If you only have a small amount of time to dedicate to exercise I can tell you that it is possible to lose a considerable amount of fat if you follow the right type of program and nutritional advice.

So we don’t all have hours of time to spend working out in the gym.  In fact most people are so busy they just neglect to even go, thinking that they couldn’t possibly get enough work done in just 30 minutes.

I’m here to tell you that that thought process is flawed.

When you combine the right type of exercise in the right order then it is definitely possible.

Not many people are privy to the knowledge I have gained on how to implement these strategies for fat loss in just 30 minutes, but after successfully taking a group of individuals through the whole process over the month of January (they are just about to enter the second phase of the system)I am now opening it up to everyone.

Please visit my specialist site Fat Burn In 30 for the full scoop.

I’m only taking in 30 new students to this course and it will close again on Sunday evening, so go check it out now **click here**

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Well this is one of those really annoying things that I end up explaining a lot to people.

The ‘fat burning zone’, as is labelled on many cardio vascular machines, is supposedly the zone in which you burn more fat.

Strictly speaking the charts are right but they are also so very, very wrong. The fat burning zone on these charts relates to a percentage of maximal heart rate. These heart rate percentages are in turn based upon laboratory measures of the best level of exercise to burn the most amount of fat as a percentage.

Let’s start with the first problem. The % of heart rate that they recommend it based upon a prediction of your max heart rate. For this they use a very simple equation that your max heart rate is 220 minus your age. That would make my max heart rate 184 beats per min, yet just last week I got my heart rate up to 198 beats per minute. I don’t fit that projection. Therefore the prescribed heart rate level for my best fat loss percentage would be wrong.

It’s not just me, back when I was doing my thesis for my undergraduate degree, I studied 10 women in a raft of tests. Most noticeable was the heart rate differences but a prime example was the difference between two women of the same age.

They were both only 19 years old , so had a predicted max of 201, yet when I got them running to complete exhaustion (VO2 max test on treadmill) one peaked at 216 and the other at only 176 (and she puked in the face mask and collection apparatus (nasty clean up job).

So you can see heart rate can be hugely variable.

Secondly and most importantly the fat burning zone is a complete waste of time. I’ll show you why with a little maths…stick with me.

Let’s say you walk on the treadmill for an hour (in your fat burning zone) and you manage to burn 400 calories of which 70% were fat, you would have you burnt 280 calories of fat.

Then imagine you were to run fast (as fast as you could) for an hour on a treadmill and burnt 1200 calories, of which only 30% were made up of fat…you still burnt 360 calories of fat.

That’s 80 calories more fat, plus a whole heap more to boot!

So that’s it really, the fat burning zone is only good when viewed as a percentage not as a total amount of calories.

It’s like the old story about how survey groups used to confuse you with percentages i.e. 80% of users found that they had good results…what they didn’t tell you was that only 5 people were survey!!

We only care about total calories not percentages…the body burns calories not a percentage of those calories!

–This is an excerpt from my Fat Burn In 30 program designed for people who only have 30 minutes a day to exercise and want to lose fat.  The next course will be starting very soon, if you are interested get over to www.FatBurnIn30.com where you can get on the early notification list.

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So let’s start with a positive. At least there are some people that want to challenge their issues with food and weight. They have started to look at their overall calorie consumption and the bad foods that they are eating.

Right, here’s the bad parts to my mind:

They are promoting this show as a fast way to drop a dress size in just 2 weeks. I don’t think that’s a very good mind set, how about drop a dress size and keep it off, because I think that the women involved in this show will just put the weight back on afterwards.

Why do I believe this?

Well it has to do with the fact that I think their destroying their metabolism. They have been recommended by a registered dietician to eat only 1200 calories a day.

In Tuesday’s show they did a weigh in after just 4 days of eating 1200 calories. The results varied from 1-6 pounds lost for most of the women, apart from one who gained 2lbs!!

It’s easy to lose weight when you restrict calories…but what sort of weight are they losing. Do these ladies just want to lose weight or do they want to lose FAT.

I guess it’s fat loss that they are really after, but in the scenario where you severely limit caloric intake you end up losing a lot of water and a lot of muscle.

You really don’t want to lose muscle as this is the only place in the body where fat is burnt up.

So it’s easy to drop a dress size in just two weeks but what are the long term consequences. The program recommends that they only do this for 2 weeks, so after 2 weeks they will have lost muscle and then when they revert to a normal (2000 calorie) diet their body will not be able to process all those calories. The net result will be even more weight gain than they lost in the 2 weeks.

Now a bit like not all the women lost weight in the first 4 days, some of the women won’t put the weight back on, but I bet it’s only one at the most.

