Posts Tagged ‘Workouts’

Have you ever heard that losing fat is 90% diet and 10% training?  Well, that’s the formula for losing weight, which is a very different goal than losing fat!  Most fitness experts or trainers will tell you that your diet is the most important component in your pursuit of a fat free body but that is only half the equation.  Simply cutting calories without exercising or even worse, doing the wrong type of exercise, doesn’t just burn fat.  It burns fat and MUSCLE!  So you will weigh less but your body will be weak and soft instead of lean, ripped and hard.  And you will be what we all try to avoid in the fitness world – a skinny fat person.

The fact is the way you train is every bit as important for fat loss as the way you eat.  Unfortunately, when most people think of exercising to lose weight, they think of aerobic activities, such as biking, running, swimming etc.  And while all burn lots of calories, which is important, if  like most people you have trouble sticking to a diet, but when it comes to burning pure FAT, long moderate, boring aerobic activity is simply overrated!

Below are 3 reasons why:

1.  Your body adapts to cardio.
The more you do cardio, the more efficient your body becomes at burning fat for fuel, causing you to burn fewer calories from your fat stores each time you exercise.

2.  It takes longer.
When your body adapts to aerobic activity, your workouts have to last increasingly longer in order to burn the same amount of calories.  This not only increasing the amount of time you have to spend working out but also increases the chances of your body breaking down its own muscle for fuel instead of fat!

3.  The benefits are temporary.
Slow moderate aerobic activity does not increase the amount of fat you burn after your workout.  This is known as the “afterburn.” This is an important concept I talk about in my new book “Rapidly Ripped-The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!” Your metabolism returns to normal shortly after stepping off the elliptical or treadmill.

THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO LOSE YOUR FAT!

The best way to get rid of unwanted body fat is hitting the weights.  The key is knowing exactly how to train to accelerate the rate at which your body burns fat, without sacrificing any of your hard earned muscle!  The first step is to forget about training individual body parts.  Instead of arms on one day and shoulders on another, and chest on yet another, think of your body as one large muscular unit and try to work as many muscles as possible in each resistance training session.  This is one of the key strategies behind The Rapidly Ripped Ultimate Fat Burning Workout. The concept of full body workouts combined with supersets and giant sets is KEY to your fat burning success!

Studies show the more muscle you stimulate in a workout, the greater the boost to your metabolism for the next 24-48 hours (a process we mentioned earlier known as the “afterburn”).  This means your body is continually burning fat at an increased rate long after your workout is over-even while you’re watching TV, driving to work or even sleeping!

So are you ready to start lifting or following the Rapidly Ripped Ultimate Fat Loss Workout DVD? Remember to aim for three full body workouts a week, resting a day in between to fully recovery.  Since you’re working your entire body each session, you want to avoid doing back to back workouts, in order to give your muscles time to recover for your next workout.  For ultimate fat loss, I suggest on alternate days you follow a short 20 minute HIIT cardio program. (More on this in my next post)

Here are 4 key points you must follow to maximize your FAT LOSS workout and get the most out of your muscles during each session.

1.  Use Free Weights.
Machines are designed to target individual muscle groups and will this will actually reduce to total amount of muscle involved to move the weight.For example, a leg extension machine works one muscle group: the quadriceps.  A  free weight squat, however, hits more than 250 muscles!

2.  Stand don’t Sit (whenever possible)
Nothing shuts off muscle involvement like lying or sitting down.   For example, a standing biceps curl is generally better than a seated curl because your back, hips, leg and even your toe muscles have to work to keep you standing, therefore burning more calories.

3.  Choose multi-joint, compound exercises.
Always pick exercises that force you to move at more than one joint.

Examples:
The Squat – involves the hip and knee joint,
The Bench Press – involves the shoulder and elbow joint.
The Bent over Row – involves the shoulder and elbow joint.

These  BIG lifts require a tremendous amount of energy, stimulating the release of muscle-building and fat burning hormones that will accelerate your fat loss and muscle building results.

4.  Go Heavy and aim for slightly heavier weights each week.
Conventional wisdom use to suggest that that we use high-rep, light weight workouts to help us lose fat and get ripped.  In reality, low-rep, heavy weight workouts burn more calories and also work more muscles, increasing the ever so important “after-burn” once you are done with the workout.  So you are burning calories and losing fat at an increased rate all day long – even at rest!  Low repetitions and heavy weight workouts also help preserve more of your muscle and have a much greater protective effect on your muscle, preventing it from being used for energy and ensuring that your weight loss comes purely from FAT! (not your hard earned muscle!)

