Your Weight Loss Goals are Incredibly Stupid. (Part 1)

Every New Year, thousands of people make the resolution to lose weight. They want to lose 10, 20, 30 pounds, etc. They sign onto another 12 month gym contract and then they are off to the races. "This year is going to be different!"

After a month or two, well... the drive and motivation has died down. Either the results were not good enough or had begun to slow down. Simply put, once the weight stop coming off, people quit. Why put forth effort if there are no results?

This is a big problem we have in the fitness industry... this focus on numbers... We treat the scale like it is the only thing that matters. If the scale tells us that we haven't lost weight... then we have failed... end of story.

This is why weight loss goals are incredibly stupid. Progress is measured in many ways. The scale should be the least of your concerns. I'm going to tell you something VERY unconventional right now... something very few people will ever even think about saying... If you truly want to be successful in your weight loss program, do not think about weight loss at all! Ignore the scale... at least for now...

THE Theory of Fat Loss featured on Fit Business Insider

I just wanted to provide you all with a brief update. I have BIG news about the book. It was just featured on Pat Rigsby's website, Fit Business Insider. This is fantastic. If any of you have heard who Pat is or how much influence he has in the fitness industry, you'll know why I am so excited about this. Please, if you get a chance, check out the article.

http://fitbusinessinsider.com/get-started-as-a-fitness-professional/

Also, I'll be on WJOL radio tomorrow morning around 7:15 AM. That serves Joliet, IL, a city with about 150,000 people. If you aren't from Joliet, which I am guessing you aren't... you can listen to me online if you want at http://www.wjol.com/

One final note... I wanted to give some props to my DJ friend over at http://www.widb.net/wp/revolution/ They provide a different variety of music than mainstream radio. So, if you are a fan of new artists from the alternative, indie, metal, and underground hip hop genres, I'd recommend spending a few minutes checking them out. Maybe they'll have me on their show as well...




Have a great day!

...

And don't forget to pick up your copy of The Theory of Fat Loss for 15% off. Just visit the facebook page for details. http://facebook.com/thetheoryoffatloss.

Ab Day? So Cliche

With fat gain season nearly over and fat loss resolution season (aka January) almost upon us, it is time for everybody to start studying the layout of their gyms so they know the fastest way out in case of fire.

What I really suggest doing is going to your gym just before closing, grabbing a bunch of foam rollers, medicine balls, barbells, etc. and just spreading them out all over the floor in a random pattern to model how crowded it is going to be starting next week. Think of it like an obstacle course. Grab your stopwatch, and then time your escape. You can never be too careful.

What bothers me the most about the one-monthers is not so much that they take up gym space... rather, it is the fact that they go to the gym without a plan and then get in the way. It makes me happy I train in a fully decked out garage gym. Anyway, this entry is about one particular thing that almost 100% of the resolution crowd does completely wrong... abdominal training.

P90X (Part 3): THE Theory of Fat Loss Argument

Part 1
Part 2

The Theory of Fat Loss is made up of two unique constructs that, when integrated, become a powerful fat loss tool. The theory of absolute intensity tells us that the greater the absolute intensity one can achieve with training, the greater the fat loss result will be. The limiting factor theory tells us that within any fat loss program exist multiple potential limits than can inhibit one's ability to achieve success.

In parts 1 and 2 of this critique series, I go into great detail explaining why I believe P90X is less than adequate with respect to these two constructs. In this long overdue Part 3, I will critique P90X in terms of the unified theory as a whole. Let's see where that takes us.

The 100 Gram Carb Rule For Fat Loss Awesomeness

I still have to write Part 3 of the P90X critique series (see Part 1 and Part 2), but I stumbled across something today that I had to write about immediately. It is the 100 gram carb cure (click here for the original article), and it might just be one of the best and simplest rules there is to follow that I've ever read about when it comes to losing fat.

If you don't want to click that link to read the entire article, here is my take on it.

The Theory of Fat Loss Official Book Release

It's official! The Theory of Fat Loss: A New Paradigm for Exercise has just been released! There are two ways to secure your copy. It can be purchased for its list price of $19.95 through amazon.com... or, you can get it for 10% off through my amazon createspace e-store. Simply click here and use this discount code: P94QUZGR.

Want more information and testimonials about this book before making your purchase? No problem. See what's in it for you. Click here.

P90X (Part 2): The Limiting Factor Argument

Update 12/13/2010: In response to the comments by two of my readers, apparently I was wrong in my assessment of P90X in regard to time. Both of them said that I was too nice, as the workouts are actually longer than I thought they were. So, my updated grade of P90X in lieu of this new information is C-.


This is the second of 3 installments discussing the efficacy (or lack thereof) of the P90X program. To read Part 1, The Absolute Intensity Argument, click HERE. This purpose of this post will be to evaluate P90X in terms of the construct discussed in Unit 2 of The Theory of Fat Loss, the limiting factor theory.

Note: One of the comments on my previous post suggested that it is impossible to evaluate P90X without reviewing the nutrition system with it as well. While I completely agree that you can never out train a poor diet, the purpose of these posts is not to discuss nutrition. Even the poorest exercise programs out there can look fantastic if a good diet is followed. I am simply critiquing an exercise program as it stands by itself. The Theory equips people with an evaluation system to objectively look at any training regimen, so I am merely providing you with an example of how it can be done.

Note 2: Let's not get accusatory in my comments section! It takes a lot of courage to post things non-anonymously, especially training results. I just recently posted a guest entry on this... the "your a skinny b*****" post. What matters is that people continue to make progress and that we help and support them, not tell them they are too thin or whatever. Even if somebody is technically "underweight," I don't see a problem with it if they are still improving their numbers in the gym. Now, if a person starts regressing or getting physically ill, then there is a problem, but being light doesn't mean unhealthy. I must say though that it does support my point about P90X not being a hypertrophy program.

Okay, without further ado...

P90X (Part 1): The Absolute Intensity Argument

One of my readers, a young man who goes by Mr. Huntington, sent me a question about P90X a little while ago. He wondered if I would recommend P90X as a fat loss program because he personally felt that it was useless. He said that he knows a bunch of people who have tried it and quit because it was "too hard" or they got injured or that they just flat out didn't like it. I responded to him with a lengthy email. He subsequently mirrored some of my thoughts on an Internet forum and the response was enormous. Why was that?

You see, I am not a fan of P90X at all. However, I know that thousands upon thousands of people attempt the program. I also know that many of these same people are missionaries for the cause. You see, the marketing for P90X is amazing. What they have essentially done is created a tribe of people who will defend it to the death for no other reason than that they are convinced that "everybody is doing it."  Why do they think everybody is doing it? The advertising tells them it is so. The advertising also tells them that everybody gets ridiculously amazing results and that it is by far the best and most comprehensive fat loss program on the market. Let me tell you something. The marketing team for P90X did a FANTASTIC job. You can't avoid the commercials. You can't avoid the thousands of people that sell the product as part of Beach Body's multi-level marketing scheme. You can't type P90X into Google and find a bad review because they have flooded the Internet with hundreds and hundreds of pages telling everybody about how awesome it is.

So anyway, before I make a bunch of people mad at me, I want to say that this 3 part series will not mindlessly rant about how much I dislike P90X or anything like that. What I am going to do here is raise an intelligent argument based on sound training principles to hopefully open up a discussion about P90X as a fat loss program. Ready?

Guest Post: You're a Skinny B*****

Today is my birthday. I decided to celebrate by asking fat loss and nutrition expert Dr. Chris Mohr to do a guest post for this blog. He agreed. The topic, of course, is fat loss.

You see, if you have ever completed a successful fat loss program, you have much to be proud of. Your friends and family, on the other hand, do not always agree. For whatever reason, people do not know the difference between being in shape and being sickly and deathly thin or having an eating disorder.

If you have ever completed a fat loss program and made an amazing physical transformation, I guarantee you know what I am talking about. People say things like:

"You're too thin!"
"Eat something!"
"What you are doing isn't healthy."
"You need to stop. You have a problem."

Two clients of mine in particular have relayed this message to me. Both of them took their body fat percentages from over 20 to around 10 and while doing so, they had continued to make strength gains in the weight room. Unhealthy and dangerous? I think not. Let's allow Dr. Chris Mohr to weigh in on this issue.

