The Last Bit of Fat

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Maintain Balance

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Hello everyone, so I am a college student, just turned 20 and have been exercising fairly recently for about a half year now. I had a decent amount of pudge around my mid section so I started with some cardo, basic weight training and abs in the summer, and since i've been back in college I have been weight training fairly regularly. I have lost a decent amount of weight but really I've been going by what I see in the mirror.

Anyway, I am at a point now where I am regularly doing cardio, weights and maintaining a very healthy diet and can feel the abs just begging to be shown, but I cant seem to get rid of the last bit of fat so they can shine through!

I've always herd the last bit of weight is always the most difficult to lose. So basically what I'm asking is if I keep maintaing what I'm doing will that last bit of fat eventually go away or do I need to up the intensity of my workouts? Many thanks.
 
As a rule of thumb, if you've hit a plateau in your workout progress, then you need to change something, whether it's adjusting the time/intensity of your workouts or your diet.
 
Ok, that makes sense. I did a little research and I'm not sure what I should be changing or how to even go about finding out what I need to change. I've come across advice like change your work out, or as your continue exercising your body needs more caloric intake and I've even come across some advice that says take a rest for a week or so. I'm a bit reluctant on changing my routine too much though, I mean what I've done has worked so far, I don't want to accidentally undo anything I've already done... How should I figure out the next step...?
 
It won't hurt to make modest changes to your workout routine. Do an extra 15 minutes of cardio, go to the gym one extra time per week, or so on. There's no exact formula for anything to do with fitness, just general guidelines. If you just make small changes at a time, though, you won't hit a block or lose progress. In fact, small changes make your new habits easier to maintain in the long run, and you'll eventually find a point which works perfectly for you.
 
Hello,

I am no fitness expert but have experienced this in the past. What I did and it worked well was increase the intensity of my workout. When weight training I took no break in between my reps instead did push ups when doing upper body and lunges or squats when working on lower body. Or even burpees or some type resistence motion using my own body weight. When doing cardio you can up the intensity level of your running or which ever cardio you are doing. Another thing that can be beneficial for your cardio is hiking uphill with intrensity running, meaning hiking uphill running at a good fast pace.

Hope this helps. Let me know.

onava.
 
Onava, I think I know what you are saying, I have taken this weekend off in terms of weight training because I strained a few muscles last week but I have been running. So in terms of cardio I do "distance running" And by distance I mean that I just recently upped my usual running distance to 4 miles, I'm no cross country runner but I really enjoy running. I have also recently begun to put some calisthenics in my workout when I do cardio. I have been considering changing my cardio from more distance to more of a sprinting workout, In addition to the uphill running do you recommend training more like a sprinter and not as a distance runner? Thanks!
 
Hey,
The advice given already has been great. I would just add a little clarification based on my experience training clients at my own health club.
Increasing the intensity of your sessions both strength and cardio would yield a benefit. Keep the distance running, 4 miles is not that far, but incorporate short all-out sprints for maybe only 10 secs to start with then build up to 20 then 30 secs before returning to your normal pace. It doesn't sound like too much but believe me if you are going full out then 30 secs is a long time amigo.
Another great tip for getting rid of that final layer of belly fat is to cut out the toxins and drink water. Stubborn fat will stay so it can cocoon potentially dangerous toxins within a layer of fat around your middle. Get rid of the toxins by cleaning up your diet and BOOM your fat will melt away. I have seen this hundreds of times.
Don't sweat the detail in complicated workouts - just get sweating!
Good luck.
 
Thanks for the advice! I already have a pretty "clean" diet I guess you could say. The reason I think 4 miles is long I guess is because I am in college and exercise takes time out of the day but I make sure to exercise regularly. One thing I was also thinking about doing is start to take advantage of our school's indoor pool (when the swim team isn't using it) as the weather gets colder. Thoughts on swimming?

And are there maybe specific ab exercises I should be thinking about? Or do some exercises give you "lean" abs while other ab exercises "bulk" your abs?
 
Swimming is good, takes pressure off many of the joints but still build up carefully - can injure your back in early stages if you go too hard. Look at the average physique of a good swimmer - not much fat there?
Try a short swim sprint and see how quickly your muscles burn up!
As regards abs work - don't over worry - most sensible core exercises will tone and strengthen without bulking.
 
Thank you again! Hopefully my abs will be ready to go by spring break! But first I'll need to take on the daunting challenger that is Holiday food. Thank you again!
 
From my all experience I can say that you would not cut the extra fat in your body only by exercising. You need to consider seriously about your diet.

You are only 20 years of age. So I would like to recommend you that you need to think for long term instead of short term solution. Please mix it up your daily routine by more cardio exercise along with proper diet.

Since cardio is one of the most important things you can do for your body, whether you want to lose weight, build muscle or improve your health. The great thing is, there are plenty of choices for cardio exercise but there are some that work best if your goal is to blast calories and get in great shape:

1. Running is a great choice for a variety of reasons:
• It doesn't require special equipment (except some quality shoes)
• You can do it just about anytime, anywhere
• It's high impact, which helps build strong bones and connective tissue
• It gets your heart rate up more quickly than low or no impact exercise
• It helps you burn serious calories, especially if you add hills, sprints or try interval training.

In fact, a 145-lb person can burn 300 calories by running at 5.2 mph for 30 minutes. The same person would burn about half of that with a brisk walk.

2. If you're looking to burn maximum calories, cross-country skiing is an excellent choice. Whether you're on a gym machine or swooshing over miles of snow, cross-country skiing is an incredible cardio exercise. Because it involves both the upper and lower body, it doesn't take much work to get your heart rate up, which is where the calorie-burn comes in.

A 145-lb person burns about 330 calories during 30 minutes of skiing.

3. Whether you're outdoors or indoors, cycling is an excellent cardio workout.

By using the power of your legs, you increase endurance while burning lots of calories, anywhere from 250-500 in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.

4. Next to the treadmill, the elliptical trainer is the most popular cardio machine at the gym and it's no wonder. The elliptical trainer allows your body to move in a natural way, but without the impact of the treadmill. You can add intensity by increasing resistance and some machines include adjustable ramps and arm handles for added intensity as well. As a bonus, you can go backwards on an elliptical trainer, adding variety while working your muscles in a different way.

The elliptical trainer is also a good choice for runners looking for a break from pounding the pavement. A 145-lb person burns about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

5. Swimming is another great choice because, like cross-country skiing, it's a full body exercise.
The more body parts you involve in your workout, the more calories you'll burn. Spend 30 minutes doing the breastroke and you'll burn almost 400 calories.

6. Walking is another great choice for cardio because, like running, it's accessible: You don't need special equipment and you can do it anywhere, anytime.

It's harder to get your heart rate up with walking since its low impact but, if you work hard at it, a 145-lb person can burn about 180 calories in 30 minutes.

7. Jumping rope is another calorie-scorcher and, as an added bonus, a jump rope packs easily in your suitcase, making it an excellent travel exercise.

A 145-lb person can burn a whopping 330 calories with a 30-minute workout, but you'll want to slowly work your way up to that.

Again, keep in mind that you need to maintain a proper balanced diet along with all those cardio exercises. Otherwise it would not work as your expectation.
 
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