Article shared with us by “Alicia and Carrie” of Complete Bootcamp Workouts

If you can’t lose weight, there are specific reasons for this that you have more control over than you think.

You’re not strength training. Often, people who can’t lose weight don’t do any strength training. The more lean, sleek muscle you have, the faster your resting metabolism, because muscle is the body’s most metabolically active tissue.

You’re not exercising in a way that forces the body to adapt. The adaptive response requires energy; it raises your body’s energy needs. The body will then dig into stored fat for this energy.

If you’ve been strength training and the weight hasn’t been coming off, it’s because you’re not doing much more than merely going through the motions.

There’s the story of a heavy-set woman who was doing lat pull-downs with 70 pounds. A trainer waltzed over, knelt beside her, said “Hi” with a smile, then moved the machine’s pin to the 100 pound mark.  The woman’s mouth fell open, but the trainer said, “You’re going to do 100 pounds for your next set, and eight times.”  “I can’t do 100 pounds!”  “Oh yes you can. Trust me. You’re going to complete eight reps.”

The woman said her goal was to lose weight, but nothing was happening despite regular workouts. She began pulling down the bar, and it wasn’t easy. She had to fight her way to the eighth rep, but she completed eight full repetitions.  The trainer said, “Now that’s the way every set should feel. Apply this effort level to all of your sets for every exercise. You won’t lose weight if you keep doing something your body is efficient at. You must do something that forces you to struggle. Struggling begets weight loss.”

A month later the woman reported having dropped an entire dress size.  Moral of this true story: Exercises that require struggling will burn fat and cause weight loss, especially when coupled with sensible eating.

You eat mindlessly. Every little sample and nugget counts. One tablespoon of gravy is 100 calories. A “little bit here and there” adds up. Avoid eating due to cues not related to sustenance, such as watching TV.

You drink diet sodas. (We’ve written about this one before ) Artificial sweeteners often trigger hunger.  Too many processed foods. These trigger hunger, and too much white sugar and high fructose corn syrup will get stored as fat.

You skip breakfast. We would like to add that you skip protein at breakfast, which we think is important.  Breakfast, even if it’s only a cup of yogurt, tends to tame later-day appetite.   Skipping it can make you feel entitled to overeat later on.

You don’t do cardio. It’s amazing how many people, who don’t do cardio, wonder why they can’t lose weight.  Taking care of two preschoolers or pulling weeds does not replace structured cardiovascular exercise.

You hold onto the treadmill. This has got to be one of the most weight-loss-sabotaging habits out there. The body has absolutely no reason to burn more fat in response to make-believe walking.  Instead, pump the arms and get winded to force your body to adapt. Remember, the body won’t adapt to something that it’s very efficient at doing (e.g., walking while holding onto something for support).

You don’t do HIIT: highintensity interval training. This form of cardio blasts fat.

Inconsistent exercise habits. Weight loss won’t go hard and deep if your workouts are not consistent. Even if you’re doing everything right in the gym, consistency is still very important.

Poor sleeping habits. Research shows that under six hours of sleep and over nine are strongly linked to excess body fat.

Too much daytime napping. Excessive inertia means a slowed metabolism to accommodate it.

Before you blame your parents and grandparents for having “the wrong genes,” review your lifestyle habits to find out what can be modified to promote fat loss.  Changing any one of these things can help you achieve your weight loss goals. 

For more details on changes you can make to boost weight loss, call us today.

by Jeremy Brost, Personal Trainer

At the beginning of October 2010, Kerry Kinney, a member of the National Guard in Shelbyville, came to Fitness By Design looking for a trainer to help get him in shape to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).  The APFT was set for the first weekend of November, and we had 5 weeks to reach his goals.

The requirements to pass the APFT for a 46 year old were the following:  a minimum of  30 push-ups, 32 sit-ups, and a two mile run max of 18 minutes and 42 seconds.  Even though this was all he had to do to pass, Kerry set higher personal goals:  40 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, and a two mile run in 17 minutes and 33 seconds.

