This is one place where the body likes to store excess calories, in most men and women. From a health perspective, there are two types of belly fat of significance -- the subcutaneous fat just below the skin surface, and the visceral fat, which is deeper and around the internal organs like the intestines, liver and kidneys. Visceral fat, according to the medical experts, is the fat that has the worst metabolic and health consequences, reducing good cholesterol and raising bad cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. In medical terms, visceral fat is associated with metabolic syndrome, a condition with abnormal blood fats and glucose, high blood pressure and obesity. The trouble is, you can't tell who has more visceral or subcutaneous fat by looking at a big belly.

High-intensity

training could help

Either way, we know that losing weight and exercising is good for us, but what if we could target visceral fat with a certain type of exercise? According to some recent research, both types of belly fat can be reduced more successfully with training at a higher intensity, even when compared with the same energy expended in less intense exercise. Although the research is mixed, and some studies did not find any difference in training intensities or duration on belly fat loss, recent experimental studies, including one in the journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, suggest that high-intensity exercise could be beneficial by targeting visceral fat.

Definition of

high-intensity exercise

High-intensity exercise is a vague concept when it comes to precise definition. It basically means you have to work at a higher heart rate. Some trainers and weight loss experts explain it as sprint-type interval training in which you run or cycle at a high intensity for an interval of, say, 20 to 60 seconds, recover, than repeat the activity. Yet high-intensity exercise certainly does not mean interval training exclusively. It can mean running or jogging (depending on your aerobic fitness) at a level at which your VO2 or oxygen utilization is at or above 75%, which is usually at a heart rate of around 85% of your maximum heart rate.

Sprint interval training will often be at a heart rate approaching 95% of maximum. And here's the thing to remember. You can't just do 10 minutes of sprint interval training and think you will match a 30-minute run at 85% maximum heart rate. When it comes to results, you just cannot cheat energy expenditure. Your interval training has to be substantial.

A high-intensity weight training circuit

Circuit training is a combination of various exercises performed in progression from one to another. One way to include weight training in a high-intensity exercise program that burns a lot of calories is to use a weight training circuit in which you move quickly, or even jog between exercises, with little rest. This keeps the heart rate high, provides further intensity in the actual weight lifting exercise, and generally qualifies as high-intensity exercise if you keep on the move.

Here is an advanced-level sample weight training circuit that will ensure a high heart-rate:

1. Squats

2. Push-ups

3. Chin-ups

4. Barbell Hang Clean and Press

5. Dumbbell Lunges

6. Kettlebell Swing

7. Deadlifts

8. Bicycle Crunches

This a physically demanding workout which will be challenging even for top-fit individuals.

Before starting any high-intensity training make sure you go through an 8-12 week foundation training programme that builds a basis fitness level and teaches you the foundation lifts like squatting, deadlifting and pressing. Too many people in gyms still do these movements incorrectly, even after years of training. Make sure to ask an experienced fitness instructor to teach you correct technique to avoid the possibility of injuries at a later stage.

The trick is to start slowly with low-intensity exercise, or even very short bursts of high-intensity exercise, and try the harder stuff as you get fitter.

Richard Geres is an ACE-certified Personal Trainer

www.richardgeres.com