How to Lose Belly Fat With an Interval Workout

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a workout that consists of short bursts of extreme energy expenditure followed by recovery periods. Running for shorting periods of time, expending such energy, has been said by the "Journal of Physiology" to increase the amount of fat shed from your body in comparison to slower, longer periods of cardiovascular activity. The reason for this is that your body continues to expend energy throughout the rest of the day while recovering from the workout. Although there is no easy way to decrease belly fat, interval training can help you get there.

Instructions

    • 1

      Lightly jog for roughly two minutes. This is your warm-up period to get the blood flowing in your legs and throughout your body.

    • 2

      Increase your jogging intensity slightly for a minute, immediately following your two minutes of warm-up.

    • 3

      Continue to increase your intensity, a minute at a time. At minute 5, run at about 90 percent of your maximum intensity.

    • 4

      Return to roughly 60 percent percent intensity (slightly above your warm-up period) at minute 6. Again continue to increase your intensity a minute at a time, up to 90 percent, through minute 10.

    • 5

      Continue the pattern through minute 15.

    • 6

      Repeat the pattern, but during minute 19, sprint at your maximum capacity for the entire minute.

    • 7

      Lightly jog for another minute, completing the 20-minute high-intensity interval training workout with a cool-down period.