My Belly Still Isn't Coming Off!

"Hey Bobby. I spend 15 min. warming up on the stair master, then I work out with free weights for about an hour, then 30 minutes on cardio then I'm done. I work out at least 3 to 4 times a week. But my belly is still not coming off fast enough! What should I do more of?"

First, how long have you CONSISTENTLY been doing this? Often times, people won’t see results for 6-8 weeks, depending on frequency and intensity of the workout.

Now concerning your workout, I love the fact that you spend 15 minutes warming up because it’s very important to get the heart pumping and the body warm before doing any kind of physical activity. Make sure you don’t over do it however, because you want to make sure that you have energy to lift weights.

Your weight training should focus on building muscle because muscle is what will help increase your metabolism even on days you don’t workout. Lift heavy enough weights that allow you to perform 8-12 repetitions. Once you can do 12 reps increase the weight.

Make sure you allow 48 hours rest between workouts of the same muscle group. So if you work chest on Monday you cannot work out chest until Wednesday at the earliest. A popular workout program is to do chest/triceps one day, back/biceps the next workout, legs the third day, and shoulders and calves the forth day. You do not have to workout four days in a row. In fact it would be wise to allow a day of rest between days 2 and 3.

Concerning cardio the more the better for losing that belly. So do 5-6 days of cardio training. I know, it’s boring but you will find that it will get you to lose that mid-section. I personally think the stair master is a great piece of cardio equipment and my personal favorite. I sweat the most on that piece of equipment, while saving my knees and hamstrings from pain that running on the treadmill tends to cause. Make sure your cardio training is intense enough to get that heart rate up (75-85% of your estimated maximal heart rate. To figure out your estimated maximal heart rate use this equation: 220-your age). Do that for a few weeks and then I would suggest adding 10-15 more minutes of cardio to each session.

Now no conversation regarding losing the belly can happen without talking about your nutrition. You can spend all your time in the gym but if you are eating nothing but crap you will not lose that gut. So, eat healthy. Cut out the sweets, white processed flour, and white rice. Eat protein with each meal and stay away from foods with unhealthy fats. Make sure to eat 5-6 times a day so that you keep your metabolism going. DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST!! Portion sizes should be small, about the size of your fist and eat off a small plate to ensure you don’t over eat (no going for seconds!).

Do you have a question for Bobby about how to improve your time in the gym? Send us an email.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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A.C.E.- and N.A.S.M.-certified, Bobby Solorio has been personal training for over 10 years. You might recognize him from Bravo TV's "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," where he trains his now-A-list client. For more info check out Bobby's website. 

Comments

[corrective_unconscious]

>"Cut out the sweets...."

Oh no, you did not say that! Heretic!

[Joy]

nice posting
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[Pedro]

I'm so going to follow your advice!

But... cut out the sweets??? that's hard :(

[AdmiralDupont]

Unfortunately, I am unrecovering
chocaholic who is into
embasSEE sweEATs.

Is there a 12-step stairmaster group
like Chocaholics pseuAdonISymoUS.

Guess if my goal is getting "fit," I
will have to give up WAIST lifting.

[Bryan]

Warm-up before a strength training should be like 5 minutes-- not 15. Don't try combining cardio and strength. The warm-up is just that-- warm-up cold muscles before working them. NEVER stretch a cold muscle.

If you can do a weight at 12 reps then rather than increasing the weight as suggested increase the reps. If your goal is toning and fat loss then this is the way to go-- higher reps not higher weight. When you can do 25 or even 50 then up the weight.

[Sparky]

As a career boxer, I have to say that this article was pretty good. Strength training is just as important as the cardio, although, my experience in and out of the ring and from watching others is that they DO NOT do cardio frequently enough, nor with enough intensity. So pick it up. Good point on the nutrition stuff too. All your work is nothing if you eat crap. However, he did forget to suggest several things which are right up there with the sweets. STAY AWAY FROM SODA, carbonated drinks, COFFEE and fried foods. Dont eat too much red meat. If you're into meat a lot eat fish, chicken, turkey. Caffeine is not good for ANYONE. Try to eat as much whole foods, organic and natural stuff as possible. I know its expensive, but its well worth the expense and health if you're a competitive sports person or not.

[Jajuka]

This article is solid. I'll share my knowledge too... I was dating a personal trainer/nutrition specialist for awhile, and the main things he taught me are:

1. You really only need to work out each muscle group once a week... it takes about a week for the muscles to heal fully, so any more than that isn't totally necessary, and can sometimes cause the muscles to not grow as much as they would if they'd gotten the chance to rest.

2. If your goal is to tone, do lots of cardio and more reps with less weight. If you are trying to bulk up, do no cardio (or very little, less than 10 minutes), and do fewer reps per set with as much weight as you can muster (5 sets of 5 reps is good). I like to go back and forth each week; one week of toning, one week of heavy weight training.

3. As mentioned here, avoid eating crap. No fast food or fried food, avoid saturated fat and sugars, and anything bleached or enriched is bad. Organic foods (note: all natural and organic are NOT the same) are best... alot of studies have shown that the chemicals used in alot of foods can retain fat and deter from muscle growth.

Remember, fitness plans are different for every person. I'm a pretty skinny guy, so I have to eat a TON of protein (150-200 grams a day) to accomplish my goals... but someone losing weight would not want to intake that much.

[joseph]

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[g]

keep your body in shape for sex you never know when your next partner is coming along

[gordon]

I kinda like a "belly", I can not understand why someone has to be so perfect.

[seaners]

i went vegan (be sure to read up on your nutritional needs as a vegan), and have very quickly gotten my body into the lean and toned shape i want. as a vegan it's much easier to avoid processed foods and foods with excess fat or cholesterol (which would be animal-based food). my energy level went through the roof, too, so it's much easier to stay motivated to exercise. i've been at it for around five years now and feeling great. : )

i really encourage everyone to either drop animal foods from their diet or at least cut way back--especially americans, as we on average eat three times as much meat as anywhere else in the world. you'll see your "bad" caloric intake disappear and you'll be forcing yourself to get your energy from healthier sources.

[Rida]

wouldn't it be nice if they invented chocolate that makes you lose weight the more you ate it?!

[Terry]

You can't get a great bod unless you get rid of the flab first. The only way you can do that is by eating a "raw vegan" lifestyle (i.e., the food your body is intended to eat). Otherwise your body is malnourished, you'll fail every diet, and you'll never improve your fitness. Once you're thin and healthy, you can actually see your ripped abs.

[diver]

the human body and digestive tract is not meant for a vegan lifestyle. We are omnivores meaning that our system is meant to digest a myriad of food types. That includes meats and other protein sources. Don't get lured into the belief that we are meant to be vegan because we aren't (basic physiology). That also goes for people that think that their cats can be vegan, cats are carnivores meaning they eat meat, and are only designed for meat.