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Workout of the Month – Metabolism Maximizer Advanced

So how did you do with Phase 1.0 of Metabolic Maximizers? If you tightened up your eating plan and didn’t miss a workout, you should have seen some pretty good progress.

Here are some quick notes about this month’s training program. Please do not skip or cut short the warm ups. It will take you 10 minutes or less, you’ll break a sweat, and will hit your first set running with your muscles primed and ready to go.

This month we’re still combining exercises but instead of alternating one rep of each exercise until the set is complete, perform a full set of each exercise before completing the coupled exercise. This is using more of a complex method vs. the combo method last month. Be wary. This is not a beginner program. If you have not done June’s Metabolic Maximizers program, do that one first.
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Fat, depressed or . . . hypothyroid?

Just about everyone has overheard someone say “I have a thyroid condition” when explaining why they are obese.
While this may be true for them, what about for the rest of us? Might we have a thyroid more subtle thyroid condition that is making it difficult for us to lose weight?
Absolutely.

The truth is, thyroid issues are far more prevalent in our society than most people, or doctors, even realize. Some experts estimate that up to 30 percent of the population may have an underlying thyroid disorder and if you are one of them, you will have a difficult time losing weight.

The Metabolism Gland

The thyroid gland, which is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the base of your neck, is the most important gland in your body when it comes to maintaining your metabolism. Your thyroid gland produces hormones that tell your body what to do with the food you eat, how to burn calories, how fast to keep your metabolism running and how much fat to keep on your body. Read more

7 Revolutionary Fat Loss Studies

Alwyn Cosgrove recently posted a list of the 7 Fat Loss studies that have most influenced how he trains clients for fat loss. Here is the list:

• A 2004 diet study that shows a simple change can increase dietary compliance and fat loss (by 96%) — (and it’s not “eat less”!)
• A 1998 study that showed that the addition of 45 minutes of hard aerobic training, 5 times a week for twelve weeks – had no effect on fat loss
• A 2007 study – that showed the addition of 50 minutes of aerobic training, 5 times per week for six months – also had no effect on fat loss
• A 2008 study showing 40 mins of aerobic exercise three times per week for 15 weeks actually resulted in the participants gaining fat!
• A study from 1994 showed a specific cardio training method that when adjusted for calories burned – actually reduced body fat (actual skinfold measurements) nine times more than traditional cardio training — despite taking less time, and actually burning less calories per session!
• Another study (1999) showed that the addition of a specific resistance training program increased fat loss by 35% over diet and aerobic training.
• That same study also showed that 3 aerobic sessions of up to 50 mins, for 12 weeks (36 sessions) only increased fat loss by one pound over dieting alone
• A 2002 study used an Afterburn-type approach to training – and showed an elevation of metabolism for 38 hours post workout.
• A 2008 study showing an increased loss of visceral abdominal fat with a high intensity program – and no change with a low intensity program.

Alwyn has taken the information these studies (+100 more), his 10+ years as a trainer, and compiled it into at 16 Week Fat Loss blitzkrieg called Afterburn. Alwyn has told me in the past that most people never acutally finish the entire Afterburn program because they lose all the weight they need somewhere between weeks 8 and 10. Afterburn is one of the best selling fat loss training programs online. If you don’t have a copy go here and pick it up.

Spring Break Fat Loss 3.0

In this month’s workout we continue on with our 3 part Spring Break Fat Loss Sprint (SBFL) Series with part 3. If you’ve done SBFL 1.0 and 2.0 then you will have made some good ground in reaching your fat loss goals. This month will put the finishing touches on your new Spring Break body. You’ll have full confidence that you’re ready to hit the beach in your best shape ever after the next 4 weeks.

Here are some quick notes about this month’s training program. Please do not skip or cut short the warm ups. It will take you 10 minutes or less, you’ll break a sweat, and will hit your first set running with your muscles primed and ready to go.

The workout split includes 3 days of full body workouts and 3 days of Energy Systems Training, just like 2.0 but with a kicker. You’ll see what I mean in week 4. If you feel like you can do more exercise you may not be hitting your best effort for each set as indicated. Read more

Leptin, Dieting, and Cheating

After posting the article on leptin and weight loss and Joel Marion’s Cheat Your Way Thin Diet which included my comment “I’m not convinced that the ‘Leptin Story’ is a simple as Joel makes it out to be..” several readers posted comments and sent emails asking about my view on cheating, leptin, etc.

One thing that I have come to realize over the course of my nutrition studies and dealings with clients is that it is really hard (and usually it doesn’t work) to trick your body. It is better to work with the body’s biochemistry and use your diet to manipulation your system to do what you want (lose weight, build muscle, etc).

Now on to cheating and leptin. The concept of a ‘cheat day’ has been around forever. It was a cornerstone of the Body For Life program, cyclic ketogenic diets are based around carb ‘refeeds’ or ‘cheats’. I have previously written an article about this very topic. Here’s an excerpt:

Like with most things, there are several rumors, misuses, and down right false statements that have been floating around the fitness world about refeeds. Let’s look at two of my favorites.

1. Refeeds will improve thyroid function and return your metabolic rate to where it was prior to your dieting — This one’s been around forever. I was guilty of saying it to people also at one time. But honestly, if you take a little time and think about it, the above statement doesn’t make any sense.

The human body is incredibly smart. It’s spent thousands of years developing a set of genes that will allow for maximum conservation of fuel to aid in survival. One huge bolus of calories/carbohydrates isn’t going to convince your body that you aren’t starving anymore and it’s okay to signal the thyroid gland to crank up your metabolism again. While refeeds have benefits most of the time they won’t do anything for your thyroid function. (For the potential exception to this rule keep reading.)

2. You can severely restrict your calories for a period of 1-2 weeks, then stuff your face for an equal period of time, and end up with the same amount of fat mass but more lean mass — Many of you may be familiar with the situation I just described or its official name “Anabolic Burst Cycling of Diet and Exercise (ABCDE)”…. One of the problems with this approach is that people have a much greater ability to over consume than under consume. They’ll eat their faces off and stuff their adipocytes so full of triglycerides that they can’t possibly burn it all off in the following two week period.

I think the leptin angle fits under category one in that using 24 hour calorie bursts are not enough to trick your system into thinking that there is an abundance of food – especially because it is followed repeatedly by 6 days of calorie restriction.

“But what about the before and after pictures?”

If you go to the page where Joel’s system is available you’ll see a bunch of very convincing before and after photos. So I must be wrong and the stuff your face to re-boost leptin angle does work.

No.

If you look at Joel’s program it is a solid diet that is sold on the fact that it is okay to eat pizza and carbs once a week. The dieting guidlines for the remaining 6 days require to you restrict your calories and cycle your carbs using

1. Low Carb
2. Low Glycemic Load Carb
3. High Glycemic Load Carb days

on the cheat days you are not supposed to save all your meals up for one massive gorge fest nor are you supposed to “stuff yourself or eat until the point of discomfort”. You can monitor your calories by counting them or monitoring portions (you know I prefer monitoring portions). Joel offers a deluxe package that has 3 months of meal plans laid out for you (which I know a lot of people like).

So the bottom line is – The Cheat Your Way Thin Diet does not miraculously manipulate leptin using methods unknown to 1,000 of scientist.  But it is a solid carb cycling based diet that has built in the freedom to eat what ever you choose (preferable carbs) one day a week.

You can learn more  about it here -> Carb Cycling and Cheating Diet and if you like done for you programs make sure to check out the deluxe package.

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