Guest Post: New Years Resolutions- Early Edition

I thought that maybe you guys are getting sick of only hearing me day after day, so I decided to spice things up a bit with a guest post from my colleague Steve Trentham. Here is a little information about Steve taken from his website Dallas Underground Strength:

Steve Trentham has been a personal trainer and fat loss expert since 1995. However his passion for fitness and helping people reach their fitness potential started when he was in high school.A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Master Level Fitness Trainer, Steve is the Fitness Director at Metroflex Gym in Plano, and the official fitness trainer for Twin Peaks. Prior to this, Steve was the principle director of Priority Fitness, LLC, a private personal training and fitness consulting company.

There he developed fitness and wellness solutions for numerous fitness and athletic performance companies including Lakes Tennis Academy, FIT-BODY Personal Training, and Lean Bodies, Inc. His clinical experiences includes cardiac rehabilitation and physical therapy in various hospitals and allied healthcare facilities in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area. In 2005, Steve created the “2000 Lb. Melt Off Challenge“ and led a group of 68 participants to lose a total of 1,872 lbs in six weeks using a specialized fitness and nutritional program. Additionally Steve has been involved in martial arts for over fifteen years, and he is an instructor at Action Martial Arts in Allen, TX.

Injury Limits to Fat Loss: The Law of Repetitive Motion

In The Theory of Fat Loss, I discuss in great detail several functional limits that can hinder a fat loss program. The ones that tend to stick out the most in people's minds are postural and injury limits. On this blog, I have already described two common functional limits. In fact, these have been some of my most popular entries. They are anterior pelvic tilt and lower back pain (Part 1 and Part 2).

What I have not yet done (until now that is), is describe at the most elementary level the root cause of almost all postural and injury limits. If you understand how injuries happen, you will be empowered to prevent them.  So, I have decided to give you another exclusive look at an excerpt from my book.

Before I do this, however, I have a favor to ask of you. This blog exists to provide you with information so that you can make a real, lasting change in your life, should you choose to do so. You should notice that this blog isn't loaded with external advertisements. Google adwords has no place here. I don't use sales videos or pop-up ads. The only things I endorse to you on this site are things that I have found personally valuable to me. For the most part, I endorse myself... because without an audience, this blog is worthless.

So, what I am asking you to do is very simple. I have a page for this book on Facebook. If you have found this blog to be helpful to you in any way, please head to that page, and click the "like" button. I know many of my readers have already done this, so what you can do after that is simply invite 3 of your friends to "like" the page as well. There is a link under the picture of the book that says "suggest to friends." Please pick three of your friends who you feel would be interested in what I have to say and attach a little personal message inviting them to to the page. I would be very grateful if you did this for me, and who knows, you might be the person that inspires them to make a difference in their lives. The page can be found at:

http://facebook.com/thetheoryoffatloss

Thanks in advance. Without further ado, here is your exclusive excerpt on everything you need to know about injury:

Quiz: The Theory of Absolute Intensity

As a way to test your knowledge on fat loss, I have put together this brief quiz for you to take. Let me know in the comments section how you did!

How to Stay Thin During the Holidays

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying time with your family, friends, and college football. We all know that between Thanksgiving and New Year's, people tend to put on a ton of weight. It is difficult to avoid it. Eating is very social. We stuff ourselves every chance we get, and there is more dessert than we know what to do with. Not only that, but there are ALWAYS leftovers.

The best way to avoid gaining weight during the holidays is to stop eating so much during every sitting and to avoid all those pastries. For most of us, however, that is not likely going to happen due to a combination of social pressure, convenience, and amazingly tasty treats.

So, I wanted to write this quick blog post today to share with you an experimental technique that I think will do wonders for people who just can't seem to avoid eating all the cake, pie, cookies, and brownies in sight during the holidays. Before you read this simple trick, you might need to educate yourself a little bit by reading this post on post-workout nutrition. If you don't, it won't make as much sense.

The Mobile Performance Enhancement Seminar

Timothy Ward, author of The Theory of Fat Loss, is organizing the very first Mobile Performance Enhancement Seminar. It will be held on January 29th at Bishop State Community College in Mobile, AL. If you live anywhere near Mobile, AL, this is an event you won't want to miss! For more information and to register for this event, check out:

http://alsportsperformance.blogspot.com/

Theory of Fat Loss Book Update

Update: 1/2/2011
Apparently the google search term for The Theory of Fat Loss brings people to this page before the home page. So, I've decided to update this entry. The book was released on 12/15/2010, and you can learn more about the book (and get a 15% discount) by visiting its official facebook page: http://facebook.com/thetheoryoffatloss ... and don't forget to click on the bonuses tab at the top of this page after you invest in your copy... there is a TON of free stuff for you.


