The ONE Thing You Need to Know About Fat Loss Theory

If you wanted to take one point away from The Theory of Fat Loss and one point only, a concept that summarizes in it's entirety what fat loss theory is truly about in terms of exercise, then I would tell you one word... PROGRESSION.

In my previous post, Fat Loss Theory and the Hedgehog Concept, I discuss that there are two types of exercisers, those who are foxes, overwhelmed with the infinite means to the same end, and those who are hedgehogs. The hedgehogs know that to be successful long term with an exercise program, you only need to continue to get better. Simply put, once you stop progressing in the gym, you stop getting results!

In other words... you won't look like this:

... training like this:

The fact that some people still go to the gym and do the same thing they've always done and expect different results is insanity! Take the following example:

Fat Loss Theory and the Hedgehog Concept

In the book Good to Great, Jim Collins reveals to us the Hedgehog Concept, based on the famous Isaiah Berlin essay "The Hedgehog and the Fox." The story goes as follows.

The story revolves around the idea that people are categorized as either hedgehogs or foxes. Foxes know many things, but hedgehogs know one big thing.

The fox is cunning and can devise hundreds, if not thousands of strategies for sneaking up on the hedgehog. So, every day the fox comes up with a new plan to pounce on the hedgehog. He circles around the hedgehogs den just waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

The hedgehog leaves his den to find food, and the fox has his chance, so he leaps out hoping to surprise and kill the hedgehog using his new plan. Of course, the hedgehog, although he is in danger, is not afraid. He wonders if the fox will ever learn. The hedgehog rolls up into a ball and becomes a sphere of sharp spikes. The fox sees this and realizes he can't do anything or he will get speared... so he retreats and tries to come up with a new plan. Every day, another version of this battle takes place... and every day, the hedgehog wins.

As Bruce Lee once said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."

You see, foxes, according to Berlin, are "scattered or diffused, moving on many levels." What they don't have is a one unifying concept or overall vision. They see the world for all its complexities. Hedgehogs, on the other hand, simplify all these complexities into one basic principle. Every challenge, every dilemma, no matter how complex, is reduced to a simple hedgehog idea. According to Collins, anything that does not relate to the hedgehog idea is irrelevant.

What does all this talk of hedgehogs and foxes have to do with fat loss? Read on and find out!

The Theory of Fat Loss: Knowledge Limits to Exercise

In my opinion, one of the most overlooked parts of The Theory of Fat Loss was the chapter on "knowledge limits." It isn't because the information wasn't important. It wasn't because people couldn't understand it either. The reason is that I basically told people that learning was important. It is a good message I suppose, but it is not really all that practical.

Oftentimes stories can be used to illustrate a point much more clearly, and now I have one for you. It demonstrates the power of knowledge when it comes to training with limited resources.

The Theory of Fat Loss: Author Interview

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to share with you today my interview with Erik Rokeach from Fitness Business Interviews. In that interview, I discuss how I got started as a fitness professional, my growth in the industry, what inspired me to write a book, how I went about inventing a fitness product that doesn't suck, and a whole bunch of other things. I hope you enjoy it.

You can check it out here:
Fitness Business Interviews

Fat Loss Theory: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Bootcamps

If you have known me for a long time, you probably know how much I dislike group fitness classes such as bootcamps. Why? Here is what you typically get...

-A trainer who doesn't know how to coach movement
-A trainer who doesn't know how to program
-A trainer who doesn't know how to progress and regress exercises
-A bunch of clients who get injured or who need personal attention so they don't hurt themselves... but who don't get that attention because of factors 1 and 2
-A bunch of clients who do not get results

Now, if you have read my book, THE Theory of Fat Loss, then you know the following.

1) Individualization is king
2) Absolute (and not relative) intensity is the true determinant of how effective an exercise program will be.
3) If you aren't preventing injury and breaking through limits, you are wasting your time.

I never thought that you could run a group fitness class that was effective at addressing all these factors... that is... until recently...

