Weight Loss Myth: Morning Cardio on An Empty Stomach Will Help You Lose More Fat

You Must Train on an Empty Stomach to Burn Fat and Lose Weight

There are a couple of points to make here.

First, you don’t have to do your cardio on an empty stomach in the morning in order to lose fat. You can lose fat just as well by exercising at other times of the day.

Second, if you do choose to do cardio on an empty stomach, you do not have to worry about your muscles shriveling up to nothing.

If you want to do your cardio (intervals preferred of course) first thing in the morning, go ahead. But don’t expect any magical results that you can’t get from training at another time of the day.

I prefer that people follow a consistent approach, performing strength training followed by interval training – at any time of the day…it doesn’t matter. Heck, you never have to do slow, boring cardio ever again if you eat right and train consistently.

Strength and interval training takes less than an hour and I guarantee you’ll get the same or better results than doing your cardio in the morning and weights later in the day. It doesn’t seem to matter what time of day your strength and interval workout is done – it will always get you results.

And do you have to eat before exercise? You don’t have to, but keep something close by in case you get light-headed. Otherwise, if you just can’t eat anything before your AM workout, don’t worry about it, you’re probably not going to lose any muscle.

The Bottom Line

As a society, we tend to look for tips and tricks that make things easier. Nothing wrong with that, but there is something wrong when others exploit this desire with false promises.

Best Way To Lose Weight Fast – Calorie Counting Myth

It’s starts off with getting to the point that you are fed up with how you look or feel and the desire to do something about it. One of the most advertised best ways to lose weight fast is the calorie counting method.

The common thought process is that if you are currently taking in 2500 calories a day then all you have to do is cut that to 1500 or 2000 calories a day and you will begin to lose weight. So you start skipping meals. Maybe the first day you decide to skip breakfast and by lunch you are starving and feel miserable but you have made up you mind that you are going to do this and stick with it. The pain and misery works for the first week or maybe two if you can hold out that long because you will begin to lose weight. Maybe you have found the best way to lose weight fast.

What you do not realize is that with just about any diet program you will see rapid results early on due to the loss of water weight. It is the first thing to go and the reason just about any diet works in the beginning.

A couple weeks in you have lost some weight but you probably feel weak and miserable because along with skipping meals you have not provided your body with the adequate fuel to function on a daily basis. You start thinking how long am I going to have to be hungry and miserable. This is the point most people quit.

The other issue most people do not realize when it comes to these types of programs is the fact that your body will adjust to your new calorie intake and begin to adjust the number of calories it burns accordingly. This will result in a weight loss plateau and another point where people quit because they stop realizing any weight.

Calorie counting is the most difficult program to stick stay on.

Compare Online Diet Plans – Weight Loss Myths Busted

When you begin to compare online diet plans it can be somewhat daunting with all the choices and the well known celebrities telling you “this will work for you”. I am going to bust some of the weight loss myths that abound. If you know the facts you will be less likely to get involved in an unhealthy diet.

1. You should avoid carbs.

This is a myth. Carbs are inperative to your health. Carbs are what give your body energy to do what it needs to do during the day. There are carbs that are better for you than others, but avoiding all carbs is not beneficial to your health or your weight loss. In fact, often times people who cut out all carbs will find they are binging on “bad” carbs because they just can’t take not being able to eat any of their favorite foods.

2. You should avoid fat.

The fact is: we all need fats. Fats help with nutrient absorption, nerve transmission, and maintaining cell membrane integrity. If fats are consumed in excess amount, they can contribute to weight gain, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Fats are not created equal. Some fats promote our health positively while some increase our risks of heart disease. The key is to replace bad fats with good fats in our diet. Good fats include monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. These are found in olive oils, nuts, fish oils to name a few. The bad fats are saturated and trans fats. These are found in packaged foods as well as meats and seafood.

3. Skip meals to lose weight.

While it is true that you want to decrease your overall caloric intake to lose weight, you do not want to skip meals to do it. When you skip meals your body goes into “starvation mode”. It doesn’t know when it is going to get another meal. When in starvation mode your body holds onto everything, so it has something to use later if it doesn’t get any more food. It considerably lowers your metabolism to skip meals. It is much better to watch your portions and try to eat more frequent but smaller meals.

