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FITNESS TIPS FOR 7/1/2003
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Fat Loss Guide Part 1: Beginner Weight Loss Exercise Program
By Tom Venuto
EVERYONE who wants to get leaner should read this article. Yes, I know
it says "Fat loss for beginners," but sometimes we veterans forget what
we once knew or we don't practice what we now know. If you're a
beginner, this will be an introduction. If you're experienced, let this be
a reminder.
1. JUST GET STARTED - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION!
There are so many opinions about how to lose body fat that many people
end up completely confused and they don't do ANYTHING!
They've read about 27 ways to diet, 34 ways to do cardio, 101 ways to
lift weights and 79 supplements to take. But they still don't have a clue
how to start.
You stuff your brain with so much information it feels like it's going to
explode, but then you never do anything about it. You're like a deer
stuck in headlights. Sound familiar?
I call this the "paralysis by analysis" syndrome.
The most important thing you can do is take action. Just begin the
journey and figure it out as you go. Better still; get a coach or trainer
right from the start.
Actually, losing fat is not that complicated. You don't need a PhD in
exercise physiology to figure out that any exercise is better than no
exercise. You don't have to be a genius in nutritional biochemistry
to figure out that an apple is better than a pop tart. Getting lean is
simple: Exercise. Eat healthier foods. Eat smaller portions. Isn't
this stuff just common sense? Didn't your mother tell you this?
So what's stopping you? What makes you freeze up?
If you're like most people, FEAR is stopping you. You're so
afraid of doing something wrong, you choose to do nothing
rather than make a mistake or look foolish.
What you must understand is that people who accomplish much
and people who accomplish little BOTH have fears. The
difference between the two is that the latter feels the fear and lets
it immobilize them. The former feels the fear and does it anyway.
Begin the process. You can always fine-tune your program as you
go. Naturally, it's better to aim and then fire, but its better to fire
and then adjust your aim later than not to fire at all. You can't win
a battle by hiding in the trenches.
2. WALKING IS A GREAT WAY TO START A CARDIO PROGRAM
Ok, so you've decided to forge ahead in spite of your fear and start
working out. Congratulations. Now what? How do you choose
between Stairmaster, Tae Bo, Lifecycle, Yoga, Kickboxing,
Elliptical machine, jogging, swimming, etc.?
Any exercise is better than no exercise so stop over-analyzing:
just pick something and start. Just do it.
If you can't make up your mind, then here's the simplest, easiest,
most guaranteed way for any beginner to successfully start a
fat loss program:
Walk!
Here's why:
It requires no equipment
It requires no knowledge of exercise technique
It can be done by almost everyone, regardless of experience
It can be done almost anywhere
It's safe
For all these reasons, walking is the perfect way to begin. However,
the better your condition becomes, the more you'll need to
advance to higher levels of exercise intensity to reach higher
levels of fitness.
I'm not saying you should abandon walking, but if you decide to
keep walking, a casual stroll will no longer do. For an experienced
exerciser, I would consider walking a method of locomotion more
than a serious workout.
There's a big difference between walking for health vs walking for
fat loss. Even a 10 or 15-minute casual walk has health benefits.
But if you want to turn walking into an effective, fat-melting workout,
you'll need to push yourself for 30 minutes or more several days
per week. Walking briskly uphill (or on an inclined treadmill) is an
excellent fat-burning workout for anyone.
3. DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN MINUTIA - FOCUS ON FUNDAMENTALS
Read any book about success and it will tell you "pay attention to
detail." Sounds like good advice - unless you haven't mastered the
fundamentals yet. In that case, it's the worst advice you could follow.
Every day people send me questions like these:
"Should I use a fast acting protein powder like whey or would casein
be better? What if I mix both and also add a little bit of Soy? If I use
all of them, what ratio of the three would be ideal and when should I
take them?"
"I want to do the ephedrine-caffeine stack and it says to take 20 mg
of ephedrine with 200 milligrams of caffeine. The ephedrine comes in
25 milligram tablets, so should I chip a little bit off the tablet to get
the right ratio?"
Do you see the problem here?
These are legitimate questions, but they're completely moot if you're
eating doughnuts and sitting on the couch all day long. Fix your diet
and get your butt moving first, then worry about the little things.
