Fat Loss: Time Efficient Workouts lead to lasting success

If you are fitness minded, you probably read the magazines or watch the latest infomercials and follow the trends. Well, some trends are good and others are just a waste of time and money. Yet maximum results with minimal time and expenditure is what most of us are looking for.

If you are new to weight training or fitness enhancement, getting a personal trainer is always a good place to start. They will show you the ropes, give you a program for success, and make sure you know how and why you are doing things.

But be cautious and do some research on the qualifications and philosophy of the trainer you may hire. While there are certainly great benefits to using personal trainers, having one is no guarantee for success. Some are not up on the latest studies and methods, relying on the same old stuff. But a good trainer will use circuit training and cross training for maximum results. Here’s how.

How to Maximize

Many trainers and fitness buffs will lift heavy weights then take long rests between sets. The theory is that the heavier the weight, the more muscle bulk will develop. And the longer the rest, the more repair has occurred to muscle tissue, which allows you to lift more in the next few sets. These extra reps and sets are thought to help burn more calories. Sounds good.

The problem is that this old-school method of weight training does not help cardiovascular health. There is very little benefit to lung and heart power. So now you will have to run the treadmill for those results. And this wastes time. And time is money, especially when paying a trainer!

Quality personal trainers will put into practice cutting edge methods of combining cardio, strength and flexibility training into single sessions while keeping the heart rate at optimal levels. I recommend wearing a heart rate monitor during the entire session, even when lifting weights. Why?

Because the best way to maximize time, energy and results is to work muscles, heart rate and lung capacity at the same time. In this way, you are not just resting for a few minutes to be able to do an additional rep of a weight set. On the contrary, it is your personal heart rate that dictates when to rest and when to begin again. And that time changes as your fitness level changes.

The goal of the workout is to give individual muscles a chance to rest while maintaining a consistently high heart rate. You will rest when your heart rate reaches 160 and then start up again when your heart rate drops to 130. (This varies per individual but is a good rule of thumb). This way your heart pumps more blood, you burn more calories through intensity, develop more endurance and leaner muscles.

A Streamlined Approach

When training a client, I will warm them up for 10 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer or stair master. To maximize time (to save them money and get the most out of each minute), I will review their personal nutritional journal with them during this period. We discuss diet, food combining, and ways to streamline their food habits for better results.

Next, I work them out for 45 minutes. To maximize results by controlling time, I pair up a machine and a manual exercise, like leg presses and dumbbell bicep curls. This method allows them to remain close to the machine and not “lose it” when the gym is crowded. I usually will have clients do three sets of each exercise and then move on to something else, like crunches and shoulder presses or leg curls and triceps extensions. In this way, one muscle rests while the other works. More importantly, the one thing that stays consistent during the exercise “switch” is the client’s heart rate!

The workout is 55 minutes long. With a heart rate elevated for that period of time through resistance training, you receive cardiovascular benefit, strength, muscular endurance, toning and sculpting. It’s also the biggest bang for your buck for anyone paying $65 or more per hour for a trainer.

The last 15 minutes of the session focuses on cooling down while stretching. Keeping muscles lean and limber is a huge part of health and wellness that is often neglected. It shouldn’t be.

Equipment Matters

Personal training often happens at the gym or in the home. And as a general rule, free weights offer better results than using weight machines. Really, the weight machines are for beginners or those too weak to use anything else. They are like training wheels and hold and guide proper position, without fear of the weights falling on you. But free weights not only increase the strength of the muscle being “worked,” they also train other muscles that are used to stabilize the weights while also increasing overall balance and whole-body coordination. Free weights maximize time, effort and results.

For home fitness, the now popular fitness balls and bands can be used. The balls are perfect for strengthening the core muscles, which include the abdominals, obliques, lower back and hips. The bands are good for chest, back and arms. While these strength bands are great for women, they don’t generally provide enough resistance for men. Free weights are the best options for men. For women, a small investment in Balls and Bands for home training can reap huge benefits.

Cross Training Is Key

Aside from circuit training, cross training is essential for overall fitness. I generally advise clients not to do the same type of exercise two days in a row, and to always mix things up.

I suggest things like weights and body-weight resistance training one day, biking or running the next day, and Bikram hot yoga or Pilates on another day. The idea is to keep the body guessing by putting the primary strain on different muscles in different ways each training day. These different strains place different emphasis and requirements on the heart, lungs and muscle fibers, as isometric yoga training is different than range of motion weight lifting or martial art training.

In the end, the objective of any fitness program is to maximize effort and results while keeping a lid on time and money. The way to do this is by using a heart rate monitor, not resting between sets, using circuit training and mixing things up with cross training. Good luck

Dennys Passeto has been a certified Personal Trainer and owner of Achieve Fitness since 1998. Achieve Fitness services clients in Maryland, DC and Virginia in their home, work, gym and outdoors. They are the only company who guarantee results. Visit them at http://www.achieve-fitness.com for a FREE personal training session.

Two week update:
Lost 6 pounds
Lost 1 inch off my chest
Lost 1/2 inch off belly
Lost 1/4 inch off waist

Getting up and going to the gym is getting easier, I look forward to it more, because I can already see results.

