Welcome to SideDish

Run, Don't Walk...

AST just put up a great article explaining how you burn more calories running than walking.  Check it out here: http://www.ast-ss.com/dev/qa_search/full_text.asp?ID=3057

You Only Do 16 Minutes of Cardio?

Every time I tell someone I only do 16 minutes or cardio (per session) they always seem to balk.  Almost everyone believes that low intensity cardio for longer durations is the way to burn fat.  I'm not sure where everyone got the notion from, including myself, but I want to tell you about 'High intensity Cardio' (HIC) and why it is the best way to reach your goal of losing body fat.

There are a variety of different forms of HIC - Some people call it high intensity training', some call it VO2 training, AST calls their version Max-OT Cardio and Body for Life calls theirs the 'High Point Training'.  Whatever you call it, it all follows the same fundamental principles - high intensity cardio workouts, short durations (under 20 minutes) and increased intensity each progressive session.

Why does it work? Most people seem to think that they burn fat during their cardio workouts, thus more is better.  But this isn't quite the case.  While you are burning some fat during the workout, the amount is negligible.  The real fat burning process starts after the workout - if you appropriately exerted yourself during the workout, then your metabolic rate will be higher during the hours following the your session, and this is when your body will really be burning the excess calories. 

In addition, long sessions of cardio will force your body to go into a catabolic state - This is when your body starts using muscle for fuel. Why is the bad? Because the more muscle you have, the more calories your body needs throughout the day to maintain that muscle, i.e. you have a higher metabolic rate. So having a long workout, where the goal is to lose fat is in fact counterproductive due to the muscle breaking down, which will ultimately lower your metabolism.

A recent study showed people who engaged in 90 sessions of low intensity cardio over a 20 week period lost 1% body fat, while those who engaged in 25 sessions of moderate intensity cardio then 35 sessions of high intensity cardio over a 15 week period lost 3% body fat. Additional studies have shown that participants engaging in short HIC lost 9 times more fat than those who performed long low intensity training.

I will post more soon about how to incorporate HIC into your training program. 

Body for Life

A few days ago, someone asked me what a good exercise program for them to follow was.  I usually answer this question with 'Body for Life'.  'Body for Life' is a book co-authored by Bill Phillips, one of the founders of the hugely successful EAS supplement company. 

The thing I like about the book is that is it entails a simple and easy plan. It combines weight training and cardio into a 6 day a week plan (3 days of weight training, 3 days of cardio).  Now you might say 6 days is a lot, but the beauty of the plan is that the weight training days are only @ 45 minutes long and the cardio days are only 20 minutes long (yes, only 20 minutes).  So you're looking at a total of about 3 hours a week of training, and to be realistic, if you cannot commit to this, than you are probably not yet serious about reaching your goals.

Now don't get me wrong, the plan is not perfect.  I have issues with the short duration between working out the same muscle groups, the amount of reps specified in the program, fasting before a workout, and worst of all - the shameless plugging of EAS' products (over and over, again!)  BUT, what I love about the program is that it works, which I know from first-hand experience.  Plus, it's monkey-proof - what I mean by that is that it's all there - what you should be doing everyday, how to execute the exercises, workout templates - everything! (The website is good resource with workout templates and videos www.bodyforlife.com).

For many people, following a poor program (particularly ones designed by an 18 year-old trainer at 24 Hour Fitness) will cause them to stall and not reach their goals. The only thing I have found to be true over the past years is that consistency will get you there. You didn't gain the weight overnight, thus it will take time to lose it. With 'Body for Life', most people will experience (healthy) results very quickly into the program.  The beauty of this is success - Once you experience the sweet taste of success, you will be more determined to stick to your plan and reach your goals - There is nothing like this feeling, as it is completely euphoric to realize you are transforming your body and accomplishing what you set out to do.

Note: I am in no way affiliated with EAS, or any other supplement/exercise company.

See Spot Run (and do crunches!)

People frequently ask me how the can slim down or gain definition a particular part of their body. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as spot training. What does this mean? Well, say you have a big ol’ belly, and you want a six-pack – There is no exercise you can perform to reduce fat around your waist no matter how many reps you do… Sorry.

Since everyone is genetically unique, our bodies all gain and lose weight uniquely. To gain definition in any part of your body you need to do two things; first and most important you need to have a low level of body fat. Secondly, you need good muscular development in the area in question (Sorry, I know it's the age old diet and exercise pitch, but it's the truth!)

If you are overweight, and have fat in your abdomen, underarms, buttocks and other typical problems spots, you will need to lower your overall body fat to lose the fat in those areas. As long as you are carrying that extra body far, there will be no amount of crunches or any other exercise to get you there. Also, if your goal is to see your abs, most people start to see definition when they are @ 10% body fat.