Train Like An Athlete; Triple Your Fat Loss

As I write this, we are smack bang in the middle of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Elite Athletes dominate our TV screens, and if you are like me and LOVE the Olympics, that TV is on in the background from dawn til dusk. I'm particularly proud of my 7 year old son, Alex, who has taken to the games incredibly well, opting to cheer on team GB rather than watch his usual Netflix or YouTube - instilling a lifelong habit of health & fitness starts from a young age after all.

Of course, the athletes currently on our TV screen are in excellent shape; not surprising seeing as they are the best in the world at what they do.

Whilst this does not apply to us everyday mortals or weekend warriors, I can assure you (having trained a selection of high level national & international level athletes over the past 10 years in a multitude of sports) that there are key concepts from their physical preparation that we can benefit greatly from. Combined with a solid nutritional set up, the following will improve performance & ramp up fat loss and athleticism in no time.

1.) Treat the body as one piece

Unless injured, athletes don't enter the gym with a view to simply developing one particular body part or muscle group. Instead, the focus on developing specific fitness qualities as required by their sport.  Each session is a total body affair, teaching their body to work as a co-ordinated unit rather than a bunch of separate pieces. 

Your action plan: Simply put, this means you should push something, pull something & do something with your legs each workout.

2.) Train multiple fitness qualities simultaneously 

Tying in with the above, athletes will often train multiple fitness qualities every session (although emphasis may change depending on their competitive schedule). These will include strength, power, speed, mobility & possibly some conditioning work as well. Due to the demand of their sport specfifc training, they don't have the luxury of endless gym sessions per week, and so must cover all bases in 2-3 sessions per week max.

Your action plan: Aim to train a range of fitness qualities each session. Start your workout with some key mobility exercises, perform some jumps or medicine ball throws for power, lift some weights for strength & finish with a short burst of direct fitness work.

3.) Emphasise efficiency in the gym

Limited time availability per gym session means athletes have to strive for the maximum effect with minimal investment of time. This means sticking to big, basic exercises that hit multiple muscle groups at one time. Examples include cleans & snatches, squats, deadlifts, lunges, presses, rows & pull ups and loaded carries, all of which  provide the biggest return on time spent in the gym.

Your action plan: Be sure to base your strength work/lifting portion of your workout around variations of the above listed exercises. Do this & you won't go far wrong!

So there you have it - implement these 3 strategies into your training today to train like an athlete & triple your fat loss results. You won't be disappointed!

The Simple Solution to Your Fad Diet Habit

The UK diet industry is now reportedly worth over £2 billion, and is growing all the time.

It seems we are a nation obsessed with being thin, yet the majority of the adult population are overweight or obese.

Fad diets are a big part of this, with rebound weight gain almost guaranteed, along with lower levels of confidence & self-esteem as a result.

Stop the madness.

Fad diets DO. NOT. WORK.

There is even an argument that this is in fact the point of fad diets, as if you continually re-gain weight and get fatter overtime, the "diet guru's" can continue to sell you the latest diet again, year after year after year.

Forget fad diets.

Here is your solution:

There is no doubt that diet & nutrition is a confusing area for most, with many, many people promoting many, many different approaches.

Whilst approaches can differ however, there are certain "big rocks" that ALL approaches have & that should form the basis of your nutrition for general health & fitness.

These are:

1.) Eat breakfast

2.) Eat at least 3 meals per day

3.) Eat protein at every meal

4.) Consume fibre at every meal

5.) Take your fish oil capsules

Simply aim to do all of the above daily & don't worry about the rest, at least for now.

That's it. Add in some strength training & fitness work a couple times per week (ideally under the guidance of a coach) & you will be amazed at the difference it can make.

If you struggle with fat loss, simply refer back to this list & see how many your are actually doing on a daily basis. Until you get these down, don't even worry about anything else - the rest is just details.

You'll also notice an improvement in energy levels, recovery from workouts & reduced sugar cravings, amongst other benefits.

Really folks, it is THAT simple. 

No secrets, miracle formulas of magic shakes required.

Give it a shot & let us know how you get on!

The 3 Main Benefits of Strength Training for Fat Loss

Strength training forms a part of all our fat loss programmes here at Fighting Fit, along with mobility work, core training and conditioning / fitness work.

Fat loss is of course first and foremost a dietary issue more than a training one; something we are quick to educate all our clients on when they first join us. The old adage is true - you really can't out train a bad diet.

That being said, training is an important addition to the process for a whole host of reasons, including a range of benefits such as improved bone density to improved glucose tolerance, not to mention the benefits that just being stronger brings in general.

However, there are 3 main benefits to strength training for fat loss that the majority of our clients can appreciate and relate to. Check them out below, in no particular order:

1.) It Speeds The Process Up

Whilst diet is number 1 in the fat loss realm, strength training without doubt speeds the process up and make sit easier. This is due primarily to the effect strength training has on both short-term and long term metabolism.

Metabolic resistance training has been shown to elevate resting metabolic rate (RMR) for up to 36 hours post-workout in studies, which means your body is burning more energy for a day and a half after your gym session than it would do otherwise. Three to four strength training sessions a week and this adds up when it comes to establishing the necessary calorie deficit for effective fat loss.

Strength training also improves insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue, which means it can effectively manage insulin spikes better and also refer ingested carbohydrate into muscle tissue / glycogen rather than body fat.

In short, strength training helps you store less food as body fat and increases daily calorie expenditure at a far higher rate than other forms of exercise.

2.) It Changes Your Shape

This point is probably the easiest one for people to relate to.

Simply put, there are two types of superficial tissue than influence our appearance day to day - fat and muscle. Fat is formless - it just hangs there. Muscle, on the other hand provides shape, and results in the lean, toned look that 99% of people chase.

The idea of "gaining muscle" is a hard pill to swallow for a lot of women, who have images of some pumped up bodybuilder in their heads. Of course, this is not what we are after, and with a well designed fat loss programme that incorporates a little strength training, is not what we'll get.

The reality is that adding a few lbs of lean muscle to a female frame is the ONLY way to achieve the lean, toned, sleek look that they want. Fortunately, this is becoming more and more mainstream and more ladies are finally starting to appreciate how strength training will move them closer to the physique they desire.

Strength training allows you to alter your body composition, lift your glutes, tone your arms and sculpt your thighs in a way no other form of exercise can!

3.) It Helps Keep The Weight Off

The final main benefit we are going to discuss today is how strength training helps to maintain fat loss over time.

The chronic elevated metabolic rate that results from long term strength training essentially "raises the baseline" when it comes to daily calorie expenditure.

By elevating your metabolism long term, you expend more calories daily, which essentially means you can eat more food daily.

This is key when it comes to maintaining dietary practices that got you lean in the first place.

You cannot continue to eat less and less food over time as you get leaner and leaner. At some point, you have to find a balance where by you can continue to eat a reasonable amount of food whilst still maintaining your fat loss if your are to keep it off long term.

An increase is RMR long term (along with an adjusted palate and better food choices) is what allows you to do this, thus making your habits sustainable over time.


So there you have it - three of the many benefits of strength training for fat loss. Why on earth would you not strength train if you are not already doing so? Start today and you'll be impressed with the results I guarantee!