High intensity training to get rid of a beer belly

5 training tips to lose your beer belly

Is your beer belly stubbornly refusing to shift? Then try these five proven workout tactics that helped New Body Plan creator and Men’s Fitness cover model Jon Lipsey build his best ever body!

1 Cut back on cardio to lose your beer belly

We’re not saying that running is evil. But if you want to burn fat and add muscle then the fastest way to do that is to follow a weight-lifting programme that includes some high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio.

Yes, running and other forms of cardio will help you to lose fat – but it’s not the optimal approach (and many people make some silly cardio training mistakes).

Steady state cardio, such as jogging or a gentle bike ride, burns fewer calories than a smart HIIT session. Why? Because HIIT places huge demands on your body during the session. And it forces your body to continue to burn calories long after your session has finished, thanks to processes such as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC).

Another big reason to favour resistance training over running if you want to transform your body is that the latter will do little to improve your upper body muscle mass. So you won’t build bigger biceps, get thicker triceps, build a broader chest, or sculpt a rock-hard set of six-pack abs.

Jon’s story: From lardy to lean in eight weeks

2 Do superset sessions to lose your beer belly

Supersets are when you perform two exercises back-to-back without rest. They’re useful for burning fat because they increase the intensity of your workout. There are lots of ways you can do supersets. You could work opposing muscle groups, such as pairing together a biceps move and a triceps exercise into a tough arms superset. Or you could pick two moves that work the same muscle group. You can even put three moves together to form a triset, or four moves to create a giant set. (more than five moves together moves into circuit-training territory).

Whatever you do, the principle is the same. You’re taking less rest, which will increase the energy demand of your workout and help you to burn more calories. They’re also a way of making your workouts time-efficient, which is always a bonus. We love supersets so much it’s why they’re included in all of the New Body Plan transformation fat-loss training programmes.

3 Stay in the zone to burn off your beer belly

Speaking of time efficiency, it’s really important that you stick to the rest periods detailed in your workout plan. If the plan says rest for 60 seconds then that’s exactly what you should do. This is such a simple thing but it can have a huge impact on your results. Most gyms have clocks on the wall so you can easily monitor the time you’re taking between sets and exercises.

If there’s no clock, use a sports watch or your phone. Just make sure that you don’t get distracted by work emails or calls, or social media posts. And if you don’t have a training plan, don’t expect to make the rapid progress you desire! Take the quick New Body Plan quiz and we’ll suggest the perfect fitness plan for you!

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4 Don’t obsess about your abs

If you want to reduce the fat around your belly then doing lots of abs exercises won’t get you the result you want. That’s partly because you can’t spot-reduce body fat (in other words, you can’t choose where your body loses fat) and also because abs exercises burn far fewer calories than big compound lifts. And it’s the calorie burn that will ultimately influence how much body fat you burn.

You do need to do some direct abs exercises to build a had and defined set of six-pack abs. But they are best done at the end of your session. The bulk of your workouts should involve compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups, such as the squat, bench press and shoulder press.

5 Use fat-loss finishers to lose your beer belly

One of the most effective things you can do to maximise the fat loss effects of your session is to include a “Fat-Loss Finisher”. These are HIIT drills designed to be performed at maximum effort with short periods of rest between sets.

We’ve used this strategy to great effect in all New Body Plan programmes, with exercises including kettlebell swings, farmer’s walks, battle rope slams and bike sprints. They’re really satisfying to do, they give you a great buzz and they’ll take your fat loss efforts to the next level!

To find your perfect transformation plan, take the New Body quiz!
Take the New Body quiz!

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