Fat Loss Program

So last week I posted a pretty interesting article on why you should NOT focus on aerobic training (cardio) if you are trying to lose weight. Since then I have received a ton of emails and comments from people about it. If you missed the article you can check it out here:

http://premiertraining.blogspot.com/#!/2011/10/cardio-myth.html

Now I need to make it clear that I am not saying you should not do cardio workouts if you are trying to lose weight. They will burn extra calories which is always important if you are trying to lose fat. If you are going to perform cardio for weight loss, use it in addition to your metabolic strength training and perform high intensity interval training. Here is a post I did a while back on why you MUST perform interval training if your goal is weight loss:

http://premiertraining.blogspot.com/#!/2010/06/burn-5-times-more-fat.html


So I thought I would just make it easy for you and lay out a sample fat loss program for you. You need these three components to be successful. Do not try and lose weight without all three or you will see limited success. Here is what you need to do:

1. Nutritional Program

This has to be number 1. You absolutely will never lose weight unless you are consuming less than you are burning. You must be consistent with this. Just eating well one or two days is not going to cut it. Use websites to help track your food. One of my favorites is www.dailyburn.com. Make sure you are sticking with the appropriate calories.

What you eat is obviously important as well. You diet should be high in whole foods like lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Always eat breakfast and save your carbohydrates for breakfast and on workout days.

2. Strength Program

Once you get your diet plugged in it is time to get you moving. Here is a sample fat loss strength program that I posted a while ago on MyWorkoutCreator.com. Below is the workout. Click here though to see videos of each exercise. You will have to sign up for a free account to view the workout though.

Strength Supersets 3x12 reps
A1- DB Squat Press
A2- DB Renegade Rows
B1- Overhead DB Lunge Walk
B2- DB Floor Press
C1- 1 Leg DB Deadlift
C2- DB Turkish Get Ups
Core Supersets
D1- 60sec Plank Hold
D2- 30 Oblique Reaches
Metabolic Finisher
Perform as intervals for 2 rounds of 20 seconds on 10 seconds off
E1- Squats
E2- DB Runners
E3- Burpees
E4- Close Grip Push Ups

This workout will train essential every muscle in the body, at a high intensity, burning a lot of calories. Best part it only takes about 30-45 minutes to get through this whole workout.

3. Cardio Program

Then finally we can add in our cardio workout. A typical start could be one interval workout per week and one traditional cardio workout.

Workout A- Perform 45 minutes of moderate continuous exercise. Can be any form you like. Keep your heart rate around 65-70% of your Max HR.

Workout B- Perform 20 minutes of alternating 2 minutes high intensity with 2 minutes of low intensity work. Any form is ok. High intensity effort should be around 80-90% of Max HR.

Well that is it. This would be a great start to your fat loss program. Perfect each factor in this order as well. Make sure you nutrition is great, then work your metabolic strength training in, and finally your cardio. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator