Health Care

By Craig Ballantyne

Shocking weight loss research out of Australia has recently shown that the old way of using cardio for fat burning just doesn't work. Medical researchers put women through a 15 week period of cardio workouts, and yet these women did not lose any weight over the entire program.

Both researchers and subjects were stunned by the lack of results. But that wasn't the only surprise.

Another group of women were in the exercise study, but they used a secret form of short fat burning cardio workouts called "Intervals" for the 15 week study. The shocking results of the study showed that the subjects lost more body fat from shorter interval training workouts - in half the time as the cardio group.

And not only did the interval training group achieve more fat burning results than the cardio group, and in less time, but the interval training also resulted in a dramatic decrease in belly fat. In fact, the researchers went so far as to say that interval training results in the "spot reduction" that all men and women try to achieve with abdominal training.

When interviewed, Professor Steve Boucher, one of the Australian researchers, explained, "high intensity intermittent exercise may result in greater fat loss in the abdomen". That means that unlike doing hundreds of crunches, interval training can work to burn belly fat over everything else.

This is incredible news for all men and women who want to achieve a lean midsection or even 6-pack abs. While most men and women spend all their time on abdominal exercises, the latest research clearly shows we should be doing interval training, not slow cardio or endless crunches. Intervals are the best way to lose stomach fat.

Fitness experts in North America have been one step ahead of this research. In fact, most fat loss programs these days include an interval training program. If your workout doesn't use interval training, you could be missing out on maximum belly fat burning. Fitness experts in North America have identified cardio as having what they call a "dark side". This refers to the increased risk of injury and lack of results from slow cardio.

The short, burst exercise workouts of interval training use more intense effort to get more results in less time than cardio. And more importantly, the workouts are over in less time. The researchers theorized interval training works better because it boosts fat burning hormones, while cardio does not. The Australian research group believes that men can also burn fat with interval training.

If you are new to interval training, you should start conservatively. Begin by doing 1 minute rounds of interval training at a slightly harder than normal exercise pace. Then spend 1 minute at a slow pace as a recovery interval. Do up to 6 intervals per workout, going between the hard exercise and easy exercise portions for a total of 12 minutes. Always include a 4-minute warmup and 4-minute cooldown to complete your 20 minute interval training session.

As your fitness improves, you can increase your interval intensity. Perform this type of workout 3 times per week after your resistance training workout and you will lose stomach fat, burn off your belly, and sculpt your body to develop a lean mid-section and toned arms.