I’ve discussed resistance training and interval training in previous blogs. Resistance training and interval training has been proven to be more effective for fat loss, cardiovascular conditioning and increased metabolism than steady-state aerobic training.

Here’s a good study on interval training:

University Of Guelph (2007, June 29).
Interval Training Burns More Fat, Increases Fitness, Study Finds.

Read the article here: ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 22, 2008.

Here’s another good study posted by Alwyn Cosgrove that shows how metabolism is increased for 38 hours or more following circuit-based resistance training:

Schuenke MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM.
Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC): implications for body fat management.

Eur J Appl Physiol 2002 Mar; 86(5): 411-7

This group looked at the effects of circuit weight training on EPOC. The exercise routine consisted of three exercises (the bench press, the power clean and the squat) performed with 10RM loads as a circuit. The circuit was performed four times (i.e. twelve total sets) and took 31 mins.

EPOC was elevated for 38 hours post workout. The duration and magnitude of the EPOC observed in this study indicates the importance of the role of high-intensity resistance training in a fat loss program.

(Although the study showed that EPOC was elevated for 38 hours, it could be more than that – the researchers stopped tracking it at this point. Further studies are needed to see if EPOC can be raised for many more additional hours.)

This type of information should go a long way in helping fitness professionals design and implement effective fat loss programs. It’s not the workout – it’s the effect of that workout on EPOC.

EPOC stands for Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption and is defined scientifically as the “recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels.” It can require several minutes for light exercise and several hours for hard intervals.

In layman’s terms, it means you keep burning calories at an increased rate after a workout. We call this: Metabolic disturbance – elevating EPOC to maximize caloric burn for the other 23+ hours per day.

Is there much of a real world effect of burning 300 calories per workout (e.g. aerobic work) if I don’t elevate EPOC? If we could elevate EPOC even an apparently insignificant 1/4 of a calorie per minute for the 38 hours that the study showed, then that 31-minute resistance training workout would burn maybe 300 calories during the session plus an extra 570 calories over the next 38 hours.

That becomes very significant. In the past, fitness professionals and researchers have looked at how much fat is burned during the exercise session itself. This is extremely short-sighted. As my colleague Alan Aragon said:

“Caring how much fat is burned during training makes as much sense as caring how much muscle is built during training.”

Think about that. If we looked at a weight training session that started at 9am and finished at 10am, how much muscle would we see built if we stopped looking at 10am? None. In fact, we’d see muscle damage. We could make the conclusion that weight training does not increase muscle. In fact, it decreases muscle, right?

It’s only when we look at the big picture and look at the recovery from the session that we find the reverse is true: Weight training builds muscle. (Muscle is broken down during training and then is built during the recovery period to become bigger and stronger.)

Fat loss training is the same way. If someone talks about the benefits of the “fat burning zone” or “fasted cardio,” it is a sure sign that the individual has stopped looking at the end of the exercise session. They have come to the conclusion that fasted, lower intensity steady-state exercise burns the most fat, and they have made a massive leap of faith to suggest it is best for real world fat loss. Using that same logic, these same people would suggest avoiding weight training if you want to grow muscle.

Take home message: Focus on the metabolic disturbance created after training not just what happens during the exercise session.

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I’ve been reading a book by Tim Clinton called “Why You Do The Things You Do.” It’s a very good book, and I highly recommend checking it out.

The book will help you identify your relationship style (Ambivalent, Avoidant and Disorganized) and how to overcome various issues so you can have healthy relationships with others.

It’s definitely worth reading, as it could help change your life forever.

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Thursday’s workout was short but very intense. After a 2 1/2-minute bodyweight warm-up consisting of squats, pushups, lunges, mountain climbers and a few other exercises, I used the Tabata method for a four-minute workout to help burn fat and elevate my metabolism. I finished with another 2 1/2-minute bodyweight cool down using similar exercises as the warm-up.

The Tabata method was developed by Izumi Tabata at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan in 1996. In the study, Dr. Tabata compared the effects of moderate-intensity endurance training (aerobic) and high-intensity intermittent training (Tabata intervals) on VO2 max and anaerobic capacity.

The results of the study: The moderate-intensity training group produced a significant increase in VO2 max of about 10%, but it had no effect on anaerobic capacity. The high-intensity training group improved their VO2 max by about 14% while increasing anaerobic capacity by 28%. Dr. Tabata’s group also found that short-term intense interval training is highly effective in lowering the ratio of lean body mass to fat without compromising your muscle size. The study was done over a six-week period. Both groups worked out 5 days per week.

One of the hardest aspects of performing a Tabata workout is staying focused for the whole four minutes. It only takes 6-to-8 very hard 20-second intervals with 10-second rest periods to substantially improve both your aerobic and anaerobic capacity (while burning fat).

My exercise of choice for this particular Tabata workout was the burpee.

