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The High Performance Journal - October 14th, 2025

After 20 years of coaching and being obsessed with getting healthy, I've learned one simple truth:

Not all fat is created equal.

Most fat is benign. In the fitness world, we call it "subcutaneous" and, while it may look unsightly, it's a surface level of fat that is harmless to our health.

The real enemy? Visceral fat.

It's the fat that wraps around your organs and wreaks havoc on your hormones and body.

The unique thing about this type of fat is that it responds to specific types of exercises that most people just aren't aware of.

So, in this newsletter, I want to share the world's easiest and most effective workout to eliminate visceral fat so you can live a long, healthy, vibrant life.

You ready? Let's go 🔥

The World's Most Effective Workout To Burn Visceral Fat

What Is Visceral Fat?

The biggest reason ​​visceral fat is dangerous​​ is that it's wrapped around your organs.

Visceral fat is metabolically active and releases inflammatory substances called cytokines into your bloodstream.

These cytokines contribute to low-grade inflammation, which is a key driver for a number of metabolic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and certain types of cancer.

Also, if you have too much visceral fat, it can literally make you dumber. It reduces the amount of blood flow to the brain, which causes shrinkage in regions of the brain known for being responsible for memory and emotional regulation.

What Causes Visceral Fat Accumulation?

1. Consuming too many "empty" calories. Eating too much, especially from fatty foods, carbs, and sugars, along with not getting enough physical activity, leads to excess fat storage around internal organs.
2. Chronic stress. This raises cortisol levels, which have been shown to contribute to accumulation, especially in the belly area.
3. Age-related hormonal issues. As we age, our hormones and responses to our circadian rhythms start to get dysfunctional, and this can promote visceral fat development.
4. Other lifestyle factors. Smoking, drinking excess alcohol, and poor sleep can further accelerate this process, making some groups like men, post-menopausal women, and people with genetic risk more prone to visceral fat.

When combined, these create a dangerous, toxic fat cocktail.

But the good news is, it's reversible.

Previously, I talked about the ​best diet to eliminate visceral fat​, and when combined with the workout I'm about to reveal, you have the perfect 1-2 punch to remove it from your body once and for all.

The 3 Workouts Proven To Melt Visceral Fat

These are the only 3 types of workouts I prescribe to clients when the goal is eliminating visceral fat.

Each one attacks it from a different angle and together, they form the easiest (and most effective) workout system I’ve ever tested.

In fact, it helped our clients like Eric drop over 36 pounds and over 50% of his visceral fat in just 12 weeks:

Btw...insane 12 week transformation. Great job, Eric!

The first, and most important, workout to remove visceral fat is...

Exercise #1: High-Frequency Strength Training

Most people train their muscles once a week, and that’s a mistake.

Research shows that hitting your major muscle groups multiple times per week not only maintains muscle, but it also increases fat loss efficiency.

Ideally, each week you want to do a workout that hits your main muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs, and abdominals) at least 2x a week, as this has been shown to help you maintain, if not build, muscle.

Every pound of muscle you gain burns more calories at rest, and it also protects against the eventual drop in metabolism that most people experience during a fat loss phase.

Muscle is called the "metabolic sink" because it absorbs and stores large amounts of glucose and fatty acids from the blood, helping regulate blood sugar and fat levels.

It's not just about lifting heavy once. It's about frequency. 3 full-body workouts a week are your sweet spot.

The cool part is that a 2025 review found that when combined with the next type of exercise, you can achieve a 75% greater visceral fat reduction compared to resistance training alone.

Exercise #2: Moderate Intensity Walking

I tell every client this, and I will keep screaming til the cows come home:

Walking is the world’s most underrated fat-loss workout.

Numerous studies show that 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity walking leads to significant reductions in visceral fat, especially in people who are overweight or sedentary.

The reason walking works so well is that it's accessible, low-impact, and also does a great job of reducing your stress hormone cortisol, which goes a long way in helping you remove visceral fat.

You can use an under-the-desk treadmill like me, take a walk outside, or use one of the ​walking hacks mentioned in this article​.

The movement you get outside of the gym is as important as the exercises you do inside of it.

Exercise #3: High-Intensity Cardio aka. Vigorous Exercise

High-intensity cardio like sprints or HIIT training is highly effective at burning visceral fat, but I will admit they are not easy.

Due to their high intensity, they trigger the release of fat-mobilizing hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine, and growth hormone.

The beauty is that you can do these once a week and get the benefit.

A 2024 study found that just one HIIT session per week for 8 weeks significantly reduced belly fat and waist circumference in overweight men.