My clothes are fitting better and my energy is increasing daily. I am in a “healthy” routine and am enjoying the progress day by day. The great thing about a routine is, after it is established, it is automatic! You don’t have to think about it.

I know it is important to keep track of what I am eating and what kind of workouts I am doing, so this week I started a Twitter account to track all of my meals and workouts. This has increased the accountability (again) and at the same time has created a network of supportive people. So, not only am I using it to track my progress, but I am also getting support. Support is an important vehicle as you continue on your mission for fat-loss.

In 2 short weeks I have improved my body and created a network of like minded individuals. I am ready for the weeks to come!

There are many ways to create incentives to reach your specific Goals, in weight loss as well as any area of your life.

One of my favorites is to wear a Goal Band. A Goal Band is a colored wristband you wear and do not take off until you achieve your Goal. It serves as a constant reminder to you and the people around you that you are striving towards a desired result.

Tim is harnessing the power of a Goal Band, but he has taken creative incentives a step further with his ‘weight loss beard.’

Tim does not want a beard. He doesn’t like it.

So to give himself a little extra incentive, he made a personal (and very public) commitment:

“I will not shave my beard or get a haircut until I am under 220 pounds.”

He created something that is uncomfortable and made it fun. When he reaches one of his smaller Goals of weighing under 220, he gets to celebrate by shaving off the beard as a reward!

It is important to recognize the smaller Goals and victories, that when accumulated, add up to the ultimate vision you are trying to achieve.

What creative incentives can you come up with to motivate yourself?

Let us know!

Jill and Tim

Today’s sedentary lifestyle for children is raising their risk of obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis and other disorders. Read how you can help reverse this alarming trend.

Today’s parents are having their pediatrician tell them their 11-year-old son has Type 2 diabetes or their 16-year-old daughter has osteoporosis. The “out-of-control” lifestyles fashioned by the adults of the past 40 years has led to a 50% increase in the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes–the kind of diabetes that used to be known as “adult onset” because this obesity-related disorder wasn’t usually diagnosed until age 50 or older!

Making wellness a family affair

If we begin to place an emphasis on eating healthy foods and increasing activity levels in our children, we can reverse these alarming trends. Here are a few guidelines for dealing with overweight children. Be sure the child has been evaluated by a medical doctor to assure there are no reasons why losing weight would be a problem. Children can begin their day with a Dinomins multivitamin tablet and a shake made with nonfat milk or soy milk.

Stopping the epidemic

Choose to set the example of picking up an apple instead of an ice-cream bar.

Stop smoking.

Turn off the television or computer and shoot some hoops with your children or go for a walk.

Be sure to take your dog so you won’t have a overweight dog at risk for diabetes and heart disease–yes, they develop the same diseases as people!

Let’s make the 21st century the century of wellness.

Let’s start today.

Changes in Body Shape Demonstrates Protein’s Effects!
Increasing protein in the diet can show measurable results on the body according to a 2003 study by the European Congress on Obesity in Finland. Researchers studied two groups, one that followed a moderately restricted diet, while the other followed a diet similar in calories but higher in protein content. Those following the high-protein diet experienced an average .47 inch loss around the waist, while the control group gained slightly. Also, those on the high-protein diet reported higher feelings of satiety. Researchers concluded that additional protein intake may contribute to storage of fat-free mass and may result in improved weight maintenance.

Recognition of Protein-Rich Diet Grows!
A study released by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and reported in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that diets higher in protein may be even more effective than initially thought. The study tracked the weight loss of 132 severely obese people, half of whom ate a standard low-fat, low-calorie diet while the other half ate a low-carbohydrate, higher-protein diet. The end result: After six months, the people on the low-fat, low-calorie diet lost approximately four pounds, while those in the low-carb, high protein group lost an average of 13 pounds!

Soy-Based Meal Replacements Demonstrate Weight-Loss Success…
Soy-based meal replacements can effectively battle obesity, according to researchers at the University of Alabama. One hundred obese individuals participated in a 12-week clinical trial, during which participants were divided into two dieting groups. One group used soy-based meal replacements to lose weight, while the other attempted to lose weight without using the meal replacements. Of the 74 people who finished the study, those who used the soy based meal replacements lost significantly more weight and had a greater-than-usual improvement in their LDL cholesterol level for the amount of weight lost.

Increased Protein Sustains Weight Maintenance…
Increasing protein in your diet may improve weight maintenance, according to the study in the International Journal of Obesity. Researchers studied nearly 150 moderately obese men and women who followed the same low-carbohydrate diet for 30 days, then followed separate diets for a 90-day maintenance period. During the 90 days, one group received 1.7 ounces of supplemental protein, while the other did not. Following the weight-maintenance phase, researchers found that the supplemental-protein group showed improved satiety, an overall lower increase in cholesterol and regained weight at 50% lower levels than the other group.

Higher-Protein Diets Shown to Benefit Metabolism…
A 16-week study conducted at the University of Adelaide, Australia, found that replacing carbohydrates with protein from meat, poultry and dairy foods can benefit metabolism. Researchers divided overweight volunteers into two groups and placed one half on a high-protein diet and the other half on a diet with standard amounts of protein. Tests of the 57 volunteers who completed the study showed that those on the high-protein diet had significantly lower glycemic response after losing weight than those on the standard-protein diet.