The Evolution of Fat Loss Programs

Every once in a while I like to ruffle some feathers.  I feel its good to do that because it wakes people up and tells them flat out that what they are teaching their clients and what they are doing for training is down right garbage.

Now before you judge me and say I’m just another hot head trainer who hasn’t a clue what he is talking about and all I want you to do is train with me, let me be clear on two things:  I have been in the fitness industry for over 15 years in the trenches, training clients of all different abilities, shapes and sizes. I have evolved from the trainer or amateur I used to be, to a fitness professional and continue to evolve to give my clients the best service they can find.

Irresponsible (in case you were wondering)

I am close friend, coach and mentor to hundreds of fitness bootcamp business owners all over the world.  I am good friends with several of the top professionals in the fitness industry like Dave Whitley, Mike Boyle, Pat Rigsby, Eric Cressey, Brian Grasso, Alwyn Cosgrove, BJ Gaddour, and many others (by the way if you are a fitness professional and do not know these people, you are already way behind).  I’m not telling you all this to gloat, rather giving you background on myself for you to better understand that I am NOT just an angry trainer, rather a professional that has the experience and background in the industry to fully back what I’m about to say.  Oh and as for those that think I’m just writing this to promote my method of training.  Well you are partly right, I am promoting my method of training.  And I’m promoting it because I haven’t found a program out there that I would recommend to anyone other than to those I learn from.

But I’m also writing this to help people understand what does work and what needs to be tossed aside.  The fitness industry is an ever evolving industry.  Every day there are new studies or new methods that are proven to shed light on best practices to deliver the best results possible.  Too often I see people doing the same thing over and over and over again, and they need to know that there are simple steps they can take to their program that will ignite motivation and physical changes in their body giving them a purpose to train and a reason to exercise.

So if I haven’t offended you yet and you are open minded and in need of a kick in the pants to your program, I’ve got a treat for you.  Below are some training methods that have been around for far too long but sadly are still practiced today.  Time to evolve, ready?

First let me tackle the method of machine weight training.  Training with machines is a method that is simple and can be effective for the beginner.  However, translating the strength you develop from machines over to real life will not happen.  Machines train one muscle at a time, which never happens in the real world.  Also in terms of losing fat, one of the main ingredients in a fat loss program is the use of multiple muscle group exercises to boost the amount of work being done in a condensed amount of time.  I can’t think of a single instance where machine weight training would be the focal point of your fitness program.  Does it have its place?  Sure, but the foundation of your program should include bodyweight exercises and exercises with added resistance that is not on a fixed path of movement.

Bottom line: Use machine weights very sparingly if at all if you want to get anywhere with your results.

Now I’d like to move onto cardio machines.  My stance on cardio machines has constantly gone back and forth and I’m sure it will continue to do so.  Cardio machines can be addicting in a sick twisted sort of way.  They are easy and it can become a habit just to jump on one for a few minutes and crank out a workout.  However, there is one thing that is easier; your bodyweight.  You can perform cardio movements with your own bodyweight where you are performing ALL the work as opposed to a portion of the work.  If you are still stuck on the cardio machine bandwagon, I gotta ask, why are you doing it in the first place.  If there is something more effective that will give you better results, improve your endurance, and can be done anywhere, then what other excuse do you have?  I will say this, cardio machines are easier to perform than bodyweight exercises, but if your exercising you aren’t looking for easy…I hope.

Bottom Line: Opt for bodyweight cardio exercise first and if you need less impact, invest in a kettlebell and learn the movements.

Marathon workouts are another topic worth discussing.  It was once thought that you had to train for hours to get results and this was based solely on the amount of calories burned during exercise.  However, study after study has revealed that shorter more intense workouts are more effective than longer workouts.  And what about calories?  Well the calories that you burn during a workout are carbohydrate in nature.  It is the calories you burn after your workout is complete that are fat calories.  So during your recovery you will burn fat if your workouts are brief and intense.  And you can burn a lot; up to 9 times the amount of calories you burn during your workout.

Bottom Line: If you are trying to lose fat and are still spending hours in the gym, you will continue to spend hours in the gym with no results to show.  Your training must evolve if you are to ever realize your goals.

I want you to digest these points and next week I’ll be back for part two with more areas your training needs to evolve for you to get anywhere in your fitness and fat loss goals.