The truth is I know a thing or two about fat loss.
Why?
Because:
1. I used to be a fat kid.
2. I’m no longer a fat kid.
Now I don’t know about you, but nothing annoys me more than that “fat guy” telling people how to lose weight. And there seems to be a lot of “that guy” out there nowadays.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while then you know the following to be true about me:
1. I don’t use or recommend any sort of “fat burner” or magic diet pill.
2. I don’t oil myself up.
3. I don’t go tanning (clearly…).
4. No special effects or lighting.
5. I’m not “special” (unless you ask my mom) or genetically gifted by any means.
6. I am unable to grow a truly strong beard like Som
7. Yet I maintain single digit body fat year round.
And I am able to do this because the system works. And I know what works and what doesn’t work, because I’ve been there and have struggled trying to figure the whole “fat loss” thing out. It took me a while. But dammit I got it now. And I’m here to share it with you.
Now that’s not to say that “that fat guy” may not have some decent information, and he may even be a great dude who knows a lot about a lot of neat things. And maybe it’s just me being me, but I’m about just as willing to take fat loss advice from a fat person as I am to take investment advice from a poor person (or ethics advice from Bernie Madoff). There’s something to be said about having successfully embarked on the fat loss journey yourself that gives you a certain amount of insight that can’t be acquired by any other means. Furthermore, it must be known that it is equally important to not only embark on that journey, but to ensure that you did so in a sustainable fashion and have not since regressed.
I not only have taken that fat loss journey, but I have also only maintained and/or improved my level of health, strength, and leanness over the past ten years since I took those first grueling steps towards the betterment of myself. And believe me, I remember how difficult those first steps were to take.
I guess that goes to show that there really is no final destination, and that it is the ongoing journey and pursuit that truly matters. There is no end to self improvement.
If you’ll permit me, what I’d like to talk about today is why and how.
Why the science behind metabolic conditioning and the Metabolic Reset is so damn effective for fat loss, and how it came to be.
I define metabolic conditioning in the Birth of a Hero as:
Moderate to Heavy Strength Efforts + Elevated Cardiovascular Stress (while simultaneously switching between muscle groups and energy systems) = Metabolic Conditioning
Now “burning fat” actually requires that two things occur. One is that we mobilize fatty acids into our blood stream and the second is that when then utilize the fatty acids that are floating around.
Now high intensity exercise – such as heavy lifting, sprinting, etc , will stimulate the release of adrenaline which helps to dump fatty acids into the blood stream. The problem with stopping there is with re-esterfication, which is when we don’t actually utilize those fatty acids floating around and they simply just move back into our cozy fat cells. So mobilizing the fatty acids into our blood stream is only one piece of the puzzle. What we have to do once the fatty acids are mobilized are to burn them suckers up!
(BIG NOTE: What I’m preaching about today is “advanced fat loss” – meaning calculated and clever tactics I use to maintain a single digit body fat percentage. And what if you are just starting out? Like I said before, the system works and can be applied across to the board. No matter where you are at in the game, you can and should implement these strategies now!)
We know that the phosphagenic and glycolytic energy systems are great for mobilizing fatty acids and for EPOC (that “afterburn”), but not so great for burning them off. That’s what the oxidative energy system is for.
The rare beauty of metabolic conditioning is that since the aim is to improve the efficiency of all three energy systems (phosphagenic, glycolytic, and oxidative) you can bet that we will spend time utilizing and taxing each one. The high intensity movements utilizing the phosphagenic and glycolytic energy systems will stimulate the release of adrenaline to dump the fatty acids into the blood stream, and then through keeping the system under prolonged stress through properly constructed complexes we tap into our oxidative system which will deliver the final blow and burn up the circulating fatty acids.
Now you may be wondering why can’t I just perform 15 to 20 minutes of high intensity exercise, and then spend 20 to 40 minutes working traditional “cardio” or some other sort of lower intensity/oxidative type of exercise. Well you could, and it wouldn’t be “bad” option per say, but why do any more work than you have to? Remember, doing any more than the bare minimum is just silly. Why not get the same output(fat loss) with less input (time). You can get the job done with The Birth of a Hero program in half the time. That my friends is efficiency.
This is why I will always turn towards metabolic conditioning for the most drastic fat loss results. Short of liposuction nothing is as effective.
Now we must turn our attention towards nutrition. A lot fitness professionals would claim that nutrition attributes to 80% of your fat loss results. I would argue that percentage to be higher, probably more so around 95% (especially for those of us that are not so genetically gifted). Even with the power of The Birth of a Hero, it still remains true that you cannot out-train a bad diet.
