As a personal trainer, one of the most frequently asked questions I get asked is 'What is the best exercise to burn fat?' We've all heard expressions like ''stay in the fat burning zone'' or ''you must do HIIT'' or even ''lifting heavy weights is the best way'', but which one really is the king when it comes to burning away that ugly, wobbly stuff that nobody wants or needs on their body?
Below I have listed my top 5 tips that will help melt away the fat thus revealing a new tighter, toned version of you..
However, before I get onto the tips you need to understand the following..
To Lose just 1lb of FAT, not body weight, not water, not lean mass, FAT, you need a calorific deficit of 3500 calories, What does this mean? Firstly you need to know how many calories your body is using per day (you can do that here) Once you've done that, just subtract 500 from that number and that gives you the amount of calories you need to consume per day to lose 1lb of body fat per week. I.e if you burn 2000 calories per day, you should consume 1500 calories to lose 1lb fat per week.
Now for those tips I was on about...
1. Raise your metabolism. You're metabolism is how many calories your body burns per day. The more calories you burn, the more fat you will lose, it's that simple. OK, ''So how do I raise my metabolism?'' I hear you ask, well that's also simple. MOVE! Every movement you make from running for the bus to typing on your keyboard uses energy (calories) the more you move, the more energy is required, the more calories you burn.
2. Raise your metabolism. Again? Yes again, but this time you're going to lift weights, big heavy ones (with good form may I add). Lifting weights will increase your bodys lean muscle mass. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn at rest. How good does that sound, ''Burn calories at rest!''. Ladies, this bit's for you: don't worry about lifting weights, you have less than 10% of the testosterone in your body than males, as your body needs this stuff to gain muscle, you will not (unless you're pre-op) end up looking like Arnie. So go grab those dumbbells.
3. Raise your metabolism. Can you see where this is going? So you've moved more at work, Lifted some weights, now what? Easy, the best way... HIIT! Or High Intensity Interval Training to all you non gym bunnies out there. Studies have shown that doing just 20 minutes of HIIT can actually raise your metabolism for up 48 hours after exercise. So how do you do it? Simple, all you have to do is choose 1 exercise, lets say running, then work your ass off for 1 minute, recover for 1 minute and then repeat for about 20 minutes.
4. Raise your metabolism. This time it's in the kitchen though. Lets imagine your metabolism is like a wood burning fire (bare with me). If you throw a huge amount of wood/fuel on the fire it will either take a long time to burn or will smother the fire completely thus making the fire go out. Now lets do the opposite, not put any wood/fuel on the fire at all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out what will happen now, no wood/ fuel = no fire - no fire = pile of ash and wood. So, if you haven't worked it out already, here's the best way get the fire roaring: Put small amounts of wood/fuel on the fire in small amounts, often. In other words, eat little and often to keep your metabolism roaring.
5. No, not raise your metabolism, instead.. We're using that horrible body fat as energy! This tip is often over looked due to the fact it involves you exercising before you take on any calories whatsoever (fasted state).
When you exercise your body uses energy from its stores, primarily carbohydrates. However if your body has no stored carbohydrates it will have to choose another form of energy, FAT! The way to do it is to exercise first thing in the morning before you take on any calories whatsoever, for about 60 minutes and at an intensity of about 6/10 or 60% max heart rate. This way your body will have no choice but to use up any stored fat as energy.
Always consult a doctor prior to starting any new exercise regime. Alternatively, hire a personal trainer, I recommend Matt Smith. you can locate him via www.MattSmithFitness.co.uk
Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this post and please feel free to share if you think it could be of use to anyone else.
Mat with all respect you need to be aware of what recommendations you make. Losing fat is not as simple as cutting 500 calories to lose a pound. Someone who maintains at 1700 calories will have to eat 1200 calories only which is first of all a very drastic drop and secondly a very low calorie diet. Furthermore there is no scientific evidence on fasted training. If you have evidence for that I would like to see it
ReplyDeleteAnonymous. I have to hold my hands up to the fact that there is no scientific evidence on fasted training and fat loss (there's also no scientific evidence on the existence of God, but you go tell that to the 2 billion Christians world wide) My point was merely based on the real results of most of the people with the lowest body fat and greatest bodies, IMO, on the planet (bodybuilders, fitness models etc). These people swear by doing LISS fasted cardio for maximum fat burning while maintaining lean tissue. Yes their diet is perfect and their training (for the most part) is perfect but: Why do they waste 1 hour a day, 6-7 days a week doing fasted cardio for fat loss, even when science says it has no benefit if it, doesn't work? Finally, for someone who maintains at 1700 cals, they probably don't need to lose fat anyway, and if they did, again IMO, 1200 calories is not a low cal diet, sub 1000 is a low cal diet. Thank you for your comments and I look forward to reading your reply. Matt "with 2 t's" Smith
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