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I received the final edit of my book back from my editor, Harvard graduate David D. Aguilar, and I am just about ready to publish. I am just waiting on the foreword to be completed by one of my book contributors, and then I should be good to go. I also need to design a cover for the book. I'm thinking just a straight up black cover with text. Sleek and simple. I hate those books with pictures of thin and shapely people because they are models that likely didn't even follow the methods described in the book. It's a little too fake for me. I'll let the jet black void draw people in. After all, wearing black makes you look thin. Of course my other option is putting this guy on the cover:

That is one fat monkey. I didn't know anything could eat that many bananas. Anyway, if everything goes according to plan with the publishing and there are no unexpected delays or other snafus... the book should be out by mid-December. Cheers!

One final note: I just finished up creating all the "Bonuses" that you can get access to for free after you purchase the book. There are 6 program templates, a 6 month (5 phase) training program that one of my clients actually followed exactly, an assessment and programming form, and a sample "done-for-you" 3x per week hypertrophy program. Typically, I charge 50 dollars for an assessment and a training program, and you get 12 all for free (with your book purchase of course). Anyway, that's all I have for you today. Look out for a post soon about P90X.

Bodybuilding Splits and Body Part Splits are Not Conducive to Fat Loss

I have seen the pollution of "bodybuilder" style training (aka muscle isolation training, body part split training, etc.) across all areas of exercise. It is most commonly done by high school kids and college students who simply do not know what they are doing, but unfortunately, I have seen it in many other situations as well. This includes high school and collegiate strength and conditioning programs, physical therapy, and fat loss programs. Of course, this blog is about optimizing fat loss, so this entry will cover why a body part split is absolutely the wrong option for burning fat.

For some reason, I doubt this will help you lose that gut

The Shake Weight Certification!

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but it was just so amazing that I had to post it.

Saturated Fats for Health and Fat Loss?

Have you ever heard that saturated fats are bad for you? Do you think they are the cause of clogged arteries and heart disease and all sorts of health problems? If somebody suggested that you need more saturated fats in your diet, what would you think?

The Twinkie Diet is Awesome for Weight Loss

I've written about nutrition before but also know that I am by no means a nutrition expert, but I wanted to comment on something that just came out. Apparently there is this new article on some pseudo- diet study performed by a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University who wanted to show that calorie counting was the only important factor in weight loss. Basically he ate a bunch of Twinkies. The article can be found here. Before I go into detail of why this case study is meaningless, I just want to say one thing. "Really?"

Twinkie Burger

I couldn't think of anything healthier either

Low Back Pain (Part 2): Injury Limits to Fat Loss

Low back pain is a common and often a debilitating condition. The good news is that most cases of low back pain are preventable or easily treated. If you remember from Part 1, the lumbar spine is meant to be stable and in a neutral alignment (see anterior pelvic tilt), and the hips and thoracic spine are meant to be mobile. Thus, abdominal exercises that promote movement around the lumbar spine may actually be the cause of low back pain! Likewise, inactivity and prolonged static postures (such as sitting in a classroom all day or having a desk job) tend to decrease the mobility of our hips and thoracic spines causing people to compensate by moving at their lower backs.

Deadlift: Good hip mobility

Deadlift: Poor hip mobility with low back compensation

Anyway, exercises for the core should be designed to promote stability, and a quality mobility warmup should be completed before every training session. The rest of this entry will discuss what may be done to address these two topics.

Low Back Pain (Part 1): Injury Limits to Fat Loss

If you have been following this blog for a while, you have undoubtedly read the anterior pelvic tilt post, my most popular page to this date. Anterior pelvic tilt is a prevalent posture that is a common cause of low back pain in anybody that sits for long periods of time throughout the day. Today, I am sharing with you my knowledge about low back pain in general.