That is why I would like to perso
nally invite each and everyone of of you to our Metabolic Reset Webinar which will be conducted at 2pm(eastern time) tomorrow! This Webinar is FREE to all members of our SuperHero Development Program – and since the SuperHero Development Program is FREE for the first month, that essentially means that this webinar is free to everyone! So HURRY and sign up for the SuperHero Development Program, because you do not want to miss the information that I am going to present tomorrow at this webinar!
But what if you can’t make the webinar?!?
I got you covered! All members of the SDP will be able to download a digital copy of the webinar to enjoy at their own convenience!
Here are just a few topics that I will be covering at our Metabolic Reset Webinar tomorrow:
- How to hit the “reset” button on your metabolism through tactical binging
- The science behind the metabolic reset and why it is so damn effective for sustainable fat loss
- The premise behind concentrated carb dosing and finding the minimum amount of carbs you need to fuel your workouts and make you strong without an ounce of fat gain
- The power of water fasting for fat loss, vitality, and longevity
- Selecting optimum carb sources to ensure there is no overflow into “fat town”
- Open question and answer forum for all attendees! I will not stop until all questions have been answered!
That is by no means an all inclusive list, but clearly you do not want to miss the information being presented at this webinar if you are at all serious about discovering the sustainable fat loss solution. The key word there of course being sustainable!
I hope to see you all there! Remember, this is FREE when you sign up for your first FREE month of the SuperHero Development Program!
Now if you are unable to make the webinar tomorrow but want some specific questions answered – please post them below in the comment section or email them to me at HardstyleKettlebells@yahoo.com and I will be sure to address them during the webinar!
Now before we go onto the technique critique enjoy the following double kettlebell complex and low carb recipe! Like this sorta thang? Then join the SuperHero Development Program for tons more!
Technique Critique!
Again, the response to this has been overwhelming – so I will begin cycling submissions and trying to work in more than one video per post.
Remember, if you want to be featured on Technique Critique shoot me an email at HardstyleKettlebells@yahoo.com with the subject line of “technique critique” and links to your videos!
1. The clean needs a little “cleaning up”. And this is not something that is uncommon. Som and I were discussing this the other day, and we feel that people simply just don’t practice cleans enough. Too often folks only clean when they absolutely have to – like once before a set of presses – rather than in between each press. But remember, the clean sets you up for the perfect press, and your press will only be as good as your clean. So this goes out to everyone – take the time to clean up your clean and develop a strong, clean, fluid movement. You will be amazed as to what this will do for your press. Watch this video here for some tips.
2. Pressing groove is not bad – may just want to keep it a little tighter and not flare out so much. But again everyone is an individual and I wouldn’t expect everyone’s groove to look the same. So long as there is strong lat engagement throughout and the forearm is as vertical as possible then we’re cool.
3. My primary concern lies within Tina’s stability – especially towards the lockout. This is particularly noticeable in her core/lumbar region. Again this is not uncommon – as most (not all but most) folks are hypermobile in their CT and TL junctions – and this is often pronounced under load – exactly what we don’t want. Lumbar needs stability under load, not mobility. There is also some shoulder and hip instability as well going on. This goes to show that there is value in picking up heavy weight every now and then for assessment purposes- as it will often unveil issues such as these. I’m sure this would not be as noticeable with a 12kg kettlebell.
What I would first recommend Tina to do is spend some time performing some very slow and controlled turkish get ups with a strict focus on stability throughout each position – really keep the butt and the belly as tight as possible. Some rack holds, overhead holds, and overhead walks may also be an appropriate prescription – but again only to the extend that Tina is able to maintain a neutral spine and strong engagement. Of course, planks may help as well – but again, doing a bunch of planks doesn’t necessarily ensure core stability.
There are many tools that one can use. But of course some tools are better than others in certain circumstances. I believe that heavy, slow get ups
will benefit Tina a lot in terms of developing the stability needed for the press.
The instability and broken position is most noticeable at the 1:16 mark – as Tina has broken at the lumbar (is overly lordotic/extended) and is compensating to keep the bell overhead with a lack of shoulder flexion (notice the position of her bicep in regards to her ear – it is too far forwards). What needs to happen here is the bell and butt need to tighten up, the ribs need to be pushed back and the belly shortened (rather than elongated through lumbar extension), and there needs to be more shoulder flexion (arm needs to be farther back).
Again, this is not uncommon at all! I see a lot of people “breaking” under the weight in this manner. And I’ve fixed a lot of people by prescribing slow and moderately heavy get ups with a strict focus on stability at each position. I believe this will be equally appropriate for Tina as well – and it surely won’t hurt anything.
This was a great video – as it highlights a common problem with the military press – which is the broken lumbar position and lack of stability.
But overall this is a very fixable problem and Tina is a VERY strong lady! I have no doubt she will have this solved in no time and provide us with a video to prove it. Excellent work Tina. Please provide Tina with your own feedback in the comment section below!
– Pat