https://www.lesmills.com/article/carving-inches-off-your-waistline

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CARVING INCHES OFF YOUR WAISTLINE

18.12.2017

Emma Hogan

Fitness

A flat stomach can play hard to get for both genders, but new research has identified one method that works better than most.

High-intensity interval training is known to burn serious amounts of fat, seriously fast. But not just any fat. Research shows that specific forms of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be key to cutting fat from your tummy.

“Abdominal fat can wreak havoc with your health,” explains Bryce Hastings, Les Mills Head of Research. “Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and hypertension… they’ve all been linked to excess abdominal fat. So, if you’ve got a little excess fat around your middle, you need to rid it.”

The tummy trimming benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are highlighted in a study into how different approaches to training can affect fitness and body composition in healthy adults. The study tested two groups of exercisers. One group followed a conventional gym training program four days a week, the other did two conventional gym workouts and two high-intensity interval training based LES MILLS GRIT™ Cardio workouts a week. Both groups trained for the same total amount of time each week.

At the end of the eight-week study both groups saw a reduction in total body fat, but it was those doing high-intensity interval training who really took the fat burning up a notch. These individuals eliminated an average of 2.2cm from their waistlines and experienced an overall loss of 2.2 per cent visceral fat – that’s the awful gut fat that clogs up our organs, affects our hormones and increases the risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes. They also benefited from a significant increase in cardiorespiratory fitness, sprint speed and arm strength.

While the results are significant, the length of the workouts was not. Those who incorporated the high-intensity interval training didn’t need to slog it out for hours at the gym – the LES MILLS GRIT sessions they did twice a week were just 30 minutes long.

The LES MILLS GRIT workouts used in the study were short, but explosive. Combining intervals of speed training with body weight exercises such as squat jumps and lunges, they are designed to maximize calorie burn during the workout, and beyond. All it takes is the introduction of just two LES MILLS GRIT workouts a week and you can increase aerobic fitness, grow lean muscle tissue and amplify fat burn – all while you whittle away the waistline.

Keen to learn more about the transformational benefits of LES MILLS GRIT? Watch what happened when the Les Mills Lab teamed up with Dr. Jinger Gottschall to explore how a specific form of HIIT training, like LES MILLS GRIT, can impact the fitness and body composition of fit and active adults.