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The Quickest Workout to Lose Belly Fat
It’s pretty obvious why the health of students generally decline upon entering college.
The first year of college/university is typically a very stressful one consisting of plenty of sitting, all-nighters, energy drinks, alcohol, and junk food. 
All of this comes with its consequences and gave rise to the popular term “Freshman 15”.
The Freshman 15 refers to the approximately 15 pounds of weight gain that students tend to gain during their first year of college or university.
This weight gain tends to go straight to your belly fat and then becomes difficult to lose.
If you’ve experienced this (I certainly did my first year), then I’m going to show you how to quickly lose the weight you’ve gained and if you’re about to enter you first year of college/university then I’ll show you how you can prevent your Freshman 15 from even happening.
We’re going to do this with some HIIT workouts, which are perfect for helping you lose belly fat fast and for good.
What is HIIT?
Now what is HIIT?
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a technique in which you give 100% effort through short, intense bursts of exercise followed by short (sometimes active) recovery periods.
This type of workout keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time than low intensity exercise.
For example, take a look at sprinters. They’re usually very muscular and very lean compared to marathoners.
This is due to the type of training they perform – bursts of high intensity as opposed to long low intensity cardio.
A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery, this afterburn effect is referred to as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) and is the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts.
– Eric Salvador NASM, NSCA, head instructor at The Fitting Room in New York City (source)
Benefits of HIIT
Here are a few other benefits of HIIT if I haven’t fully convinced you yet.
1. Increases your metabolism
HIIT will boost your metabolic rate for up to 48 hours after your routine which means you’ll still be burning fat when you’re sitting on the couch hours after the gym
2. It’s quick and convenient
I understand that many students don’t feel as though they have time to workout, but HIIT workouts can be done anywhere and most are 20-30 minutes or less
3. No equipment necessary
When most people look for a workout to lose belly fat, they usually require a gym or several pieces of gym equipment.
Good thing HIIT workouts generally only use your body weight as the focus is to boost your heart rate and keep it there.
This results in optimal muscle building, as well as fat loss and increased calorie burn.
Now, with that being said HIIT is very intense and physically (and mentally) challenging but the benefits and changes you will see from it will definitely make it worth it!
Let’s take a look at 3 HIIT workouts to lose belly fat that you can start experimenting with today!
1. The “Anywhere, Anytime HIIT Workout”
Repeat this whole circuit 3 times with a minute rest in between circuits. Don’t take any rest between each exercise.
- 40 Squat Jumps
- 20 Push Ups (can do “girl pushups” if needed)
- 30 Jumping Jacks
- 10 Tricep Dips
- 10 Burpees
- 30 Seconds Front Plank
Squat Jumps
Stand with feet shoulder with apart and arms at your side.
Bend your knees, keeping your knees behind your toes at all times, and sit into a squat then using the power of your legs perform a small jump and land back in your squat position.
Repeat this movement.
Pushups
Get into plank position, hands on the ground directly under your shoulders and legs about hip width apart.
Keep your elbows slightly tucked in (not 90 degrees out) and bend your elbows and lower your entire body until it almost touches the ground then return to the start position and repeat.
If this is too difficult for you, you can perform knee pushups where you rest on your knees instead of on your feet.
Jumping Jacks
This one’s pretty self explanatory.
Tricep Dips
You can do this one on the floor.
Get on all fours facing the ceiling, knees bent 90 degrees over your toes, hands on the ground directly under your shoulders, fingers facing forward, back straight so your core is parallel to the ground.
Keeping your elbows tucked, bend them to lower your butt as close to the ground as you can get then push back up and repeat.
Burpees
Start by standing then place your hands on the ground and kick your legs backwards until they are fully extended so you end up in a push up position.
Quickly kick your legs back up towards your hands then stand up quickly and jump with your hands raised towards the ceiling.
Repeat immediately when you land the jump.
Front Plank
Start by lying with your stomach on the floor.
Raise your body by using your forearms as a platform as well as fully extending your legs and planting your feet on the ground.
Make sure you keep a neutral back to contract your core.
2. The Sprint Session (simple yet very effective)
Total time: ~12 minutes
- 30 seconds sprint then 40 seconds brisk walk
- Repeat 10 times
This can be done either outside or on a treadmill and make sure you are performing at 95-100% intensity during your sprints.
3. The Squat Jump and Burpee HIIT Workout
The total time for this circuit is 10 minutes. Repeat this whole circuit twice with a minute rest in between.
Squat Jump & Burpee HIIT Program |
|---|
| Minute 1: Squat jumps (repeat 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest) |
| Minute 2: Burpees (repeat 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest) |
| Minute 3: Squat jumps (repeat 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest) |
| Minute 4: Burpees (repeat 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest) |
| Minute 5-6: Rest |
| Minute 7: Squat jumps (repeat 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest) |
| Minute 8: Burpees (repeat 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest) |
| Minute 9: Squat jumps (repeat 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest) |
| Minute 10: Burpees (repeat 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest) |
I recommend you perform HIIT training 2-4 times a week for fat loss (try not to do it on consecutive days).
If you’re already doing a weight lifting or cardio program then you can incorporate a few HIIT sessions in a week to accelerate fat loss.
So there it is! Now you have 3 awesome workout routines to lose belly fat that you can use to kick Freshman 15 in the ass!
P.S. if you found this a little too advanced for you, then check out this beginner workout to lose belly fat.