by Jeremy Ethier
As a naturally skinny kid, I was teased for my lack of size and definition. At the age of 15, I begged my father to take me to the gym since I wasn’t of age to train alone. To begin with, I focused on the “popular” lifts like bicep curls and chest flies. I attempted pretty much every food hack in the book in a bid to pack on size, including the infamous GOMAD (gallon of milk a day) approach, but to no avail.
I was sick and tired of trying my best and not seeing results. As I began to study and familiarize myself with the correct physical and nutritional approach, I quickly learned I’d been doing everything wrong. By 18, I’d qualified to become a personal trainer. I went on to study kinesiology at university and became utterly hooked on research.
I have now created a science-based approach and shared my knowledge with the world. My goal is to help the average Joe apply this knowledge to his/her physiological needs. One of the most common questions is “how can I lose stubborn belly fat?” A lot of trainers will tell you it’s not possible. I beg to differ.
Here’s how to make the impossible possible in three simple steps. All you need is perseverance!
Determine how long it will take you to lose your stubborn belly fat by choosing the photo that best represents your current body fat percentage.
You’ll need to get to around 10% body fat to see a prominent six-pack. We will use the optimal rate of fat loss to ascertain how long it will take you to get there based on your starting point. Most people are unaware of the physiological catch with belly fat, which explains why it’s so hard to lose when compared to other areas. This is because, Compared to other areas, your belly contains more subcutaneous fat cells that are resistant and tricky to burn off. The belly receives significantly less blood flow than most other areas of the body, making it more difficult to burn fat. This is why the face, chest and arms burn fat more quickly and easily.
THE 3 STEPS:
1- Make sure you’re in a calorie deficit.
It may sound obvious, but this principle is the same regardless of where you need to burn fat. You’ll need to combine this with lifting weights for the best results.
2- Mobilize the belly fat so you can start losing fat from that area.
You will need to adhere to step 1 for long enough that the fat starts to come off from the belly because the body will prioritize burning fat from other areas first, as it’s much easier for your body to burn off the fat on the chest and arms than it is on the belly. This is where people fall off the wagon; they don’t stick to their calorie deficit for long enough that the body gets past this and begins to target the fat on the belly. Don’t get frustrated and quit prematurely. However, there may not be much of a change at first, but if you stick to the plan that little bit longer, you will finally see the fat loss from your belly. Allow your body to mobilize that stubborn body fat and ride it out for long enough that it has stripped off sufficient fat from other areas that it now needs to rely on belly fat for fuel. There is a scientific connection between the amount of fat on your belly and your abdominal blood flow. Once you start leaner on your belly, the blood flow to that area will increase to use that fat for energy.
3- Choose the correct exercises to spot and reduce fat from the belly.
Perform abs exercises to build up the abs, so they become more visible, even when carrying more belly fat. This way, you won’t need to get AS lean to get your six-pack to pop the way you want it to. Use weighted abdominal exercises with progressive overload like any other area of your body. Studies do show you can spot and reduce fat from your belly by exercising the muscles around the belly to increase the blood flow there and then follow up with low-intensity cardio, which prioritizes burning fat that’s been mobilized from that area. You could, for example, perform an abs workout first and follow that up with 30 mins of low-intensity cardio to burn off the fat that’s been mobilized. These studies are relatively new, but there is a science to support this theory.
Source
Get your free “Built With Science” fat loss meal plan here and check out the Builtwithscience website for more tips and information.
Want a six-pack? This will tell you all you need to know.