Probably the hardest thing about my training is finding the
right balance between fat loss and muscular gains. Intrinsically we connect
cardio to weight loss and weight lifting to bulk and size. What then, do we
attribute lean muscle clad and fat sparse physiques to? I often still see
movies like Fight Club and 300 and can be found thinking
"these guys are genetically elite, plus they get all the best food and
supplements and training, they don't have to worry about day-to-day tasks and
that isn't fair. Will I ever get to that level?" Seconds later I snap out
of it and think that there is no such thing as magic, that any of us can get
there but it's about doing the right things. What we know, isn't difficult, it isn't hard to implement into our daily
lives, it is however a subject that requires focus, imagination, drive and
commitment, something that so many of us procrastinate and make excuses about.
The following methods and guides are posed to change the
falsehoods of "magic movie physiques" and mythical connections
between cardio - weight loss and weight lifting - bulk.
Identify. Strive.
Achieve.
Setting a goal for yourself is another worn out record
saying. So many people make promises to themselves and break them days later because
they are both weak and don't really want what they say they do. They say it to
gain some instant gratification from friends knowing that they will forget in a
few days/weeks and let them off the hook. Well no more. If you don't want it, stop
reading now. Honestly. If you really don't want it then don't waste your time
from here on out and go back to dreaming about the biggest loser or magazine
cover models. If you don't hold yourself accountable for this it won't happen.
Commit and get yourself in the mindset of achieving. I heard once that "if
you don't want to achieve as much as you want to breathe then you don't want it
bad enough". A very true statement. Set your goal weight, your
strength-training/lifting goal, your goal mile-time, your ideal jean size, your
belt buckle dream. What ever it is, set it now, tell who ever you want about it,
do what ever you need to do to remind and drive yourself and achieve it. No one said it would be easy, but if you want
it then only you can get there. Fact.
Do the research
Once you have identified your goal and got your head around
not giving it up then it is time to achieve it. You need to use the most
effective and efficient tools to achieve this outcome.
Diet comes first. You can't out-train a bad diet so get this
in check and gathering information about your current statistical status (weight,
height, jean size, resting caloric/energy expenditure, body fat percentage,
strength capability, mile-time and nutritional intake, resting heart rate,
maximum and zone heart rates, etc.) The more information you gather the more
platforms you have to measure your improvements and gains on. These are great
tools for continually fueling your motivation as you may not feel like you are
making any gains some days, but measure your mile times or try on those jeans
and you will get that little booster you need to know its worth it.
Here are some links to tools that will calculate and
estimate the more difficult things like resting caloric intake and body fat
percentage.
Basal metabolic rate (daily energy estimation)-
Body fat calculator (current percentage of body weight
attributed to fat)-
Heart rate, resting and advised training zones (how fast
your heart should be beating to achieve fat-loss etc.)-
Once you’ve done this and gathered your stats then get on
top of your diet. I get pretty dazed about why people think it is so hard to
eat right. For me the only issue is availability. If the store doesn't stock
it, then you will be hard pressed to eat it. Other than that it’s all down to
us. Make the right choices. You, not the fat kid inside that says, "Yes,
Oreos are a great choice" and "yep, you should definitely choose the
chicken nuggets and not the ground turkey for dinner tonight." Patronising
as it may be, I don't really care. Use your knowledge of how to eat right and
try some of these tips to help you and steer you in the right direction. Taken
from http://80daychallenge.blogspot.kr/2012/07/what-to-eat.html
1. Shop around the perimeter of the supermarket. This is
where all the fruit, veg and meat, fish and poultry counters are. Avoid the
isles. You won't find anything worth eating down there.
2. If it has a food label on it...IT'S NOT FOOD! If the
packaging has to explain to you what the box contains then you shouldn't be
eating it. Any ingredients ending in or including the words
"high-fructose-syrup" are not part of your diet anymore.
