For those of you who know me I am a keen advocate of using Intervals for burning fat. It is time efficient and ultimately yields greater results.
But what would be the most effective piece of equipment to use?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of my top-two and then you can make a decision yourself:
1. Treadmill
Pro: I have found this to be really effective for fat loss when combined with a sensible eating plan and resistance training. If you are new to the treadmill and can’t quite manage the running element of it then stick to walking with bursts quick strolls for your allocated time (30s to a minute). The most bang for your buck.
Con: High Impact and when you are overweight this can wreak havoc on your joints. Keep to walking or the bike.
2. Bike
Pro: Intervals performed at HIGH resistance have found to be effective. Again easy pedalling combined with spurts of high cadence resistance is the name of the game here. Do not be frightened to ramp up the resistance on this. Great if your joints are crying at you to stop!
Cons: Forward leaning for prolonged periods of time can put excessive strain on your lower back particularly if you are already carrying yourself forward through working at a desk or in the car for periods of the day.
Having said that, excess weight also does that for you. So get up and off the fat!
JL
Friday, October 12, 2007
Reading whilst doing Cardio....aaaggghhhhh
Reading whilst doing cardio
I have a pain in my face seeing people whining about why they are not losing weight having spent hours on the bike, treadmill, x-trainer, whatever you chose.
Only to see them then pedal at a snail pace for 45 minutes whilst reading.
Don’t get me wrong – there is a place if you wish to unwind or get some head space.
But please – stop deluding yourself if you want to lose fat.
Fat loss programmes are tough.
So put the book down. Ramp up your intensity and spend half the time in the gym so that you can spend double the time shopping for new clothes.
JL
I have a pain in my face seeing people whining about why they are not losing weight having spent hours on the bike, treadmill, x-trainer, whatever you chose.
Only to see them then pedal at a snail pace for 45 minutes whilst reading.
Don’t get me wrong – there is a place if you wish to unwind or get some head space.
But please – stop deluding yourself if you want to lose fat.
Fat loss programmes are tough.
So put the book down. Ramp up your intensity and spend half the time in the gym so that you can spend double the time shopping for new clothes.
JL
Reading whilst doing Cardio....aaaggghhhhh
Reading whilst doing cardio
I have a pain in my face seeing people whining about why they are not losing weight having spent hours on the bike, treadmill, x-trainer, whatever you chose.
Only to see them then pedal at a snail pace for 45 minutes whilst reading.
Don’t get me wrong – there is a place if you wish to unwind or get some head space.
But please – stop deluding yourself if you want to lose fat.
Fat loss programmes are tough.
So put the book down. Ramp up your intensity and spend half the time in the gym so that you can spend double the time shopping for new clothes.
JL
I have a pain in my face seeing people whining about why they are not losing weight having spent hours on the bike, treadmill, x-trainer, whatever you chose.
Only to see them then pedal at a snail pace for 45 minutes whilst reading.
Don’t get me wrong – there is a place if you wish to unwind or get some head space.
But please – stop deluding yourself if you want to lose fat.
Fat loss programmes are tough.
So put the book down. Ramp up your intensity and spend half the time in the gym so that you can spend double the time shopping for new clothes.
JL
Using Interval Training for Maximum Fat Loss
For those of you who know me I am a keen advocate of using Intervals for burning fat. It is time efficient and ultimately yields greater results.
But what would be the most effective piece of equipment to use?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of my top-two and then you can make a decision yourself:
1. Treadmill
Pro: I have found this to be really effective for fat loss when combined with a sensible eating plan and resistance training. If you are new to the treadmill and can’t quite manage the running element of it then stick to walking with bursts quick strolls for your allocated time (30s to a minute). The most bang for your buck.
Con: High Impact and when you are overweight this can wreak havoc on your joints. Keep to walking or the bike.
2. Bike
Pro: Intervals performed at HIGH resistance have found to be effective. Again easy pedalling combined with spurts of high cadence resistance is the name of the game here. Do not be frightened to ramp up the resistance on this. Great if your joints are crying at you to stop!
Cons: Forward leaning for prolonged periods of time can put excessive strain on your lower back particularly if you are already carrying yourself forward through working at a desk or in the car for periods of the day.
Having said that, excess weight also does that for you. So get up and off the fat!
JL
But what would be the most effective piece of equipment to use?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of my top-two and then you can make a decision yourself:
1. Treadmill
Pro: I have found this to be really effective for fat loss when combined with a sensible eating plan and resistance training. If you are new to the treadmill and can’t quite manage the running element of it then stick to walking with bursts quick strolls for your allocated time (30s to a minute). The most bang for your buck.
Con: High Impact and when you are overweight this can wreak havoc on your joints. Keep to walking or the bike.
2. Bike
Pro: Intervals performed at HIGH resistance have found to be effective. Again easy pedalling combined with spurts of high cadence resistance is the name of the game here. Do not be frightened to ramp up the resistance on this. Great if your joints are crying at you to stop!
Cons: Forward leaning for prolonged periods of time can put excessive strain on your lower back particularly if you are already carrying yourself forward through working at a desk or in the car for periods of the day.
Having said that, excess weight also does that for you. So get up and off the fat!
JL
Friday, October 5, 2007
Why the Scales Do Not Move...
Courtesy of Alwyn Cosgrove.com
Q: This weekend I got on a scale at a friend's house (I don't own one) and much to my disappointment, the numbers haven't budged all that much since my last weigh in several months ago. Now, my clothes fit better, I'm in better shape than I've perhaps EVER been in, I know muscle weighs more than fat, I look GREAT, etc...but those numbers scream overweight to me. They make me feel like I've made no progress at allA: First off - your clothes "fit better", you're "in better shape than you've ever been in" and you "look GREAT"... but you're disappointed solely because the bathroom scale didn't go down "All that much"
Here's something we tell clients:
If we had a magic fat loss machine -- that you stepped in and pushed a button and you came out looking EXACTLY how you've always dreamed of looking and feeling - the exact dress or pant size you wanted, with the definition and muscle tone you want, at the bodyfat percentage you want - you can see your abs (if that's what you want) etc etc.
Would you be interested? Of course you would!!
But what if the side effect of the fat loss machine is that it increased bone density and muscle density by 100%. So while you looked and felt better than you've ever felt before -- the scale is 50lbs higher than it's ever been. So for example a 150lb-er would come out looking amazing, but weighing 200lbs...
Would that number on the scale make you not want the other results?
Now what if the machine did the reverse - you look exactly the same as you've always done, but you'd weigh 50lbs less? Would you be happy with that? Probably not right?
Just understand that how you look and feel, and how much you weigh are not necessarily related at all.The picture on the left shows the difference in size between five pounds of fat (top) and five pounds of muscle (bottom). You can see that it's a pretty big size difference.
If you add ten pounds of muscle and lose ten pounds of fat -- you're going to look like you lost 20lbs.
But the scale won't move.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JL : This is a common problem that we face. How to dispell the myth of the scales. After all a comprehensive fitness assessment with us can take up to 11 readings of which the scales is 'one'.
I suppose it all stems from the fact that magazines are geared to headings such as 'celebrity loses 10lbs in a day'. A dangerous misconception that is thrown around like there is no tomorrow.
So understand this - your body composition is far more complex than a scale reading. Keep things in context.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
