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7 min read<\/p>\n7 min read<\/p>\n
I HAVE ALWAYS envied the chiseled bodies of the models, bodybuilders, and celebrities I\u2019ve profiled as a fitness writer. But looking like a beautiful statue-person is a 24\/7 chore, and pizza tastes damn good. Then, sometime after learning my wife was pregnant, and amid my attempt to bring order to every crevice of my life, I was offered a chance to try a new training program from Men’s Health: 28-Day Belly Fat Burner. I followed the plan for four weeks and ultimately shed 13 pounds and lost three inches from my waist. It was packed with science-backed tips for getting lean, plus a 28-day workout plan. You can get started today by accessing the 28-day plan via your MVP membership here<\/a> or if you want the full guided experience you can get the book here<\/a>.<\/p>\n JOIN MVP & GET 28-DAY BELLY FAT BURNER<\/a><\/p>\n What The 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout Was Like<\/p>\n The 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout, created by Men\u2019s Health Advisory Board member David Otey, CSCS<\/a>, breaks down like this: Five workouts per week lasting between 20 and 30 minutes each.10 different workouts throughout the plan\u2014five during weeks one and three and the other five in weeks two and four\u2014each consisting of supersets or circuit training.No set training split<\/a>; the workouts mostly target the full body, hitting the larger muscle groups two to three times per week using compound movements like barbell rows<\/a>, dumbbell bench presses<\/a>, and trap-bar deadlifts<\/a>, with core and arm work sprinkled in towards the end of some sessions.A chart accompanies every workout in the book so you can track your reps and weights, which helps you push more weight or do more reps the next time you tackle that workout. The exercise illustrations are helpful in cueing movements you may not have done in a while (or ever), like reminding you which hand to hold the dumbbell in during the staggered-stance Romanian deadlift (RDL). A sample workout chart from 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout.<\/p>\n Since I started lifting weights in 2012, my body weight has fluctuated aggressively every few years. Like most guys, I\u2019d white-knuckle my way through a diet only to regain the pounds shortly thereafter. And then, in the fall of 2022, weighing 210 pounds and in the middle of another training lull, I committed to making lifestyle changes. I walked more, drank less alcohol, counted calories, began lifting weights consistently again, and didn\u2019t let a cheat meal become a cheat week. It wasn\u2019t easy, and there were (many) slip-ups, but consistency prevailed, and I lost 25 pounds in about seven months.<\/p>\n Not too long after, I began to ease up on my diet and training, and my weight plateaued at 185 pounds\u2014considerably lighter than I was once, but still far from ripped.<\/p>\n With this transformation in the rearview mirror, it\u2019s easier for me to conduct a post-mortem on my old lifting routine and pinpoint how the 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout patched up some now-obvious holes in it. Here\u2019s what I loved about this program:<\/p>\n IT CHALLENGED ME MORE AND PUSHED MY GAINS<\/p>\n Before, I was only training three times a week, doing a few sets for my legs, zero direct core work, and around six sets for every major muscle except my back. While I was maybe maintaining muscle, my old routine wasn\u2019t pushing my gains forward like the 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout did.<\/p>\n COURTESY GUTMAN<\/p>\n COURTESY GUTMAN<\/p>\n Research<\/a> within the last five years suggests you need at least 10 sets per muscle per week to stimulate muscle growth, and a 2022 meta-analysis<\/a>, co-authored by Men\u2019s Health contributor and exercise scientist Brad Schoenfeld<\/a>, PhD, CSCS, found that same number of sets helped spare lean muscle tissue in subjects eating a calorie-restricted diet.<\/p>\n This program certainly provides enough sets per muscle. While direct total volume for certain muscle groups, mainly the biceps and triceps, fell under that 10-set recommendation, implementing compound exercises, which usually target more than one muscle, provides enough stimulus to those smaller, ancillary muscle groups. (E.g., barbell rows and pullups<\/a> mainly work your back, but your biceps get some play, too.)<\/p>\n And even though this routine is designed for those losing weight, Otey factors progressive overload into the program. Each week, I performed either more reps or lifted heavier weights, which helped me preserve my strength and muscle. I didn\u2019t make significant strength gains\u2014for example, I bench-pressed 60-pound dumbbells for three sets of eight reps during week two and then for 10 reps two weeks later\u2014but the incremental progression meant my gains were moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t take a body fat test, so I can\u2019t say with certainty that zero ounces of muscle was lost. Still, my arms only shrunk a quarter of an inch while I lost three inches from my waist.