Emerson said, "The height of the pinnacle is determined by the
breadth of the base." The heights you reach will depend entirely
on how broad a foundation you build. Great coaches such as Vince
Lombardi and John Wooden credited most of their success to
drilling their players on fundamentals.
Forget about ALL the minutia until you have the fundamentals down
cold!
Forget about supplement dosages
Forget about macronutrient cycling
Forget about tempo manipulation
Forget about glycemic indexes
Forget about the latest Bulgarian or Russian periodization program
Master the fundamentals first!
The fundamentals of fat loss include: (1) Do your cardio, (2) Lift
weights, (3) Burn more calories than you consume (4) Eat 5-6 small,
frequent meals and never skip meals, (5) Keep your fat intake low,
but include small amounts of good fats, (6) Eat natural foods; avoid
processed & refined foods, (7) eat more complex carbs, fruits &
vegetables, (8) eat lean proteins with each meal, (9) Think positive:
visualize yourself as you would like to be.
If you're not doing all these things, and you're looking for the perfect
supplement stack or the optimum periodization plan, I'm afraid
you're barking up the wrong tree.
I don't want you to think that details don't matter - they do. The "Law
of Accumulation" states that every success is a matter of hundreds
or even thousands of tiny efforts that often go unnoticed or
unappreciated. Everything counts. Everything either helps or hurts.
Nothing is neutral.
The problem is when you get bogged down in minutia before you've
even learned the basics. Minor details produce minor results. Major
fundamentals produce major results.
Don't major in minor things. Lay your foundation first, then move on
to the finer points. And remember, as Jim Rohn says, always be
suspicious of someone who says they've found a new fundamental.
4. KNOW YOUR CALORIES
The most important dietary factor in fat loss is not how many grams
of carbohydrate, protein or fat you eat, the most important factor for
fat loss is calories. Eat more than you burn each day and you will
store fat. Eat less than you burn each day and you will lose fat. It's
just that simple.
Where the calories come from is important too, but unless you
understand the calorie concept, nothing else matters.
I'm appalled at how many people claim to sincerely want to lose
body fat who admit they haven't a clue how many calories they
eat.
Get serious! If you don't have the faintest idea how much you're
eating, how can you expect to make any progress?
Did it ever occur to you that your ONLY problem might be
overeating!
Do you realize that too much of anything gets stored as fat?
That's right - even if you're eating nothing but "natural and healthy"
foods, if you eat too many of them, you're still going to get fat.
Portion control, my friend, portion control!
On the other hand, maybe you're under-eating and slowing down
your metabolism. There's a fine line.
For all the details on your daily calorie needs, refer to my article
Calorie Calculators
5. NEVER, EVER QUIT! MAKE FITNESS A LIFESTYLE!
Do you know what is the biggest fat loss mistake made by
beginners?
Quitting!
I the January issue of my E-zine, I mentioned that attendance in our
gym shoots up for about 6-8 weeks around New Year's. Well, it's
back to normal now because all the quitters dropped out already.
What's especially sad is that most people quit right when they're
on the verge of making substantial progress.
Remember: You're never a failure as long as you're working on the
progressive realization of a worthy goal. But the second you quit,
then it's official - you're a failure.
Quitting should not even be an option because...
FITNESS IS A LIFESTYLE!
Don't let these four words slip by you just because it's an oft-repeated
cliché. This is an important mindset! You have to stop thinking of
getting in shape for a New Year's resolution, vacation or wedding
(or a contest, you bodybuilders). You must start thinking about
getting healthy and in shape FOR LIFE.
When you're just starting out, firmly resolve that quitting is not even
an option. Don't approach this endeavor with an "I'll try" attitude. If
you accept quitting as a possibility, you might as well not even
start; just grab that remote control, a bag of chips and get back on
the couch where you were before.
Also, understand that results may come slowly in the beginning if
you're not the genetically-gifted type. This process requires great
patience and persistence for most people.
Most beginners never allow themselves the time it takes to get any
momentum going. They expect too much too soon, get discouraged
and quit.
It takes a big push to get started. It's like getting a rocket off the
ground - it uses most of its fuel just launching off the pad, but once
it's in the air and the inertia has been overcome, it can keep going
with very little energy expenditure. Don't quit just because it's
difficult to "launch!"
