Fitness Training Weight Loss and Strength Training Ebooks
The Problem: The Marketing of Online Programs
There are so many programs available online, with what seems to be a new one every week. Many of these programs are great and can help people with their fat loss goals (or muscle-building goals). The problem is not with the programs themselves.
The problem is with the marketing of these programs
Every time a new fitness training weight loss ebook comes out the blogosphere bands together to intensly market and sell the new ebook or online program. And each and every time this new strength training ebook is described as the next best thing; the answer to all your fat loss and body recomposition problems. It is very easy to fall for the hype, sign up for that new program and be insanely motivated for the next couple of weeks as you start that new program and dial in your nutrition and lifting to match the methodology outlined in the ebook.
And then you check your Google Reader and there is a push on the internet for a new fitness training weight loss ebook that sounds awesome with a clear call to action to buy the program and answer all your fat loss and muscle building problems with this new revolutionary program that promises to change your life. You buy the ebook and drop that last program and start this new better one.
And the cycle continues….
The Issue Is a Lack of Focus
The problem with the new program cycle is that at no point do you allow the program to do the work it was designed to do. That is the key here – each of these fitness training weight loss programs that you buy on the internet can and probably will work. However, that will only happen if you follow the program as outlined and follow it for at least 6-months to get the benefits.
Most (not all) of the online ebooks being sold for fat loss and body recomposition can and will work if you let them. However if you do not focus on that one program and instead jump from fitness training weight loss program to program you will spin your wheels constantly and not get there.
How to Use Online Resources
The key, as already alluded to, is to pick a program you want to follow, and stick with it for at least six months. Really work the fitness training weight loss program to the tee and follow the instructions exactly as outlined in the ebook. Let is do its work. At the end of six months if you are seeing the results you expected, great.
If at the end of the six months you are not seeing the results, check to make sure you are doing everything as outlined in the book. If you are sure you are following it to a tee, then the program is not for you and now it is a good time to find a better program for you.
Which Programs to Focus On
As I look back at the fitness training weight loss programs and online resources I have purchased in the past, there are two nutrition programs that really stick out that have worked very well for me and provided me with the foundation to see positive gains.
The first is Lyle McDonald’s Rapid Fat Loss. This fitness training weight loss program was the quickest and safest way to lose a lot of the initial weight really fast. It provided me with the best foundation with which to build on and get in better shape. It spells out exactly what you need to do to see fat loss (not muscle loss) over a very specific amount of time and then how to transition out to a maintenance or regular diet plan.
The second ebook is Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. This program provides a very simple to follow method for managing your weight without getting into too much detail with respect to counting calories, macros, or meal timing. Essentially, a couple of times a week you do a 24-hour fast where you consume no calories. This fitness training weight loss method has provided me with a very easy way to manage weight.
In terms of a strength training ebooks I actually don’t have one to recommend. The reason is that the ones I have seen are really based around diet as that is the most important factor to losing fat and getting ripped. The above two ebooks will help you with that. There are number of free resources available online that can help you build an effective program. Check out Max-OT or Layne Norton’s Power/Hypertrophy Routine. Both of these are designed to put on some muscle, if you have your diet in check. There is enough free stuff available that you do not need strength training ebooks to see results. Just focus on the fitness training weight loss ebooks focused on weight loss and you will be set up.
A final recommendation on the exercise front is to find a gym like a cross-fit facility that does all the exercise selection for you. My gym has three times a week metabolic conditioning program that adapts as I do. Cross-fit facilities do the same.
Starting the Rapid Fat Loss Diet this Week
I started the Rapid Fat Loss Diet this week and today is day 2 and so far so good. I decided after a lot of research online, that one of the best tools I could use to see my abs by the time I leave on my cruise in May 2010 is to utilise the methodology outlined in Lyle McDonald’s Rapid Fat Loss Diet. It will also help me with the Turbulence Training contest I am enrolled in. According to the forums over at his site, many people have had good success with it.
What it is?
The Rapid Fat Loss Diet is essentially a protein only diet that seriously limits the calories coming in. As I wrote about awhile ago, calorie restriction has been working for me and using Eat Stop Eat was a great step. This diet is essentially the next step and is really hard-core.
