The secret to burning fat has never been harder and easier at the same time. I’ve always hated wasting time, especially when it comes to training. That’s exactly what the average person does these days. Maybe the ‘rat race’ mentality drives people to do cardio by walking or running on treadmills, getting them nowhere fast—much like a hamster on a wheel.
Are you a hamster or a human?
I’ve always felt bad for every hamster running its heart out with nothing to show for it. It’s very much like… Oh… You. Oops, did I hit a nerve?
Back to wasting time and working out. As a kid, I followed every word my boxing coach said, even when it drove me to insanity. One thing that got to me was running 10 miles a day. Despite all that effort, I wasn’t losing the weight I needed to. I wasn’t fast—actually, I was pretty slow. Running felt like a daunting task that would never help me reach my goals.
I needed to make weight for my boxing matches, and running was supposed to help me lose weight. But it just wasn’t working. I needed to achieve better results in less time. It might sound cliché, but that’s how my brain worked then and still does today. Eventually, I realized that the secret to burning fat wasn’t running endless miles on a treadmill—it was training smarter, not harder. So, I decided to try running hills at the suggestion of my track coach.
F**king Major Stocum Drive
You might not know Ridgefield, New Jersey, or Ridgefield Memorial High School, but it sits at the foot of a beautiful, winding hill called Major Stocum Drive. This wooded and hilly path became my relentless nemesis for years. Despite running every day, averaging 10 miles, one session of interval hill training left my legs feeling like they would explode. My lungs felt like they were no longer in my chest, and I thought my heart escaped while I was puking.
F**king Major Stocum Drive. I still hate that hill! But I thank God every day that I ran it because it led me to discover the real secret to burning fat.
Hill Training
Although I did various strength-related exercises at the gym, like squats, leg presses, leg extensions, and curls, I never felt the power I gained from hill training. Contracting my muscles against gravity in such a sustained fashion felt magical. With hill training, I could take some time off and still maintain my fitness gains. It also strengthened my tendons and ligaments. The side effect of this intense training was a significant drop in body fat, revealing yet another secret to burning fat.
By increasing the workload in shorter spurts, I was expending more calories than during my many hours of running. My body had adapted to the sustained, repetitive running workload, becoming efficient at using the energy required. Hill training, however, created chaos in my energy systems, and the increased workload expended more calories. It was a win-win situation, and it became clear that this was the secret to burning fat I had been searching for.
Here are some workouts I incorporated into my hill training program, which were vital in discovering the secret to burning fat:
Interval Hills:
This might seem simple, but it’s incredibly effective.
- Warm-up: Start with a six to eight-minute warm-up on a bike or a short jog before hitting the hills.
- Hill Climbs: Begin with a slight incline and gradually progress to a steeper one. Each hill climb interval should last at least 45 seconds. Stop, turn around, and walk back down the hill. Rest for about 30 seconds, then rerun the hill. Repeat until you feel like puking or puke.
Treadmill Hills:
You may need to use a treadmill if you live in a flat area like Indiana, where the only hills are speed bumps.
- Warm-up: Warm up for six to eight minutes.
- Incline Running: Set the incline between 10 and 15 degrees. Run for 45-second bursts on the incline, then lower it for 90 seconds. Repeat until your body tells you to stop or you feel like puking.
Downhill Training:
Most people focus on uphill workouts for power and strength, but downhill training helps build stability in the knee and hip joints.
- Downhill Running: Run downhill at a natural pace, keeping your strides smooth, not choppy. Walk up the hill for about 100 yards, then turn around and run down. Repeat five times, increasing as you see fit. Downhill training should be done once a week.
Overloading your body with this type of exercise places great demands on your energy and fat stores, which in turn burns more fat and calories. Incorporate this training into your workout when you need to significantly cut body fat and unlock the secret to burning fat.”
Want to know about 15 Fat Burning Foods? Click the link to discover more.