Have you forgotten about interval training? Interval training is clearly the best way to get in shape. This is where you alternate between periods of high intensity and low intensity training.

I get many emails from individuals who are trying to burn off stubborn fat. They are very close to revealing their six packs. When I tell them to send me their current training program, I see that they jog or do some sort of low intensity aerobic activity for hours per week.

I tell them to simply cut their aerobic workouts in half, and add two sessions of high intensity training. Just a few sessions of interval training per week for no more than 30 minutes at a time will make your abs “pop out.”

Whether you’re trying to get rid of stubborn fat, or just starting your fat loss plan, you absolutely need a combination of good eating strategies, full body workouts, and cardio. Most beginners start off with steady state cardio sessions either on a treadmill or exercises bike.

There’s nothing wrong with this. However, including some sort of interval training earlier on in your program will allow you to get into the habit of high intensity exercise. However, for a beginner, the session will last much shorter than an advanced trainee.

For example, an advanced interval training workout might look something like this:

5 rounds of:

• 30 seconds all out sprint
• 60 seconds recovery jog

A beginner workout might look something like this:

3 rounds of:

• 15 seconds all out sprint
• 120 seconds recovery jog

Do you see the difference in training programs here? The concept is the same. I strongly urge beginners to at least include a brief, 15 second high intensity interval within their steady state cardio workouts.

One of the best trainers to incorporate interval training in all his workouts is Craig Ballantyne, creator of Turbulence Training. You can learn more about Craig’s incredible training program on my blog, ShahTraining.com.