Best Form of Exercise for FAT LOSS?

I get this question all the time: Ruslan, what is the best way to go about losing weight? 

 It frustrates me, working in a commercial setting, to see some of the things people do to themselves to lose weight. I commend them for trying to improve their health, but much of what I see people do at the gym isn't effective for fat loss. In fact, many of those types of activities, (such as spinning classes, hour long cardio sessions, aerobic/step classes, isolated weight barring exercises and trendy functional training type exercises), not only produce very minimal results, they often times are actually counterproductive to better health, and can wreak havoc on the body.   

 

That's why I believe fat loss efforts need to be based on biochemical individuality. With  biochemical individuality, each training protocol is geared toward one person's unique needs, based on medical and physical history, diet history, hormonal status and more. With that being said, however, there are some basic guidelines I can give you that will streamline your fat loss efforts and improve your potential for results.

Before I do so, I would like to show you how intelligent training can help you attain a physique that reflects your health and that promotes optimal function, inside and out.

 
I view each training protocol (sets, reps, rest periods, tempo, exercise selection, etc.) as a prescription medication, and each prescription has to be prescribed at the right dose, right frequency and right duration to bring about optimal Results!

Here are some of the key factors that need to be addressed when designing an effective Fat Loss Training regiment:

·        Selecting your Reps (repetitions should be prescribed based on your muscle fiber make up, desirable hormonal response outcomes that support optimal fat burning and recovery, nervous system status, psyche status, nutritional support and more.)

·        Set Selection (this is a very important component when it comes to program design and it varies greatly from person to person.  How many times you should perform an exercise or circuit will bring about a different hormonal response, stimulate different energy systems and more.)

·        Rest Periods (the number of reps that you will perform is dictated by the hormonal outcome that you desire for fat loss. This is heavily individualized based on many factors such as life stressors, ability to recover not only in the gym but in life via optimal nutrition, sleep, happiness, good working environment, etc.)

·        Tempo (the speed at which you move the bar is specifically geared towards your muscle fiber make up, hormonal response outcome, etc. This will also contribute greatly towards exercise selection.)

·        Exercise prescription (is selected based on your biomechanical weaknesses/strengths, compensations and injuries, training experience, structural imbalances, tempos at which you lift and much more.)

This has been simplified to show you how complex program design is, yet when you follow a program that is designed for you, optimal results are guaranteed!

A one-size-fits-all type training regiment does not support your needs based on where you came from and where you currently are.  Those of us that gain weight, do so for many different reasons: we crave foods for different reasons, we respond to stress differently, we come from different backgrounds, etc. Therefore, solutions to our problems often times need to be addressed on an individualized basis if permanent fat loss and optimal health are desired.

Cookie Cutter Programs do NOT produce Optimal Results!

Your Guidelines:

I’m going to base these guidelines on some of the most common overlapping strategies that I use with clients.

Stress in our society is one of the top contributors not only to fat gain, but to our inability to effectively lose fat. Simplify your life and de-stress whenever possible!

Stop doing Cardio!  Cardio is ineffective; it promotes catabolism in the body, which  promotes breaking down vs. rebuilding type processes in the body.  It’s a waste of time and is not scientifically supported. By the way, ‘Fat Burning Zone’ does not exist; it’s just a marketing scheme that cardio machine marketing experts use to sell their product.  More on this in my future articles.

Solution: High Intensity Intervals.  Simply, next time you’re walking or jogging, sprint for 20 seconds as fast as you can and then walk for about 2-4 minutes, repeat this process for about 4 total rounds. 

Note: if you want to individualize this protocol, wear a heart rate monitor and wait until you come down about 30-50 beats per minute before doing your next sprint.  Example would be, if your Heart Rate is at 155 after the first sprint, don’t do the next one until you’re back down to 120 bpm.

 

 Lift Heavy with Minimal Rest Periods!  Lifting heavier with shorter rest periods via combining exercises (ie. squats and pull-ups or simply performing one exercise in a ‘drop set’ fashion) will promote a higher Growth Hormone Production which in return will aid you to burn more fat.

Keep Your Workouts Short!  When training, invest no more then 35 minutes of time on resistance training.  Research shows that after that time anything you do is counterproductive, as your anabolic hormones start to decline and your catabolic (breaking down) hormones rise rapidly.

Compound Exercises: Utilize big movements that require a lot of control, effort and concentration to perform, such as Squats, Step Ups, Push Ups, Push Press, etc. These types of movements are metabolically enhancing, with a lot of good things happening on a biomechanical level to promote optimal fat burning.

 

Conclusion:
Think big movements, hard and short training sessions and no cardio.  If you want to do some general fitness conditioning, do your intervals. They are not only are better for your cardiovascular health then just jogging, but will aid fat loss and optimal health overall!

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