How To Burn Stomach Fat: The Truth Behind The T-Shirt
A flat, defined midsection is arguably the most sought after of all body parts. To many, it is the very definition of being fit. If I were to ask ten people about their #1 fitness goal, nine would express a desire to remove the layer of body fat covering their stomach.
As a personal trainer, one of the biggest mistakes I see people make in the gym is attempting to reduce midsection body fat by performing endless sets of abdominal exercises.
While I do agree that having strong core muscles is important, many people are under the impression that performing abdominal exercises for extended periods of time is the solution to belly fat reduction. This belief is quite possibly the biggest misconception in fitness.
Reducing body fat is a body wide process. This means that you must reduce fat everywhere to eventually get to the belly fat, since, for many, this is the last place it will come off.
Unfortunately, there is no way to spot reduce body fat. It would be very convenient if we were able to choose where body fat came off. The truth is that it will come off in the reverse order that it went on. Way back when your body first started receiving more calories than it could use, it was forced to stockpile that extra energy into storage areas.
For many of us, the belly was the first place that the body stored this energy. After that, excess calories were stored in a variety of places (arms, hips, thighs, love handles, etc.).
The process of removing these storage areas will be: Last-on, first-off, and first-on, last-off. As your body fat begins to come off, you may first notice your arms getting slimmer. You may also find that your hips have gotten smaller. Every body is different, so if it’s coming off from anywhere, then you’re on the right track.
Reducing body fat boils down to burning more calories than you consume. We must focus our efforts, then, on burning as many calories as possible, while remaining in a calorie deficit.
How To Burn Stomach Fat Fast
To lose stomach fat, I can not overstate the importance of a resistance training program. Strength training does two things: It burns calories, and it builds lean muscle. The workout itself will burn plenty of calories, but the real benefit comes with the addition of new lean muscle. New lean muscle means your metabolism must work harder all day long to support it. You will burn more calories every day with this new muscle than you did without it.
Cardiovascular exercises are a staple of any fitness program. We must take every opportunity we can to burn off all unnecessary calories.
Last, but certainly not least, to burn stomach fat we must also maintain a proper eating strategy. Learn everything you need to know about food and quick weight loss tips here in the nutrition section.
How to lose stomach fat? While you absolutely should include abdominal training in your overall workout program, there is no need to overdo it. To burn stomach fat quickly, spend the majority of your time on the larger muscle groups, thereby burning more calories. Do cardio and eat smart. You do have a nice flat stomach hiding under that T-shirt, you just need to burn off that extra layer of fat so we can see it.