4. Switching to low fat/fat free foods helps to lose weight.

Not necessarily. Just because the label says fat free does not mean you have free range to eat all you want. Often times these food replace fat content with sugar, making the caloric value of fat free foods much higher than their regular counterparts. If you fill your cupboards with fat free foods and eat as much as you want thinking it’s ok because they are fat free you will find yourself quickly gaining weight.

5. If I exercise a lot I don’t have to worry about my diet.

This could not be further from the truth. If you eat a delicious 500 calorie desert it will take you 2 hours of brisk walking on the treadmill to work it off, and that’s just one small indiscretion. Burning off excess calories is just too time consuming to make it a possible weight loss solution. It will be almost impossible to lose weight without a combination of eating right and exercise.

Now you know the truth about some commonly believed weight loss myths. You have the facts in hand to easily compare online diet plans and find one that will work and work well for you.

Five Popular Diet Myths

The nutrition field, and more specifically dieting, is full of myths and half-truths. Every “expert” has an opinion and finds followers desperate to believe these opinions as truth. If it sounds good it will probably find supporters. Once a myth gains momentum it steamrolls its way into popular culture. Once it is entrenched it is very difficult to debunk the myth. If it is published in a magazine or overheard on television it becomes fact. Diet myths are a dime a dozen with new ones cropping up all the time. Below are five popular myths, and why they are not true.

1. Genetics. If you have bad genetics you will not be able to lose weight, or if you do lose weight it will come right back on. This simply is not true. Genetics plays a strong role in a person’s predisposition for weight gain, but does not doom them. Many people have been genetically “coded” for certain diseases but with proper nutrition and health care they avoid developing them. This holds true for obesity as well. Just because a person is predisposed to weight gain does not mean that they can never reach their ideal weight and maintain it. They may have to work harder than others but it can be done. The truth to this myth is that these individuals have to be more vigilant because if they slide they can easily gain the weight back.

2. Salad Myth. Many dieters think that having a salad, no matter what kind, constitutes a healthy meal. It is true that a leafy, green salad with a few other vegetables and a light amount of dressing is healthy. However, many dieters will add chicken, ham, eggs, nuts, croutons, bacon, or other heavy food choices to their salad, rendering it unhealthy. Then they add nearly a half-cup of salad dressing to smother what little bit of green might have been showing. Now, a potential low-calorie salad becomes a heavy, calorie laden mess. This is the equivalent of the dieter who goes into McDonald’s and orders a Big Mac, Large Fries and Diet Coke, “Because their dieting.”

3. Wheat Bread. Wheat bread is better than white bread right? Wrong. It is just as bad as white bread. The wheat flour used in regular wheat bread is just as processed, and therefore as easily converted to simple sugars, as the white flour. Whole grain oat bread is a much better substitute when bread is needed. As a matter of fact, whole grain oats are a good substitute in all grain foods, such as cereals.

4. Honey. Honey, pass on the honey. Just because something is natural does not always make it better. Some people have been falsely led to believe that honey is a better alternative to sugar. Since it is natural, they believe that it is somehow a healthier substitute. It is still sugar. It will still cause blood sugar levels to go haywire. With no fiber to slow the absorption, you might as well be eating straight sugar.

5. Low-fat=Healthy. If a food is labeled low-fat or fat-free is it really healthy? Maybe not. Many low-fat and fat-free foods add copious amounts of sugar to improve the flavor, thereby increasing the calorie count. The added sugar will also cause spikes in blood sugar, causing spikes in insulin, and a faster shuttle of energy into fat stores. Read labels carefully, and look at ingredients. If sugar (in any of its forms) is near the top of the ingredient list, pass on the low-fat. Sometimes the regular fat version is a healthier choice in the long run.

21 Common Myths From The Weight Loss Crowd

Myth: You’ll be OK with a high protein/low carb dietFact: This type of diet aims to secure most of the daily required amount of calories from protein foods, such as meat, dairy products and eggs, with a very small part taken from foods containing a lot of carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes and fruits). The biggest problem with this diet is that many common and popular foods are forbidden, which makes it easy for the user to get bored or frustrated. When boredom and frustration set in, quitting time is never far off. Another problem is the lack of nutrients that are usually brought in by carbohydrate foods, while allowing the user to eat bacon and cheese that raise cholesterol levels.