Called PSMF (Protein Sparing Modified Fast), it is a scientifically based approach to quick weight and fat loss. The diet has you eating a specific number of calories for your height, weight, and body mass index (all of which is calculated in the calculator that comes with the course. In the diet, you add in some fibrous vegetables and some very key supplements (magnesium, potassium, calcium, omega-3′s) to keep things moving.
Based on my category of body (the tools help you figure this out), I also have one free meal per week as well as a 5 hour structured refeed. I have not done these yet but am looking forward to doing them. There are still rules around these meals, but essentially you are looking to incorporate some more carbs in to the meals and satisfy any cravings you may have. Lyle really goes into all the details about the process so there are no questions left unanswered.
The program also incorporates a full diet break for 2-weeks, which I will discuss later.
My First Couple of Days
Today is day two and the hardest part is really the planning. It takes work to hit the protein number and add in those vegetables. If you have a protein goal of 154 grams, then you need to hit 154 grams, not 165, not 140. The most helpful tool for this has been Daily Burn.
Essentially, the night before I plan exactly what I am going to eat for the day using Daily Burn, cook up the breakfast and lunch to pack to work. For example, last night I grilled some chicken with dill and mushrooms for lunch and some scallops and spinach for breakfast (I love seafood so I could eat that for breakfast any day). Tonight for dinner I am going to have some cod and chicken with asparagus.
As you can see, the components of the diet are simple natural foods. A very very very small amount of carbs and fat are allowed. I will be eating protein almost exclusively.
I also had to head out and buy up some supplements – calcium, magnesium, and omega 3′s. Lyle recommends 10 grams of omega-3′s per day and that can add up in cost. However, once set up with all the “tools” lined up it should be pretty easy to move forward.
No Cardio but Weights are Ok
Since this is a very low calorie diet, my daily bike commutes are no longer allowed. This is really because on such low calories one has to be very careful about what extra energy expenditure one does. According to Lyle, doing too much cardio while on the diet can actually hinder results.
However, he does recommend continuing weight training and I am not going to change my plans for that at all.
How Long
I have set up a structured program that has me doing the RFL program for 3- 4 weeks at a time with 2 week full diet break. These breaks coincide with vacations I have coming up including trips to London, April break, and ultimately my cruise in May. It also coincides with this contest! Once that is done, I will go back to eating at maintenance using the Eat Stop Eat methodology.
As usual, I will be posting my results over the coming weeks and it will be very interesting to see how this program helps (or not). I have high hopes for it.
Bodyweight Training and Results – Moving on to Phase 4
Over the years, while my weight has been yo-yo’ing up and down, I have tried various scenarios versions of cardio with at times a weight lifting program. However, each and every time I remember never seeing the results that I thought I should have been getting. Part of that of course it that much of those gains I was getting were covered by that layer of fat that I have never been able to get rid of (until I truly discovered calorie restriction). The other reason was that I don’t think I ever really knew how to properly train with weights.
For example, I do not think I was ever going heavy enough to really test my muscles and force them to grow. Sure, it always felt difficult but probably was never enough. In addition, the programs I was putting together were never very scientific nor based on research. In other words, they were not targeted at getting me the results I was looking for. Instead that had me doing the traditional bicep curls, tricep extensions, and other muscle isolation exercises. These types of exercises have never provided me with much of a benefit.
Bodyweight Training and Success
This week I hit a milestone in my training. I successfully completed the first 3 phases of the Turbulence Training Bodyweight Turbulence Training 6-month program. This progressive program has taken me through a series of well-thought out and effective routines using only my own bodyweight, a stability ball, and a medicine ball (although you don’t totally need this). Next week I will be moving on to phase 4 and I can honestly say that I am starting to see some definition in my stomach. In other words, there are abs starting to peek through! I had to read that again as I wrote it because to me it is still unbelievable. I never thought I would ever be able to see abs.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of work to do. I still have a layer of fat that I need to get rid of. I also have some lower belly fat that seems to be very stubborn. My strategy for that is to simply continue on with calorie restriction, use Daily Burn to meticulously track my calories, and stick with the bodyweight exercise program and I suspect it will start to disappear. If the past results are any indication then this WILL happen over time. It just takes patience and hard work.
Without trying to be too pushy, if you are willing to work hard and see results then bodyweight training might be the thing that changes it all for you like it did for me.