Kerry knew he had to show up committed and work hard at every workout in order to succeed.  He also wanted to drop some body fat, so I started him on an eating plan.  This plan combined with working out with me 3 times per week for 45 minutes would help him achieve his goals.

The workout I personalized for him was set up just like a “mini” boot-camp that involved push-ups, sit-ups, and two mile run with intervals of sprints and hills.  Kerry knew the two mile run goal would be the hardest for him to achieve,  so he asked me run with him and push him along the way, which was something I was more than willing to do.  Throughout the month we also cross-trained, alternating between the Concept 2 rower and treadmill.  However, the majority of the time we tried to stay outside to make sure he was well acclimated to the conditions of the test.

On his first day of training with me, Kerry completed 27 push-ups, 18 sit-ups, and ran his two miles in 22 minutes.  At the end of his 5 week FBD program, Kerry recorded 50 push-ups and 56 sit-ups, and a 17:50 two mile run.  Needless to say, Kerry was more than ready for his APFT through his hard work and dedication.

At the APFT, Kerry strategically paced himself so he had enough energy for the run and recorded 40 push-ups and 40 sit-ups.  Kerry followed this with a personal best two mile run time of 17:29.  He still continues training with an awesome attitude to keep fit for his next test.

Congratulations Kerry on this great accomplishment and thank you for serving our country!

I recently read a blog post from a buddy of mine in the fitness industry.  Kevin Buckley and I met in 2008 while getting certified for Natural Training at the Monkey Bar Gym in Wisconsin.  I later visited Kevin’s gym, Dynamic Strength and Conditioning in Nashua, New Hampshire and participated in some of his strength and conditioning classes. He is hard core, has a great passion for fitness, and a first class training facility.

Kevin recently posted an article on his blog that I really like. The title of his article is simply, “Commit”.

Once your priorities are in order, and you’ve set your goals, the success of reaching those goals lies in your commitment to making it happen.

I like what he writes and I commend his passion for helping people get results.  There may be more points that resonate with you.  I recommend reading the rest of his post here: http://dynamicstrength.blogspot.com/2010/12/commit.html

Here’s a picture of me, Steve Maxwell, and Kevin (on the far left) from a kettle bell workshop at Kevin’s gym last year.

Who doesn’t want to be fit?  Well, maybe that guy isn’t.  He’s probably not interested in the secret to getting fit in 2010.

Before you waste any more time looking for the fitness secret…here it is:

THERE IS NO SECRET!

Do yourself a favor and quit looking for the secret. There’s no magic pill, no secret technique. No tricks or gimmicks. The way to get fit is to exercise…most everyday. On some of those days, you will have to push yourself to the point of fatigue. It won’t be enough to just break a sweat.

Now, make no mistake, it’s better to be active than to simply sit on the couch eating a bag of chips and drinking a Coke. But don’t confuse being active with being fit. (See definition of fitness.) Many people would benefit from being more active but real progress toward fitness will take more.

Part of getting fit is managing your calories. How strict the management is will depend on your goals. Maintaining weight isn’t going to be as hard as getting lean. If you want to get lean, it will require knowing the exact number of calories your body is going to need and the exact number you’re putting in it.

I guarantee. If you combine exercise with calorie management, you will be well on your way to becoming fit in 2010. The personal trainers at FBD are here to help you with that goal.

There are a few words and phrases that make our boot campers especially happy when they hear them. Here are a few:

1. Grab a Power Wheel
2. As many rounds as possible (AMRAP)
3. Bear Crawl
4. This last round is a double
5. …BURPEES!!
6. Jump Rope – 100 forward and 100 backward
7. Grab a heavy weight!
8. The finisher is
9. Last round? maintain your number!
10. Calisthenic warm-up

What are the words that make you glad you showed up for boot camp class?