How to there exercises to slim the waist? This is what you can do in the gym to lose belly

As a trainer and dietitian, it is common for me that many people, when they tell me about their goals related to weight loss, aspire to lose fat from specific areas of the body. In this article, we will see how fat loss works and what is true when it comes to losing fat in a localized way, be it in the belly or in another part of the body. How does fat loss work? If we simplify the process, fat loss consists of three steps, since it leaves the fat cells until it is oxidized in the mitochondria which would be like the power plants of our cells. Mobilization, First, we must extract the fatty acids from the adipocytes or cells that contain them. For this, an energy demand must be created, since adipocytes will not release fat into the bloodstream if there is no need. This process is regulated by an enzyme called HSL (Hormone-Sensitive Lipase). HSL activity is highly influenced by catecholamines: epinephrine and norepinephrine. Transportation Once the adipocytes have released fatty acids into the bloodstream, they must be transported to the tissue that has demanded their use. The best or worst transport will depend on the blood supply of the area. This is why some commercial creams that promise to lose fat or volume in a localized way are not based on anything other than improving the irrigation of the area, which is why they are usually applied by means of a massage. Oxidation Once in the relevant tissue, the fat will be used in the mitochondria through a process called beta-oxidation. The famous carnitine intervenes in this process, which is what is responsible for allowing fatty acids to cross the cell membrane and access the mitochondria. Would exercising help to lose fat in specific areas? No, resounding. However, since the information should be disclosed as it is, we will say that there are at least a couple of studies (2007 and 2017) that did observe a greater fat loss in the fat adjacent to muscles worked with isolated exercises. But let's not be fooled, what in the laboratory can be a significant difference in practice is not, so trying to lose fat located in the waist with exercises that work that area is nonsense. In these two isolated studies, a greater fat loss was seen in the fat close to the muscles that were trained, but within laboratory limits, that is, the differences were significant enough to be declared as such, although this was extrapolated to the real life is not like that. Can you lose localized fat? Physiologically it seems to be plausible, although at the moment of truth it is neither practical nor efficient. Work the whole body in a balanced way, create a caloric deficit, and you will lose fat in a general way throughout the body. How can I lose fat? Focusing on four fundamental pillars: The caloric deficit. Strength training, Cardio workout. High non-exercise-associated physical activity (NEAT). A caloric deficit will allow your body to draw energy from its stored reserves, strength training will allow you to maintain your muscle mass (key to being healthy), and cardiovascular training and elevated NEAT will allow you to increase your caloric expenditure strategically when it is not necessary. Feasible to reduce calorie intake. Also, an active lifestyle in general will help you maintain your body weight in the long term. To find out how many calories you should consume, you can take a look at the guides that we have in Vitoria for this purpose. How to combine strength training and cardio? At this point, you may be wondering what kind of strength training to do or what kind of cardio. As for strength training, any modality that makes us work in a range of between 6 and 20 repetitions per series at a high intensity of effort is worth it. By high intensity of effort, we understand series that at the end we feel that we could have done at most two or three more repetitions. This is what would be known as RIR 2-3 or RPE 7-10. You can use bars, plates, pulleys, machines, rubber bands, kettle bells, and even your body weight. The premise is that the degree of effort is high. Cardio, on the other hand, use it strategically, that is, if you create a caloric deficit by reducing the calorie intake of your diet, and with this and strength training you already lose weight and fat, it is not necessary to include cardio. Do it when it's not feasible, or you just don't want to lower your calories any further. In this way, you will increase the caloric expenditure and therefore the deficit without adjusting the calories you eat. You can do a treadmill, bike, elliptical, swim, or even jump rope, the idea is that you do activities of moderate or long duration (more than 30 minutes at least) with a medium intensity. One of the options that usually best fits into a fat loss program is to do a full-body or torso-leg routine combined with two or three cardiovascular training sessions a week. In this way, we would train for strength for three or four days and do cardiovascular exercises for two or three. How to combine cardio and strength if I do a full-body routine? The full-body routine is generally characterized as a workout that takes place three times a week on alternate days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday). However, people who are completely available to train whatever the day of the week, could do a full-body routine day in and day out. In either case, it may be ideal to include cardiovascular training on the days that we do not do strength training, but not exceeding two or three weekly sessions. In fact, to avoid interfering with recovery, do low-impact cardio activities like swimming, fast walking, or biking. How to combine cardio and strength if I do a torso-leg routine? In the case of the torso-leg routine, strength training is prioritized more, since it consists of four days of training, generally Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. In this case, it may be advisable to perform only two weekly cardio sessions, on Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday.