"Kris, I want to reduce my stubborn belly fat." Messages like this frequent my inbox on a daily basis, several times over! Stubborn fat of any nature (not just belly fat) is down to having too much subcutaneous and visceral - if you get leaner, your stomach will also start to become more defined. Let me show you how to start burning fat more quickly in the gym.
Slow Your Rep Tempo
Stubborn body fat is a direct result of failing to burn enough fuel on a consistent basis. Every time you lift weight the disposal of glucose is increased, which is an essential part of accelerating fat loss. Slowing down your rep tempo, using 3-4 second negatives (eccentrics) means that your muscles work exponentially harder - the upshot is a drastic uplift in energy expenditure. If you adopt this approach across every workout it won't be long until you notice your fat levels begin to drop!
Shorten Your Rest Intervals
Another way to burn more fuel every workout is to shorten your rest periods, most people are guilty of giving themselves too much rest. This means the heart rate drops and the lactic acid is able to vacate the area - science shows us that optimizing fat loss relies on thermogenesis and accumulating an oxygen debt is a great way to achieve that. Cut your rest periods down to 60 seconds between sets and you will quickly notice the difference!
Complete More Volume
Logically if you do more volume energy expenditure will increase, however, this impact is compounded if you do it within the same timescale! For example, if you usually take one hour to complete 16 sets, hitting 25 within the same time frame will have a dramatic impact on your stubborn body fat.
Drop sets, supersets and giant sets are the best way to complete more volume within the same amount of time. Just so you are clear, drop sets involve doing two exercises back to back, giant sets means doing three or more exercises in succession. Drop sets involve performing a set and then instantly dropping the weight by approximately 25% and then going again. All of these tactics help burn more fuel which is essential for fat loss.
CarnoSyn beta-alanine is a patented amino acid which has the potential to dramatically increase performance and reduce fatigue during training. Studies have shown it’s beneficial for weight training based exercise as well as prolonged endurance training.
Becoming aware of who you are inside and what defines you is a life-changing moment. When all of the fluff in your life is taken away and you’re left with the bare essentials, who are you and what do you stand for? That’s a question over 90% of the population will not be able to answer accurately because they never stop and think.
Cheat meals aren't something I’ve ever endorsed or indulged in myself when on a diet. Even during a mass builder transformation or endurance preparation where my calorie intake was much higher, I still kept my diet clean! For sure, I had some healthy treats, my girlfriend, Sunshine, makes for me, but the ingredients remained wholesome.