How To Lose Belly Fat

[Ruhnie]

Great thread. I'm still torn on the debate between HIIT and standard cardio workouts. I have an exercise bike and elliptical at home that I try to use on non-game days, for about half an hour at least. I don't have a gym membership, nor do I want one, but I'd like to find a way to incorporate weight/resistance training into my routine.

Is it possible to use free weights at home to for an effective all-around training routine? Are there exercises with them that will cover all the major muscles? I'm not looking to bulk up but would love to add some tone, strength, and agility for hockey. Any tips or links would be highly appreciated!

 

[Little Nilan]

Great thread. I'm still torn on the debate between HIIT and standard cardio workouts. I have an exercise bike and elliptical at home that I try to use on non-game days, for about half an hour at least. I don't have a gym membership, nor do I want one, but I'd like to find a way to incorporate weight/resistance training into my routine.

Is it possible to use free weights at home to for an effective all-around training routine? Are there exercises with them that will cover all the major muscles? I'm not looking to bulk up but would love to add some tone, strength, and agility for hockey. Any tips or links would be highly appreciated!

I know you don't want a gym membership, but you should try this:
http://www.ymcadallas.org/index.cfm?FuseAction=Page&PageID=1000000

If its anything like I have near my home, you wont get better bang for the buck. You get a few free private classes with a certified trainer and free classes for a number of very good physical activities. The trainers should be able to help you get to the level you want as well as do the proper movements for each exercise.

They all have pools as well and swimming is great for toning the body and getting fit. I know Peter Forsberg did it often.

I hope that helps.

 

[Ruhnie]

I know you don't want a gym membership, but you should try this:
http://www.ymcadallas.org/index.cfm?FuseAction=Page&PageID=1000000

If its anything like I have near my home, you wont get better bang for the buck. You get a few free private classes with a certified trainer and free classes for a number of very good physical activities. The trainers should be able to help you get to the level you want as well as do the proper movements for each exercise.

They all have pools as well and swimming is great for toning the body and getting fit. I know Peter Forsberg did it often.

I hope that helps.

Interesting, I actually hadn't even considered them for something like this. I will take a look, thx for the suggestion

 

[Whiplash27]

The cheapest gyms where I live are Planet Fitness which I hate so much because they're just so uptight. The best bet for someone who's older is to get a gym membership through your company, usually they go for something like $300 a year.

 

[VisionQuest*]

ok.

from a guy that played a relatively high level of hockey, quit playing, broke his leg and BLEW THE **** UP weight wise, then went on to lose 80lbs, ill offer my 2 cents.

#1 - multiple small meals is vital. I did weight watchers, and to stay alive in that program, which is more teaching about how to balance your fiber, fat, and calories than telling you what to eat, you have to snack a little here and there for it to be really effective.
#2 - HITT worked the best for me, right when I woke up. I made myself run. I took care to stretch and stuff first. When I felt comfortable, I got back on the ice and used that as well. I hate gyms, I like a good pair of running shoes and the city streets. Running is infectious too, its easy to get addicted. It's also easy to take a month off and get completely out of sync. If this happens to you, dont fret too much, you just need to get back on the horse.
#3 - I dont lift weights, I do pushups and some core work, I have a massive muscle and bone structure (I'm 6'4" and my 0% bodyfat weight is 219lbs, 22 [average weight] BMI for my height is 181lbs) so my primary focus has always simply been burning fat.
#4 - for breakfast, try something like Nulaid egg replacements, 1 cup is 120 calories, 0 fat, and loads of protein. mix em with veggies and hashbrowns (cooked only maybe in a little bit of olive oil for essential fats) and eat on wheat toast and youll be full forever.

 

[Owen Money]

I've found that the best way to lose belly fat is to stop eating like you have two arseholes.

 

[XX]

Great thread. I'm still torn on the debate between HIIT and standard cardio workouts. I have an exercise bike and elliptical at home that I try to use on non-game days, for about half an hour at least. I don't have a gym membership, nor do I want one, but I'd like to find a way to incorporate weight/resistance training into my routine.

You can do HIIT on your bike and elliptical. It will kick your ass but you will fall in love with the feeling it gives you. And the results.

Is it possible to use free weights at home to for an effective all-around training routine? Are there exercises with them that will cover all the major muscles? I'm not looking to bulk up but would love to add some tone, strength, and agility for hockey. Any tips or links would be highly appreciated!

Yes. You can use free weights to do bodyweight exercises like lunges in order to add muscle. You definitely will want to look into a plyometric cardio type session. I remember my hockey coach telling us if we spent 5 minutes doing plyo cardio before bed it'd make a difference and it sure did.