Having a strong, healthy lower back is essential for just about every aspect of life. Unfortunately, an estimated 80% of all Americans have suffered, at one time or another, from lower back pain. Sometimes it is as simple as a an acute episode that lasts only a couple of hours. Other times, low back pain can be chronic and debilitating. Either way, low back pain will be a major hindrance to your fat loss exercise program. If you can't train, you can't optimally burn fat! Even more importantly is that low back pain might leave you out of commission for a long period of time. Any positive exercise adaptations you may have gained from exercise might be lost when you aren't training, AND inactivity is probably going to cause you to put on fat... which is probably the opposite of what you want to do!

So, what you might want to know is if there is anything you can do about preventing or self-treating low back pain without having to spend thousands of dollars on a doctor, physical therapist, or chiropractor.

Post-workout Nutrition

Hello everyone. I just wanted to share with you a FREE special report that Prograde Nutrition is giving away entitled "What to NEVER Eat After You Workout."

Post-workout nutrition is critical to the success of any training program regardless if the goal is to burn fat or put on muscle mass. Two things are important regarding post-workout nutrition, the timing and the composition. You already know that when you train, your body's resources are depleted. What you may not know is that when you are done training, your body actually continues to break down muscle protein! But it doesn't have to be that way!!!

Can you Eat Out and Still Lose Weight?

Many people think that when it comes time to changing their diets to burn more fat that they have to stop eating out. Oftentimes this is the deal breaker. People do not like having to give up eating at their favorite restaurants. Those that understand what fat loss dieting is really about, however, realize that eating out is not the enemy and that it can be done intelligently and effectively. Jake "Sausage Link" Skrabacz is one of those people. So today I bring you a guest post (and another small book excerpt) from him with some helpful suggestions for how to manage eating at restaurants when you are dieting.

Cheeseburger, nuggets, and fries pizza

Probably not the most intelligent fat loss diet decision
 

Consistency is the Key to Fat Loss

I've got a short little Friday scenario post for you all today:

For two weeks, you have been training and eating clean. Friday night comes along, and you have a workout scheduled. Your friend calls you and says, "Hey, I'm going out to the bars tonight. Do you want to go?" What do you say? You certainly don't want to let your friend down, but you have to train. Is missing one session and having a few drinks really going to derail your fat loss program?

This boosts obesity by 171%

I am coming down to writing the final few chapters of my book. Unfortunately for me, these chapters will be the hardest to write because they are on nutrition. Nutrition is not my number 1 field of study, so I have to spend a lot of time researching. Luckily, I have plenty of sources. One person's blog that I like to read regularly is Chris Mohr's. There is a ton of information there that is valuable. Recently he had a post on one factor that boosts obesity by 171%!

The V8 Shake Weight... and "Is fruit juice okay to drink?"

I recently created a parody video for the shake weight. By now, I'm sure you all know what the shake weight is... how can you not? It is absolutely ridiculous! So anyway, the video I created shows me using my own shake weight contraption, a half-empty bottle of V8 Fusion, strawberry banana.

The V8 Shake Weight

It works just like the shake weight. As I shake it one way, the juice goes to one side, but then I shake it the other way and I have to resist all that inertia! Oh my goodness! The resistance can only be exceeded by almost any other exercise I can think of. In fact, the exercise is so simple to do that I can do really complex and worthwhile exercises in restrictive clothing at the same time that I am shaking my V8! Click below to watch the video.

Study: Americans Get the Most Exercise When...

Everyone knows that exercise is good for the heart, lungs, and body. Why then is it so hard for people to make a short time commitment just a couple of times per week to exercise? One of the biggest problems in today's society is inactivity. How do we combat this problem? Well, recently a study was conducted to figure out when it is that Americans get the most exercise. The following video is pretty powerful, and I think it can be the solution that we are all looking for.

Fixing Anterior Pelvic Tilt: Postural Limits for Fat Loss

Update 7/3/2011
I just wrote a new post on some additional soft tissue/myofascial considerations when addressing anterior pelvic tilt (opens in a new window). Be sure to check it out after reading this entry.

