Study Reveals How to Win Belly-Fat War

A recent study compared three groups–those who ate a reduced-carbohydrate diet, those who combined the diet with strength training and those who combined the diet and strength-training with cardio workouts–and found that a three-tier approach was the most effective strategy to decrease abdominal fat. It’s important to note that the exercises you choose and the effort you put into them really matter, says Marta Montenegro, a certified strength and conditioning coach who teaches exercise physiology at Florida International University. Instead of ho-hum treadmill-trotting and sit-ups, she recommends high-intensity workouts, which have been shown to be more effective at reducing the belly fat you can pinch with your hand, as well as the visceral fat that pads internal organs (which has been linked to metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes).
Montenegro put together this hard-core high-intensity workout based on the latest research, her work with clients and her own experience (that’s her in the photos; those abs don’t lie).
The Circuit
*You will need 2 small towels and 2 dumbbells (3-5 pounds).
*Perform the exercises in the following order, one after another, without pausing in between.
*When you’ve completed all 6 exercises, rest for 90 seconds.
*Do the entire circuit 1-3 times.
Dumbbell Squat to Shoulder-Press Rotation
A new study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that exercises that work both the legs and the upper body target the core more than traditional abdominal exercises (in fact, a study in the same journal shows that crunches don’t do much for you–besides make you more efficient at doing crunches). This full-body calorie-burning move from Montenegro works not just the abs and obliques but also the glutes, hips and shoulders.
1. With dumbbells at your side, bend into a squat, pushing your hips backward as if you were sitting in a chair. Keep your back straight and your abs engaged.
2. As you raise your hips to come to standing, press the dumbbells over your head, rotating the torso toward the right, using the side of your abdominals. This should be one fluid movement.
3. Lower the dumbbells and bend into a squat again. Repeat the shoulder press to the left side.
4. Alternate sides for 12 total reps.Read more: Yahoo Shine
source:Yahoo Shine