Strength Training to Lose Weight

Trying to drop weight can be quite a challenge sometimes. We must manage our time wisely and put our time and efforts into the most successful methods. I am only going to discuss the first two factors that play the largest role in maintaining a slim, defined phisique.

Nutrition is the best way to change your phisique with little to no time to workout. Even if our schedules just don’t allow enough time to make it in to the gym everyday, we still have to eat. I will be posting some simple nutritional guidlines to follow a little later, so keep your eyes open.

Strength training comes next in line. The reason being; creating a stress to your body that forces change is vital to ensure fat loss. Resistance strength training will force your body to adapt to the new (or overloaded) stimulus. The way our bodies do this is by developing our muscles to help handle this new stress in our routine. Muscle is alive and needs a fuel source to maintain itself. This fuel source is essentially going to come from your fat cells. Each lb. of muscle requires approximately 50 calories per day to maintain itself. That may not seem like a lot, but it will defineately add up over time. Just think about what another 5 lbs. of lean muscle would do for your metabolism. 5 lbs. of muscle x 50 calories a day x 7 days a week = 1750 calories per week, or 91,000 calories per year. That’s the equivelant of 26 lbs. of fat per year.

Let’s go attack our goals with a well defined plan. Start with a sound nurition background. This can be attained in several ways. Enlisting in a nutritional education program or simply doing the labor of sifting through the materials out there. This will help us gain a solid understanding of what “proper nutrition” is. Finally, if strength training is not being incooperated, it must be somehow be safely introduced into our routines.

It's go time ;-D

Jared Woolever

Stop Doing So Many Sit-Up's

We all want a flat, firm, sexy waistline. But for many of us no amount of crunches or sit-ups seems to get the job done. It’s just a never-ending process. It’s like spinning your wheels and going nowhere. I’ve been asked more times than I can imagine the following question.

“I do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups a day and I still have a flabby midsection. What gives?”

Well, before I reveal your six-pack abs blueprint, let’s first look at some very important myths about how to get six-pack abs:

Myth#1- Weight loss is the key to getting those 6-pack abs

WRONG!

The key to seeing your abs is fat loss, not weight loss. Let me further explain: your body consists of fat mass and lean body mass (water, muscle, bone, organs, etc.). You want to minimize your fat mass and maximize your lean body mass to build a sexy metabolism: one that starves fat and builds muscle like clockwork. By improving body composition you will put yourself in the best position to rock that coveted six-pack.

So don’t worry so much about the number on the scale. This weight loss will be at the expense of losing some lean muscle mass, and in the process you will end up slowing your metabolism, decreasing performance, and losing that good looking muscle tone. But if you lose some fat mass and you manage to keep or gain lean muscle mass; you will increase performance, see more visible definition throughout your body, and lose primarily the unwanted subcutaneous body fat.

The scale has far too many variables to account for that lead to frequent fluctuations such as hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women the menstrual cycle. I firmly believe one should NOT keep a scale at their home- it is such an anchor, particularly for women. Get off the scale and get over the numbers. The true goal is FAT LOSS, not WEIGHT LOSS. Focus on clothing size reduction, digital before and after pictures, and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking.

Myth#2- Do more ab work to burn fat from the midsection

WRONG!

Spot reduction doesn’t work. You can’t just work the muscles of a certain area of your body and expect to have the fat in that region just disappear. Think about it: almost everyone does crunches but proportionately very few people perform total body workouts. So, with all of these crunches, we’d expect to see nothing but people with flat tummies and fat depots everywhere else on their body (arms, legs, etc.). But think of how many people you know and see on a regular basis that has several inches to lose from their waist. See what I mean- spot reduction is only a myth!

See, your body loses fat in a genetically pre-determined way when there is the appropriate caloric deficit AND hormonal environment created by proper eating and training. So your best bet is to focus on burning as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs). Compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunges, deadlifts (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to presses) burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups. So be sure to focus on these movements first and then if you have time, you can do some extra core work to please your inner self.

Myth#3- Crunches and Sit-ups are the best exercises for your abs

WRONG!

The scientific term for your six-pack muscles are your rectus abdominis. For years now, we have been conditioned to think that the best way to work your rectus abdominis is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups since these trunk flexion exercises make the muscles you want to see in the mirror “burn.” However, the true function of the rectus abdominis is to prevent hyperextension, not to flex forward over and over again. Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. Don’t just suck in, brace the midsection to reduce the waistline. The moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position, your back will begin to hyperextend creating an environment with a much higher risk of injury.