As for the lady that didn’t lose weight and actually gained weight, this is quite common with these types of diets as the body reverts back to ‘flight or fight’ basic primal response.

Her body is so worried about the lack of calories and possibility of there being a famine that it is storing anything it can as fat and adding weight to deal with the lack of upcoming food. It doesn’t know what she’s doing.

The program didn’t describe this and left the viewers wondering how this happened…poor TV!!

In my opinion this is quite possibly one of the most inappropriate and ill conceived pieces of TV programming that I have ever seen.

Channel 4 should be ashamed for not making more of the fact that this can lead to more harmful results than good. The only place I found any sort of disclaimer about who it is meant for was some small writing on the website.

The next instalment is tonight and I will be watching to see if they actually explain things a little more fully.

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One of the biggest issues a lot of people experience today is how to lose fat fast.  And which are the best exercises to burn fat.

Life is super fast paced for most people these days.

Ever forgotten your cell/mobile phone?

You know how lost you’ve felt by not being able to contact people immediately? Yet only 20 years ago nobody but the ‘Gordon Gekko’ crowd had them.

So without a doubt society has changed.  It’s been known for years that we have been changing out lifestyle habits and progressively getting more and sedentary and less active.  We now have the ability to fast forward through commercials on TV…the world has changed and so has our demand for everything ‘now’.

Unfortunately I haven’t invented a pill yet that can give you all the results you want, let alone instant results (either way I’d probably be the richest person on earth if I did come up with it…hmm!).

The old school way that most people adopt is to try running to lose weight.  Unfortunately in the super fast paced world I just outlined, that’s not the most effective way of burn fat off.

So, what is the best fat burning exercise?

Well you have to challenge yourself.  Staying within easy limits will lead to small improvements initially but you’ll soon stop changing….that’s the problem with say running to lose weight, especially if time is short and you can’t increase the time you workout for, first up it works but soon your body becomes more efficient and burns less fat….dull hey!

So with society moving quickly, and with most people lacking the time for 90 minute sessions every day.  What is the answer?

Well it’s not the traditional fat loss method of running as mentioned above, but instead using the latest research from the past few decades and designing programs that utilise these scientific principles.

The science has taught us that you can get incredible results in very time efficient bouts of exercise as long as they are structured correctly.  We’ve come to understand that if fat burning exercises and the  fat burning processes can be manipulated in the right way, they can bring about amazing success very quickly.

Now let me just re state that.  I ‘m not saying that someone who can only do a limited amount of exercise could get as fast results as someone who can dedicate 90 minutes a day to exercise, but the relative gains from the extra time don’t warrant it if you are time poor.

Recent studies have reported that just 20 minute sessions enabled the participants to burn fat off at 9X faster speeds when compared to people who had done 45 minutes (steady, no change of pace).

By using these types of methods you can get almost as fast results in just 30 minutes a day as you can in one and a half hours a day.  The important thing is having a plan and consistently implementing that plan to burn fat off.

The plan needs to include a system that will challenge you, even if you do start really easily.  The best exercises to burn fat are those which require a lot of muscle to be used.

With the correct program that is progressive and coupled with a health dietary plan, fat loss can definitely be achieved in as little as 30 minute sessions.

As part of the 2009 Twelve Days of Fitness campaign I’m giving away my entire 5 week fat loss system for free.  Visit http://www.12daysoffitness.com to sign up for what will be the biggest give away in its three year history.

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The amount of people who use high intensity interval training (HIIT) in recent years has grown rapidly as people move away from the old traditional execises like steady running and cycling in favour of this relatively new type of training that really is not up to scratch.

Here are the 9 reasons why HIIT sucks!

1.  It’s not liked it’s based on any real scientific data!  The studies conducted by Tabbata et al  showed that doing steady long durnation training like running and cycling lead to massive fitness and fat loss benefits compared with the HIIT group who hardly improved at all!!

2.  Another really annoying thing about high intensity training is that you have to have specialist pieces of equipment.  You have to be a member of a gym or health lub to actually do HIIT, unlike other training that can be carried out anywhere in the world with minimal amounts of equipment!!

3.  If fat burning is an issue for you then avoid HIIT like the plague, you’ll never get any real benefits from doing this type of intense exercise.  Doing long slow boring cardio will give you the best fat burning potential!!

4.  If you have hours to work out in the gym then HIIT may not be the best for you, it takes ages to do a full workout.  When you consider that other sessions can be done in a as little as 20  minutes you need to make sure that the high intensity sessions are never used unless you camp out at the gym!!

5.  Another physiological reason for avoiding this type of intense workout is that it really doesn’t do much for your aerobic capacity.  When this increases your heart and lungs work more efficiently, HIIT really does not do this!

