The quickest way to lose two inches off your waist is to build as much muscle as possible and to burn as many calories as possible. The American College of Sports Medicine "Resources for the Personal Trainer" states that a combination of interval and resistance training can be one of the quickest ways to lose fat without sacrificing lean mass.
Sprinting Intervals
The American Council on Exercise states that interval training using sprints is one of the best ways to burn body fat without letting your body cannibalize muscle tissue. To perform a sprinting interval routine, find an area in which you can safely run. Make sure the ground is free of any holes, grooves or objects that can cause you to trip and fall. The area should be about 30 yards long, allowing you enough room to accelerate and decelerate. Warm up by stretching and running back and forth at less than half-speed to get the blood into the legs. Once you are properly warmed up, begin the intervals. Start the first interval by running about 50 percent of your maximum speed. Then jog back. Begin the second interval by running about 75 percent of your maximum speed. Then jog back. The rest of your intervals should be at full speed. This will maximize the conditioning and calorie-burning phase. You should rest about three to five minutes between sprints. Begin by doing 10 full-speed sprints. As you develop more endurance, decrease your rest time and increase your sprints.
Bridges
The bridge is a great way to burn calories and it helps to remove two inches off the waist by forcing stabilizer muscles in the core to keep you from falling. To perform the bridge, drop to the ground as you would to do a normal push-up. Make sure your legs are straight out and close together. Bend your arms so that you are resting on your forearms and elbows instead of your palms. Keep your butt down and parallel to the floor. Tighten your stomach and hold this position for as long as you can, then rest. This is one timed set. Repeat this set two or three more times. Every week try to add 10 more seconds on to your starting time until you can hold for three to four minutes without shifting or lifting your butt in the air.
Pull-Ups
The classic pull-up is an effective way to trim two inches off the waist because it requires the body to use a lot of force and because the large groups of muscles it builds help burn more calories when your body is at rest. To perform it, grab onto a bar overhead. Make sure your grip is about shoulder-width apart. Pull your chest up toward the bar, keeping your body straight and legs hanging directly below you. Try to get your chin over the tops of your hands and then slowly lower yourself down. Never jerk yourself up towards the bar. This is one repetition. Try to complete as many repetitions as you can until you can no longer raise your chin over your hands. Do three sets of as many pull-ups as you can per set. Try to set a goal of adding one pull-up to your sets every week.
References
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- American Council on Exercises Personal Trainers Manual; Cedric X. Bryant; 2003
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