The bottom line is that high protein/low carb diets result in fast weight loss in some users, but it’s not just fat that goes away. People also lose some of their lean muscle mass and a lot of water as the kidneys work harder to rid the body of excess waste from protein and fat.

The added stress to your kidneys is not healthy at all and, in the long run, will lead to dehydration, headaches, feelings of nausea and dizziness. Before engaging in a long-term diet, you would do well to discuss it with your physician. And if you are really keen on dieting, try a balanced diet first, because it will help you lose weight without hurting your system.

Myth: Permanent weight loss can be achieved with fad diets.

Fact: This is yet another common myth among the weight loss crowd. Like any other diet that tells you to cut this or that food from your daily meals, fad diets are not healthy for you. The cornerstone of any diet is supplying the body with all the calories, proteins and minerals it needs. Diets that cut out foods without regard for the needs of your body cannot be healthy for you. Fad diets fail to deliver on the promise of permanent weight loss because people will always crave the forbidden foods and will always end up breaking the rules and ditching the diet.

The key to making weight loss permanent is more exercise and to avoid eating food that makes you fat without nourishing your body. Our extensive studies confirmed the importance of exercising and of a well-balanced diet.

Myth: Low-fat or no fat food is always a good choice.

Fact: The only low fat foods that are also low in calories are fruits. The rest of the huge low-fat or non-fat group are not a safe choice if you are dieting. These products may have added sugar, starch or flour to make them taste better, which means extra calories that do not belong into your diet. So make sure you check the list of ingredients on packages whenever you decide to buy low-fat.

Myth: Switching to vegetarian food will help you lose weight and stay healthy.

Fact: I know this is a hard pill to swallow, but no food plan will work for you unless you take charge of your eating and make sure that everything that goes past your lips is the right kind of food. The key here is to be absolutely sure that the vegetarian diet will give your body all the nutrients and calories it needs. Eating heaps of foods that do nothing for you from the nutritional point of view, outside maybe of filling your stomach, can bring you a lot of trouble in the future.

Since plants tend to have a lower concentration of nutrients than meat, you will have to eat more food than before to make up for this difference. Not to mention that a strictly vegetarian diet will not get you enough vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium and zinc. These substances are taken mostly from dairy products and eggs in a regular diet, but true vegetarians can’t touch those. You’ll have to rely on the few and uncommon vegetables that can provide these substances.

Myth: Dairy products cause heart problems and make you fat.

Fact: Well, thanks to modern medicine everybody knows that eating a lot of dairy products is a surefire path to high blood pressure and stroke, although a large group of people from France refuse to die despite the large quantities of cheese and wine they consume.

Dairy products are the main source of calcium that keeps your bones strong and healthy. It is absolutely essential for children and can be in no way overlooked by adults. Dairy products also contain vitamin D, which is crucial to maintaining the normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in your bloodstream.

If you don’t want to gain weight from dairy products, then choose low-fat or non-fat brands. There are enough of those around. If you are lactose-intolerant, drink soy or rice milk. It does not taste exactly the same as true milk, but it’s still good and nutritious.

Butter and margarine are the only dairy products you should worry about. They do contain big levels of fat. Still, if you can’t do without them, at least eat butter. Margarine is an over-processed fat that is not particularly good for you. Butter may be a bit fatter, but it definitely is the healthier of these two.

9 Fat Burning Tips to Get Rid of Stomach Fat

Desperate to get rid of stomach fat? Let’s keep it simple – start eating healthy and exercise regularly. So the first thing you need to do now is – throw out all the junk food and temptations in the kitchen. The last thing you need is a junk food craving. Remember, cravings can destroy a diet and add inches to your waistline.

Secondly, if you don’t have social support network, you will not get rid of stomach fat. Find at least one weight loss partner, but preferably more –to continuously encourage you and work with you to keep you motivated. That way, your actions and goals are made accountable to your weight loss partner.

According to a 2006 research, working out with someone else who has the same goal and loses fat significantly increases your chance to get rid of stomach fat. In other words, you will have a greater chance of success.

