Strength Training Secrets That'll Help You Lose a Big Belly for Good
Working out involves a lot of consistent, hard work in order to achieve results. When it comes to losing fat, most of us would love to get our hands on a magic elixir, special tips, or secrets that will help to speed up the process. Although there's no magic elixir to make it happen, there are some strength training secrets that'll help you lose a big belly for good, and we're here to share them!
Although there may be a few things you can incorporate into your workout regimen, it's imperative that you don't ignore the basics. That means you must focus on eating at a calorie deficit, as well as maintain a consistent cardio and strength training regimen.
When it comes to strength training, you must focus on mostly compound movements and getting stronger or performing more reps each week. This will force you to build more muscle, burn more calories, and elevate your metabolism, which will all be helpful in burning belly fat. That's your goal, right? We have your back, so let's get started.
Besides improving your performance as time goes on, there are a few strength training secrets that you might not know about which will help you along the way. Keep reading to learn more.
Perform rest-pause sets.
An awesome way to build muscle and increase strength is the use of rest-pause sets. This is a technique where you perform multiple-mini sets in one working set of an exercise. You'll hit your reps for a movement, then you'll rest, and then continue the set again, rest, and then one last time. This allows you to perform more reps than you would in a regular set, resulting in more work done. With this technique, I recommend picking an exercise that is safer, preferably a machine-based movement.
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Here's an example with the machine chest press:
On your last working set, perform 8 to 10 reps. Rest for 30 to 45 seconds, then go again until failure. Rest one more time, then get in as many reps as you can.
Target the same muscle group at least two times a week.
If you want to maximize your results and lose a big belly for good, you should train the same muscle groups at least twice per week. This allows your body to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible to build muscle and burn fat. You can alternate between dumbbell and barbell movements, changing up different sets and reps. For example, if you train your legs twice per week, you can perform barbell squats for 3 sets of 6 reps, and then later in the week, switch over to dumbbell squats for 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
Related: The #1 Floor Workout To Lose Belly Fat and Slow Down Aging, Says Trainer
Incorporate constant tension reps.
The last of these strength training secrets that'll help you lose a big belly for good has to do with adding constant tension reps to your routine. In order to stimulate your muscles to help them grow, you need to give your muscles enough tension. There are many ways to do this, such as slowing down the tempo or using a greater range of motion. However, one clever way to increase the amount of tension is by performing constant tension reps.
To do them, simply perform the eccentric portion (lowering the weight) as you normally do, and as you come up, only stop about ¾ of the way before coming back down to the bottom. When you don't lock out or finish the concentric part of the lift, it maintains tension in your muscles. You can perform this technique on almost every strength training exercise.
Here's an example with the leg press:
Begin by lying down on the leg press sled with your feet outside shoulder width and pointed slightly outward. Press the weight up, then pull the switches to unlock the machine. Lower the weight using control, and then drive through your heels, coming up ¾ of the way. Once you've reached that point, come back down and drive it back up again. Aim for 8 to 10 reps, and don't lock out until the final rep.
