what is the best way to get rid of the fat on the lower part of the stomach?

This is the problem with studies. Sometimes, they don't match the results others get. Go figure.

The best advice is to se what actually works for you.

 

Or you could go to the other extreme and pack on some muscle mass!

10 lb of flab looks smaller on a 100kg chunk of muscle than a 60kg matchstick

(Or you could ingore that and do the diet thing ).

 

I'll agree w/Gangrel as well. FYI- you should keep in mind your goals for losing weight. If you want to lose weight because you're training to fight, your routine is going to include much more cardio than if you're cutting to look ripped. If you're trying to be figure-competitor ripped, almost any cardio will catabolize muscle.

 

I don't see how telling someone to figure things out for themselves is good advice.

 

HIIT is the most efficent way of dropping weight.

Its really annoying when people discount low intensity cardio because they read a few articles on Tnation. Just because HIIT is more effective at cutting weight, doesnt mean it replaces everything. Train all energy systems if you want to be fit and healthy across everything.

Personally, I want to be able to lift my bodyweight above my head, run a marathon, swim 10miles and hike 140kms. Now that is health. Alot better than just being able to do 400metre interval runs or tabata squats.

 

I think he is probably telling him to experiment to see which style of fat loss works for him.

 

Eat healthy and do exercise that makes you sweat a lot.
That's my master plan!

 

:woo: :woo: :woo:

 

Well, let's see... You advocated no cardio.. whatever worked for you (which, by the way, very Men's Health "Ab Diet" of you). Me? All the stuff you said "don't do" worked for me, especially in combination with diet.

You'll find articles and experts who say I'm wrong, I'll find folks who will say you're wrong. Seems to me that the research ain't as black-and-white as folks like to make it out to be.

NK had it right in one

 

Cardio is one of those misleading things. It is really about how many calories get burned that affects your weight loss. Long slow sessions can burn the calories and so can fast intense sessions. Keeping your heart rate within a certain range will burn more fat than carbs, but in the long run it still balances out to how many calories are burned.

I think it depends on two issues, which do you prefer and what your outcome will be from repetitive injuries. I prefer to do a variety so that the old joints don't hurt as much.

 

Awesome goals!

 

If I remember correctly, the OP was asking what the best way to lose fat was, not what the best way to get in shape to run a marathon was. You yourself said that HIIT is more efficient for dropping weight than low-intensity cardio.

I specifically said myself that if your goal is to have long-distance endurance, like for soccer games or marathons, then you need cardio.

If you want endurance, train endurance by all means. The OP didn't ask for that.

I don't get the Men's Health reference, I'll assume it's one of those cheap shots you're so fond of.

The thing you have to understand is that just because you lost weight with diet and cardio, doesn't mean that cardio is effective. How do you know you wouldn't have lost that weight with just diet? Or how do you know you wouldn't have preserved more LBM with diet+resistance training? Maybe your RMR would be higher if you had incorporated HIIT instead of low-intensity cardio? You'll never know, because obviously you can't go back in time. It takes multiple subjects and control groups to test those kinds of questions, that's what's known as scientific research.

On the flip side though, the fact that I am able to lose about 2 lbs a week and preserve my LBM without any cardio doesn't beg those same questions. It clearly shows that I lost a lot of weight while preserving LBM without cardio. Your own story only shows that you lost a lot of weight and happened to be doing cardio at the same time. Correlation does not prove causality.

And of course there's a million people who disagree with me. There's anecdotal evidence EVERYWHERE. There's people who lose weight cutting out all fat from their diet. Does that make it an effective strategy? There's people who can lose weight cutting out all carbs. Does that prove anything? There's people who'll lose weight working out in sweat suits for hours at a time. Does that make it a worthwhile practice?

For every stupid idea, for every stupid diet plan, for every stupid program, and every stupid infomercial product, there are people who will swear that it worked wonders.

That's why we have the scientific method to determine what is objectively useful, rather than what is subjectively valued.

 

Y'know, I actually prepared a long litany, and decided against it.


NK is right. HIIT all you want. Weight train all you want. But reading a few articles online at tnation doesn't make you or anyone else a fitness expert, nor does it discount the value of a good and well-rounded exercise program. That's why I pay a personal trainer. I work with someone who's up-to-date on all the research and actually knows what he's talking about. Make of that what you will.

I monitored my BF%, checked inches, and tried HIIT, didn't care for it. I am on a program which works for me, which includes cardio, weights, and a damn tight diet. I thought I'd share that with someone asking questions.

 

Gangrel / Socrastein, for what it's worth, here's my take: you've both lost impressive amounts of weight. One of you has lost it whilst doing cardio and the other has lost it doing HIIT. Seems to me that both could be seen as being effective.

Also, IMO, the biggest factor in weightloss is diet. I'm willing to bet that both of you tightened up your diet pretty hard in order to lose that weight. I'm also willing to bet that if you hadn't, all the cardio or HIIT in the world would have made much difference.

 

I won't argue with that. Sounds like you found a beautiful place to get some exercise.

 

throwdowns throwdowns throwdowns throwdowns i cant say it enough! as a result of countless sets my lower abs are acutally noticeably faltter than my upper abs and obliques!