High Intensity Interval Training: What you can use to spice up your routine and increase your fat burning!

I am a big fan of High Intensity Interval Training.  It’s a short and to the point workout and it gets you GOING.  Make no mistake about it though: It is tough!   I do a 10 minute HIIT workout as part of my own fat loss program and it is the LONGEST 10 minutes ever.  I wanted to highlight some FAQ’s about HIIT training.

Benefits of HIT Training

• Works from the cellular level - HIIT increases the mitochondria which is the energy center of a cell. The increase in mitochondrial density increases the amount of energy available to the working muscle meaning you can run longer...faster.

• Leads to more effective fat burning and carbohydrate breakdown -  In the February 2012 IDEA Fitness Journal it was reported that: Fat Burning was significantly higher after 6 weeks of interval training (Perry 2008) and In as little as 2 weeks, there was a significant shift in fat burning after 2 weeks (Talanian 2007)

• Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption or “Afterburn”:  After an exercise session, oxygen consumption is elevated as your body tries to recover from your session.  What’s also elevated? Your caloric expenditure.  This means that even after your workout is finished you are still burning calories at an elevated rate.  

Isn’t that awesome!  Less time and also a great Return on Investment.

Some Caution about HIIT

It’s not supposed to be done every day

More is not better.  High Intensity Interval Training is awesome but it is also strenuous.  You should not be able to perform 5 HIIT sessions in a week.  If you are, then I doubt you are doing true HIIT.  It takes a toll on your body as it should.  It’s high intensity exercise.

Save your joints and other tissues and  only perform HIIT workouts at a maximum of twice per week.  I have noticed some gyms and boot camps offering HIIT workouts 5x per week and telling members it is fine to perform these exercises every day.  Think of this as the Law of Diminishing Returns.  More = Diminishing Recovery and performance.  

Remember: You should be working on other components of fitness in addition to HIIT to avoid injury and to improve performance while doing HIIT.

Don't Start off with HIIT if you are new or just coming back to exercise

I have watched clueless trainers start a new client off with intense exercising.  This is after the client told them they sit all day and haven’t exercised in 3 years, but they want to show off so they preach “HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING” during the session.  

No.  

First you need to improve form, technique, range of motion, movement patterns, and conditioning before launching into HIIT.

Give yourself about 8-12 weeks before incorporating a HIIT workout into your routine.

Start Slowly and add on from there

10 minutes is plenty to start off with and then you can add gradually.  I really don’t believe in anything longer than 20 minutes.  After you are finished, then you can finish up with some lower intensity steady state cardio to give the joints a break and to allow yourself to recover.  Your heart rate will remain high and you will still be burning calories at a higher level.

Types of HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training can be performed on the traditional cardio machines such as: the treadmill, a bike, or the stepmill but you can also use equipment such as dumbbells, barbells, kettle bells, medicine balls, or even your own body weight.

The possibilities are endless. Stay tuned for a sample HIIT workout!!

Fat Loss Lie #4: In order to lose body fat, you need to do a lot of cardio so that you don't become bulky

NO NO NO and NO

1. We've learned that cardio is NOT the most effective way to lose body fat

2. Most clients need to increase their range of motion, their strength, and their flexibility.

3. YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY STRENGTH TRAINING UNLESS YOU ARE TRAINING FOR THAT SPECIFIC PURPOSE. IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PUT ON QUALITY MUSCLE MASS.

Sorry about all of the caps for #3 but I need to shout it, scream it, and put my foot in it until this one goes away!

Fat Loss Truth #4:  You need to strength train and overload your muscles.

You NEED to be strength training

Most clients need to increase their Range of Motion (ROM), strength, and flexibility. This should be the foundation of your strength training program.

I do not have my clients start out lifting weights. For about 4-6 weeks when starting, my clients do a lot of bodyweight exercises.

For most people putting them through a dynamic warm-up, mobility training, and bodyweight exercises gets their heart rate up, gets them sweating, but most importantly begins to lengthen and strengthen their bodies.

We must be able to move better before we move MORE.

You must OVERLOAD your muscles: Get rid of the one pound dumbbells!

