How To Train For Fat Loss

You can smell it in the air.

The flowers are blooming, people are dusting off their BBq's, and the pool is preparing to open up.  

Whether you want to hang your chiseled arm out your window while blasting the new Kendrick Lamar album, or you want to rock the hell out of your bikini, the time to prepare is now. 

The question is, how? 
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​Unlike Sway, I've got the answers. 

Fat Loss Is Simple 

It isn't easy, but it's simple.

It's so simple most people think there must be something more to it. As if there's a secret fitness society that holds the secret to fat loss, and every year they gather in the red woods of California, dress in black robes and perform ancient fat loss rituals. 

First off, if I find out this exists and I wasn't invited, I'll be pissed. 

Second, there are no secrets. Because the magic isn't in the knowledge, but in the execution of that knowledge. 

And that second part is where most people trip up. 

So here's the deal. I'll lay it all out below, but I don't want you to be another statistic who didn't step their game up in time for summer. Take this stuff and execute it with your heart and soul. 

Just promise you'll think of me every time a little kid points at you and says, "Daddy how come you don't have muscles like that?" 

If we've got a deal, let's dive in. 
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Build More Strength

When it comes to burning fat, muscle is your best friend. It keeps your metabolism roaring, and it looks awesome.

But in order to burn fat, you need to be in a caloric deficit (eating less calories than you burn- more on that Here) . When you're in a caloric deficit, your body wants to conserve as much energy as possible.  Since muscle burns so much more energy than fat, your body will gladly get rid of it. Sure, you'll burn fat, but you'll lose some muscle in the process. 
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This means your metabolism slows down, long term fat loss becomes more difficult, and there definitely will not be any kids asking their daddy why he doesn't have muscles like you. 

But if your body is forced to grind some heavy weights on a regular basis, it has no choice but to keep the muscle and shed fat instead. 

Start each fat loss workout with a heavy compound lift. Something like a barbell squat, deadlift, bench press, or military press. Do 2-5 sets of 5-10 reps,  resting between ninety seconds to two minutes.

Train Your Entire Body

To get the most bang for your buck, train your entire body during each workout. There are a few reasons for this: 
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• ​Training more muscle at one time means more energy expenditure (calorie burning).  A good, hard full-body workout will burn more calories than a workout that hits 1-2 muscle groups.
• Training your whole body allows you to focus more on the best result-getting exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows, presses, and pull-ups. When you train just one or two muscle groups per day, you may include some of those key exercises, but you'll also spend more time doing things like lateral raises, biceps curls, and other isolation moves. There's nothing wrong with these exercises, but when fat loss is the goal, your time is better spent else where. 
• Big exercises mean big results, so a full body routine performed three to four times per week will allow you to hit those big lifts frequently for the most efficient fat loss​. 

Note: For best results, vary your sets and reps schemes throughout the week. Try experimenting with some you haven't used before. Some of my favorites are 5 sets of 5, 4 sets of 8, 3 sets of 15, and even 3 sets of 20. 

Generally speaking, the exercises at the beginning of your workout should be heavier (5 sets of 5, 4 sets of 8), and exercises later in your workout should be lighter (3 sets of 10-20) 

Create EPOC

EPOC stands for Excessive Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. It's also known by it's other, much cooler moniker: 'After Burn'

When you train with a high intensity (think lifting weights, circuits, sprints, etc), your're using more oxygen than your body can supply your working muscles. This creates an oxygen deficit that needs to be replenished. 

That means after your workout is finished, your body's still working hard to replenish that oxygen debt, burning calories in the process. This is how it earned it's nickname, After Burn. 

This is an effective way to train for fat loss. But be warned....

It's going to suck. 

What I mean by that is, to create the after burn effect, you need to do activities that cause you to suck wind. This can be accomplished many different ways, but some of my favorites are listed below:

• Upper body, lower body super sets: Choose an upper body exercise (pull ups), and a lower body exercise (lunges).  Perform a set of lunges, and without rest, perform a set of pull-ups, followed by a short rest period. This is one super-set. Both exercises are challenging when performed on their own, but when paired together they extend the length of the set, creating a high suck factor. And this leads to more calories burned, during and after the workout (After Burn). 
• Antagonist super sets: This is the same concept as the above upper/lower body super set, only your're using opposing muscle groups. Opposing muscle groups are groups of muscle that perform the opposite function on the same joint, and are usually found on opposite sides of the body. Examples include the quadriceps/hamstrings, biceps/triceps, or pecs/upper back. These aren't quite as brutal as upper/lower super sets, but when trained hard, they effectively torch fat. 
• Shorten rest periods: You can create the after burn effect by shortening your rest periods to 30-45 seconds between sets. 

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Throw In Some Cardio

Cardio gets some hate, and that's too bad. 

Not only does it torch calories, it helps you recover between your heavy workouts so you can come back strong for the next one. 

Considering it also reduces stress, leading to fewer emotionally-charged food binges and a generally happier life, cardio is alright by me. 

When building cardio into your plan, think of it as a compliment to your strength training plan. Meaning strength training is the cake, and cardio is the icing (bad analogy for a fat loss article?) 

Two to three cardio sessions per week lasting between 20-40 minutes will compliment your strength training nicely. Smile, fire up a podcast, and keep your effort at about a 6-7/10. 
 
Lets tie this all together. Below is a sample workout that uses all the strategies listed above. Feel free to try this workout exactly how it is, or use it as a framework to build your own. 

​Sample Workout 

A- Barbell Squat: 5x5, 
Rest 120 secs 

B1- Reverse dumbbell lunge: 4x8/leg
B2- Pull-up: 4x AMRAP (as many reps as possible)
Rest 90 secs 

C1- Parallel bar dips: 3x15 (weighted if necessary)
C2. Bent over dumbbell row: 3x15
C3- Flat lying leg raise: 3x15
Rest 90-120 secs

Stair mill- 20 minutes

That's it, gang. Now there ain't nothing to it but to do it. 

Take what you've learned, execute it regularly, and don't hesitate to show off a little this summer. ​​

Each week I send out ​powerful strategies designed to help you burn fat, build muscle, and optimize your life. These strategies are built around the following 5 pillars:

1. Powerful Morning Rituals
2. Nutrition
3. Physical Training
4. Mental Fitness
5. Powerful Evening Rituals
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