6. GET A PERSONAL TRAINER, COACH, OR MENTOR
Life is too just too short to learn everything there is to know on your
own. Don't waste time climbing the ladder only to find it's leaning
against the wrong wall! Learn from the experts. Get a trainer,
personal coach, or mentor to help you start right - right from the start.
7. JOIN A GYM IF YOU CAN, BUT A SET OF DUMBBELLS ARE MORE
THAN ENOUGH TO GET YOU STARTED
I admit I'm showing my bias by saying everyone should join a gym
(I'm in the health club business), but I sincerely believe nothing
beats working out in a high quality health club. In a well-equipped
gym, the possibilities are endless, the atmosphere is motivational
and people are there to help you.
More often than not, however, beginners start at home. That being
the case, I admit that you don't need a gym to get started. You also
don't need any of that garbage advertised on late night TV. The only
piece of equipment you need has existed for over 100 years - that's
right, the humble DUMBBELL!
Remember - don't overcomplicate this - think basics, basics, basics
(and dumbbells are as basic as it gets.)
Dumbbells are the single most versatile piece of equipment in
existence. You can perform hundreds, even thousands of exercises
with dumbbells.
Ladies, a set of 3 to 20 pounds will be more than sufficient. Guys, a
set from 10 to 40 pounds should do the trick (for now). Powerblock
dumbbells are fantastic for space-saving, by the way.
If you also get yourself a bench and clear out a little corner in your
favorite room, then you're ready to roll!
Here it is - The beginner's all-dumbbell routine:
1. Dumbbell bench press (chest)
2. Dumbbell side lateral raise (shoulders)
3. One arm dumbbell row (upper back)
4. Dumbbell extension behind head (triceps)
5. Dumbbell Bicep curl (biceps)
6. Dumbbell Lunges (thighs)
7. Dumbbell One leg calf raise (calves)
8. Dumbbell leg curl (hamstrings)
9. Crunches (abs)
There you have it. Simple and effective. At home or in a gym.
If you're just starting, do this routine for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps per
exercise, except calves and abs which you can go up to 20 reps.
Rest 1 minute between sets. You'll train your whole body in each
workout, 2 -3 three days per week, non-consecutive days.
After 3 - 6 months, you'll probably need to add exercises and
move up to a split routine. (So I guess I have to do another article,
called 8 tips for intermediates: How to keep going).
8. WEIGHT TRAINING IS NOT OPTIONAL - IT'S MANDATORY!
It's is a common misconception that you should start with aerobic
workouts and lose the fat first before adding weight training.
Unfortunately, the best you can hope for from diet and aerobics
alone is to become a "skinny fat person." You may lose weight,
but you'll have a poor muscle to fat ratio and a "soft" appearance.
Obviously, weight training is the key to developing strength and
muscle. What few people realize is that weight training also
increases fat loss, although it occurs indirectly.
Weight training is anaerobic and burns carbohydrates (sugar).
Cardio is aerobic and therefore burns fat. So it seems logical
to focus on aerobic training for fat loss.
However, something interesting happens "beneath the surface"
when you lift weights. Weight training increases your lean body
mass - aerobic training does not.
Low calorie dieting and aerobic training without weight lifting can
make you lose lean body mass. If you lose lean body mass, your
metabolism slows down, and this makes it harder to lose fat.
If you increase your lean body mass, you increase your metabolic
rate and this makes it easier to lose fat. With a faster metabolism,
you'll burn more fat all day long - even while you're sleeping!
If you have limited time, and your main priority is fat loss, then do
a very brief weight training program and spend the majority of
your time concentrating on cardio. But never neglect the weights
completely - always do both, and if possible, devote equal attention
to each.
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, personal trainer, gym
owner, freelance writer and author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The
Muscle" (BFFM): Fat Burning Secrets of the World's Best B
odybuilders and Fitness Models. To get the FACTS on exactly how,
what & when to eat and how to train to achieve maximum fat loss,
without losing muscle or slowing down your metabolism... AND
to discover the shocking truth about the diet, weight loss and
supplement industries, Check out Tom's e-book online
