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The Weekly Pep Talk #26 DROP THE FAT NOW!

By Ingo Loge

“Don't long for the past or put off your life until the future. The time to live your life is now.”

All ready then Thanksgiving is over are you Ready to work out again? Christmas is just around the corner. Ready to go for that daily treadmill walk you’ve been doing all year? Ready to climb on that Stairmaster or Elliptical/Transport Trainer for 30 minutes just like you’ve been doing for the last 6 months? Still unsatisfied with your body fat loss in spite of these activities? Most of you know I have been after you with this line of thinking for sometime but for those who just can’t get it here it is.

I probably should have called this article, “Change is Good,” but who would have read it? Everyone hates change. You really want that body fat to drop though. I know you do.

You’re disgruntled with your boring, tedious cardio routine, and you’re doubly disgruntled with your body fat not budging. If you’re like me, you absolutely hate reducing calories. You want to eat and have energy, but you want that body fat to travel into another galaxy.

One of the reasons most of the population is overweight is because everyone thinks losing body fat equates to constant denial. This is simply not the case. I’m not suggesting you can eat anything you want all day long, but there are various methods for losing body fat with a bit of clever strategy related to metabolism manipulation. In this article, I’m presenting one of those methods.

When progress stalls, many people will add more cardio and hope the additional calorie expenditure burns off the fat. Not a bad train of thought. However, considering the body is designed to adapt, what does one do when this increased cardio stops working? Add more? To what end? Does this mean you’ll need to eventually perform two to three hours of cardio per day? Oh joy, just what you want to do with the rest of your life.

We’ve been taught that performing cardiovascular exercise for 20-30 minutes at a target heart rate of 65 percent to 85 percent is a great way to lose fat. Yes, it can be! But, what do you do when you know it’s not working anymore? What do you do when the number on the scale and amount of body fat just won’t budge?

One of the methods I’ve found successful is interval training. Interval training is best described as incorporating higher intensity exercise with lower intensity exercise. This method helps stimulate and speed the metabolism. Intervals can be applied to any form of cardiovascular exercise, and although it has been a widely used technique for training competitive athletes since the 50's, the concept grew into mainstream fitness in the 90's.

The beauty of interval training is that you don’t have to work out for long periods. Unless you’re training for a competitive event, anything over 30 minutes is unnecessary, and that includes warm up and cool down. Let me show you how it’s done.

The following is a beginner protocol for Interval Training using the treadmill as an example: for an intermediate or advanced you can adjust this accordingly.

Begin with a warm up of 5 minutes at level 2.5 intensity (2.5 miles per hour)

  1. On the 6th minute, increase to 2.8 m.p.h.
  2. On the 7th minute, increase to 3.3 m.p.h.
  3. On the 8th minute, increase to level 4, at 3.8 m.p.h.
  4. For the next 2 minutes (Minutes 9 and 10), return to 2.8 m.p.h.
  5. Repeat #1-4 two additional times
  6. Cool down for 5 minutes at 2.8 mph

Total Work out time: 25 minutes. Numbers 1-4 above represent one cycle. In this example, you perform 3 cycles of higher intensity training. If you’re at a more advanced fitness level, then you’ll need to adjust the speeds accordingly to make sure the intensity is somewhat demanding at the higher levels.

This workout can be done on the stationary/recumbent bikes, on the Stairmaster, transports rowing machines and by walking outdoors or using any other form of cardio. For the experienced cardio group, don’t think you can jump right into this type of training. Moderation and natural progression is vital. In the morning, you wouldn’t get in your car, start it up and immediately try to reach 80 miles per hour.

Warm ups and natural progression are key in order to prevent injury. As you progress and feel more comfortable, you can add another level or two of intensity in your third week. During the fourth or fifth week, add an additional cycle. Your workout never needs to exceed a total of 30 minutes and three times per week is all you need. I do not recommend interval training every day, because it can lead to over-training if not used with efficiency.

The beauty of this type of training is, based on the fact you have stimulated your metabolism to such a high degree, you continue to burn calories the day after your workout.

Another way to play with your program is to perform interval training for three weeks, followed by longer duration, moderate cardio for three weeks. There are multitudes of ways to stimulate your metabolism in order to accelerate body fat loss, without setting up a tent by your cardio equipment.

I also don’t want you to think this is THE solution. Your ultimate success in achieving your goals is based on effective exercise (weight training and cardio), following your nutrition plan and consistency. You have to incorporate all three. Let’s get started and Make it a great Holiday season of exercise!!

About the Author:

Ingo Loge Is an Exercise Physiologist Clinical Nutritionist, Chek Practitioner and the owner Of Fitness Forever Personal Training In Palm Desert, Ca. He Can Be Reached At www.MyFitness4ever.com or