I found a dumbbell only routine you can try:
http://www.hotnfit.com/weightlifting/beginnerdb.html#top

If you want, just look for bodyweight routines which don't require weights.

 

[golfortennis]

While this is certainly unscientific, but my question would be you current fitness level. Every sport I have played has had a more specific need(be it aerobic or power), but the key is being at a high level of overall fitness first.

Like another poster, I participate in triathlons. It is an endurance sport, but like any sport with a clock, you want to be faster, so you incorporate speedwork. The problem is, speedwork is close to useless without a strong base. This would apply to hockey as well.

Running dropped a lot of weight for me, and it's the best exercise for weight loss that I'm aware of. If you are in good enough shape that you can run 10K in close to 40 minutes, I would say you are in good position to then go to the high intensity work and really see benefits. I would try to get yourself in the best shape you think you can possibly be, and then take it to another level with the intensity.

 

[Carl Racki]

Go to www.crossfit.com and start getting yourself and education.

 

[VisionQuest*]

The Diet Coke making you hungrier is something I'm a firm believer in as well, I've read in more than one place that aspartame blocks your brain from releasing a certain serotonin and makes you crave sugary things even more. It's then complimentary, It actually explains a lot, I'd eat something like cheesecake and want to have a diet coke with it instead of coffee or tea, then Id drink a diet coke another time and really want m&ms...

 

[metallicat]

Go to www.crossfit.com and start getting yourself and education.

That has been my favorite website now for about two weeks...I am hooked and in love.

 

[Claimed Off Waivers]

You can do HIIT on your bike and elliptical. It will kick your ass but you will fall in love with the feeling it gives you. And the results.

Been doing it for a few months, at first I was skeptical, but I am really loving the difference it has made. I'm finally starting to get that lean cut look I've been yearning for for years.

 

[Jeff Goldblum]

Three words: Dance Dance Revolution.

 

[Ruhnie]

You can do HIIT on your bike and elliptical. It will kick your ass but you will fall in love with the feeling it gives you. And the results.



Yes. You can use free weights to do bodyweight exercises like lunges in order to add muscle. You definitely will want to look into a plyometric cardio type session. I remember my hockey coach telling us if we spent 5 minutes doing plyo cardio before bed it'd make a difference and it sure did.

I found a dumbbell only routine you can try:
http://www.hotnfit.com/weightlifting/beginnerdb.html#top

If you want, just look for bodyweight routines which don't require weights.

Bad ass, tyvm. Not sure what plyometric cardio is but I've heard of it, will definitely check it out.

I actually tried some basic HIIT on my elliptical a couple of months ago, made it about 10 mins before I felt like I was going to die. I felt like I had an incredible workout, and was sweating 3 times as much as I do during a moderate, longer workout. I just couldn't convince myself that 10-15 mins of working out was enough and stopped doing it. I will give it a better chance this time.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

Three words: Dance Dance Revolution.

Seriously. It's amazing the workout you can get from that game.

 

[XX]

I actually tried some basic HIIT on my elliptical a couple of months ago, made it about 10 mins before I felt like I was going to die. I felt like I had an incredible workout, and was sweating 3 times as much as I do during a moderate, longer workout. I just couldn't convince myself that 10-15 mins of working out was enough and stopped doing it. I will give it a better chance this time.

Tell me about it. I HATE running with a passion. I'd rather walk on glass. But I've managed to drag my ass out to the soccer field 100 yrds from my house and do HIIT every night this week. After 15 mins, I have to crawl home. But the feeling the morning after is definitely worth it. I envy those of you with equipment that allows you to watch TV while you do HIIT. It's not fair.

I actually discovered HIIT on accident. Football coach was monitoring the gym during the summer during highschool and noticed me a lot on the bike. So jokingly, he came over and said "want to try something that will REALLY kick your ass?" so he put it on mountain setting which was the equivalent of HIIT and I had way better results.

It's not for everyone. If you haven't been doing moderate cardio, I'd recommend a few weeks of that first. If you have a heart condition or otherwise, I'd check with a doctor to see if it is even feasible.

 

[WVP]

Tell me about it. I HATE running with a passion. I'd rather walk on glass. But I've managed to drag my ass out to the soccer field 100 yrds from my house and do HIIT every night this week. After 15 mins, I have to crawl home. But the feeling the morning after is definitely worth it. I envy those of you with equipment that allows you to watch TV while you do HIIT. It's not fair.

I actually discovered HIIT on accident. Football coach was monitoring the gym during the summer during highschool and noticed me a lot on the bike. So jokingly, he came over and said "want to try something that will REALLY kick your ass?" so he put it on mountain setting which was the equivalent of HIIT and I had way better results.

