Fat loss is NOT about working hard

I have transformed dozens of career-driven men's health, fitness and physiques!

(I mention "career-driven men" because none of them have the time to be doing these 3-hour morning routines including 2-hour workouts.)

But even if they had that time, it would be stupid to do that!

I try 3 days a week max. So do my clients. I practice what I preach!

And we get results beyond what the fitness industry claims to be "Attainable" and in some cases... possible.

These articles are written to teach some of the principles behind how we get these results.

Take action on it yourself, you'll see a difference.

First principles - Walk, don't run!

Cardio has benefits. Let's break them all down.

• Hypertrophy of the heart
• Vo2 Max increase (long-term health factor)
• Being able to hunt your prey over long distances ?? (Less applicable these days)
• Calorie burning

That's all great. But it has an impact too. Negatives that we cannot ignore!

• Joint impact
• CNS fatigue
• Ghrelin response (getting hungry)
• Down-regulation of metabolism. (The body preserves calories after a short period of burning)
• Metabolic adaption- Getting fitter means fewer calories burned per action. You'll need to do more to keep losing fat (hence most people quit at 4 weeks)

Now why does this matter?

1. You cannot train long-term if your joints get messed up every few weeks/months.
2. You cannot replicate high-intensity days the next day and keep that up long-term. You'll quit, get injured or fail. You need rest days.
3. Most people listen to their bodies and eat back cals. It's only a matter of time before you do too.
4. Your body doesn't want to lose fat fast. It thinks of survival first. Ever notice how on a long run day you're less "twitchy" and more likely to slump on the couch later on?

What should I do instead?

As the title suggests, just walk.

I've run the experiment:

Incline walking burns more calories than running! ??

? You don't get joint impact or CNS impact, so you can do it the next day!

? You can also strength train so you prevent muscle loss during the fat loss phase.

(Without resistance training, 33% of weight loss will be muscle)

? No metabolic downregulation or Ghrelin response

? You will still improve heart health from walking and you can still fight metabolic adaptions with progress eg add weight, incline, distance or speed!

The only reason to run is if you like running.

It's the same with deadlifting, back squatting and bench press.

These are NOT the most optimal ways to lose fat and build muscle.

If they were, maybe the western population wouldn't be 50% obese.

There's something else going on!

Stay tuned for the next article. I'll cover the next principle to share.

In the meantime, get those steps up! (follow @Georgedobsonfit for more daily content)