Seeking a Flat Stomach in Time for Summer? Here You Go

By December 12, 2018 Uncategorized

So you want to flatten that stomach for Summer & finally get a six pack!?

You: Yeeeaaaaah!

We feel you….. However there’s an issue >.>

You: Awww yeah… Wait, what?…. What ‘issue’? 

Well, why it’s most certainly possible for you to lose that belly fat. There’s no way for you to ONLY lose it.

To put it more eloquently, there’s literally no way to spot reduce fat from one area of your body.

You: But, I store more fat there. Can’t I just lose that?

You have ‘trouble spots’ where you tend to store more fat (legs, back, lower abdomen etc) for sure. Everyone does!

But unfortunately for us all, we can’t reverse that process and only lose fat from there (despite what some pseudo-scientific, intellectually dishonest trainers might have you believe).

However! We can do something about it.. Something quite effective in fact –

We can lose a bunch of fat systemically from our entire body, which will not only leave you with a flatter stomach, but also great muscle definition elsewhere on your body <3

You: Okay, let’s do that…. Um, how do we do it?

Now it’s no secret that we’re not the biiiiiggest fans of cardio here at Stronger (even though we grudgingly use it occasionally).

This is not only because of it’s limited effectiveness… But also because it’s mind numbingly boring.

So what is the answer?

A full body strength training split!

This not only gives us a tremendous calorie burn & the ability to strip fat away from all of our major muscle groups, revealing muscle definition in your legs, shoulders, glutes, arms etc during the session itself. But is also superior to a cardio session for 2 other reasons:

  1. The muscle activation means you continue to lose fat over the following 2-3 days AFTER your session due to the EPOC or ‘afterburn’ effect.
  2. You can target more areas/muscle groups in a shorter period of time. This means you’re able to simultaneously ensure you aren’t losing any muscle, you ARE getting stronger & and you’re able to improve posture, strength, power & general body function.

So what might one of these sessions look like?

This will vary pretty wildly depending on your training level. But when dealing with out clients here at Stronger, most of whom are in the first 0-5 years of serious strength training, the program below is a good one to try!

FULL BODY FAT LOSS SPLIT

A1) DB Split Squat (Rear foot elevated) x 10/leg

15s rest

A2) BB Push Press x 12

75s rest

x 4 sets

B1) KB Front-rack Squat (heels elevated) x 12

15s

B2) DB 45deg Incline Press x 15

15s

B3) Swiss Ball Leg Curl x 15

15s

B4) Inverted Row on Rings (or TRX) x 15

90s rest

x 3 sets

C) Air bike intervals 15 sec sprint : 45 sec slow

x 4-8 sets

 

This is the sort of workout we might give to our members on a fat loss phase to maximise their progress

A few things to note:

  • The layout of the workout is set by the letter coding. So your first 2 movements are paired or ‘supersetted’ together with a 15 sec rest between, then a slightly longer one after the push press.
  • After doing your A1/A2 movements you move onto the B1-4 exercises, which are performed in circuit fashion with a longer rest after the 4th one.
  • The intervals at the end are just to get a bit more blood flow/oxygen through your body and can often simultaneously assist in recovery, whilst allowing a greater calorie burn. Plus they’re over quick, so not too boring 😉

These types of sessions tick all the boxes for fast & successful total body fat loss & it’s no contest when you compare them to traditional cardio:

CARDIO 😢

  • Burns calories during session only.
  • No ability to target certain muscles.
  • Won’t make you stronger.
  • Is slow, time consuming & boring.
  • Is often actually quite hard on the joints (running especially).

STRENGTH 😄

  • Burns calories in the session AND for the following 72 hours.
  • Can target certain movements and muscle groups to improve their development.
  • Can target & correct certain weak points in physique (posture, knee function, shoulders etc).
  • Makes you stronger & more powerful.
  • Prevents muscle/bone wastage.
  • Is fun and quick (sessions typically 40-55 minutes).
  • Can be personalised to the individual to ensure no soreness or joint issues arise.

 

Give this workout a try and let us know how you go!

If you need a little help and want to train this way all the time, we currently have a 61% discount on our 8 week challenge. Why not give it a try 😉

Now go forth and become a #STRONGERathlete ^_^