In order for you to get anywhere with your fitness, then you must overload your muscles. When I used to teach Bodypump classes, I would preach against not putting any weights on the bar.

If you want results, then you must OVERLOAD your muscles. Get rid of the fear of getting bulky.

You will not look like a linebacker unless you eat like a linebacker.

Bodybuilding is extremely specific to your goals. Trust me as someone who is trying to put on muscle mass, it is daggone difficult...especially as a woman.

We do not have the hormonal capability of putting on large amounts of muscle mass.

Fat Loss #5: Taking Supplements will help you to lose body fat even if you don't change your diet.

Thelma from Mama's Family says it all.

No this isn't true. I see so many people on social media pushing the latest Multi Level Marketing products like these things are magic beans. They aren't magic beans.

If you take someone who has had a poor diet filled with junk foods (which are high calorie) and then put them on a PROGRAM which introduces fresh foods (lower calorie) and whatever supplements they are pushing then of COURSE they are going to lose weight. There are no magic beans or magic pills.

Those programs introduce the same concepts of eating fresh foods, exercising, and taking these supplements.

Am I opposed to supplements? No but I really want people to begin to do research rather than falling for snake oil salesmen.

Should you take supplements?

I have had people who I know eat poorly and don't exercise ask me about some pill or potion that they saw on Dr. Oz *rolls eyes*

As I explained to the person, NO SUPPLEMENT is going to replace fresh foods. I need you to work on that before I introduce supplements. That's what they are designed for to SUPPLEMENT your diet.

I do take supplements. I use Protein powder (for convenience and also for economic reasons) The protein powder I use currently is called Trutein. It has no gluten and no added sugars. It is also easier on my stomach.

I also take a Women's Multi Vitamin, Fish Oil, and B Complex Vitamins but I prefer to get my nutrients from FRESH FOOD.

You need to get real: This isn't a quick fix effort

Here's an excellent quote from Canadian Fitness Expert, Coach Scott Abel

The single biggest mistake people make in wanting to lose weight or in "body-transformation" goals - is in buying into the words "fast" or "quick" - For example those "quick start" weight-loss "solutions" are the ones tied most to long-term weight-gain and rebound. If you gained weight over a period of time - then it's going to take a period of time to PROPERLY lose it in a sustainable way as well. "Quick-start" weight-loss???? or "Get Abs Fast" - How about "get real first"


It's time to get real and it's time to create sustainable programs that will help us reach our fat loss goals.

5 Fat Loss Lies Exposed!!! (Lies 1-3)

Fat Loss Lie #1:  In order to Lose Body Fat you need to do a LOT of Cardio

Cardio is a tool in your arsenal for fat loss but it is NOT the most effective way to lose body fat. Cardio's primary purpose is to strengthen your heart and improve your blood flow.

Your body adapts to cardio and eventually you begin to get less bang for your buck. If you burned 200 calories in 30 minutes, then now it will take you 45 minutes to burn that same amount.

Most people do not work hard enough when they are doing cardio. Bouncing on the eliptical for an hourwill not make much difference (unless you're brand new to exercise) Doing the same Group Exercise class for years without pushing and challenging yourself is ineffective.

If you still doubt, then the next time you are in the gym observe the people who are on the cardio machines and then observe the people working out in the free weight area.

Which group has lower body fat?

Fat Loss Truth #1: In order to lose body fat, you need a Program that is sustainable and that you will do CONSISTENTLY

In order to lose body fat,you need to eat fresh foods, have an individualized exercise program designed for fat loss, and make sure to get enough rest. You need to do all of these things CONSISTENTLY.  Doing it for 30, 60, or 90 days is not going to cut it.

Most of these dramatic “transformations” I lost 45 pounds in 3 weeks are not necessarily body fat loss.  It’s water and it’s also muscle mass which is why sometimes when peole lose weight quickly they appear soft and flabby rather than lean and “toned” (I hate that word but that’s coming next)

Fat Loss is dfiferent than weight loss.  Scale wise I have lost 3lbs this year.  My pictures tell a COMPLETELY different story.  I’m recompositioning my body.  I am losing body fat and also putting on lean muscle mass.

