By Elena Voropay

Hot summer days are over, so most of us are getting all wrapped up in layers of clothing and packing on some body fat. That's the easiest way to keep the body nice and warm on the inside. But haven't you spent countless hours in the gym trying to melt the adipose from last years winter? Before you get into the never-ending cycle of weight-loss-gain labyrinth, there is the hottest, newest, most efficient way to burn fat before it piled up from your ravenous appetite. I agree, following the fat-burning diet for life is cruel. And you can go only so far with weight-training in your body composition challenge. To melt the soft cushion under your skin, you have to do cardio. The only way to oxidize the adipose tissue is through aerobic training. However, there is a very thin line between blazing fat and wasting muscle when it comes to energy expenditure, both at rest and exercise. The million-dollar question is: What is the easiest, fastest and surest way to burn as much fat as possible without wasting hard-earned muscle tissue? After many years of arduous work and patience, the researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) came up with the latest solution for the eternal body-renovating project.

In the study, 45 overweight young women (BMI of 23.5 kg/m2) were committed to cycle three times a week for 15 weeks following specific protocols. One group of subjects sprinted on a bike for eight seconds, then reduced the intensity for 12 seconds completing 60 sprints in about 20 minutes per session. It was a gradual time build-up for the same amount of exercise, starting form just five minutes during the first week. With every consecutive workout, women were also able to increase the intensity of sprinting stripping most of their fat from the legs and buttocks.

According to Boutcher, “The group which did around eight seconds of sprinting on a bike, followed by 12 seconds of exercising lightly for twenty minutes, lost three times as much fat as other women, who exercised at a continuous, regular pace for 40 minutes.” The 8 second/12 second interval was found to be optimal in terms of being able to sustain the sprint periods with the utmost fat burning results.

The secret to the unique metabolic response is that intermittent sprinting produces higher levels of chemical compounds called catecholamines. These are generated by your body in response to stressful situations putting your system in the state of alert and forcing all reserved sources, such as energy from fat tissue, to be used to maintain homeostasis and counterbalance the increased metabolic demands. As alarming as it sounds, you get the benefits of melted love handles and beer belly. So, next time you hit the cardio machines, test the 8/12 minute fat burn on yourself. After all, you have nothing to lose – other than body fat.

Don't like sprinting? Try swimming, walking, and rowing, whatever your mind wishes. However, remember that there is more to weight loss than exercise routine and strict diet. Other factors that contribute to fat gain, such as adequate rest, sleep patterns, stress, genetic predisposition, hormonal set-up, and your interpretation of feeling good.

The results of the study have been presented at recent meetings of the Heart Foundation and American College of Sports Medicine, the world leader in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sports-related injuries and the advancement of the science of exercise.

Co-researchers in the fat loss research program are: Gail Trapp: PhD UNSW; Sarah Dien: PhD candidate UNSW; Professor Don Chisholm: Garvan Institute; Judy Freund: St Vincents Hospital. Contact details: A/Prof Steve Boutcher, 0402 725 652, Susi Hamilton, UNSW media unit, 9385 1583 or 0422 934 024