6.  It’s not adaptable.  Interval training is a one size fits all type of workout.  there is absoloutley know ability to adapt exercises or workout times to match the individual person doing it.  Wouldn’t it be great if it was applicable to a whole variety of the population!

7.  It’s rubbish a delivering results in a only a handful of sessions, it takes ages to feel the benefit.

8.  Some other programs have some really simple and cheap apps that make it easier to get variety in the workouts.   There is one on the iPhone that costs less than the cost of a chocolate bar – I wish they’d bring out something for HIIT.

9.  Unlike other types of exercise intensity training, you need to do HIIT at least a couple of times a day to get any results, can you imagine using other techniques where you could workout everyother day and still get long term results.

Ok, so I was lying really, HIIT doesn’t suck and is actually one of the best forms of exercise you can do (if you’re up to it).  Every point I made obviously is one of the benefits of HIIT and therefore makes HIIT one of the best fat loss training tools.

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This guest blog post was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. I have his permission to share it with you.

There’s a club you should join.

It’s called The Insider’s Club.

It is that club whose membership is based only on what secret goodies the members possess.

In our case, this is the Fatloss Insider’s Club. Only those in the know can join…. freee to them of course… : )

So, if you want to get rid of some lbs…

FATLOSS TRICK 1

Eat Pizza?

Today I went for some New York-style pizza here in Austin, Texas.

Do I feel ‘guilty’? No way… in fact tomorrow I will feel LEANER.

What the what?

I had to set up my body for this bit of metabolic trickery of course. You cannot just “eat pizza” and shed the pounds… I wish you could!

But my personal System for fatloss not only “allows” pizza (and all my other favorite foods)… it DEMANDS that I eat it.

Here’s another true story: I blew off my “feed meal” (that’s what it is called in my System) four days ago. I have been on a massive fatloss roll for weeks now and frankly I just did not feel like eating a lot.

That’s another benefit of my System… it really cuts your appetite and food-cravings down.

Anyway, the next day in the gym I fell on my face! I was weaker and not any leaner. I went home, ate literally about 6000 cals and presto: Leaner than ‘ever’ the next day and ready to train hard.

Learn how to use this System here:

The Every Other Day Diet Click For More Tricks!

FATLOSS TRICK 2

The 10-Minute Cardio Trick

If you want to just get into good heart health, you only need GXP Cardio (covered in the System mentioned above) 2-3 days per week for 9-15 minutes. That’s it.

However if you want to use “smart cardio” (not long, boring cardio) then you need a bit more. Just a bit.

It’s my 10-minute trick.

Start with just every other day. Then move to 4 days… and then 5.

If you are pressed for time, this is ideal. Even if you are not, it works like magic.

10 minutes in the morning ‘before’ you eat. Just make sure your heart rate is only about 65% of your max… in other words, you are not breathing super-heavy at all, but you are working up a sweat. That’s it.

10 minutes ‘before’ lunch. Just cut your lunch hour short by 10 minutes… that’s all. You don’t sweat enough to need a shower… don’t worry. Walking stairs works great, or walking outside… be creative!

Then 10 ‘harder’ minutes about 2 hours before you go to sleep. Get your heart rate up to where you are breathing a little harder.

That’s it.

You can even start with just two sessions of 10 minutes (morning and night) if lunch is out.

FATLOSS TRICK 3

Increase Your Fat?

Yep. I want you to eat more dietary-fat…. but I want you to replace some of your carbohydrates (starch like rice, potatoes, etc.) with healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil and almonds.

Fat dulls the appetite and all three of the fats above actually help your body get rid of its fat-stores if you decrease carbs.

I have the plan laid out for you. More here:

The Every Other Day Diet Click For More Tricks!

FATLOSS TRICK 4

Think Resistance

Far better than cardio will ever be. That would be resistance training.

Either weight training or in-home resistance training using bands and bodyweight. Studies confirm what we fitness pros already know: Resistance training not only sculpts the body (cardio cannot) but it also burns 9-12x more bodyfat over the long-term than cardio.

But you need both. And both cardio and resistance training (in-home or in the gym) is worked into my book “7 Minute Body.”

You can get it when you pick up “Every Other Day Diet” for 75% off-retail… it is all detailed here…

The Every Other Day Diet Click For More Tricks!

Welcome to the Club!

Yours In Fitness,

J O N B E N S O N

P.S. I’m still giving away “Radical Fatloss Blueprint” along with EODD for a few more days. And I’m giving a lucky few the chance to pick up the Supplement-Kit that comes with Radical Fatloss for almost 100 bucks off… the video and details are here:

The Every Other Day Diet Click For More Tricks!

Sorry… EODD Readers Only…. so pick it up today.

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I have recently just joined one of the big gym chains, here in the UK.

