I HAVE ALWAYS envied the chiseled bodies of the models, bodybuilders, and celebrities I’ve profiled as a fitness writer. But looking like a beautiful statue-person is a 24/7 chore, and pizza tastes damn good. Then, sometime after learning my wife was pregnant, and amid my attempt to bring order to every crevice of my life, I was offered a chance to try a new training program from Men's Health: 28-Day Belly Fat Burner.
I followed the plan for four weeks and ultimately shed 13 pounds and lost three inches from my waist. It was packed with science-backed tips for getting lean, plus a 28-day workout plan. You can get started today by accessing the 28-day plan via your MVP membership here or if you want the full guided experience you can get the book here.
The 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout, created by Men’s Health Advisory Board member David Otey, CSCS, breaks down like this: Since I started lifting weights in 2012, my body weight has fluctuated aggressively every few years. Like most guys, I’d white-knuckle my way through a diet only to regain the pounds shortly thereafter. And then, in the fall of 2022, weighing 210 pounds and in the middle of another training lull, I committed to making lifestyle changes.
I walked more, drank less alcohol, counted calories, began lifting weights consistently again, and didn’t let a cheat meal become a cheat week. It wasn’t easy, and there were (many) slip-ups, but consistency prevailed, and I lost 25 pounds in about seven months. Not too long after, I began to ease up on my diet and training, and my weight plateaued at 185 pounds—considerably lighter than I was once, but still far from ripped.
With this transformation in the rearview mirror, it’s easier for me to conduct a post-mortem on my old lifting routine and pinpoint how the 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout patched up some now-obvious holes in it. Here’s what I loved about this program: Before, I was only training three times a week, doing a few sets for my legs, zero direct core work, and around six sets for every major muscle except my back. While I was maybe maintaining muscle, my old routine wasn’t pushing my gains forward like the 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Workout did.
Research within the last five years suggests you need at least 10 sets per muscle per week to stimulate muscle growth, and a 2022 meta-analysis, co-authored by Men’s Health contributor and exercise scientist Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, found that same number of sets helped spare lean muscle tissue in subjects eating a calorie-restricted diet. This program certainly provides enough sets per muscle. While direct total volume for certain muscle groups, mainly the biceps and triceps, fell under that 10-set recommendation, implementing compound exercises, which usually target more than one muscle, provides enough stimulus to those smaller, ancillary muscle groups. (E.g., barbell rows and pullups mainly work your back, but your biceps get some play, too.) And even though this routine is designed for those losing weight, Otey factors progressive overload into the program.
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