I personally do sprints once a week, where I go full out for 80-100 meters and give myself 5 minutes of rest between my sets for a total of 6 rounds.

That said, you don't need to sprint full out like me. Find some form of HIIT training that elevates your heart rate and do it once a week, and you've got yourself a great tool for burning visceral fat.

The Workout Schedule I'd Use To Eliminate Visceral Fat

Here’s how I’d structure the perfect week:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: High-frequency strength training (full-body or split)

Daily: 1–2 brisk 30-minute walks (or 8–10k steps total)

Saturday or Sunday: One HIIT session (track sprints, hill sprints, or bike intervals)

That’s it. You’re training smart, not long, and hitting the exact levers that move visceral fat the fastest.

The Final Word

You don’t need hours in the gym or a fancy plan to burn visceral fat. You need frequency, movement, and intensity.

Do these 3 things consistently and you’ll not only lose the most dangerous fat on your body, you’ll also:

• Boost your metabolic rate
• Increase muscle
• Sharpen your mind
• And future-proof your health

An important thing to add is to stop thinking of it as a “fat-loss plan.”

Start thinking of it as the workout routine you can apply to your life that will help you build muscle, improve your health, and, yes, eliminate visceral fat.

The most important part of all this is showing up and being consistent.

Onward and upward. 🚀

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help:

1. The Lean Body 90 System: When you’re ready to get in great shape, Lean Body 90 is the obvious choice. You can get in great shape and reach your fitness goals in just 90 minutes a week. Lose weight and build muscle even without hours in the gym or highly restrictive diets. Join 1000+ students here.

2. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape? Apply for private one-on-one coaching here.

References

High-Frequency Strength Training Increases Muscle and Fat Loss Efficiency Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Evidence-based guidelines for resistance training volume to maximize muscle hypertrophy. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Nov;33(Suppl 1):S34-S39. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003234. PMID: 31095088.

Training Muscle Groups 2x per Week Enhances Hypertrophy and Maintenance Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B, Krieger J, Grgic J, Delcastillo K, Belliard R, Alto A. Resistance Training Frequency Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy in Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Nov;30(11): 3153-3162. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001347. PMID: 26605807.

Skeletal Muscle as a Metabolic Regulator (“Metabolic Sink”) Pedersen BK, Febbraio MA. Muscles, exercise and obesity: skeletal muscle as a secretory organ. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2012 Apr 3;8(8):457–465. doi: 10.1038/nrendo.2012.49. PMID: 22473333.

Resistance + Aerobic Exercise Synergistically Reduces Visceral Fat Huang X, Zhang J, Guo J, et al. Effects of combined aerobic and resistance exercise on visceral fat reduction in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Physiol. 2025 Apr 4;16:1424567. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1424567. PMID: 39997245; PMCID: PMC11868412.

Moderate-Intensity Walking Reduces Visceral Fat Ohkawara K, Tanaka S, Miyachi M, Ishikawa-Takata K, Tabata I. A dose–response relation between aerobic exercise and visceral fat reduction: systematic review of clinical trials. Int J Obes (Lond). 2007 Dec;31(12):1786–1797. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803683. PMID: 17593908.

Walking and Moderate Exercise Improve Metabolic Health and Stress Regulation Murtagh EM, Nichols L, Mohammed MA, Holder R, Nevill AM, Murphy MH. The effect of walking on fitness, fatness and resting blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomised, controlled trials. Prev Med. 2015 Jan;70:33–43. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.11.001. PMID: 25450815.

Lower Cortisol and Improved Stress Response from Walking Thayer JF, Verkuil B, Brosschot JF, et al. Effects of physical activity on stress resiliency: the role of cardiac vagal tone. Front Physiol. 2012;3:86. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2012.00086. PMID: 22514598; PMCID: PMC3320801.

HIIT Reduces Visceral Fat and Waist Circumference Maeda S, Nosaka N, Tanabe Y, et al. Once-weekly high-intensity interval training reduces visceral fat and improves cardiometabolic risk in overweight men: a randomized controlled trial. Sports Med Health Sci. 2024;6(3):245–253. doi: 10.1016/j.smhs.2024.01.004. PMID: 38762370; PMCID: PMC11234522.

Epinephrine and Norepinephrine Mobilize Fat During High-Intensity Training Boutcher SH. High-intensity intermittent exercise and fat loss. J Obes. 2011;2011:868305. doi: 10.1155/2011/868305. PMID: 21113312; PMCID: PMC2991639.

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.