So, we focus on stabilization exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital- front to back, frontal- side to side, and transverse- rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (also know as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your superficial ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscles, or your deep abdominal stabilizers, that wrap around your spine and support your internal organs. Strengthening these inner ab muscles is the key to optimal posture and performance in addition to injury prevention..

Myth#4- Do lots of long-duration cardio to burn the fat covering your abs

WRONG!

Both scientific research and real world case studies show that aerobic training for fat loss alone doesn’t work. Total body resistance training is the true foundation of any solid fat loss plan. In addition, interval training, where you alternate between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery, is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise. Please note that you can perform both resistance interval training and cardio interval training to combine the best of both worlds. More on this to come!

Without further adieu...

The Anti-Crunch Six-Pack Abs Blueprint:

Step#1- Lose the fat that is covering your abs so that you can see them

A.) Eat to lose fat and elevate metabolism

- Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity.

- Eat immediately upon waking and then every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 6-8 feedings per day (3 meals, 3 snacks- half the size of your meals, workout nutrition)

- Focus on a wide range of lean, complete proteins, natural fats, and fruit and veggies

Sample One-Day Menu:

Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon

Mid-Morning Snack- Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice

Lunch- Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad

Mid-Afternoon Snack- Cheese and Fruit/Veggie of Choice

Dinner- Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash

Pre-Bed Snack- Protein and Flax Shake

- Take a daily multi-vitamin for your gender and an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement, preferably fish oil

Try to follow these steps to help eliminate processed carbs that promote fat storage:

Step#1- Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars

Step#2- Limit all whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast

Step#3- Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies

Step#4- Replace all fruits with green veggies

Step#5- This is a good way to reduce the amount of carbohydrates that you consume on a daily basis. You can follow a rotation of loading carbohydrates to promote a higher degree of fat loss, but that is for a later article.

B.) Train to lose fat and elevate metabolism

- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- Perform Total Body Circuit Strength Training

Sample Total Body Circuit Strength Workout- 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)

50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 s of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body workout:

Exercise#	Exercise Category	Exercise Variation
1	Double-Leg: Bilateral Hip-Dominant	Hip Extensions
2	Push: Horizontal Push	Push-up Variation
3	Single-Leg: Unilateral Knee-Dominant	Single-Leg Wall Sit
4	Pull: Horizontal Pull	Body Weight Rows
5	Core: Linear Stabilization or Trunk-Dominant	Upper Body Twist Variation

- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday- Perform Cardio Interval Training

Sample Cardio Interval Training Workout- 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)

30-30’s- You will alternate between 30 seconds of maximum effort and 30 s of active recovery. You will perform this 1-minute round up to 20x for 20 total minutes. You can perform this workout on your cardio machine of choice (airdyne or spin bike, running, etc.) or by alternating between the following body weight cardio exercises for the ultimate in-home workout:

Exercise#	Body Weight Cardio Variation	Body Weight / KB Cardio Exercise
1	Linear Locomotion Emphasis	Stationary Running
2	Kettlebell Circuits	Clean,Snatch,Swings

Step#2- Train your abs based on their true function: STABILIZATION

Below is one of my boot camp client’s favorite (and most hated) core workout. It involves no crunches or sit-ups by using all pillar stabilization exercises. Once you master these killer moves and follow everything else I previously listed above, you will have a sweet pair of rock hard abs to show for it… I guarantee it!

The Power to the Pillar Workout- Tabata Style

This 20-minute total body core workout focuses entirely on pillar stabilization. The pillar collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, foundational to all movement.

For each exercise below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one minute rest and transition before moving on to the next exercise listed.

For maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively pulling your navel to your spine, engaging your glutes, and maintaining a straight line from the heels through the shoulders. The following coaching cues work really well for our clients:

“Suck in your gut – give yourself a wedgie – be flat like a diving board.”

Exercise#1- Front Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#2- Left Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#3- Right Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#4- Back Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Today is the dawn of a new age in core training and it is my sincere hope that you take this killer information and run with it. You will see more and more people doing this form of training in the near future. I have already noticed a shift in trends within some health clubs. Help lead the way and eliminate crunches and sit-ups from your program.

Jared Woolever - It’s go time ;-D