One of the things that I am surprised about is the number of people who still go and do their cardio training and then go and lift weights, when it should really be weights before cardio.

I’ve talked about this before but it is worth reiterating.

You really are better off doing your weight training first as by definition lifting weights is a high intensity task and doing cardio is a low intensity task.

By doing your cardio first you are using up the valuable and limited sugar supplies that the body needs to lift weights.  You can do cardio on either sugar or fat but only sugar can be used for the weight training element.

Also it takes 15-25 minutes (depending on fitness level, the fitter the quicker) to move fat from where it’s stored to the muscles where it can be burnt up.  So by warming up and lifting weights first you are releasing the fat and then have it available to start burning as soon as you start your cardio training.

Until next time, train hard, train smart, make every rep count.

Alex

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In my last post I introduced the concept of EPOC and today I will tell you how to use it to get results

This is the key part that most people don’t know or understand and therefore do not utilise. The power that interval and resistance training can give you.

Imagine burning calories not only when you’re working out but for 24 hours after you stop. That is what happens in the body when you lift weights and do interval training.

So how does this differ from normal fat loss training. In most cases people (and some trainers) think that the best way to loose weight is to run, cross train, cycle etc. They get on the bit of cardio and workout all at the same speed for an hour.

Well in that hour the calorie consumption may have been 800 calories as opposed to only say 400 calories from doing intervals or lifting weights.

However it is the effect with in the body that is more important. The weights or interval training will set of a reaction of hormonal and physiological responses that will continue to burn fat hours after finishing the exercise where the steady pace running would only burn calories for another couple of hours.

Tomorrow I’ll describe more in depth about what each of the factors, Alwyn talks about, are.

If you want to take a closer look at ‘Afterburn’ then check it out at www.CoachCosgrove.com – he also has some great products for fitness professionals.

Until next time,
Train hard, train smart, make every rep count.

Alex

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Alwyn Cosgrove is one of the worlds leading fat loss coaches. His thing is fat loss training and the best ways to get long term results fast.

He is a master of finding the research on fat burning and exercise and then disseminating it for the general public in a way that not only makes sense but is easy to understand…..have you ever tried to read a research paper?

One of the key concepts is called EPOC.

EPOC, or ‘Afterbrun’ as Alwyn refers to it, stands for Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. In other words the amount of calories you burn after exercise.

We’ll go over the concept and actualities of EPOC tomorrow, for now click on the video below and see Alwyn present a hierarchical list of fat loss modalities.

If you want more information on Alwyn Fat Loss Program then visit his site Coach Cosgrove.

Until next time,
Train hard, train smart, make every rep count.

Alex

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I was talking to a client the other day about there training and the need to increase the amount of work they are doing if they are going to continue to get the results they were looking for at the start.

Now there is a lot of really good things this person should be doing to there nutrition and eating plan in order to stimulate the body to burn fat all day but he likes his alcohol.

Now I’ve given him a ‘talking to’ about his drinking and hopefully some of it will have stuck. I only had to mention the ex client of mine who unfortunately died a couple of months ago due to kidney and liver failure – he really did ‘work hard, play hard’ – and unfortunately left a wife and two young children behind.

So to increase this clients metabolism so that he burns through fat for longer periods of time I have introduced some new, extra, training sessions that only last around 20 minutes.

I know a lot of you will be aghast, sat at your PCs and wondering whether or not I’ve just made a typo, but I assure you that in 20 mins you can do a lot to increase your fat loss potential.

Yes you don’t start burning fat for 15-25 mins after starting exercise, but the important distinction here is that you don’t ’start’ burning fat until you have moved it from the fat sites into the blood and too the muscles. However, you do continue burning fat after you finish the exercise and it is not the amount of fat you burn during the exercise that’s important but the amount you continue to burn afterwards.

This is the beauty of using short intense cardio interval sessions for fat loss.

You burn more in the 24 hours after than you would if you’d done slow cardio for an hour.

This well known, but misunderstood, phenomenon is called EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) and what it means is that if you cause a metabolic disturbance in your muscles (as you do during interval training) you will continue to burn up fat for at least the next 24 hours sometimes longer.

Lot’s of smart trainers use these tactic when writing and designing workout programs that get people results. Alwyn Cosgrove of www.coachcosgrove.com calls if ‘Afterburn Training’ and Craig Ballantyne refers to it as Turbulence Training . These are both great examples of how to use EPOC to benefit you the most.

I am currently using these exact techniques and tactics to try and shift some excess body fat I have accumulated recently. I am also using my new ‘Fat Burn In 30′ system because I am struggling with time and really want to get the best all day fat burn that I can.

Stay tuned for more of my ‘Fat Burn In 30′ workouts.

Remember, train hard, train smart, make every rep count.

Alex

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