Fat Loss Lie #2:  Eat 1200 Calories or Less to lose body fat

First of all who came up with the number 1200??? Why is it that I have heard so many misinformed trainers tell their clients that to get skinny they need to eat 1200 calories or less? Why is this the magic number.

Fat Loss Truth #2:  In order to lose fat, you MUST eat in a caloric deficit and your goal is to eat as much as you can in that deficit.

Boom.

The 1200 calorie nonsense: so you're supposed to eat 1200 calories or less. Let me ask you this:

Did this person ask you your dieting history?

That plays a role in how you're able to metabolize calories.

Another question: did they tell you HOW you're supposed to get these 1200 calories? Do they know how your body tolerates fats and carbs?

Oh but I'm sure they told you to cut out carbs and you'll lose weight

There's a better way!

Increasing your deficit and eating more

There are two main problems I run into with fat loss clients: Eating in a caloric surplus because they are skipping too many meals and then binge when they do eat, eating too many processed foods and drinking too much.  

For most people, they will begin to increase their caloric deficit by doing 3 things.

1. Eliminating liquid calories: alcohol, sugary drinks, etc.

2. Eating fresh whole foods: The more fresh food you eat, the more nutrient dense it is leaving you fuller longer. Processed food is full of excess calories, fat, and chemicals.

3. Eating at regular intervals - THe more regularly you eat, the less temptation there is to raid the cupboard at night.

The Second Problem (and most common) is fat loss clients not eating enough. The way we were taught to diet was NOT the most effective way and it isn't sustainable.

This is why most people rebound (regain weight and then some) after going on these 1200 calorie or less plans. You cannot maintain that for a long time.

Your goal needs to be to diet on as many calories as possible and optimize your metabolism so that when you begin to reduce calories you will have someplace to go. Most female clients are under eating. I will let that sink in.

It's true.

If you want the freedom to eat more, then you need to eat.

You need to eat more

Let's talk about eating more...The number one concern we ALL have is gaining weight but if you want REAL and SUSTAINABLE results, then you have to throw away what the mainstream media and the dieting logic of the 80's and 90's taught us.

The way to eat more is to start eating more nutrient rich and dense foods.

Begin to eat fresh foods instead of the processed and packaged diet crap that the food marketers sell us.

For example: most people starting off the day with a breakfast bar is not enough. You need food that will sustain you and keep your blood sugar levels high.

Toast or Oats (Carbs), Nut Butter or Nuts (Fats), and Eggs (Protein) are a great way to start your day rather than with high sugar nutrient poor foods.

Perspective Change: Time to be realistic about how long it takes to achieve fat loss

With the rise of social media, I fear that people are becoming even MORE unrealistic about how long it actually takes to create a sustainable atmosphere for fat loss.

It does not happen overnight and it shouldn't be the entire focus

This is where I think bodybuilding gets it right.  Bodybuilders typically have an offseason where the goal is to gain as much muscle mass as possible.  Now in order to gain muscle mass one must EAT because you need additional calories to sustain your body mass.  Now if you're in a caloric surplus (which you must be in if you want to gain muscle mass) then you will add some body fat as well.  The goal is to add as much lean mass as possible while not going overboard with the fat gain.

This is why people cannot maintain contest looks all year round.  Well natural competitors and those without superior genetics cannot be shredded all year.

OK then we have the contest prep.  This is where the goal is to lose as much body fat as possible while still maintaining as much muscle mass as possible.  

This is where I am right now...in the valley of contest prep.  

Since my coach actually knows what she is doing, the goal is to eat as much as possible and do as little cardio as possible in order to lose body fat.

Now for me as a first time competitor and with genetics that like to hold on to body fat, I have not been able to do a standard 12-18 week contest prep.  I simply have not progressed at that rate and that is fine by me because from a physiological standpoint if we had gone at that rate this is what would have happened:

1.  I would have had my calories cut way too low and I probably would have quit or went Silence of the Lambs on everyone

2.  Say I would have survived my calories being cut to some ridiculous number, I would have lost fat all right and also lost muscle mass and looked stringy and skinny on stage.  I would have looked terrible.  Instead the idea is for me to lose the body fat and keep muscle mass so I look full onstage.  I am not trying to look emaciated.