Update 5/15/2011
If you are on this page, there is a good chance you were referred here by this bodybuilding.com thread. The OP "TheBroBrah" is a friend of mine who stumbled upon my blog when searching for APT. Since finding me, we have had several discussions on how to fix APT, and I see he used much of the advice I gave him to create his post and subsequently answer hundreds of questions about correcting the posture. I know some people would be upset that "their" ideas were taken and used somewhere else, but not me. I'm glad that in helping "TheBroBrah," I was able to help dozens upon dozens of other people. All I ask is that if you read this, that you do the same and link back to my site. Please click the "like" button below to help build backlinks for this page so more people can benefit from the discussion. Thanks!


Postural limits fall under the category of functional limits to fat loss. A postural limit is a skeletal alignment that restricts one's ability to move or utilize the appropriate muscles. Poor posture not only causes issues when it comes to being able to perform certain movements or lift heavy weights, but also poor posture can lead to pain and injury. Anybody who regularly trains knows that pain and injury are major problems that are big-time motivation killers. We all know that if you aren't training, you aren't optimizing fat loss!

In this entry, I will analyze one of the most common postural limits that exists in today's society, anterior pelvic tilt, and give you some tips you can start performing immediately to fix the problem.

The Theory of Fat Loss Update

I just spent 4 hours today finishing up a really good chapter on aerobics and energy system training for fat loss instead of spending that time watching my alma mater Notre Dame play football. Now that's dedication. I have about 5 chapters left to write (out of about 30 total), so if I stay as highly motivated as I have been recently, I'll be done very shortly. Enjoy this excerpt from the book as a preview.

This is my friend Mike George who is currently a junior and

is serving as one of the ND Leprechauns

Is it Simpler for Men to Cut Fat?

I recently addressed the topic "Is it harder for women to burn fat?" The conclusion was that, yes, it is more difficult because women are simply not as strong as men in an untrained state. So, if it is harder for women to burn fat, that should make it "easier" for men, right? That is true... at least to an extent. What types of limits do men have that they need to work on to look like the guys from Jersey Shore? (Just kidding).

 

Fat Loss Theory for my Loyal Kazakhstan Following

Update 1/10/11: For some reason "Kazakhstan" has been a major search term for the past two weeks and has driven quite a bit of traffic to this page on the site. The information in this entry isn't special at all, so I'd like to direct you to a much more useful page if you wound up here. Here is the most "liked" page of the blog... low back pain (part 1) and here is a link to the book page on Amazon.com so you can get your copy of the highly acclaimed "The Theory of Fat Loss"

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While checking the statistics for this blog, I found it quite interesting that I had a bunch of page hits from Kazakhstan. It didn't surprise me that I had visitors from the UK, Germany, and Spain, because I know people that are in those countries right now. Kazakhstan, on the other hand... I don't believe I know anybody that lives there. So, for all the people of Kazakhstan that read English, this blog entry is for you!

Maybe Fat Loss, Exercise, and Getting In Shape aren't for you...

If you don't want to put forth any effort to look really good, you don't have to. In fact, there are many ways to look good without any effort. So, why would you bother following a fat loss blog or reading a fat loss book when you don't have to? What I am about to reveal to you just might be the answer you are looking for.

The Limiting Factor Theory of Fat Loss

The Theory of Fat Loss is comprised of two separate constructs, the theory of absolute intensity and the limiting factor theory. The limiting factor theory states- within any fat loss program exist multiple potential limits that can inhibit one's ability to achieve success, and a limit is defined as anything that negatively impacts one's ability to achieve or maintain a great(er) absolute intensity.

Is Body Mass Correlated With Fat Loss Potential?

When it comes to fat loss, it is important to realize that certain people are better equipped for it than others. Even if we ignore genetics and physiology completely (which I often like to do because few people want me to get that scientific), this is entirely true. One of the main themes in The Theory of Fat Loss is that the more athletic you are and the better in shape you are, the easier it is for you to cut fat (see Strength for one example of this).

On the other side of that spectrum are the people who are not athletic and not in shape... the people who haven't been to a gym in years and who sit around at their computers or at their TV screens and like to eat... in other words, people who, for lack of a better term, are morbidly obese. You will be interested to know that these people will also find it easy to cut fat! In fact, it might be even easier for them than for anyone else!

Branched Chain Amino Acids Linked to Fat Loss?

