Fat loss facts and strategies- and then some

I’ve gotten a few emails back with question’s regarding my fat loss facts and strategies issue, so I figured I would do another newsletter on how to further improve your processes in reaching your fat loss goals. I’ve gathered 5 strategies for you that will guide you in not only your exercise selection, but also in developing some theory behind your workouts.

5 Get lean strategies to adhere by when designing your workouts



1. Perform full body workouts- These result in a higher metabolic cost. When you work a lot of muscles at once, it creates a large demand on your metabolism. Simple as that.



2. Perform exercises with a high intensity (fast reps) - Exercising fast will burn more calories according to research. Obviously, I don’t want to sacrifice proper form. Keeping proper form is essential for safety and effectiveness. Improving speed has great benefits (see #4).



3. Eat Pray Love. Sorry, my creativity is lacking this week so this is my best attempt at a joke. Nonetheless, it helped me get to 5 strategies rather than 4. In my book, the number 4 should be retired anyway for obvious reasons-one being 285 consecutive starts for a quarterback. That’s as close to a physical phenomenon as you can get.

4. Use some form of resistance-that can be your own body weight, which is ideal as well as dumbbell’s, kettlebell’s, etc. Building strength is extremely important when the goal at hand is to get leaner. Building strength forces your body to recruit more muscle fibers which will ramp up your metabolic cost of the entire workout. This means you will burn more calories and fat while training. One last reason to build strength to get lean- research shows that boosting strength will improve speed, and being able to move faster allows you to burn more calories and fat during and after your workouts. Ever look at a professional sprinter, compared to a long distance runner?

5. Progression in your workouts is key- never perform the same workout. Ever. Every week should be a challenge to your body even greater than the last, do more reps, or less rest periods, or more weight, etc. Any way that you can bump up the metabolic demand is perfect. In other words, COWBOY UP as they say out west!

Final note-If there one’s thing you get out of this newsletter, I hope it’s that you never want to do the same workout over and over. It’s important to change it up and continue to challenge your body in ways it has never seen. Hopefully this process will also help make it less of a drag and more interesting, while keeping you more focused on the goal at hand. Granted, there will always be days, or weeks, where you need to “take it easy.” No I don’t give you all a free pass to your recliner and 12 pack. Again, switch it up and do something fun-kayaking, tennis, swimming, hiking. Even though you are taking it “easy” you will find that your body will respond a lot better than “pushing through” the mental fatigue and physical burnout. You will refresh not only your body, but your mind; both of which will thank you in the long run by helping you reach your goals that much sooner.

Tyler Hanson

AFAA certified personal trainer

Thanson42@live.com