3.  After the show I would have eaten everything in sight and had a rebound where you gain all the weight back and then some.  This has actually been shown to be true in a study.  In the book Good Calories/Bad Calories, Gary Taubes cites a study where men went on a diet of about 1200 calories a day while simulating World War 2 marches.  Well afterwards the men gained all of the weight back plus some.  I will be talking about this later on.

4.  My metabolism would have slowed down because it adjusted to eating 1000 calories or however many paltry calories we cut down too.  When I started eating normally again, my body will gain weight because it's used to surviving on 1000 calories and that's where it is set.

What I am doing is not SUSTAINABLE for long term fat loss. When this is over I'm not going to turn into Sherman Klump but I'm also not going to stay really lean.  I'm going to eat to grow so I can get back up onstage again even better than before!  Mmmhmmm cause I'm gonna do it again.  But my goal will not be to eat all the things and gain a whole lot of fat.  I have an exit strategy

How long will Sustainable Fat Loss Take?

Of course I need to preface this by saying everyone is different.  Depending on your goal, genetics, training history (newbies will have more success), hormone levels, stress level, etc. it is all different.

Ok I want you to sit down for this one and if you're sitting down, then I want you to take a deep breath.

You need to give yourself 1 year to create a sustainable atmosphere to lose body fat.

There I said it.

I know that won't win me any fans in the realm of social media or advertising where people want to hear you can lose 50 lbs in 50 minutes if you buy my Multi Level Marketing Magic Beans or come to my bootcamp where we destroy your joints and pass out cookie cutter diets so that you can lose 20 lbs in 3 weeks!

I have clients who lose 20 lbs in one year and guess what baby...they haven't gained it back or rebounded.  They have also started to lose cravings they have for sugar and other things and they are still making progress.

Sidenote:  I can't wait to get my website and youtube channel coming this fall because I will be posting RECEIPTS of what I am talking about.

If you want SUSTAINABLE fat loss then you need to give yourself 1 year to achieve this goal.

Turn off the marketing scams, the BS sold to you by gyms who want to make a sale, and social media.  Coach Scott Abel posted something so awesome on Facebook last week that I want to share with you.

Careful what you "think" you see on Fakebook. Every week somewhere someone is posting "awesome" before and after pictures of their transformation and thanking their "awesome" Coach as well, and everyone comes in "cooing and congratulating." Well first of all, you need to wonder how sustainable is that "after" picture you are all cooing over. And worse - to many of us in the know - these so-called "Coaches" are known to insiders as little more than sub-culture "drug-pushers" - not experts. Oh yes, your friend's B and A was "awesome and incredible" but are they telling you about the thyroid, the GH, the estrogen blockers, and the whole host of other pharmaceuticals used to get there, that their "awesome" Coach prescribes "if you want it bad enough" - I'm willing to bet THAT PART of the whole story is left out of the conversation. So as so many of you continue to coo and congratulate - many others in the know continue to shake our heads and realize this truth reflected in this industry -> "There are none so blind as those who have eyes, but just refuse to see."

He's so spot on.  What you see on social media in large part isn't true.  It's marketing and I would love to see the afters of these people in a year.  I can tell you that within the Bodybuilding subculture on Instagram a lot of these people who get super shredded for their shows, rebound, and then become unrecognizable.  It simply isn't sustainable.

Time to Get your Mind Right

1 year. 

This is all about Commitment

Commit to 1 year of changing habits and lifestyle change instead of going for the quick fixes, going hardcore until you burn out, quitting, and then having to start all over again.

STOP THE MADNESS.

Tell yourself this is a PROCESS that will take TIME.  You did not get where you are overnight and you're not going to leave it in 12 weeks or whatever other BS people try to sell you.

Tell yourself that you are going to stay with it and make changes little by little.  Little by little changes add up to BIG changes later on down the line.

Be patient with yourself, celebrate small successes, and for PETE'S SAKE STOP FOCUSING ON ALL THAT IS WRONG AND BEGIN TO FOCUS ON THE SMALL VICTORIES AND STEP FORWARDS THAT YOU ARE MAKING!

While I'm on that tangent:  Please have some fun while you're at it. You can enjoy your life while you're making lifestyle changes.  That's why it is sustainable because you're going to do this for the rest of your life.

