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
I normally tell people a lot of the same things you are saying. A lot of people start to burn off weight when they train. They then take a hard line approach and start cutting things out of their diets. Personally I told a friend that just started to eat all the time whenever they are hungry. If they wanted to “clean up” their diet that’s great, but eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Actually probably more important than proteins because of the high energy levels you are using on the mats. Also you’re right with strength training. Again a friend of mine wanted to train when they first started and I said do compound movements (squats, deadlifts, cleans, etc…) rather than isolation exercises. The weight came off like you stated but it was all fat with little energy loss.
Diet and exercise are a balancing act. If either one are taken to the extreme the result is lower energy. It is better to change one small thing at a time. I am a big advocate of cleaning up your diet. For most people the 1st thing to change in their diet is actually what they drink. They should cut the following in this order:
1. Soda/Diet Soda
2. Coffee
3. Juice/anything with artificial sweetener in it
As far as exercise goes, compound exercises beat isolation exercises every time. But the big one is that Strength training is MUCH more important that aerobic training.
I normally tell people a lot of the same things you are saying. A lot of people start to burn off weight when they train. They then take a hard line approach and start cutting things out of their diets. Personally I told a friend that just started to eat all the time whenever they are hungry. If they wanted to “clean up” their diet that’s great, but eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Actually probably more important than proteins because of the high energy levels you are using on the mats. Also you’re right with strength training. Again a friend of mine wanted to train when they first started and I said do compound movements (squats, deadlifts, cleans, etc…) rather than isolation exercises. The weight came off like you stated but it was all fat with little energy loss.
+1
I wouldn’t recomend strength training as a body builder would. Training crossfit and circuit training is much more applicable to Jiu Jitsu. Cardio is very important in competitiive BJJ you just need to intake more healthy calories to make up for what you lose while cardio training.
Agreed. Strength training definitely does NOT mean training like a body builder would. Cardio has its place in any fitness regimen but for people needing to lose a bit of weight it is better in the long run to start with strength training.