<\/p>\n I BURNED MORE CALORIES IN LESS TIME<\/p>\n My heart rate was usually between 140 and 170 beats per minute (BPM) during each 28-Day Belly Fat Burner workout. Sustaining that pace for 20 to 30 minutes while lifting weights was new to me, and as a result, I burned roughly 20 to 30 percent more calories per minute during these workouts than in my previous workouts, according to my Apple Watch. I also performed the same number of exercises as in my old workouts (five to six per session) in less than half the time.<\/p>\n The short, full-body workouts ensured I never felt too fatigued and never left my muscles overly sore. I\u2019m unsure how I would have fared during this 28-day program otherwise. In those regards, the program seemed specifically tailored for someone in a fat loss phase.<\/p>\n IT ADDED MORE VARIETY TO MY ROUTINE<\/p>\n Not only was intensity lacking in my previous program, but I was doing the same exercises for the same reps each week. While research on the effects of exercise variation is sparse, current evidence<\/a> suggests that systematically switching through exercises that hit the target muscle and are joint-friendly can have a positive impact on muscle gain in your training. (Conversely, switching it up too often can negatively affect your gains.) The main takeaway: You should have a short list of exercises you love for each muscle and cycle through them every few weeks.<\/p>\n The author after completing 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout.<\/p>\n The alternating weekly workouts in Men\u2019s Health\u2019s plan also provided me a mental reprieve from the handful of monotonous lifestyle changes I made to get leaner while on this program. I walked the same route twice a day, ate the same meal three times a day, and popped a melatonin gummy every night at 10. The motivation I felt from following the 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout carried over to the rest of my routine, which made it easy to not just stick to the plan but crush it with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n IT GAVE ME RESULTS FAST\u2014AND MOTIVATION<\/p>\n People train for progress, and when that progress stalls like mine did, it\u2019s difficult to get excited about your routine. In my old workouts, I was going through the motions, performing easy exercises with modest intensity. Most of the time, I didn\u2019t even break a sweat. If my goal were to walk 10,000 steps daily, I\u2019d usually fall short at 7,000. My desire to get back on my macros after an unplanned meal waned. More and more, I was eating out and snacking. The physical changes I saw while doing Belly Fat Burner motivated me to keep going and give it my all.<\/p>\n How It Fit Into The Rest Of My Routine<\/p>\n LOSING FAT REQUIRES much more than just lifting weights, so I had to work on implementing other habits while following the 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout. I ate more protein (one gram per pound of body weight) to help me stay full and maintain my muscle mass while in a caloric deficit. I walked between 15,000 and 20,000 steps daily to increase my NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis)<\/a>, I didn\u2019t stop training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or kickboxing because I like those sports, and more activity equals more calories burned. Lastly, I made sure to get seven hours of sleep, nightly. To improve my sleep efficiency<\/a>, I kept my phone out of my bedroom and cut out alcohol completely (which also hinders fat loss and is high in empty calories).<\/p>\n Those habits helped me get as lean as possible while I followed the 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout. If this sounds overwhelming, well, it was a lot to manage, but the program made sticking with it all easier. The brief, high-intensity workouts burned a lot of calories in a short amount of time and kept me feeling fresh session to session. Also, the challenge of tackling new exercises in a new format provided me with enough motivation to grind through the other aspects of my plan. It was tough but fun.<\/p>\n I\u2019m proud of myself for sticking to a routine that I would never have even considered attempting just six months ago. The 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout<\/a> is a time-efficient, simple, and efficacious program. It forced me to push myself harder in the gym and helped me maintain muscle as I choked down 96 percent lean beef and green beans for a month.<\/p>\n
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Andrew Gutman<\/p>\n
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