The fat loss tip I’m about to share with you is a very simple one.
But used in the right way, it’s also extremely effective.
In fact, it’s a “secret weapon” that’s been used by bodybuilders and fitness models for decades to help them get “ripped” before a contest or photo shoot.
Yet it’s become so unfashionable in recent years that I think a lot of people have forgotten it even exists.
So without further ado, here it is…
Set your alarm clock so that you get up 30 minutes earlier than normal.
Put on a pair of walking shoes.
Get out the door.
Look at your watch and note the time.
Now… start walking.
Keeping walking as fast as you can.
After 15 minutes… turn around and walk back home.
And that’s it.
In other words, something you can do right now to speed up your fat-loss results is simply to get out of bed 30-40 minutes earlier than normal and go for a brisk walk.
“It’s incredible that in this day and age, people seem to accept that cardio is done in the gym,” says natural bodybuilding champion Jon Harris in his book Pro Natural.
“But the very best method is to get outdoors and breathe the fresh air. A brisk walk outdoors is an excellent form of cardio and also one of my favorites.”
Yes, I know that steady-state cardio is not trendy anymore. And it’s not a particularly effective way to drop fat. Not on its own, anyway.
But when you use it alongside a good diet, strength training and more intense (but only occasional) forms of cardio, walking does have a number of important benefits.
Firstly, you’re burning off extra calories. And while the number of calories burned during steady-state cardio isn’t huge (depending on your weight, you’ll burn somewhere in the region of 400-700 calories for every 60 minutes of brisk walking), they all add up in the long run.
The table below is taken from a 12-week study of obese men who did 60 minutes of cardio (brisk walking or light jogging) every day.
The men were able to lose 6.1 kilograms (13 pounds) of fat, with most of the lost fat coming from subcutaneous (under the skin) stores. Considering all they were doing was walking, losing just over one pound of fat per week is a decent result.
Secondly, walking has only a minor impact on your muscle-building efforts in the gym. This is not the case with more intense forms of cardio, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
For reasons that I have yet to fully understand, a lot of people have come to believe that combining a 5-day split routine with 20 minutes of HIIT after every workout AND a restricted calorie diet is the best way to drop fat while building muscle.
Most people are doing well to maintain strength/muscle mass with this type of routine, let alone gain any.
The third benefit is a psychological one. A brisk walk in the morning is a great way to set you up for the day, especially when it’s one of those “cold and crisp” days when the sky is blue and there’s a sprinkling of frost on the ground.
Even before most people have dragged themselves out of bed, you’ve already taken another step closer to one of your goals.
That’s a good feeling that stays with you all day.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying that walking is the “best way” to lose fat. Nor am I suggesting that you abandon other forms of exercise.
But when you use low-intensity steady-state cardio (LISS) in combination with a good diet, resistance training and more intense forms of cardio, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.
SHAMELESS PLUG: If you want a complete step-by-step system that will help you build muscle, burn fat and build the body of a superhero, all while spending less than four hours per week in the gym, click here to download a copy of Muscle Evo right now.
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please do me a favor and use one of the buttons below to share it with your friends and the rest of the free world.
Let Me Help You Burn Fat, Build Muscle and Get Strong
My name is Christian Finn. I run a private "members only" website that will help you burn fat, build muscle and get strong. If you want accurate, honest and in-depth reviews on the latest "hot topics" in the world of fitness, you're confused by all the conflicting advice out there, or you just want some fat-burning and muscle-building training routines that work, click here now to find out how I can help you.
