Most people that want to drop body fat think of one thing. Cardio, cardio cardio!
And sometimes these people will see some progress. They’ll be dropping weight on the scale and even looking a little better, especially if they were doing nothing prior to this weight cut.
But then… it happens!
You start to get bored, and old habits creep back up on you. You slowly start to pack on more body fat and before you know it, you’re right back at square one!
Today, I’m here to divert your destiny of the ups and downs of fat loss!
I want to teach you guys the most common mistakes to avoid when trying to drop fat, and precisely what to do instead!
The approach to sustainable fat loss that I’m about to teach you has been time tested and proven to work over and over again.
I just need YOU to trust the process and follow through to the letter. If you choose to deviate then I cannot guarantee you the incredible results you will see if you do exactly what I say.
With all that being said, let’s get to it!
Mistake # 1: Doing nothing but steady state cardio:
Most people think that spending hours upon hours on a treadmill or running miles upon miles is going to get them abs. As I mentioned earlier, some people will start to lose body fat and scale weight. However, the problem occurs once they get to a certain point and can’t lose another pound! Been there before?
Here’s why this happens.
The more lean muscle mass you have on your frame, the faster your metabolism will work, since muscle is highly metabolic. The faster your metabolism works, the more fat you’ll burn.
When you do nothing but cardio you will also be losing a significant amount of muscle, along with body fat. So even though what you’re doing may seem to be effective, you will also be shooting yourself in the foot in the long run, since you’ll be slowing down your metabolism by burning all this muscle.
Now if you enjoy going for a jog it’s not my place to tell you not to do it. Also, if you are overweight and looking to get started, don’t get frustrated by what I’m telling you and choose to do nothing instead. Something is 1000000 x’s better than nothing. That’s for sure, so don’t think you’ve been wasting time.
What I am telling you will just be much more efficient with more sustainable results.
Here’s the remedy.
Solution to mistake # 1: Weight train 3-4 days per week, 45 min to 1 hour per day and do cardio/conditioning 2-3 days per week, 20-40 min per day. Take 1 day per week off for recovery. I recommend hill sprints, jumping rope and bleachers for conditioning.
Mistake # 2: Starving yourself
I see it time and time again. People think that not eating is going to get them looking shredded. Instead, they end up looking like a starving animal from one of those Sarah McLachlan commercials (They get me every time). The problem with eating extremely low calories is the same problem that I mentioned before. Since you need to eat enough food in order to build or at least maintain muscle mass, starving yourself will only lead to you working backwards in the long run. Plus, combine a shit ton of cardio and not eating enough, you’ll soon be at the dreaded “skinny fat” look which nobody wants! On top of that you’ll be tired all the time and weak as piss.
So here’s what you do!
Solution to mistake # 2: You eat 5-7 meals per day. Each meal should be based on a lean source of protein. Your total protein for the day only needs to be about 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. So if you are 200 lbs. you need no more than 200 grams of protein per day.
You will also need healthy fats, like nuts and avocados, carbohydrates like fruit, rice and potatoes, and a fuck ton of veggies.
Without getting too specific, eat your carbs surrounding your workout and in the morning. Have some fat at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and eat at least three servings of veggies per day.
If you do that you will feel fed, strong and healthy. Eventually you will need to take a closer look at your calories, but for now start the process by teaching yourself how to eat more frequently and to eat high quality foods.
Mistake # 3: Lifting with all high reps
When the goal is losing fat, people tend to want to make their strength training sessions into another cardio session. They want to use weights that are super light, and crank them out for tons of reps. Combine this style of training with a caloric deficit and you will get weaker and smaller. And now you know if you’re losing muscle you are doing yourself a huge disservice.
Solution to mistake # 3: Weight training is about getting bigger and stronger, so focus on that. If you are a total newbie to the iron game you can even gain muscle during a fat loss phase. If you’re advanced your goal should be to maintain strength and size. To do that, keep the weights heavy and the reps low. Your diet and conditioning will dictate the amount of fat you lose.
Of course you can make your training interesting and throw in back off sets and finishers after your strength work. Just don’t have that be the primary focus of your training.
Mistake # 4: Spending too much time in the gym
If you are training hard, spending hours on end in the gym will leave you over-trained and beat up. Spending three hours in the gym is counterproductive.
Here’s why…
When you train, your body begins to produce anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone. Once you reach the 45 min. mark those hormonal levels begin to decrease. Around one hour, your body begins to produce high amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which is extremely catabolic and detrimental to muscular tissue.
Cortisol can also hold onto body fat like a mother fucker.
Ain’t that a kick to the nuts.
Solution to mistake # 4: Keep your workouts short and sweet. Go in, warm-up, train hard and heavy, and go home. 45-60 minutes is all you need if you’re training smart.
Mistake # 5: Deviating from your nutritional plan too frequently
If there is one mistake that will squash your fat loss dreams it’s this one.
Remember this… If you want to lose fat, whether it be 10 lbs. or 100 lbs. you need to keep your diet perfect. If you don’t have a plan or any thought of what you’re going to eat, or prepare your meals, you will fail. You can’t expect to go into something blind and come out successful. You need a smarter approach.
Here’s how you do it…
Solution to mistake # 5: First come up with a date that you will begin your meal plan. Second, come up with an end date that this initial phase will be complete. Usually, that’s about 12 weeks. However, there are times that 8-10 weeks is enough time.
Whatever that time frame is, choose it and honor that time frame.
After you pick your start and end date, decide what you will eat and how many meals you will eat per day, I usually recommend six meals per day, spaced about 2-3 hours apart. Write it down on paper meal by meal. That will make your plan real!
The next step is preparation. You have to shop for your food BEFORE your start date. Then, I usually recommend cooking a bunch of food, twice per week. Prepare your chicken breasts, hard boiled eggs, turkey breast, potatoes, rice and veggies. This process usually takes about an hour, so really you are only committing about two hours per week to this preparation. This way, you’ll be covered for the next 3-4 days.
This last step is the biggest. Commitment and execution!
You have a goal. Achieving this goal it will not be easy, although the recipe is simple. You just have to remember why you started this process and stay committed to the plan. This doesn’t mean you can’t go out with friends, go to dinners and have fun. In fact, I highly recommend that! Having fun is a must! You just have to be smart and not seek instant gratification. If you’re going to drink alcohol, go with the vodka and club over the rum and coke.
If you’re going to dinner order grilled fish and veggies, a salad with chicken breast, an omelet, whatever the cleanest option is. The important thing is that you stay focused and committed to your goal.
Execution is as simple is having a plan, preparing for it and following through. Yes this will take effort. Yes this will take time. But if you don’t follow through with consistent execution of your meal prep and eating, you will be hungry and more tempted to grab a slice of pizza. Trust in the process, work hard and watch the fat poor off and your life change!
I really hope this helps guys.
If you have any questions feel free to shoot an email over to info@tutelatraining.com or drop a comment below.
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Thanks for reading guys!
I’ll catch you all next week!