Written By: Akshay Chopra | Updated : April 15, 2016 7:19 PM IST
There are a few stubborn areas in your body where the fat just won t go away! Men find it difficult to reduce stubborn fat from their bellies, while women tend to put on weight on their hips and thighs. In this post, Flight Lieutenant Akshay Chopra, fitness consultant and coach lists out a few exercises, and even busts a few misconceptions like the myth of spot reduction and the notion that women will build big muscles if they do weight-training.
It s simple to be healthy. The formula is, Right workout + clean eating + adequate sleep + less stress = a healthier you . Sounds amazing? The good news is pretty much everyone knows this, the bad news we re humans, not machines and are bound to make mistakes. This is why I believe that getting healthier is a lifestyle, not a weekly or monthly affair.
Men and women are different and will store fats in different parts of their body and there are evolutionary reasons for this. Women have wider hips and pelvis which is necessary to deliver babies. Men on the other hand are predisposed to store fat in the belly and neck area while women are likelier to store in their hips, arms and thighs. Another thing you need to realize before you start exercising is that there s no such thing as spot reduction. You can t just burn fat from one part of your body.
But believe me, regardless of your gender or body type you can get rid of these last deposits of stubborn fat pockets. And you don t have to resort to invasive methods like liposuction or stomach stitching surgeries. Here are some exercises to get rid of stubborn fat.
Exercises to get rid of stubborn fat
Let s divide our exercises to get rid of stubborn fat into two parts resistance training and cardiovascular training. If you want to see the most muscular and ripped physique who have inculcated all the components of fitness like muscular endurance, muscular strength and power, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, coordination, agility, speed, balance etc. then go to your nearest stadium or sports ground and observe the physiques of sprinters, jumpers, badminton players, basketball players, soccer players etc. these sports have an all-round training to make a complete athlete. Stop looking at wrong influences like actors, models or cricketers.
The last point before we discuss the exercises is that there is no different exercises or versions of exercises for men or women. A squat or bench press or any other exercise is same for all. Women cannot build muscles like men because they don t have the required levels of male hormone testosterone which is the primary hormone for muscle building. The heavier they lift, the leaner and stronger they get. With heavy weights women have an increased in strength not muscularity. You can also use intense workouts that span over a short duration, like this 10-minute workout to burn stubborn fat and get flat abs.
Below are some of the methods and exercises you can use to burn those last inches of fat:-
Strength exercises
Leg Workouts Around 60% of the muscle mass is in your lower body. It is common to see guys with pencil-thin legs and big biceps and chest. I call this imbalance the chicken leg syndrome . We don t work out our legs in India because showing off legs is still not a fashion statement. So why bother to build something which you can t show off. Let me tell you the biggest secret of weight training, secret to a lean, chiselled and muscular physique, a set of washboard abs, it is a heavy leg workout. And mind you, it is painful because that is another reason why people don t do it as it takes a lot out of you. In my opinion, the best exercise in the world it is the good old heavy barbell squats. A squat targets over a hundred muscles at a time. Below is the list of exercise for an effective leg work out:
Compound exercises for upper body
Most people waste their time by doing isolation exercises for the upper body. Isolation exercise are single joint exercises and target mainly one muscle group like dumbbell curl for biceps or dumbbell flyes for chest. Instead focus more on compound or multi-joint movements. It will skyrocket your stubborn fat burning capacity. Try out these exercises:
Cardio confusion
Do you know why your trainer tells you to run for 40 minutes on a treadmill? Because it is the easiest way to pass your time (or you can say waste your time). Treadmills are a waste of time and were not built for gyms. So the first advice is to shun the cardio equipment in your gym and move outdoors. Consider the difference between the bodies of a long-distance runner and a sprinter. A long-distance runner usually has more body fat than a sprinter. The reasons for this is long distance running doesn t burn much fat and instead claws away at your precious muscles. If you really want to burn body fat and like running you should try sprints and HIIT (high interval intensity training). Incorporate these workouts into your cardiovascular training (keep a vomiting bag handy):
a. Do a 20 sec sprint with 30-40 sec very slow jog or walk. Do this for 12 consecutive times.
b. Sprint for 60, 80, 100 and 120m on a flat ground. Rest period between each sprint is the time you take to walk back to the starting point. Continue for 3 sets with 2 min rest between each set.
c. Do 10x80/100m sprints on an elevated ground. Rest interval is the time you walk down to the starting point.
Your workouts have to be tough. If someone is telling your otherwise, then beware of the intentions. Do this type of cardio 2-3 times/week and 3 days of weight training. Do not mix the two, you won t be able to and you should not. After a training session you are supposed to feel exhausted and drained out. The primary reason you are not burning fat is that you are not working out intensely enough. Here are 5 yoga poses to get toned thighs. You may also want to know 8 foods that help you lose belly fat. Also, follow these tips to burn stubborn fat.
Image source: Getty Images
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