The bottom line when lifting weights or performing body weight movements to lose fat is stick to 5-12 reps, using the heaviest weight that allows you to complete each rep in good form.  Perform 3-5 sets of 4-6 exercises per full body workout.

Bonus Tip:

If your ultimate goal is to incinerate the fat off your body and get ripped, you’ve got to keep rest periods between sets to a minimum.  Ideally 30-60 second rest at the most.  Research has shown that workouts that incorporate heavy weights and short rest periods not only challenge your body more during the workout itself, but also lead to a much more dramatic spike in the production of fat-burning hormones afterwards!

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of  Rapidly Ripped -
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner

Eating the right foods, in the right combination and at the right time can give you the energy you need to blast through your workouts or simply to avoid the mid-afternoon crash.  Keep in mind that eating a big meal just before a workout no matter how balanced will slow you down and zap your energy.  The energy tips below will help you maintain a healthy weight and feel good all day long.

1.  Caffeine and sugar offer only temporary bursts of energy.

You’ll crash soon after consuming them, so use both in moderation.  I recommend a big cup of coffee right before each workout. The Caffeine will give you a good kick in energy and help mobilize fats.  As a general rule, drink 2 glasses of water for every cup of coffee since caffeine has a dehydrating effect on the body.

2.  Feeling tired can be a symptom of dehydration.

Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. As stated in my book, Rapidly Ripped, I recommend at least 10 glasses or a gallon of water a day for increased energy and aided fat loss.  And to ensure energy during exercise, drink water before, during and after your workout.

3.  Eat enough Fiber

One often under-diagnosed source of low energy is a digestive tract that is not working right.  Be sure to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Your goal should be 20-25 grams of fiber per day.

4.  Choose the right energy bar.

If you are on the run and really need a snack, look for an energy bar that’s about 200 calories and is nicely balanced with protein, carbohydrates and fats-and is low in sugar.  Myoplex puts out some good bars, as well as, Cliff, Zone, Balance and O-Yeah bars are some of my favorites.

PRE-WORKOUT SNACK
Exercising on an empty stomach deprives you of the energy needed to get the most out of your workout.  Eat a small snack, no more than 200 calories, 30-60 minutes before you exercise.  Avoid pure carb snacks by eating some protein, which will take longer to break down and will keep your blood sugar levels steady.  Some of my favorite snacks before an intense resistance training workout is:  a Myolex Lite protein shake, an apple with a table spoon of natural Sesame Butter or Almond Butter, a plain yogurt with some walnuts and blueberries, just to name a few.

POST-WORKOUT MEAL
You should always aim for a balanced mix of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats to replenish your body, for your post workout meal.  Remember,  a great workout should never be an excuse to indulge in a pepperoni pizza or a cheese burger with fries afterward!

For breakfast try a 3 egg white omelet with low fat cheese, tomato and onion or a bowl of oatmeal, spiked with a scoop of whey protein, walnuts, blueberries and a table spoon of cinnamon flax seed oil.  For lunch choose a salad with grilled chicken or a turkey with lettuce and tomato on whole grain bread with mustard (no mayo!)  Keep in mind that if you drink a lot of caffeinated beverages-such as coffee, tea or soda- you will be more dehydrated so drink plenty of water after you work out.

MID AFTERNOON PICK-ME-UP SNACK/MEAL
For many people, the 3 p.m. slump is often the most tempting time to settle for a quick, but not always smart energy fix.  Keep healthy snacks handy to ward off an emergency trip to the vending machine or fast food joint.  Aim for around a 200 calorie snack.  Some of my favorites are a Myoplex protein RTD shake or bar, some raw nuts mixed in vanilla Yoplait yogurt (supplying both protein and healthy omega-3s), an apple with 2 low fat mozzarella cheese sticks or low fat cottage cheese with pineapples.  Stay away from sugary drinks, processed high sugar snacks and fast foods.  They will send your calorie count and blood sugar soaring and zap your energy shortly thereafter!

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of  Rapidly Ripped -
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner