It is not the 1980's and cardio is not what you need to lose fat

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. -Lou Holtz

There are many different ways to lose weight. Most simply put, the body must consume more energy than it is being given. However, there are many factors that influence whether the body is using glucose (sugar), fatty acids, and/or amino acids(from protein).  These 3 either immediately enter the blood stream to produce energy through a metabolic pathway, or stored. The physical demands we place on our bodies, coupled with diet, decide if stored energy is taken for energy. This is not some mind-blowing statement. We all know this. This post discusses which "physical demand" is best for fat loss.

Aside from diet, strength training is the most crucial component in anyone's fat loss regimen. I have assembled my top reasons for lifting weights as a primary function to meet these goals.


Lifting weights>Running
I have not done any form of endurance or cardio training for over a year, yet I have maintained >10% body fat for that same time period. Years ago I would have never imagined that this could even be possible. Every magazine or article that I read said you needed to get on the stair stepper, swim, or run miles and miles to be lean. Personal experience and the experiences of clients and friends, have re-shaped my views. High-intensity-resistance training induced a faster visceral fat loss, and thus the potential of resistance training should not be undervalued.

Strength/Resistance training burns more stored fat than other exercise.
There has been a long standing misconception that low-intensity exercise is the best way to lose weight, or more specifically, body fat. I believe the theory was that high-intensity exercise causes the the body to be catabolic (musculature break down for fuel). Research has since disproved this fallacy. Research actually suggest that your metabolism is boosted for at least an hour due to your body trying to help muscles recover. Weight lifting is a high intensity exercise seeing as it is bursts of intense exertion followed by periods of rest.  

Resistance training increases insulin sensitivity.
Insulin is responsible for encouraging the uptake of glucose, fats, and amino acids into cells. When we work out, we are trying to utilize stored energies for fuel, rather than allow our cells to accept more fuel. When we strength train, the associated high-intensity component strongly suppresses the release of insulin from the pancreas, therefore, reducing fat/glucose/amino acid storage. Insulin sensitivity is greatly increased even after small amounts of exercise. This matters because less insulin is required to get the same effect on glucose intake into muscle tissue. I use this knowledge daily to tailor my diet to one that causes little insulin release, why still enjoying the benefits of great amounts of glucose uptake into my muscle(flooding the muscle cells with nutrients), while limiting fat storage.

Resistance training increases levels of testosterone and human growth hormone. (refer to earlier post for explanation of this importance)
A resistance training plan that uses multi -joint lifts such as squat, deadlift, and power cleans, cause increases in muscle-building(anabolic) hormones. These increases encourage more lean muscle, which everyone can benefit from, especially the elderly, given that muscle mass tapers off after about age 40-50.


Weight lifting makes you feel good.
Weight lifting and other exercises generate the release of endorphins in the brain, which serve as an analgesic and contribute to that "feel good" sensation following a workout, Referred to as the "monoamine hypothesis," which includes dopamine production as well as serotonin and endorphins, these benefits would seem to be an advantageous long-term effect of weight lifting on the brain, as long as the weight lifting does not involve steroid use.

Strength training does not have to involve a gym membership or a trainer. I believe in both of these choices, but strength training can be any high-intensity exertion using the muscles. You could use water jugs, sand bags, jungle gyms at the local park, heavy machinery, or anything else you can think of. The importance is that you have quick bouts of high exertion followed by periods of rest. The fat loss will come and you might even find out you become addicted, as many others have.

Step 5 of 5 Steps to a More Fit You.

ANALYSIS PARALYSIS

I LIKE IT SIMPLE / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

I have a passion. I want to help people meet their fitness goals. What's the BEST POSSIBLE way to make this happen? This last question is where I make the most mistakes, not in fitness, but in LIFE!

This conundrum can lead to many, many more questions. 

I don't know exactly how to attract more clients.

I'm not sure how much cardio to do in my programming.

Why would people want to hear MY opinion on sports, nutrition, mental toughness, deep breathing, and meditation? Who am I to put my two cents in?

I don't know how best to prove I know what I’m talking about.

 I don't know if doing squats are as beneficial as some experts say.

Should I eat low fat, high carb meals or high fat, low carb meals? The list goes on and on and on...

“YOU CANNOT DREAM YOURSELF INTO A CHARACTER; YOU MUST HAMMER AND FORGE YOUSELF ONE.” – JAMES A FROUDE

Becoming a "Fat Burning Furnace"

8/6/2012

The past two days have consisted of a 6pm-5:30pm fast on Monday, and a 5:30pm-6:00 fast today.  I have never felt better and more proud of the point I've gotten to.  It may seem weird that I would celebrate how long I've gone without food in a day.  Well, it is odd. But, prior to undertaking this new perspective as I have said, I was eating 6 meals a day and honestly felt like I was hypoglycemic. I would get nauseated, weak and shaky in just three hours time from not having food in my system. I would try my damnedest to eat small portions in hopes to stay somewhat trim (or what I thought was trim), and lose fat. It worked to a degree but I was never satiated! I was always miserably hungry and had little to no energy. I didn't really even realize how cruddy I felt until I stopped eating all day everyday.  It was a helpless feeling like I was always letting my goals go to the wayside because

  I wanted a burger for lunch instead of Peter Cottontail's vegan special.

I decided to make a change.-Ever heard that before? That statement has been on every single fitness infomercial in history I presume. Undoubtedly, that's what it takes though. Not wishing and wanting to make a change. Not hoping tomorrow your day and mood and family and job facilitate your new found invigoration to make a change. You've got to just make up your mind and tell yourself, no convince yourself, that no matter what, you're going to do whatever it takes to update your present situation.

This approach or mindset seems pretty intense but at the initial moment of changing any kind of habit, this is what works for me.   Inevitably, days go by and this "kill or be killed" mindset is not longer needed. So my fasts got longer each day until I honestly could go a couple of days without eating. O did I forget to mention the fat began melting like the polar ice caps.

• 5:45a- cup of joe
• Tons of water throughout the day.
• 3:45p- Heading to the gym right after work because I know a meal follows in it's footsteps!

I began my workout with a 10 minute warm-up walk on the treadmill. This was followed by one beast of a legs workout that was as follows.

All exercised performed for 3 sets of 10 repetitions. Heavy as I could go with great form.
      Squat
      Leg Press Machine
      Leg extension machine
      Romanian Deadlift
      Lying Hamstring Curls
      Standing Calf Press Machine

• 5:00 pm- My entire workout took maybe 45-60 minutes. In my opinion this is the optimal range when training HIGH INTENSITY.   

Post-workout I had a whey protein shake.

At this point it has been roughly 22 hours since my last meal. Carbohydrate (glycogen) stores might have lasted the first 12 hours. So what is fueling my body!? Stored fat. Some may ask why my body is not breaking down amino acids from muscle fibers for energy. This is commonly referred to as "going catabolic" in gym rat bro science lingo. Once again I must admit this was one of faulty pre-IF beliefs.

Well, our bodies respond to the metabolic stresses we inflict on them. If a person is routinely inflicting muscle damage due to weight training, what adaptive or evolutionary sense does it make to use hard earned muscle as fuel.? Our beautifully designed bodies have built in back up power generators conveniently located around you butt, thighs, gut, and love handles?

• 6:00pm- after a shower and a few things around the home front it is time for dinner.

1. Banana
2. 3 chicken breasts with diced tomatoes
3. A giant salad with cucumbers, green pepper, garbanzo beans, lettuce, black olives and whatever else veggies I could find. Topped with fat-free thousand island dressing.
4. One medium size sweet potato
5. Orange
6. A bowl of Kashi golean crunch 

Some people cannot eat all of this at one sitting, but I sure can. If people can't eat like this, simply space out a few smaller meals.

This meal left me filling very full and eager to undergo the next days fat burning session.  With each days waking, the results are obvious and inspire and reassure you that what you're doing is a physiologically superior way to eat.

Fitness Rant

Let's face it. There are as many versions of being fit as there are people who think they know how to get fit. Yes, I guess I am included in that figure. I am a bit obsessive with fitness though.

 I'm addicted to understanding how the body works and how to maximize it's performance. I classify performance as optimal function of any and all systems. Not just how much some overweight wanna be can bench press-although I'm not trashing one of the kings of upper body strength movements.

Things like injury prevention. Clearer thinking. Combating disease. Increasing longevity and the ability to greatly enjoy your later years in life. I've found through fitness, people can gain a new respect for the wonders of the human body's ability to improve almost every aspect of one's life. I know this because it has happened to me!

Well it's 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon and I've already eaten a meal! What a splurge today has been.  I'm only joking. In all seriousness, for the majority of the past week I have not eaten until after my workout, which is normally around 3:30 or 4pm.
That normally equates to an almost 22 hour fasting time period consisting of nothing but water. And a whole lot of time for my Pituitary Gland to wring out some Human Growth Hormone and tell my body to stoke Anabolism all up in this joint-or up in this Joe, in this particular case.

Who cares about HGH-Human Growth Hormone?!? Isn't that what Barry Bonds took to hit all those homers?!?

Well synthetic HGH and the stuff your body naturally produces are similar but no needles needed and some Dr. Kevorkian look-a-like isn't handing you a black brief case on the 2:30 Light Rail.

HGH is responsible for creating an anabolic environment in your body. That is when your body grows and repairs damaged cells. It tells your body to burn the fat, grow the lean muscle. I'd say those functions are pretty important. The hormone HGH is responsible for a whole host of things but I don't have 3 weeks.  The catch though, is insulin which is present anytime you digest something, and HGH are in direct opposition.

HGH-Burn the fat. Insulin-Store the fat. 

These two conditions do not exist simultaneously. So my recent approach to Intermittent fasting is to get my normal amount of calories, just in a shorter time frame. This allows for more time where my body is in HGH secreting "growth and repair mode",  and less time in Insulin saturated "store the fat mode"

Many of you may wonder how I am not dead or on the verge of a collapse liken to the Greek financial system.

The fact of the matter is this (or something similar), is how our bodies are designed to operate.

We modern day eaters have lost our metabolic flexibility and the ability to comfortable transition from carb supplied energy and stored fat supplied energy.  With one to two weeks time most people free of a some metabolic disorder, can become accustomed to and thrive on a fasted state, followed by a feeding state rather easily.  Our ancestors did not get 6 square meals a day routinely. Our ancient ancestors did not have a giant surplus of foods they had hunted and gathered just sitting around in ziploc baggies and tupperware dishes. Their bodies utilized carbohydrates and immediate energy sources when present, and stored fat throughout the remainder of their days.

This eating approach just makes sense to me. In a weird sort of unexplained way, my body seems to send me signals that confirm my belief that not only is IF good for my physique, but it's health and hormonal implications far outweigh the cosmetic facets.

A Health Minded Approach to a Better Body. O, and Being Ripped too!

This blog will serve as a basic diary of my new found passion in Intermittent Fasting, or IF. 


A VERY quick explanation of IF is basically the prolonging of the "fast" that we partake in nightly when we do not eat and are obviously sleeping.  This is accomplished by skipping breakfast or merely pushing it back. Stopping eating sooner before bed is also a strategy for this longer time of rest for our digestive systems. 


A few personal and scientifically condoned benfits include:

1. More stored FAT BURNED FOR ENERGY (Instead of carbs/sugars)
2. More FOCUS and attentive mindset throughout the day.
3. Better MOOD AND HORMONE FUNCTION.
4. A LESSENING OF HUNGER. YES, from fasting! Who knew?

These bi-products of IF are all interrelated and the discovery of this eating style has made me realize how advanced our metabolisms are. Also, how a holistic approach to body re-composition is the best. For me and many others anyway.


Some things I'm going to include for myself and hopefully other's benefit will be:

• When I'm eating (My eating window times)
• What I'm eating.
• How I'm training. (weight training and cardio)
• My changing perspectives on fat loss. (I had never been in single digit BF% until IF although I have tried extensivly)
• My suggestions for anyone trying to regain their metabolic flexibility which I describe as the ability to transition back and forth from burning fat and carbohydrates as energy.

A personal introduction to my progress so far: 

• 4 months of consistent weight training and cardio twice a week. 
• The last two months I practiced IF. I did not go every single day in the beginning reaching my goal of a 16hr fast each day but my body slowly adapted. I did not fret about these days. Improvement each day was the goal.
• Strength has progressively increased during this 6 month period. IF has not affected my strength gains adversely in the slightest.

Feb 24th, 2012 *I had actually been working out for two and a half weeks prior to this photo.

186lbs @ Body Fat 15.8% (as tested by Bod Pod)

May 16th, 2012

183lbs @ Body Fat 13.8% (as tested by Bod Pod)

 The lighting here really played a role in how this photo came out. I still was very soft. Lower abs were holding fat and love handles/lower back fat wouldn't budge.

July 28th, 2012

172lbs @ Body Fat 10.2%