To Get Lean Strength Train
A common mistake I see beginning students make is to try and start a new exercise regimen and a diet at the same time. Most of the time, depending on the approach, they experience low energy, cravings and ultimately a crash. They fall off the diet for a few days or weeks, begin to feel better and then step on the scale in a couple of months only to find they gained weight. The cycle continues into obesity.
Eating is a reflection of your inner and outer life. It determines the type of athlete you are now and will determine much of your future improvements. Often eating is wrapped around family rituals and long ingrained habits.
You already know how to lose weight, but being aware is different from knowing and much easier than understanding.
“to know, but not to do is not to know at all.”
Incremental change is key to long-term success. You don’t become a member of the Lardassian Nation over night and not without great effort. There is no magic or science that will make you get fit without some real effort. At some point you have to take action and get moving.
The basic formula is {calories taken in}-{{calories burned}-{calories required}=a positive or negative number which reflects weight loss or gain.
The type of calorie consumed makes a big difference in how it is burned. Why are you fat? You eat too much for your current body weight and metabolism. You eat the wrong foods—your exercise program if you have one at all is ineffective.
Where to start?
- start with strength training. Adding muscle will help you in many areas of your life, and it will in the long run help you stay trim. The rate at which you burn calories just staying alive (metabolic rate) is largely determined by your total amount of muscle mass. If you have more muscle you will burn more calories just sitting on the coach.
- Avoid excessive cardio. Cardio alone as a long term weight loss strategy is a mistake. It does burn calories quickly, but it comes with many drawbacks. The main drawback is that it does not build muscle and in many cases it burns muscle. While maintaining a good cardio routine will help you lose weight and then maintain weight, during periods when cardio activities are limited unless you decrease your eating you will begin to gain weight almost immediately. For most people changing their eating habits quickly enough during an injury time is very difficult. For most people, especially runners they will get an injury and put on 10 or more pounds in just a couple of months because their burn rate was dependent on the activity and not their resting metabolic rate.
- Make small incremental changes to your diet every 2 weeks. Over the long term, DIEting will hurt your metabolism and make you fatter. The #1 issue with dieting is that it is not sustainable and eventually you will go back to the habits that made you happy. Caloric restriction sends a signal to your body that it should store fat. If you want to lose weight start eating 4 meals a day and keep your calories very steady. If you diet hard your metabolism will slow down and as your old eating habits increases your calorie intact back to pre-diet levels you will begin to gain weight. Your old calorie intake combined with a slower metabolism = weight gain.
- Limit your weight loss to 3-4 pounds a week. You see some of the contestants on the biggest loser make dramatic weight losses. Sometimes as high as 10 or more pounds. They are extreme cases. If you weigh 400+ pounds losing 8-10 pounds is not the same as someone who weighs 200 pounds losing 6-8 pounds. In general 3-4 pounds is very sustainable and your body can adjust to it easily without being thrown into starvation mode.
So, get moving on some strength training today!
Good training to you,
Anthony