3. If it has a "best consumed by" label on it
again DON'T EAT IT. There aren’t any of these labels on the chicken, on the
vegetables, on the beans, on the bananas etc. If it's not perishable i.e. it
could survive a nuclear strike along with the Twinkie’s and roaches it isn't
food.
4. If you can't harvest it from your garden (or if you had a
farm or a lake and taken it from your animals i.e. meats, fish etc.) it isn't
worth eating from a nutritional standpoint.
Mix-it-up
To attain fat loss and muscle gain we HAVE to be doing more than just running or just lifting.
Ideally we should be doing a mixture of intense resistance (strength), intense
cardio (anaerobic based sprints and intervals) and moderate cardio (aerobic
moderate intensity running) every week. Without this balance training will not
be as efficient as it could be and can lead to health and injury difficulties stopping
you dead on your road to achieving your goals.
-Run fast
Intense cardio (sprints and intervals) will increase your
metabolic rate after you have finished training. The metabolism is the thing
that uses up energy, and fat is energy resulting in... yes, you've guessed it,
fat loss. The intensity needs to be above moderate so you should be pushing
hard, sweating and panting and attempting to train in your "Zone 2/anaerobic
threshold" (shown here as AT zone
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/hr_calculator_new.html ).
This will trigger the release of HGH, cortisol and other
potent fat burning hormones into your blood stream. The time of these workouts
should be 20-30 minutes for maximum effectiveness. You should be building up to
doing these sessions 3-4 times per week and incorporating them into your other
training.
-Lift heavy
Intense weight training (HIIT, Metabolic and CrossFit) is
another vital facet of your road to achieving your targets (when again
performed 3-4 times per week in tandem with other training types). To put it
simply, this style of anaerobic training is similar in its effects to intense
cardio. Adding lean muscle mass to your frame will in essence burn fat
indirectly. The body requires energy to retain and maintain that new muscle and
so uses the calories you eat and energy it already possesses (fat) to do
so. Once again this "after
burn" effect causes great changes in our bodies using the bodies energy long
after you have finished training and even when we are asleep. Sounds too good
to be true really but the human body is a ridiculous thing when you think about
it. The above training types are discussed in more detail in one of my previous
articles "metabolic training >
worn out shoes"
-Run Long
Moderate aerobic training however is the key to both of the
above points. Let the intense weight and sprints sink in as important, and then
realise that you can't do those things efficiently without a solid aerobic
platform from which to begin. As mentioned in a previous article "The full package, shaken not stirred"
The importance of a cardiovascular base is pivotal (I underlined this, as
something this important CAN NOT be
neglected) to advancing into more anaerobic and intense training types. There
is no quick fix so don't neglect the fundamentals.
Don't slump
Continue to challenge yourself to get the best possible
results. Adapting and becoming comfortable with your training can be fatal when
reaching for your goals so ensure that as you advance in your fitness and
athletic ability you mix it up in all arenas. Start running hill sprints
instead of flat sprints, up the weights and drop the reps, change out flat
bench for a drop-set of dumbbell fly's and immediate closed grip pushups, do 15
minutes intense cardio before and after your strength training instead of a 30
minute block, start skipping rope in between sets instead of sitting on the
bench (known as active recovery), set yourself a weekly goal of increasing your
pull-ups by 2 reps. The opportunities to avoid plateaus and fatigue are endless
so challenge yourself and make conscious efforts to make your training and
efforts as fruitful as possible.
By now you know
Following, no, understanding these core principles will get
you off on the right foot and ahead of the game in your personal challenges.
Focus, nutrition, knowledge, intensity and variety will see you make the
changes in your body you want.
One last puzzle piece lies in trust. Trust that there is no
such thing as a quick fix or a magic wand, that what you want will take time
and some serious effort, and that the way you are doing it IS the right way to get it effectively and safely. No excuses and
no cut corners. No cheating and no "bad days" if you want it as much
as you want to breathe then this will be a piece of cake. Ok, broccoli.
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