Here are 9 more tips to get rid of stomach fat-

1) Avoid the liquid calories

Throw out all the juices, the diet and non diet soda drinks — and the sports drinks.

Liquid sugar is great for the body fat to stack on the weight!

And with regards to alcohol, studies have found a link between alcohol intake and abdominal fat.

So drink in moderation and try to reduce the amount of alcohol intake.

Best yet, don’t drink while you try to get rid of stomach fat.

2) Watch the fatty foods

When drinking, watch the fatty foods.

Studies suggest a combination of alcohol and high fat diet can lead to overfeeding.

3) Forget the fast food

Quality of the food ingredients are poor, high in calories, and bad for your health.

Even if you think it is healthy, the fast food chains are out for the big dollar only.

Eating fast food will make you feel terrible, and will not help you lose tummy fat.

4) Eat plenty of fiber rich fruits and vegetables

Each week, try to load up with lots of varieties of fresh vegetables and fresh fruits in your fridge.

If you can’t buy them fresh, frozen veggies and frozen berries like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries are the next best option.

Look at adding the berries to high fiber cereal, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yoghurt or smoothies.

Vegetables like zucchini, onions, fresh mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, red peppers are great, especially in morning eggs.

Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily.

Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8 to 10 a day.

5) Eat 1 handful of natural or dry roasted almonds or walnuts per day.

Eating nuts will not make you fat.

By eating half an ounce in the morning and half an ounce in the afternoon, the nuts will keep the tummy satisfied and help you lose weight.

6) For the freezer, look at adding frozen fish and frozen chicken breast

Fish has many benefits, having different kinds of fish each week will keep the boring diet away.

With the chicken breast, it’s great for quick meals with wraps or sandwiches. Or dice up some lean chicken into the eggs, along with some swiss, jack, or goat cheeses.

7) For the cabinet – Staples

-Cans of coconut milk, which is great for a creamy taste, but full of healthy saturated fats;

-Various antioxidant rich teas like green tea, oolong, white, rooibos;

-Stevia, a natural non caloric sweetener

-Raw honey, has good amount of nutrients and enzymes, and can improve your metabolism;

-whole wheat or whole grain spelt pasta, which are high in fiber;

-No white rice, buy brown rice and other kinds of high fiber rice;

-Organic unsweetened cocoa powder

Resolve never to super-size your food portions-unless you want to super-size your clothes.

9) Workout regularly to get rid of stomach fat

Make workouts count.

Look at a HIGH intensity interval training and resistance training, as you’ll achieve more fat burning results in less workout time.

High intensity workouts have a higher metabolic disturbance which are effective for reducing stomach fat.

Abdominal Training and Fat Burning Mistakes You Must Avoid

If you are interested in discovering some areas where you may be struggling in your ab workouts and your frustrated attempts at losing belly fat, I have an interview for you here that is a must read.

In the interview, we dissect the topic of abs training and the most common myths and mistakes we see in this field.

Here is a complete copy of the training section of the interview below. We’ll discuss the fundamental nutrition aspects required for losing enough body fat to expose those six pack abs in another article.

CB: Okay Marc, so where does the average ‘Jack’ or ‘Jill’ go wrong when it comes to training abdominals?

MV: Most people reading this are probably going to be shocked and surprised with this answer. In their desire to have ’six pack abs’, the number one mistake I see people making is spending WAY too much of their time specifically training their abdominals… cranking out all kinds of different abdominal exercises.

I’m sure you’ve seen this in the gym. The guy or gal is trying so hard to get their abs to show, that they’re spending nearly all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various leg raises, oblique exercises, crunches, ab classes, etc. Meanwhile, all of that unnecessary time directly training the abdominals could have been better utilized on a properly designed full-body workout program that would garner a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well.

After all, losing the belly fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important factor for most people to finally be able to make their ’six pack abs’ visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with set after set of crunches and leg raises does NOT create an increased metabolic or fat burning hormonal response.

This is the main focus of the Truth about Six Pack Abs book… full body workout programs and essential nutrition to melt away that stubborn belly fat and expose the sexy six-pack that’s hiding underneath!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a training book for abs if I didn’t focus on abdominal development too, but I make certain that the most important concepts for long term body fat reduction are understood.

