Fat Loss for Idiots with Mark Fisher Fitness: Part 4

5 Rules for Fat Loss Nutrition: Part 4 of 4

VIDEO: Fat Loss For Idiots Part 2: Training

And NOW, the thrilling finale to our Fat Loss For Idiots series.  If you missed the previous entries, you can check out Part 1Part 2, and Part 3 by clicking those links!

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RULE 3:  When using training to burn calories and speed up the fat loss process, prioritize variations of metabolic resistance training (MRT).

Once you’ve got your heavy lifting in order, your next best use of time is to use weight training to create a heart-thumpin’, calorie-burnin’, ab-shreddin’ inferno.

For those used to traditional cardio, I want you to think of this as cardio performed with resistance exercise.   We want to once again prioritize full body movements, but now we want to use relatively lighter loads.   When we’re having MRT fun, we can start to employ short rest periods and circuits or supersets (going from one exercise to another with no break).

We don’t need to use a lot of weight, so bodyweight exercises and lighter dumbbells and kettlebells are great for MRT.  Power exercises are also great here, but most folks will do better with non-impact variations.  Properly executed swings and medicine ball throws tend to be easier on the joints than jump squats or clap push-ups, though more advanced trainees should season this to taste.

Specific rest periods, rep ranges, and total workout length will vary wildly based on your current fitness levels, but to keep it simple, you want to keep your heart rate elevated, work hard enough that you hate your life a bit, and always prioritize form.

Since you’re looking to kick some ass, you’ll be pretty fatigued.  While this is necessary for MRT, remember to always prioritize technique so you don’t hurt yourself on the path to health and hotness.  Remember: there’s nothing cool about orthopedic injury!

Fat Loss For Idiots Takeaway:  After your 1-3 Heavy Ass-ish workouts, prioritize 2-3 metabolic resistance training workouts.

RULE 4:  Traditional forms of cardio aren’t wrong per se, but don’t prioritize them as they’re not the most effective modality for fat loss.

In yet another bizarre twist for those seeking health and hotness, the old fat loss mainstay of cardio on the treadmill or elliptical is the poorest use of your time.  Studies have shown time and again that steady state (or aerobic) cardiovascular training is ineffective for fat loss.

When you stick to one modality like jogging, it will work a bit at first, and then the body adapts.  While the heart benefits are still rad, your body figures out how to jog in a calorically efficient manner.  This is good for your jogging abilities and long distance running from zombies and/or killer robots.  This is NOT the best for your fat loss efforts.

Excellent use of steady state cardio

MRT (metabolic resistance training) is a superior choice to traditional cardio.  It allows us to use a full range of motion, it’s less likely to lead to muscle loss, and studies show it’s more effective for fat loss.  Additionally, as compared to running, there’s a lot less impact on the body, so it tends to be kinder to your joints.

If you do decide to employ a more traditional modality, you can still get good fat loss results if you use high intensity intervals.  While there are again many ways to do this, you basically alternate a shorter period of hell on earth, followed by a longer recovery period.  Repeat!

In other words, instead of jogging at the same medium intensity for 45 minutes, you’ll actually see some great fat loss if you use intervals.  A classic template here would be a 30 seconds of PUSHING IT and 90 seconds of recovering for 5 to 10 rounds.  Even with a 5 minute warm-up and cool down, you’ll notice that HIIT (high impact interval training) is much more time effective than steady state cardio.

If you love love LOVE running or the doin’ the elliptical, I can’t they’re “wrong.”  But if you hate doing traditional cardio and your joints hate you…STOP.  There’s better uses of your time for health and hotness!

Fat Loss For Idiots Takeaway:  After you’ve fit in your desired amount of Heavy Ass-ish workouts and MRT, add in 1-3 HIIT sessions if desired.

RULE 5: Since you can’t lose spots in specific areas by working the underlying musculature, focus on creating a full body training effect for maximal fat loss.

One of the reasons fat loss can seem confusing is your body often behaves in a counter-intuitive manner.

Gyms across the world are filled with people doing endless crunches to burn body fat on their stomach.  This makes kittens everywhere very sad…

While this makes perfect sense in theory, the body can’t spot reduce fat. This means you can’t burn body fat in specific areas by working the musculature underneath said body fat.  You have to create a caloric deficit through nutrition and training to encourage the body to burn fat for fuel.

This is a total mindfuck.  It’s hard to accept that working your trouble spots won’t lead to burning bodyfat.  The body, however, has a way of doing its own thing and doesn’t really care what it “feels” like.  It simply responds to the stimulus you provide!

And unfortunately, the body takes fat from where it likes.  For most of you, your “stubborn fat” areas are the body’s final reserves.  Since your body cares more about “not fucking dying” than it does about six pack abs, this can be frustrating.  That said, most people can get reasonably lean with eating quality foods, creating a deficit, and training.

For those who are already pretty abby but wanted to get SHREDDED… your journey will be a bit more complicated and will require some different strategies.  Happily, the vast majority of you will kick major ass and transform your body by sticking to these rules!

Fat Loss For Idiots Takeaway:  Instead of trying to train specific areas of the body for fat loss, focus on creating a full body training effect to get the best results.

Knowing Is Half the Battle

… but it’s only HALF the battle.  Now you have to go apply these rules to reap the rewards!

As a closing thought, remember, more is not better.  More is more.  More is sometimes worse.  Enough is plenty.

For most people, we like to max out the training at 5-6 total workouts per week.  After this point, you’ll often see little extra results, but a greater risk of injury.  Since the body is in a deficit, it’s important to not KILL YOURSELF with the training part of the plan. Make sure your getting 7-8 hours of sleep, eating your veggies, drinking water, doing soft tissue, and thinking happy thoughts!

I hope you feel empowered to kick some ass with the Fat Loss For Idiots rules. If you dig this info, please pimp us out like the whores we are and spread us like an STD to all your friends!

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