The branched chain amino acids isoleucine, leucine, and valine have long been purported to be the main drivers of new muscle growth. Bodybuilders have been taking BCAAs for years as a muscle building supplement. Is it possible that BCAAs are also valuable when it comes to burning fat?

Should Kids Train for Fat Loss?

In my previous post, I wrote about women as a special fat loss population. Today, I am writing about another special population, youth. The following is an excerpt from the appendix of The Theory of Fat Loss:

This book applies to adult populations only. While youth obesity is a prevalent societal problem, it is wrong to train kids like they are adults. It is wrong to send kids to “fat camps.” It is wrong to train kids for the sole purpose of absolute muscular strength so that they can train at a greater absolute intensity. It is wrong to push kids so hard that they learn to hate physical activity. 

Is it harder for women to burn fat?

There is a lot of research out there trying to prove that it is harder for women to lose fat or lose weight... whatever you want to call it. The research mostly tries to find genetic and hormonal reasons for why this is true. I am not denying that women store fat more easily than men. I am not denying that existence of chemical reasons for it or practical reasons for it (such as the undeniable fact that women bear children).

However, I think a focus on this sort of research is doing women a disservice. Why give people more excuses for not making positive lifestyle changes. Instead of researching 100 reasons why women are worse at burning fat than men, why not research 100 ways women can burn just as much fat as men? Why focus on the negative and ignore the positive? I have known plenty of women who have lost plenty of weight and who look absolutely fantastic now.

I think the most important reason why women can't lose as much weight as men is because they aren't as strong as men. Please read my post on strength if you don't understand why this is.

Does Strength Matter for Fat Loss?

People often try to burn fat or drop weight with steady state exercise activities. They, for some reason, believe that this is the key to losing weight. There is nothing magical about "aerobic" activity. "Aerobic" simply means "pertaining to oxygen." The aerobic energy system is no more special than the anaerobic energy systems (ATP-CP and glycolysis).

In fact, if you are training the aerobic energy system exclusively, you are not training very intensely. You see, the aerobic energy system is too slow acting to support high intensity activities, and it is high intensity activities that drive fat loss.

Foam Roller Product Review

A foam roller is a piece of equipment that is used primarily for self-myofascial release. Basically, you use it for self-massage. Without a doubt, the foam roller is the most efficient and most valuable piece of equipment for those trying to stay healthy without seeing a professional.

Why do you need soft-tissue work? Over time, repetitive postures and even regular physical activity cause a great deal of stress to your muscles. This stress results in the creation of scar tissue or the reaction of your body to "hold on" to excess tension. This is a problem for multiple reasons.

Built For Show Product Review

When I first started training people, I was very good at teaching exercises and writing personalized warm ups. One of the most important factors in fat loss training is keeping people healthy. I knew that, and that is what I was good at. Without good mechanics and without the proper warmup, any exercise program can go downhill fast.

My very first body transformation client had a few major issues when it came to exercise. First, he was afraid to do lower body exercises. He had always heard that squats and deadlifts were bad for your back and knees. Second, he had very poor posture. His upper back was hunched over, as were his shoulders. He couldn't completely reach overhead. His hips were a disaster. His pelvis was tilted so far forward that he could not properly use his glutes. Third, he didn't trust me.

When I got to working with him to correct these issues, it dawned on me that what I was doing wasn't going to help him achieve his physique goals. In fact, I freely admit that I had no idea how to program for him! So, rather than make something up, I decided to use a proven system. That system was found in the book Built For Show.

Built For Show, written by Nate Green, ended up being the perfect book for my client. I was able to control all the aspects of his warmup, and at the same time, I was able to coach him through the programming from the book without worrying about whether it would be effective. I taught. He executed. What I liked best about Built For Show is that the program lasted an entire year. It is broken down into 4 separate seasons, with two phases per season. This made for a total of 8 different individual programs. Each phase and season built upon what was developed in the previous phase or season.

I believe that the entire program, when viewed as a whole product, is a powerful testimony to the main theme of The Theory of Fat Loss. In fact, Built For Show provided me with key insights when I chose to write my book. It was an inspiration. The results speak for themselves. Below is the transformation picture of my client from when I first met him to when he finished his program. He doesn't even look like the same person! I promise you that he is.

That being said, I would highly recommend the book Built For Show for any man willing to put forth the effort to make a change in his life.

Up and Running

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