CB: In your opinion, are there any gender differences in mistakes they make? And more to the point, do you see any gender differences in the results to various types of abdominal training?

MV: To be quite honest, I don’t really see the need for men and women to train differently. The bottom line is… the best exercises are the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.

However, in regards to mistakes I see between men and women… Yes, I consistently see that women, oftentimes, are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That fear is unnecessary, because THE most effective way to reduce your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as regularly training that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise.

It’s vitally important for women to realize that consistent strength training using heavier resistance is NOT going to “bulk them up” (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the ultimate secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, over the years I’ve trained with some of the leanest females who are also the ones that aren’t afraid to work hard with the weights.

I also notice that most females (and a lot of men too) spend way too much time with slow cardio workouts. This is simply not necessary, and the way that I combine high intensity resistance training into full body workouts provides plenty of “cardio” workout in itself usually. We’ll come back to this in a minute though.

CB: What about the traditional sit-ups? Do you do these? Are they good, bad, or does it “depend”?

MV: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I wouldn’t say they’re good or bad, but rather “in between”. I do not include them in my workout routines. I just don’t feel they are necessary. On the other hand, I think there are other highly effective abdominal exercises to focus on. Personally, I rarely ever do sit-ups except occasionally to add a little variety every now and then.

CB: Please share with us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per week? What are some of the best exercises you would pick? How many reps? Sets? Rest time? Etc.

MV: Sure. First I’d like to emphasize that the full body exercises that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire “core” area to a fairly decent extent. In addition, I do include abdominal-specific exercises into the routines usually about twice per week. The “ab-specific” portion of the training will typically only take about 5 minutes with very little rest between exercises.

Once people are beyond the early phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to stear them away from the exercises that have become too easy, where someone can do 75 or 100 reps, as is quite common with standard crunches. Rather, I like to focus on greater resistance exercises that immediately stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree.

An example of a higher resistance abdominal exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper “pelvic curl up”. It’s funny but usually someone that has been spending so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a handful of true, solid reps when they first attempt these higher resistance exercises.

We’re also mindful not to neglect some rotational movements for the obliques, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.

CB: What do you find helpful for burning fat, interval training or slow cardio workouts? Or both? Again, any gender differences here? How about differences between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?

MV: In most cases, my answer is would be intervals… or as I like to call it “variable intensity training”. Generally, I have found that slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal is sustainable fat loss.

I think people need to forget the idea or concept about “fat burning zones” and calories burned during the actual workout, and try to see the bigger picture of what you are doing in your workout routine to stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body… and the absolute best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace cardio workouts.

Now if you are talking about someone who is really de-conditioned and can’t handle higher intensity exercise programs just yet, this does not mean that they can’t simply use lower intensity routines and still use it in a “variable intensity” fashion. This can be done by alternating the higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.

Cardio Workout Plan – My Favorite Fat Burning Workout

One of the top questions I receive is “What should I do for my cardio workout plan?” I usually answer with a question; “What do you enjoy doing for your cardio workout?”

It doesn’t matter so much what you do for cardio. It’s doing what you enjoy. If I suggest you run 3-10 minute miles for your cardio workout plan and you have never ran in your life or you hate running, how successful of a plan would that be?

Let’s cover a few of the basics:

• Low intensity-is working at around the 60% range of your target heart rate. 220 – 40 = 180 (maximum heart rate). 180 x 60% =108 beats per minute.
• Low intensity is easy to do so you can workout longer and a great idea for someone beginning a cardio workout plan.
• Low intensity is low risk. Most anyone can start a low intensity workout plan
• Low intensity is burns a higher percentage of calories from fat.

You just stopped at fat burning and have decided on low intensity didn’t you? Let’s take a look at high intensity cardio.

• High intensity would be working at around 75-85% of your maximum heart rate. Using the same calculations above a 40 year old would have a range of 135-153 beats per minute
• High intensity cardio continues to burn calories at a higher rate long after you have completed your workout.
• You will burn more calories faster. You can walk 1 mile in 20 minutes and burn 100 calories or you can run a mile in 10 minutes and burn 100 calories.
• High intensity can increase muscle mass. Look at the difference in sprinters and marathon runners.