Fat Loss Theory: Running and Aerobics (Part 2)

Contrary to popular belief, running (or any type of steady state cardio or aerobic exercise, for that matter) is not at all necessary when it comes to fat loss. In fact, I would go as far as to say that aerobic exercise is just about as far down the usefulness totem pole as it gets when it comes to fat loss. Of course, the reason for this has already been covered in Part 1 of this series. When it comes to absolute intensity, the main determinant of how effective an exercise program will be for fat loss, aerobic exercise simply cannot keep up with other methods.

However, aerobic exercise isn't necessarily terrible either. The real problem, outside of a small absolute intensity (by definition), is with limiting factors.

I'm taking my talents to Elizabethtown.

Sorry for the delay between posts, but I have been busy preparing to move to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to work for Pat Rigsby and Nick Berry over at Fitness Consulting Group. I'm going to have a big role in shaping the growth and development of two franchises, Athletic Revolution (youth fitness)and Fitness Revolution. That, and I'm sure I'll be doing a bunch of other stuff that has yet to be determined.

If I don't get to Part 2 of my aerobics series this week, I'll get to it next week... so be sure to catch up on Part 1 if you haven't done so already.

Fat Loss Theory: Running and Aerobics (Part 1)

Part 2

It is a widespread belief that aerobic exercise, such as running, is necessary for fat loss. This all got started shortly after Dr. Kenneth Cooper's book Aerobics was published in 1968.

For some reason, aerobic exercise became a widespread phenomenon in the 1970s... and unlike other trends and fads, aerobics had staying power. Interestingly enough, the 1970s was also the time that bodybuilding went mainstream (thank you Arnold).

I could rant about how these two styles of training ruined fitness for decades (and will continue to do so)... however, I will instead take the objective road. Since I've already written about bodybuilding splits not being conducive to fat loss, this series of posts will analyze running/aerobics and their effectiveness as a fat loss tool.

Spinal Stability Reference: Core Training

I just read an article called "21st Century Core Training." It was written on the T-nation website by Mike Robertson... who, by the way, is awesome.

Anyway, I highly suggest checking out that article, especially if you are already familiar with the concept of core stability and the true role of the abdominals. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please refer first to my posts on low back pain... that is, if you haven't done so already.

Low Back Pain: Injury Limits to Fat Loss
Part 1
Part 2

If you don't care to read Mike's core article, you are missing out... but here is my short summary of it...

Fasted Cardio (Part 3): The LAZY Man's Dieting Gimmick

Part 1
Part 2

This is the finale to the 3 part fasted cardio series. In Part 1, I introduced us to the concept of fasted cardio for selective fat loss. In Part 2, I compared the effectiveness of fasted cardio as a fat loss tool to the new paradigm from The Theory of Fat Loss: A New Paradigm for Exercise and reached the conclusion that it may be a useful tool... but only as an adjunct to training assuming that it doesn't interfere with recovery from a person's primary training program.

Interestingly, Eric Cressey just wrote an article about the problems associated with "adding" to weight training programs, and he hit on a great point about it. I suggest checking it out here.

But anyway... in this post I will simply reveal to you that fasted cardio is nothing more than an overblown and overpracticed manipulation of your DIET and not really anything special.

Fasted Cardio (Part 2): Intensity Theory In Question?

In Part 1 of this three part series, I set the stage for tackling a potential concern I knew I would be hearing about sooner or later, that is, the idea that fasted cardio somehow disproves or discredits the theory of absolute intensity and thus the theory of fat loss.

(Interestingly enough, a day after I posted that entry, a new article in favor of fasted cardio appeared on the T-Nation website... and also in favor of selling you a bunch of supplements.)

Anyway, like I said previously, this post is not designed to convince you whether fasted cardio works or doesn't work. I'm going to ignore that point entirely because you can read enough about that anywhere. You won't find what I'm about to say anywhere else on the Internet. No mindless rehashing of ideas in this post! Rather, we are going to assume that fasted cardio is effective and take it from there...

Fasted Cardio (Part 1): The Theory of Fat Loss Counter Point?

Sooner or later, someone was going to call me and my book out. Someone was going to challenge it. Someone was going to say, "Fasted cardio burns fat very effectively and is completed at a very low absolute intensity. Doesn't that contradict the theory of absolute intensity in your book?"