How To Tame Your Belly Fat

PJ, like many of my Online Coaching Club members, wants to drop some belly fat. But since he started back in the gym after a short time off due to an injury, he noticed that he was actually gaining fat instead of losing it.

"About a month ago I started building up to my usual workouts after a few weeks off injured. But since upping the training I've started to gain fat, especially around my belly. I've heard that too much exercise can increase my cortisol levels, which can lead to fat gain. I think I have a tendency to overtrain, though I'm not really sure what overtraining is. Is overtraining causing me to gain fat in my belly?"

Here's what I told him...

Overtraining can best be defined as the state where rest is no longer adequate to allow for recovery.

The "overtraining syndrome" occurs when you're training intensely, but, instead of improving, your performance actually gets worse, even after an extended period of rest. It can take weeks (sometimes even months) to recover from a state of "true" overtraining [3].

Overreaching (so-called "short term overtraining"), or training beyond your body's ability to recover is a different story and describes a temporary deterioration in performance, usually lasting from a few days to a week.

Although the term "overtraining" is used a lot, it’s a concept that very few people understand. Simply doing more exercise than you need to stimulate an improvement, or even just feeling "a bit tired" doesn’t mean that you’re overtrained.

"Yes, overtraining can eventually become a problem when it comes to your training performance, injury risks, and growth," says French Canadian strength and conditioning coach Christian Thibadeau. "However, it's far from being as common as most people would have you believe."

"The problem stems from the term itself," Thibadeau continues "which is composed of 'over' and 'training.' Because of that term, individuals are quick to equate it to 'training too much.' So every time someone thinks that a routine has too much volume, frequency, or advanced methods, they're quick to pull the 'overtraining' trigger."

"When someone is tired and has a few bad workouts he'll also automatically assume that he's 'overtraining.' In both cases this shows a misunderstanding of what overtraining really is."

In short, I don't think that overreaching or overtraining is responsible for the fact that you're gaining fat around your belly.

What about cortisol?

Although some claim that a rise in cortisol levels caused by too much exercise will cause weight gain (particularly in the abdominal area), this is not backed by any credible research that I've seen.

It's true that some studies show a link between prolonged exposure to high cortisol levels and visceral (pronounced viss-er-al) fat. Visceral fat is stored in your midsection, in and around the liver and other organs.

In scientific lingo, visceral fat cells are more "metabolically active" than subcutaneous (under the skin) fat cells. As well as releasing stored fat more quickly, visceral fat also has a greater blood flow and a larger number of receptor sites for both androgens and cortisol than subcutaneous fat [1, 4]. This makes it is especially sensitive to the effects of circulating cortisol.

However, the link between cortisol and belly fat has little to do with the cortisol response to exercise.

Although exercise can trigger a rise in cortisol, there are many other hormones — including testosterone, growth hormone and epinephrine (also known as adrenalin) — which are also affected by exercise. It's a mistake to focus on the effects of one and ignore the rest.

What's more, there are several studies to show that a large rise in cortisol during a calorie restricted diet does not impair weight loss. In fact, one 12-week study of overweight women shows that the women who lost the most fat were also the ones who experienced the biggest rise in cortisol levels [2].

I know there are supplements out there promising to help you lose belly fat by lowering cortisol levels. The companies selling these products have taken a small piece of research, twisted it round and used it to sell their products.

They'll tell you that "it's not your fault" that you're fat. It's all down to cortisol. Just take this pill, your cortisol levels will drop and the belly fat will almost magically disappear.

Most people don't want to hear that they're fat because they eat too much and don't take enough exercise. And they certainly don't want to hear that getting rid of the belly fat is going to take time and effort. That kind of honesty doesn't sell supplements.

So, why are you gaining belly fat?

As I explain in How To Reveal Your Abs, if you're not making progress toward your goal, be it fat loss or muscle gain, it's probably not your metabolism, your age, your workout, or your genetics that are causing the problem.

It's your diet.

Your belly fat will stay exactly where it is, even if you're exercising regularly and following all "the rules" about what to eat, simply because you're eating too many calories.

Fix your diet and I'm sure you'll see the results you're looking for.

About The Author
Christian Finn holds a master's degree in exercise science, is a certified personal trainer and has been featured on BBC TV and radio, as well as in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Fit Pro, Zest and other popular fitness magazines.

If you're stuck in a rut with your current exercise and diet plan... fed up with only losing a pound here and there... or still skinny after months (or even years) of trying to build muscle and gain weight... click here now for instant access to his step-by-step muscle-building and fat-burning workout routines.

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References
1. Epel, E.S., McEwen, B., Seeman, T., Matthews, K., Castellazzo, G., Brownell, K.D., Bell, J., & Ickovics, J.R. (2000). Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62, 623-632
2. Kraemer, W.J., Volek, J.S., Clark, K.L., Gordon, S.E., Incledon, T., Puhl, S.M., Triplett-McBride, N.T., McBride, J.M., Putukian, M., & Sebastianelli, W.J. (1997). Physiological adaptations to a weight-loss dietary regimen and exercise programs in women. Journal of Applied Physiology, 83, 270-279
3. Smith LL. (2004). Tissue trauma: the underlying cause of overtraining syndrome? Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 18, 185-193
4. Wajchenberg, B.L. (2000). Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue: their relation to the metabolic syndrome. Endocrine Reviews, 21, 697-738