Here’s the question to ask yourself; What if I do both? Hmmm…could that possibly work? Sure, it’s called interval training. You work at a moderate pace for 3-5 minutes, depending on your level of fitness, and then work at a high intensity for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Work at a 5/1 minute ratio. If you are starting at an intermediate level you could work at a 3/1 minute ratio.

There are several ways you can set up your interval cardio workout plan. I will use a treadmill workout for an example since a treadmill has a timer and is very versatile. Always take about 5 minutes to warm up first.

Walking/Beginner-After your warm up walk briskly for 3-5 minutes and then jog lightly for 1 minute. As your fitness level increases you can shorten the walk to 3 minutes. Repeat your intervals until you have reached your goal mileage or time.

Running/Intermediate-After your warm up run at a moderate pace for 3-5 minutes and then run full out for 1 minute. As your fitness level improves you will decrease your moderate time and even pick up the pace a little. Remember, the goal is your target heart rate.

You can use the same cardio workout plan with the elevation on your treadmill. On your one minute intervals or high intensity interval, increase the elevation as high as is safely possible for you.

I’ve used a treadmill for my example but you can use the same idea with running outside, an elliptical trainer, spin bike, bicycle, aerobic dancing; anything you like.

So my answer to, “what is the best cardio workout plan?” Do what you enjoy first of all and integrate interval training for a maximum fat burning cardio workout plan.

Weight Loss Expert Reveals 20-Minute Fat Burning Workout Secrets

Secrets to Weight Loss

Zach Even-Esh: Craig, thanks for taking the time out of your insane schedule to talk with us. Tell us a little bit about yourself, your clientele and your overall training philosophy.

Answer: Zach, I’m a Strength & Conditioning coach in Toronto and I write for Men’s Fitness magazine. I work extensively with clients on advanced fat loss and muscle building and with young athletes.

ZEE: We have a growing number of hard core corporate / executive members on our site. They are leading busy lives running their own business or managing companies but they love to train hard, except they need to do so with short intense work outs. How do you train individuals like this and still get kick ass results?

Answer: I use supersets, moderately heavy weights (allowing 6-10 reps per set), limited rest interval periods, advanced bodyweight exercises, and interval training. These efficient and effective principles are the foundation of my Training philosophy.

These workouts are designed to crank up the body’s metabolism because of the intense demands imposed during the workouts.

After the workout, your body has to work hard (i.e. burn calories and repair muscle) to fully recover and return to a normal, resting state (that is why I compare Training workouts to the Turbulence encountered in an airplane – a neat little analogy that the magazines really love).

I tend to stick with traditional weight training exercises, however, it is easy to adapt the Training principles when using strongman implements and advanced bodyweight exercises.

For intervals, I tend to stick with 30 seconds of work and 90 seconds of active recovery, although it will vary between workout phases and for athletes of different sports.

The great thing about heavy weights and intervals is efficiency. You don’t have to do either for more than 20 minutes to get a great response. So if you are a busy executive looking to get lean, build muscle, and lose fat, you can get a great workout and shower in less than 30 minutes per day. Combine Training with the right nutrition, and you are well on your way to success.

ZEE: You’re known for using training not just for getting people to look better, but for greater performance with your athletes. How do you incorporate TT with your athletes?

Answer: This system is like the Conjugate System used by Westside. You are able to modify the specific details so that anyone can use the general principles. You just have to modify the workouts based on the goals and current condition of the individual.

I will modify the traditional fat Loss workouts for athletes by adding supersets of Athletic Movement Training (my terms for a dynamic flexibility and warm-up), and then making sure that the strength training component focuses on the posterior chain (i.e. glute ham raises, wide-stance squats, RDL’s, etc.).

Then we will modify the interval training so that it is sport-specific (I believe that conditioning is the only training method that we can give the term, “sport-specific”).

ZEE: If you were limited to a 20 minute work out with an executive client, what would that work out look like? Take us through a work out here.

Answer: Providing the individual is injury free, we will move through a general warm-up circuit of bodyweight exercises (3 minutes), and then into specific warm-up sets for the first superset of exercises (2 minutes).

