Weight Loss Basics That Will Work 99% of the Time
Most women out there, as well as a fair share of men, have fat loss as their number one goal. With all the lifestyle diseases around, that is a very worthwhile goal to have. A massive industry has mushroomed into a billion dollar monster that sells pills, thrills, potions, creams, dreams, lotions, gadgets and programs to all who are prepared to fork out the moola. There is so much information on fat loss that it can be quite confusing. Let’s see if we can get back to the basics; things that will work for 99% of the population 99% of the time.
Let’s start with a question. What is a realistic fat percentage to have? I guess you’ll have many answers, but I hope that most people would agree that we are talking about healthy and lean (think Jessica Alba and Matthew McConaughy), not skinny and weak (let’s not name names here). I always ask women: why is it that they want to look like a fashion model if all the men, OK, 99% of them, think that Jessica is way sexier? You do not just want to be thin. You want to be strong, healthy and to feel good most of the time as well. So, enough political correctness, let’s put a number on it. I believe that most women look gorgeous at between 18-21% fat. They have a feminine look with all the right curves in all the right places, but you can definitely see that they are well conditioned and lean. For men I think around 12% looks good. If you are overweight, below 18% would do you good and there is no harm in going down to 8-9% either. It just takes a bit more precise work and focus.
Since this article is on the basics of fat loss, I will not break into a whole sermon here. Here are the basics:
Food / diet / nutrition. Call it what you want. We are talking about the activity of daily stuffing your face. I won’t go into the detail here, but you need to sort this aspect out pronto. I think it was Mike Mahler who said that you can not out-condition the dinner table. I can not think of a better way to put it. An important thing to remember is that not everything will work for everybody all of the time, so don’t be surprised if you follow some Hollywood actress’ diet and you don’t see any results. It will also change as you progress through your program. A good starting point is to cut out all sugars, eat real food (if it’s in a packet or tin, it’s not real), focus on lean proteins, veggies, some fruit, not to much starches. Drink enough water and maybe herbal teas.
Strength training. This means weights. Yes, the same ones that men use. It also means free weights, not machines. At Kettlebell Fitness by Corné we use a lot of kettlebells, bodyweight and everyday objects. And enough of the “I don’t want to bulk up” story. Please believe me, madam, you do not have the natural hormone levels to bulk up. Remember, you are part of the 99%. Please believe me, sir, it doesn’t happen that easily for most guys who bust their chops for years. Getting big is more the result of getting enough calories and quality sleep. Moving heavy iron by itself will not get you big. What it will do, however, is get you lean and strong as long as you sort out the nutrition part. Circuit training with real weights is fantastic for shedding the unwanted kilos.
Full body movements. Every body is busy, but you realize that you must make the time to train. Good move. To give you the most bang for your buck, don’t think about training a muscle (like arms or chest) but rather think about doing movements. You will not find a gymnast doing “bicep day”, or a sprinter having a back workout. Yet most people would kill to have an athletic body. This is where kettlebells really shine. Traditional kettlebell training is all about whole body movements like swings, snatches and clean and jerks. It does not depend on the tools, it depends on the method. You can squat with your child in your arms or press your lovely wife overhead, just get it done. Full body movements will ignite your metabolic fire faster than you can say “late night infomercial”. You also get a desirable hormonal response from training with heavy weights and full body movements. An important note: if you have not done any of the mentioned exercises before, please get somebody who is qualified to show you the correct technique. Start out slowly, get confident and then reap the rewards, because they will surely come.
Cardio. If you want to do some, keep it short and intense. Find a enjoyable activity and do some interval training. That means busting your ass for 1 minute, recovering for 1 minute, busting your ass again, etc. Do 20 minutes total and you are done. Some activities are obviously better suited to interval training. Sprinting works better that playing pool, for example. Use common sense. What about walking, I can hear you ask, or cruising along on a stair stepper while talking to your friend? Not enough intensity, friends. Slow cardio at around 60-70% MHR is good for a healthy heart, not for dropping fat and stoking your metabolism. If you do 3 weight training sessions a week, have a good stroll on 2 other days to keep your heart happy. Otherwise, don’t bother.
There you have it; fat loss in a nutshell. It will work for most of the people most of the time.
Corné Dannhauser
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