One workout a week burns belly fat no worse than three.

Scientists from the University of Hong Kong have found that to get rid of belly fat, you don’t have to go to the gym three times a week. One interval training for 75 minutes is enough — the result over four months turned out to be the same as with the classic three-time regimen.

Abdominal fat is not about beauty, but about blood vessels class=»notranslate»>__GTAG8__

Doctors consider fat that is deposited specifically on the stomach, and not evenly throughout the body, to be a separate problem, xrust states. It is closely linked to the risk of heart attack, type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders — much more closely than just extra pounds on the scale. In Russia, the threshold after which they talk about abdominal obesity is a waist circumference of 94 cm for men and 80 cm for women; According to specialized centers, in 2025, about 36 million cases of obesity were recorded in the country.

The standard recommendation for those who want to lose this fat through interval training is to exercise three times a week. For a person with a busy schedule, family and work, this sounds utopian, and this is where procrastination with the gym most often begins.

How they checked: 315 people and three groups

A team from the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) conducted a randomized trial among 315 overweight and abdominal obese Chinese adults from 2021 to 2024. The participants were divided into three groups: one did interval training once a week, the second three times a week, the third did not exercise at all, and listened to lectures on a healthy lifestyle once every two weeks.

The total load for both training groups was the same — 75 minutes of interval walking (alternating fast pace and recovery) per week. The only difference is how these minutes were distributed: for some — in one go, for others — in three. Fat and muscle mass were measured using X-ray densitometry (DXA)—an accurate way to “weigh” fat rather than total body mass—at baseline, after 16 weeks and again after four months.

Result: it makes no difference whether to split the load or not

By week 16, both training groups showed decreases in total fat mass, body fat percentage, and waist circumference—virtually in sync with each other. Both were also noticeably ahead of the control group in terms of cardiorespiratory fitness, that is, they simply became more resilient.

Study leader Professor Paco Xu Ming-Fai, Head of the Department of Kinesiology at HKUMed, noted: although the three-times-a-day regimen remains the standard recommendation, a one-week training session gives a comparable effect and can become a real alternative for those who find it difficult to find time for sports for several days in a row. According to him, it is the lack of time that is the main obstacle for people with abdominal obesity, who have to combine work, study and family responsibilities.

Why the interval format works at all

The point of interval training is to alternate bursts of intense exercise with lighter recovery phases. According to previous studies, this format burns fat, including visceral fat (the one around the organs), more effectively than an even load at an average pace of the same duration. This also echoes the already well-known concept of the “weekend warrior” — when the entire week of physical activity is performed in one or two days, rather than spread out evenly, and the body still benefits.

The new study, published in Nature Communications, is one of the few to test this specifically in relation to interval training and specifically in people with abdominal obesity, rather than healthy athletes.

What does this mean in practice

class=»notranslate»>__GTAG7__ For the Russian reader, the conclusion sounds especially relevant: with a busy work schedule and without the habit of regular three times a day visits to the gym, many give up the idea of training altogether. The study provides a formal basis for a more flexible approach — 75 minutes of interval walking once a week (for example, Saturday or Sunday) instead of three short visits throughout the week produces comparable results for belly fat and endurance.

It is worth clarifying: the study was conducted on a sample of adults with already confirmed abdominal obesity, and not as a general recommendation “for everyone”. Before changing your exercise regimen, especially if you have underlying health conditions, it is wise to check with your doctor.

Sources:
sciencedaily.com
hku.hk
nature.com

Xrust One workout a week burns belly fat no worse than three