Five Training Methods for Fat Loss

“Why is fitness important to you right now?”

“What does success in fitness look like to you?”

“How do you want to see improvement in the gym?”

From the eyes of a Strength and Conditioning Professional, it is important for me to make time to ask questions like the three stated above with each person I meet so we can define what exactly we’re going to work on in the gym. Taking time in the beginning to identify the core reason why making time for the gym is important leads to a greater level of success in fitness. In the eleven years of working with people to improve their fitness, I have seen a common reason across the age and the goal spectrum and the reason is to lose fat.

The goal may be packaged differently in how it is presented to me, but at the core, it’s about losing the fat.  If fat loss is the overall reason in fitness then we need to be clear in how we approach this goal and try not to confuse the goal of losing fat with the goal for losing weight.

Let’s be clear, there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss.

For the purpose of this article let’s look at specific training methods designed to provide the best physiological responses for losing body fat.

1. Metabolic Resistance Training

The goal for this method is to value the use of resistance training as the foundation for fat loss programming. Workouts are designed to incorporate every muscle group with heavy resistance, with little rest, and with an intensity that elicits a metabolic disturbance hormonally and physiologically. If workouts are performed correctly the training effect will leave the metabolism elevated for several hours post-workout or a prolonged EPOC.

To give an example of a broad concept of EPOC, if you trained for one hour on Monday morning, your body’s metabolism will still be elevated and burning more calories at rest until Tuesday evening.

How do you workout using metabolic resistance training?

Each workout should use the entire body in supersets, tri-sets, or quad-set format with non-competing exercises to create the highest metabolic demand. In other words don’t work the same muscles in the same set of exercises. If you pick squats as one exercise, try not to pick another leg exercise in the set.  Rep ranges will fluctuate depending on the conditioning capacity of your body and be performed in a rep range that generates lactic acid. Remember this method of training is not your body building or isolation type of workout

2. High Intensity Anaerobic Interval Training

The second training method for fat loss programming is high intensity interval training (HIIT). This method of training, in my opinion, has saturated the fitness world from the at-home DVD to the online fitness guru taking you through a series of insane exercises. HIIT is an effective method of cardio training for fat loss however most people confuse HIIT with metabolic resistance training.

HIIT cardio burns more calories than steady state endurance cardio and elevates the metabolism significantly more than other forms of aerobic cardio. Anaerobic interval training like sprints or tabata-style workouts are designed to improve the conditioning capacity of the body while at the same time achieving results in less time. A balanced combination of both Metabolic Resistance Training and HIIT creates a demand of the body to maintain muscle mass while reducing body fat.

3. Aerobic Interval Training

The third training method for fat loss programming is Aerobic Interval Training. Before fitness DVDs or the fitness app, there were rogue speed junkies using the treadmill for more than just running and walking.  Aerobic Interval Training is the parent that gave birth to the idea of HIIT.  Even though the metabolic demand is lower than the previous two training methods, Aerobic Interval Training is perfect for someone who is just beginning or getting back into fitness.  Training design for this method is simple and requires minimal equipment too.  In the gym, a treadmill or elliptical is the best for the job. Aerobic intervals require there to be an increase and decrease of speed every 60 to 90 seconds for 45 to 60 minutes.

4. Steady State Aerobic Training

The fourth training method for fat loss programming is just your run-of-the-mill endurance cardio training. Nothing fancy to it, you simply run to burn calories. The thermic effect of activity in aerobic exercise isn't hard enough to increase EPOC significantly to carry over beyond the session itself, but calories do count. Burning a few hundred calories a day will add up.

It is important for me to mention however that this method of training creates the most confusion among my female clients when it comes to achieving the goal for fat loss.  Steady State Aerobic Training is the least efficient form of training to create a metabolic disturbance but the highest in value towards how to train for fat loss. More to come on this controversy…

5. Steady State Low Intensity Activity

Going for a walk in the park or around the neighborhood won't burn a lot of calories but the mental and emotional release is well worth the time to enjoy being outside and away from the stresses of work. Finding time to take a walk can help reduce stress levels which may be producing cortisol and belly fat.

As you are deciding New Year goals and what success looks like to you when working towards new goals, keep in mind your reason for fitness.  Don’t confuse fat loss with weight loss when deciding what’s important to you right now.  If fat loss is the most important, be sure to incorporate all 5 methods of training. If you feel overwhelm with creating a formula for success contact me and together we can design a game plan for training.

Coach Chris Brumley