1 year.  12 months.  The 12 week, 6 week, 8 week Bullcrap isn't working.  Try something different.  Commit to the PROCESS.

It works.

Happy Training!

5 Fitness Rules that you should break this week!

 I'm over the rules.  

The rules don't seem to be working yet we seem to be reluctant to break them.  As a nation, we've heard all of these rules don't eat bananas after 5 p.m. or better yet EVER, only workout every other day, eat sugar free, gluten free, and taste free food but we're still out of shape and more miserable than ever.

I say let's say throw the rules out and keep what works. First of all: everyone is DIFFERENT.  We all metabolize food differently, we all have different biochemical makeups, and all of us have different backgrounds/paradigms.  

One of the things I've learned is that we need to approach our health/wellness instinctively.  What works for one person, may not work for other people.  For instance my coach has me doing high volume training and that works for me.  I've responded really well to the program.  Now the RULES say that this is wrong.  I shouldn't be training the same muscle groups 2 days in a row, but it works for me and I have not gotten injured.

This week I am going to be sharing with you 5 Fitness Rules that you should break or better yet kill them altogether.

5 Fitness Rules that you should break or better yet should die

1) You have to do Cardio and Strength Training as Separate Workouts

2) You only need to work your muscles every other day

3) You need to drastically cut calories and do hours of cardio when wanting to lose weight

4) Beginners should do easy workouts

5) There is an ideal body weight and look that everyone should aspire to

1) You have to do Cardio and Strength Training as Separate Workouts

Who came up with this rule?  It simply isn’t true.

If the goal is body fat loss or total body conditioning, then I prefer to incorporate cardiovascular work into our strength sessions because the more muscles we get working, the more the calorie expenditure.

I’ve had clients wear their Heart Rate monitors to our sessions and they were ASTOUNDED to find that their heart rate was higher than it is when they go for a run. (One of the reasons I love HR monitors)

When I am trying to improve client’s conditioning, sometimes I will have them run on the treadmill for about 3-5 minutes during the session.  I want them to maximize our sessions.

During my own workouts sometimes I have treadmill intervals at the end of each circuit.  All of this is to get that metabolism revved up during the session and afterward.

I also like to incorporate exercises such as: Stepups, Popsquats, Mountain Climbers, Kettlebell swings, and burpees into the session so we can get some total body work going and these exercises elevate the Heart Rate.

The more muscles we work...the more calories we burn!  

Most people need to combine their cardio/strength workouts because they are pressed for time and also they need to work on overall fitness and conditioning.  Unless your goal is bodybuilding/aesthetic work, I’m not all that hot on you doing split workouts.  General Fitness/Fat Loss Clients are much better off combining Cardio and Strength Workouts.  If you work out 3-4x per week, I definitely recommend this method of training.

Here’s a sample workout I would use with a Fat Loss Client utilizing Cardio and Strength Training

Of course we would do a dynamic warm up first but here’s a sample circuit.  I also made sure to include the purpose of the exercise

Sample Workout

Circuit 1

Plie Squats (squat)

Push Press (push)

Push ups (Push/Body weight Exercise)

Gate Latches (Slow Pop Squats with stabilization)  (stabilization/Reactive Training/Conditioning)

Walking Lunge (Mobility/Lunging)

Row to Triceps Kickback (Pull/Multi Joint Exercise/Core Stabilization)

Intervals on the Bike for 5 minutes: 1 minute Fast/1 min Recover (Cardio/Power)

Stay on the Lookout for my YouTube channel where I will be demonstrating these exercises and also my vlogs!!

Until then,

Happy Training!

5 Reasons You are Not Hitting Your Fat Loss Goals (That Have Nothing to do with Food)

Continuing my Series on Why you are not hitting your fat loss Goals that have nothing to with food.

3. You have no program or plan

THIS is one of my pet peeves.  Throwing together random things you've heard from people at the gym, stuff you've seen on social media, and the latest marketing gimmicks are NOT a program or plan.

If you do not have a roadmap, then you will be lost.  How will you evaluate data points and know what is working and what's not working?  How do you know what works best for your body?  You don't because you have no program or plan!

