The Best Fat Burning Workouts
“I cannot seem to drop these last 10 pounds.”
“What is the best way to lose body fat? Weight lifting? Cardio? Both, like cross training?”
“What can I eat to help me lose more body fat?”
These are all great questions that we hear frequently from clients, and the answers are definitely not rocket science. Whether you are just starting an exercise program or are a seasoned veteran/gym rat, you can certainly benefit from constant variation of nutrition & functional exercise performed at undulating intensities.
Many people become comfortable with their weekly exercise routine and simply keep the variable of exercise the same, without increasing or decreasing load, intensity or volume. Load refers to the actual weight, intensity is the quickness at which the lifts are performed and volume is the product of weight multiplied my repetitions. These three simple variable can make the difference between sink or swim.
We never do the same workout twice her at Pacific Personal Training & CrossFit Hillsboro. Much UNLIKE Green Day, all of our workouts are different and keep participants challenged and sucking wind. I don’t know when Green Day is ever going to put out something that doesn’t sound like their previous albums. I may as well by American Idiot or Dookie again.
Have you ever tried 50 deadlifts? 30 Clean and Jerks? 100 push ups, 100 pull ups, 100 sit ups & 100 squats? This is just the type of variation I am talking about. Changing the order of your exercise program is also important. Are you always going for a run at 5:00 pm after work, at the same speed, the same incline, the same treadmill, watching Sportscenter or Entertainment Tonight? It may be time to give up your favorite spot in the gym and substitute your cardio for weight training.
When people think of weight training, all of the sudden images of Arnold and Sly Stallone come to mind. Let me tell you, unless you are importing a few liquids from Mexico that don’t have a label of approval from the FDA, that is pretty unlikely. Instead, you will most likely gain muscle mass, increasing the rate at which your body burns calories for energy and will definitely burn way more calories from fat AFTER your workout is completed.
What should you eat after your workout? If you want to burn calories continually, my professional advice is to eat steadily all day long. I do recommend trying to avoid most refined grains at dinnertime however. Complex carbs or polysaccharides in the form of vegetables, beans and legumes are all that I prefer at the dinner table, but if someone has prepared some French bread with butter and garlic salt, I’ll definitely have a slice or two.
For supplements, I really love Endurox and/or Amino Vital after a workout. The Endurox has an excellent ratio of protein to carbohydrates and other amino acids for quick recovery. How quickly? I take this, or any post-recovery food or supplement 30 minutes post exercise for optimal recovery. Amino Vital is excellent for recovery from long duration, or high intensity work. It a blend of branch chain amino acids and it tastes yummy, too. Unfortunately, it tastes good because of all the aspartame.
Finally, I believe EVERYONE must own Sports Nutrition by Nancy Clark. It is the first book you should reference and the last one you will buy when it comes to sports nutrition. Some other incredible books are:
Check, Paul: How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy
Delavier, Frederik: Strength Training Anatomy
Essentials of Strength & Conditioning: National Strength & Conditioning Association