Then we will spend 5 minutes on the first superset pair of exercises, and then 4-5 minutes on another superset pair. We might finish with a third superset pair or some ab work, and a 2 minute cool-down if it is necessary based on the individual’s fitness level.

On non-weight training days, we would do intervals. It would look like this: 5-minute warmup 12-minutes on intervals 3-minute cooldown

Flexibility and mobility would be addressed on the client’s own time or in a separate session. Generally, there is a great amount of mobility developed from the exercise selection on training days.

ZEE: With regards to nutrition playing a role in how a person looks and performs, do you help guide your clients in a specific direction with what they should / should not do in this realm?

Answer: I like to mash up a variety of nutritional expert’s advice into my own approach.

It’s mostly a John Berardi-based approach, but I might not be as picky as he is with certain meals. Basically, I start with 200-250g of protein per day for a man (depending on size) and then go with 30% fat and then the remainder is carbohydrate.

Then I split that up into 8 meals preferably (6 for busy people, but no less). I think it is important to have, as Berardi recommends, a serving of high-fiber, high-nutrient vegetables with each meal. If you have a high-fiber diet, you will control your appetite and blood sugar.

I don’t think that people need to exclude fruit from their eating (in fact we should aim to eat at least 3 servings, and preferably berries, grapefruits, apples, and oranges), but instead we should avoid white, processed carbohydrates from a bag or a box.

Foods that should be in every healthy person’s nutrition plan:

Green Tea Almonds Broccoli Berries A variety of lean protein sources Basically, for nutrition, just choose healthy, whole natural food.

ZEE: Last question Craig. What is the greatest misconception that you find people to have when it comes to performing better and looking better when they come to you. In other words, they tell you everything they have been doing in hopes of getting results but the results simply aren’t there. Are there any common mistakes going on here?

Answer: Most of the time I try and get people to be honest with themselves and realize they have to change things if they want to improve.

A lot of people really just want me to approve their current workout (when it is clearly not working). But in reality, they have to change their workouts drastically to finally get results.

And most people think they are eating better and using a better program than they really are.

Even when most people they list out their food intake (as I have them all do on fitday.com), some people (including some trainers that I train) still don’t see the obvious problems in their diet.

I suppose it is human nature not to see our own shortcomings, so it is helpful to have a professional review your training and nutrition or even an honest, knowledgeable friend.

Possibly The Best Fat Burning Exercise In The World

If I had to pull just one exercise out of my ever-deepening bag of fat-stripping methods, it would have to be the ‘Swing’.

Practiced with either a dumbbell or a kettlebell, this exercise hits nearly every muscle in the back of your body – perfect for those of you that find yourselves slumped over a desk or a steering wheel most of the day!

It starts to strengthen up your ‘posterior chain’ in a matter of sessions – primarily the bum, low back, upper back and hamstrings. If you want to naturally stand taller and beat backache then this will work wonders!

Not only that, it also gets your heart thumping, forces you to focus, and keeps your body moving as it was designed – as one chain of movement, from head to toe. Combine this move with push ups and you have one heck of a fat-burning circuit!

If you’ve not heard of this exercise before, you’re in for a treat. Type ‘Kettlebell Swing’ into any search engine and watch a video clip online of how it works. Be warned though; this exercise needs to be done with control and strict technique for it to be effective and injury free!

The Swing involves sitting back into a squat position, picking up a single dumbbell or kettlebell and standing back up, by snapping your hips forward. The momentum of the hip snap is enough to raise the dumbbell or kettlebell out in front of you, and force you to work your bum, core and legs.

Notice I didn’t mention your lower or upper back… That’s right, ALL the movement should come from the hip. If you use the hips, you won’t need to physically lift the weight up. The force of your hip movement will propel the weight upwards and forwards.

Think this sort of exercise is only designed for Russian power lifters? Think again! Women doing this exercise become stronger but remain feminine. And as for the guys, well, while it won’t cause you to grow long hair or don black leggings or crop tops, don’t be fooled into thinking that this exercise is reserved for the ladies.

I defy you to try it and not feel the cardio and strengthening effects that it promises!