycogen until it's gone and only then begins to burn fat.
    Which is why I mentioned walking and not running or sprinting. I'll admit that I didn't emphasize on the intensity of the cardio and that lower intensity does use fat at a higher percentage for energy usage.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    mkonig1 wrote: »
    Hey everyone! I'm relatively new at My Fitness Pal. I've just started weight training and trying to gain muscle, but I have a layer of belly fat that I have to get rid of first... what exercises are good for this? My goal is to lose ten pounds. TIA!

    Only 10 lbs - have a minor deficit, 250 cal daily, so you don't risk having muscle loss which you want to keep.

    Do resistance training so there is something under the fat to show off.

    Do 30 minutes of as intense as you can do it cardio you enjoy, but at a level you can do it again tomorrow without an issue - if you want to eat more and the loss of 250 cal daily is a bummer anyway.

    If you can drop 250 cal no issue - do whatever cardio you enjoy for some heart health.

    Nothing during the workout is going to help the belly fat.

    When your body sends the nourishment from your food to the muscles needing it (glucose stores, protein repair, ect) - then you'll drop back to normal fat burning mode for daily existence sooner than you would have otherwise.
    That's what will get ride of the belly fat - that extra 30-90 min after meals back in fat-burning mode with no elevated insulin.
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