It's not for everyone. If you haven't been doing moderate cardio, I'd recommend a few weeks of that first. If you have a heart condition or otherwise, I'd check with a doctor to see if it is even feasible.

Yeah, I hate running unless there's some kind of ball involved. Running for fun is not for me.

A lot of good info in this thread - a lot of different opinions but there are some true facts about fitness, how you interpret that just depends on what you're trying to achieve.

I recently got back into working out as my professional life has settled a bit (less travel and long hours, for now at least). Haven't been able to commit 100% to a proper diet as I've done in the past, but that's a work in progress and improving. Got an elliptical in my 2nd living room, so I do that and go to the gym on nights that I don't play hockey (2-4 times a week).

With knowledge and commitment, getting in shape isn't difficult at all. Unfortunately most of the world is dumb and lazy.

Speaking of the drink, my lifestyles requires that I drink.

How the heck did this sentence get ignored?

 

[Whiplash27]

Well you can do HIIT on a bike too and it will still kick your ass. I feel that when I run I want to die afterwards. You do exert yourself more when running, but I feel that I can put more effort straight through the workout on the bike whereas when I run I need more rest in between. The difference between running and using the bike for me is that on the bike I can keep going even when my legs are in ridiculous pain. When I run I can't.

 

[TheSchwab]

How do you actually do HIIT? Just chose those interval programs on the bike and jack it up a little?

 

[Whiplash27]

You pretty much try to keep your workouts to about 15 minutes and you alternate short intervals of all out intensity cardio with resting periods of low and moderate intensity cardio. Something that I tried on a bike once was 3 minute warmup, 30 second all out, 1 minute moderate, 30 second all out, 3 minute low, 30 second all out, 1 minute moderate, 30 second all out, 3 minute cool down. I didn't have the strength to do another set of the 30, 1, 30 thing again. After I was done I could hardly walk for a good 10 minutes.

I used to also try to go to the track at my local high school. Was a quarter mile track and I would just try to sprint the straight parts and walk or jog the curved parts. After doing the first lap I was shot. I would then either walk the track or just sit down for 3 or 4 minutes. It's almost like a shift in hockey where you sprint down the ice twice in the same shift, but probably worse since you go faster on ice than while running so on ice you get from point A to point B with less strides. Anyway, I would do that 2 or 3 times depending on how tired I was and then cool down and go home.

Either way, if you try to do those you will be cooked afterwards unless you're in great shape already. After a couple of weeks of the running one I could already see the difference in the amount of fat I was burning. I tried to do it about 3 times a week. My girlfriend was even telling me that I looked a lot thinner. When I have the time to do so again, I want to start doing the bike the same way. Unfortunately right now between work, school, girl and men's league hockey I have no time to get to the gym.

 

[nni]

you do not do a 15 minute workout.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/richb3.htm

 

[Ruhnie]

you do not do a 15 minute workout.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/richb3.htm

Wow, for the "beginner" HIIT workout it suggests high-intensity periods of 60 seconds! I don't think I can do that yet lol. Very nice link though.

I refuse to run btw, it is the most heinous form of exercise ever. I will do this on my elliptical or bike. Maybe I won't get the best results, but I will be able to keep my routine this way.

 

[nni]

60 second all out is doable, it sucks, but obviously you wont be at the same pace for the entire 60 seconds.

 

[Whiplash27]

you do not do a 15 minute workout.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/richb3.htm

Have fun doing that for a beginner. That's such nonsense no beginner could possibly do that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

A HIIT session involves a warmup period, several short, maximum-intensity efforts separated by moderate recovery intervals, and a cooldown period. The period of alternating effort and recovery intervals typically lasts a total of 15 minutes.

Everything I've ever read about HIIT says that you usually want to keep the workouts to less than 15 minutes. The whole idea is that you spend less time doing the workout but burning more calories in the process. Also since you are not working out for as long, you tend to burn off less muscle than with normal cardio.

BTW, this one is MUCH more realistic and goes more in line with what I've read about HIIT.
http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/justin6.htm

# Pick the cardio machine of your choice (treadmill, elliptical, rower, bike, swimming) and perform a 5 minute warm-up.

# Then take time to stretch properly and you are ready to begin.

# Start at a moderate pace for 1 minute, then crank up the pace to 90 or 95% of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).

# Continue at this effort for 15 to 20 seconds, then slow down to your starting pace for another minute followed by another all-out sprint for 15 to 20 seconds.

# Do this for no more than 15 minutes.

# After that finish your workout by cooling down for 5 minutes and thoroughly stretch afterwards.

 

[nni]

15 minute intervals, not 15 minute total workout. you certainly can do a 15 minute workout, but you are cheating yourself.

as for burning off muscle, this is all dependant on your diet and pre workout nutrition.