When I first work with clients, I have them fill out a roadmap.  I ask them for their 3 biggest fitness goals for the year.  THen we begin to break it down into monthly goals.  Each month we refer to the roadmap and formulate goals.  Each week we set goals that build on our monthly goals.  Brick by brick. Piece by piece.  That's how progress is made.  Little by little.  

Then we look back at each month and see how we are doing in comparison to now.  I have a client who set a goal to exercise 3x per week back in January.  She's doing that now and now wants to expand upon that.

I believe that if you are SERIOUS about making a lifestyle change you need a plan. People need structure. Otherwise it's too easy to give in to distractions and go off track.  If you're just starting out, You need an actual plan to follow.  Once you get your footing, then you don't need to be so structured but i believe that having a plan saves you time and money as well.  There is none of that wandering around the gym following the hot guy around or buying pointless supplements and diet foods that don't work.

For my competition training, having a plan has been INVALUABLE otherwise I would have been tempted to phone in a workout when I didn't FEEL like doing that much cardio or that many sets. I also probably would have convinced myself that Quest Bars and Turkey Bacon belonged on the plan.  Having a plan has taken all the guess work out of the equation and I just follow it and get results.

4) You aren't ready to accept help and you know it all already

It never ever fails.  The know it all clients.  Clients who know everything about nutrition and fitness but sign up for training anyway.  These people complain and nitpick about what the trainer is telling them.

I once had a client who couldn't do a squat at all and then wanted to know why we weren't doing plyometrics.  So I had this client do 20 squat jumps to prove a point.  "oh my knees hurt".  Of course they hurt, you aren't properly conditioned and you shouldn't be doing any plyometrics if you can't even do a proper squat.

Then you have the people who question and complain about the exercises that you have them do.  I do think if something is painful or you're uncomfortable performing it (within reason) then I have no problems modifying the exercise.  But there are people who just complain because an exercise is uncomfortable or they may start to activate muscles that they haven't been working so of course their arms and legs are going to fall off.

You also have the clients that know EVERYTHING and are going to tell YOU WHY. Thankfully these people weed themselves out of training because they don't need a training and they know everything right?

Well in all my years of doing this, whenever I have run into the know it all clients later on down the road NONE of them are in any better shape.  As a matter of fact, most of them are in EVEN WORSE shape than they were before.  

Well what happened?

They aren't humble enough to admit they need help and their way doesn't work.  If it did, then why are they in the shape that they are in.

Disclaimer:  I am not saying that you should not ask questions or give feedback.   You absolutely have the right to speak up and let the trainer know your questions and concerns, but if you're eliciting someone's help, then listen.  Maybe they know more than you...besides if your way worked then you would be where you want to be by now.

5) You give into every distraction, temptation, and urge

I get this one.  Believe me I do.  Since I've been training for this competition I have noticed how many food triggers and food cues surround us on a daily basis.  Over Memorial Day Weekend, I was outlet shopping and there were vending machines with Snickers, M&M's, and Ice Cream everywhere!  There were pictures of burgers and fries and we're trying to get our shop on!

Now had I not had such a specific goal in mind, I may have been triggered to go and get a snickers.  It was a holiday for Pete's sakes and everybody knows that calories only count 50% on holidays.  

There are food cues EVERYWHERE but if you are committed to the goal, then it is bigger than the temptation of the burgers and fries, chocolate bars, and ice creams.  You can have these things occasionally but you do not need to give in every single time.

Just because you have an urge does not mean you have to give in.  You will not die if you do not have that

Snickers bar.  It will be there the next time.  In this society we have been trained to give into our urges.  It's okay Y.O.L.O. (You Only Live Once) and Do whatever you want and think about the consequences later.

i will tell you now that giving into all of your urges will never lead to success.  Yes there is a certain amount of discipline that you will need to employ in order to get to where you need to be.  You cannot eat whatever you want and expect to hit your goals.  It just doesn't work that way.

What works for me is: self talk.  I tell myself that I can have it later and it will be there.  I do not have to give in right now.

So much of this fat loss game is about your mentality and headspace. You have to get your mind right and the body will follow!

Happy Training!