Loose fat and gain muscle...

Results the unconventional way

Have you ever stopped and actually stood and took in what is going on around you in the average gym? Have you noticed everyone lined up in rows running to nowhere on the treadmill like a hamster in its wheel?  Spinning those wheels in an endless cycle of repetitive movements for what seems like hours/weeks/days/months/years? In fact have you seen those same people week in week out doing the exact same thing? They may have lost a few pounds since they started but do they actually look any different? How many of them have the body that you aspire to?

It still seems that when it comes to exercise the perception is that more is better, especially when it comes to fat loss and getting that dream body - how many times have you heard "I've spent 2 hours in the gym today" Why? When you can get better results in over half the time and actually have a life too!

Women are generally more afraid of the weights section than men in the fear that they will bulk up - don't worry women's bodies are not designed that way without a hell of a lot of work and/or added help! and a typical session for your average gym goer could consist of a steady walk/jog on the treadmill, a nice comfy seat on that recumbent bike and for up to 40 long minutes in that fat burning zone right? Wrong!! Followed by a quick circuit on the abductor/adductor machines and a few crunches! Sound familiar? If so read on...

During a steady-state workout (when you move at the same pace for a certain amount of time), your body does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat. This is where that "fat burning zone" myth comes from. On the surface, it sounds like you're burning more fat calories.  But, at higher intensities, you burn a greater number of overall calories which is what you should be concerned about when trying to lose weight.

So what do we do to get results and in half the time? We need to get out of our comfort zones and push our bodies beyond what they are used to! Stop being afraid of pushing ourselves to gain muscle to boost our metabolism to change the way our bodies look, permanently.

When it comes to fat loss, research shows that metabolic resistance training is more effective in burning calories than aerobic exercise. Metabolic resistance training is an energetic weight-training session that targets multiple muscle groups with only short rest periods between sets and exercises. This type of training results in an “after-burn,” an increased metabolic rate that persists for hours after the training session ends. The combination of intense weight training and short recovery periods disturbs the body’s metabolism – something that won't happen with moderate aerobic exercise.

One study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology noted increased metabolism for 38 hours post exercise; other studies reported similar findings. That means if you're sitting on the couch watching TV a day later, you're still burning calories from the weight-training session you did the day before.

When working out, we want to perform exercises that use multiple muscles, therefore burning more calories in a quicker time, but also put more stress on the body in a shorter time.

So what is our action plan?

Achieve the after-burn with strength training

Instead of spinning through a steady, one-hour cardio workout on the stationary bike or treadmill, try 30 minutes of circuit-style weight training instead. Perform a full body routine with upper and lower body exercises comprising pushing exercises such as a chest/shoulder press and pulling exercises such as rows and pulldowns, and a full body core exercise such as the plank. Keep your rest periods short and enjoy the after-burn! Make yourself a circuit and repeat up to 3 times.

Follow this with a high intensity interval session

There are lots of different ways to perform interval training, but to start with choose your favourite type of exercise. It can be running, rowing, cycling or even body weight exercises such as a dynamic squats or kettlebell swings. Then, base the intensity of your workouts on something called the Rating of Perceived Exertion, or RPE. On an RPE scale, 1 would be considered no effort at all, while 10 would be considered maximal effort. The RPE scale allows you to base your workout on your own personal level of fitness. A level 4 for you may be a completely different speed and intensity than it is for someone else. Lastly, on your own scale of RPE find your own level of about 8 or 9/10 and your own level 4 which is a comfortable recovery period. After a warm up aim to perform intervals of 30-60 seconds at the high intensity and recovery of 60-90 seconds and repeat no more than 6 times. You should be wiped out after this – if not you have not worked hard enough.

The workout takes around 20 minutes, but it'll  burn more fat and fire up your metabolism more than a 45-minute moderate-intensity workout!

Remember you cannot out train a bad diet so fuel your body with healthy foods every few hours to get your metabolism revved up!

So how do you get your body from flab to fab? You have to lift enough weight to build muscle to increase your metabolism, fuel your body with healthy food and turn your body into a fat burning machine. Stop hammering your body with hours of cardio and stop starving yourself.

Get off the treadmill, stop spinning your wheels, and push yourself in the gym if you want to lose some serious fat.

Check out the progress of UltimatelyBournemouth.com's editor Nigel Bywater who is trying out these methods in an 8-week transformation challenge! Click here to see how he is getting on!

If you feel that you are stuck in a gym rut and not getting the results you are looking for then call Sarah on 07701 051287 and put yourself in the true fat burning zone.