The burpee is an extremely effective conditioning exercise. It combines a pushup with a squat and a jump. Done at a fast pace, this is one of the best overall bodyweight conditioning exercises you can perform. A burpee utilizing the Tabata method makes it even more brutal! The work periods (20 seconds) may seem short, but done at a blistering pace, the effects build up quickly. A 10-second rest period is barely enough time to catch your breath. But if you push through, you’ll be done in only 4 minutes.

In addition to the burpee, many other exercises can be used with the Tabata method. Ideally, you want to use an exercise that works as much of the body as possible. Some good choices include:

Sprints
Thrusters (front squat to push press complex)
Front Squats
Bodyweight Squats
Pushups
Jump Rope

If 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest is too difficult, there are a few ways to progress. For weeks 1-4, you can use the Tabata method once per week with 10-second work periods and 20-second rest periods. For weeks 5-8, you can perform 15-second work periods and 15-second rest periods and for weeks 9-12, you can perform the full 20-second work periods with the 10-second rest periods.

A word of caution: Tabata intervals are very intense and should only be used by those who already have a high level of conditioning and no health problems. Also, Tabata intervals should not be used too frequently. For one, they are hard. Two, because the workouts are short it’s best to mix shorter more intense workouts like Tabatas with longer, intense workouts such as interval training and other high intensity interval methods (both anaerobic and aerobic).

For those of you who want to see the original abstract for the Tabata interval study, point your browser HERE.

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I’ve mentioned Alwyn Cosgrove (strength coach and fat loss expert) in previous blogs, but I have not mentioned Mike Roussell (a nutrition expert). Recently, Alwyn and Mike came together to offer information on how to accelerate fat loss through proper nutrition and training with their Warp Speed Fat Loss program.

I highly recommend that you spend 25 minutes listening to the audio and watching the slide presentation to get you started. You can see the presentation here: Click Me!

You will notice that many of the things I have said in my previous blogs regarding fat loss are mentioned here. This presentation may help you understand things in a new way so that it makes more sense.

I also recommend signing up for the free fat loss secrets membership and referring two friends to get the special report that shows several very short, but intense fat loss workouts that you can do at home with virtually no equipment.

If you follow these tips, you will accelerate your fat loss in no time!

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I was recently emailing back and forth with a friend discussing his conditioning needs and workouts.

Due to a huge amount of stress in his life from various issues along with recent illness, he found himself at a point where he hadn’t been training as much and was feeling out of shape and deconditioned. I addressed some of those other stresses and issues in his life and then began to discuss his training and current levels of fitness.

He showed me a plan of how he was going to improve his conditioning over the next several weeks with walking, burpees, interval training and strongman conditioning. After giving him some suggestions on how to progress, I noticed that he never mentioned his resistance (weight) training program during this time. After further inquiry, I realized that he had decided not to focus on resistance training until after he increased his conditioning.

I felt that this was a huge mistake, and I encouraged him to focus on his strength before his conditioning, as it makes no sense in trying to become more fit without becoming stronger first. He would only be a more fit version of his “weaker” self which in the end would not result in much improvement with his conditioning.

Not only that, but resistance training is a form of conditioning. Resistance training not only strengths the muscles, tendons and ligaments, but it also strengthens the heart and cardiovascular system. Resistance training with short rest periods or performed using supersets, tri-sets, circuits, complexes and hybrids can also be used specifically for conditioning purposes while strengthening the body.

Alwyn Cosgrove wrote a wonderful article about conditioning for mixed martial artists (MMA) where he said this:

Before we get into the actual exercise prescription, I should point out that I still believe that maximal strength levels should be achieved prior to endurance or energy system development. My theory is this: when we are talking about endurance – we are talking about power endurance or speed endurance or strength endurance. If we haven’t built up appreciable levels of power, speed or strength, then what the hell are we trying to endure? A low level of power? A low level of speed?

Conditioning coach Mike Boyle once pointed out that “It is significantly easier to get an explosive athlete ‘in shape’, than it is to make an ‘in shape’ athlete explosive. The first will take weeks the second may take years.”

This was exactly the point I was trying to make in my conversation, and it reinforces my belief that strength is the most important quality to build with your training. I also mentioned this in a previous blog.

Unfortunately, many people who begin training to lose fat or to “get in shape” tend to start from the opposite direction. They may start with steady-state aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, biking, etc.) and then work toward interval training and resistance training. When this approached is followed, it usually results in little to no progress and frustration. However, if someone were to begin with resistance training they would make more progress in strength and overall conditioning. This is also mentioned in Alwyn Cosgrove’s article and blog about the Hierarchy of Fat Loss.

Whether your goal is to lose fat, gain muscle, increase strength, or become more fit or healthy, always begin with resistance training to accomplish your goals. Get stronger first, and everything else will fall into place. But don’t forget that the number one step you should take is: NUTRITION. Everything starts with a proper nutritional program. Be sure to read my previous blog posts for tips on how to improve your nutritional plan.

Get on a good resistance training program such as Turbulence Training by Craig Ballantyne, Muscle Gaining Secrets by Jason Ferruggia, No-Nonsense Muscle Building by Vince DelMonte or Real Man Fitness by Zach Even-Esh.

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