How Hard Should I Train For Fat loss

An article by Tris    No Comments

You know there are things in life we can actually ‘coast along’ with: those things that once we’ve set them up to run smooth then not a lot of effort is required to keep things ticking over.  Working out and training to lose stubborn fat, change your body composition, alter your muscular density, create the lean midsection you want or any other serious fitness goal is NOT one of those.

I’m going to aim to keep this article concise and simple to grasp.  Not because the topic doesn’t demand a thorough scientific explanation, but more because it’s my experience that keeping things simple allows clients, trainees, friends and anyone else I train to understand and follow the proven steps.  This discussion is no exception.

Now it’s real common to have people come to a session with me or to come to a bootcamp with all the best intentions in the world to improve their body, their lifestyle and their confidence and happiness.  But its sadly also common to find that a percentage of those self same people find that sticking to a program with the ‘required focus and intensity’ is not as easy as they hoped.

You see I’m not actually talking about the people who will start a fitness program then drop out.  I’m talking about the people who actually do stay on the path, it’s just that whilst others are sprinting in a metaphoric sense they are soon strolling along enjoying the scenery – but still thinking that because they are on the path then the results will be there for them.

I actually respect these people a lot, because at least they don’t give up and quit. They do actually continue on.  The only issue is they forget or get sidetracked in regards to the actual way they should train for results in their fitness endeavors.

Typically a person starting out on a new fitness program will experience a great sense of satisfaction, enjoyment, appreciation of the workouts and importantly – results.  Simply put: your body when you begin a new program or training system is not prepared for what’s coming, it is forced to adapt in many different ways and the result of this is a sense of new accomplishment, satisfaction that what your doing is working and it’s not just from those sore muscles a day or two later.  It’s because you went into this new commitment with a sense of intensity, dedication, determination and expectancy that the effort would equal (=) results.  You are right.

However, whilst there are the people you see in the gym who are constantly seeming to make progress and also the people who disappear quicker than a fart in a windstorm, our subject trainee is stuck somewhere in the middle (maybe this is you, no worries at all if it is – nearly everyone fits this category at some time – I know I did!).  I commend you if you are one of these people.  You’re still in the game you just need to re-assess your plan of attack.

What happens is that different factors soon occur that mean this persons desire, attitude and the results begin to soften a little.  It’s understandable.  For every person who is like a ‘fitness machine’ in the gym and every person who drops by the wayside, my experience is there are many people who are in that middle gray area – people who still have bucket loads of potential and importantly bucket loads of results waiting to happen. Better to be there than at home with a gym or bootcamp membership, or a new set of ‘Bowflex Selechtech dumbbells’ sitting in the corner of the room as you eat pizza in front of the TV in your workout clothes!

No – the idea is that once you commit to a new fitness lifestyle you commit.  Period.

Understand that results taper off, you have good days and bad days and some workouts peak your excitement and results better than others.  This is all part of the big ‘fitness’ game.  Its common and it is to be expected, not to be turned off by.

So the remedy:

Well the title of this piece is ‘How hard should I train for results’ and to quickly explain I’ll say that every single time you workout you need to be giving 110% as you did on day one.

(yeah, it’s not rocket science- I could go into all the scientific reasoning but let’s not do that here)

Let’s just say that a person (you) is capable of absolutely anything they set your mind to – If they are in the game with total lasting commitment.

In my bootcamps I specifically change up programs, protocols, patterns and suchlike to really stimulate the changes in my clients training and results, but also – and probably more importantly – to give variety.  I manipulate the training program to help my people stay on track and enjoy it!  This mentality can also be done if you train at home or alone in the gym – you just need to keep training fresh.  Try changing up:

Your workout days

The time you take

The machines you use

The exercise you use

Change form body weight workouts to resistance with weights

Throw in protocols you may not have tried before like Yoga, plyometrics etc.

Workout in groups (bootcamps) as well as with a partner or even alone

Time your workouts and try to beat it next time

All in all, when it comes to this way of keeping results compounding on that initial satisfying period then just stay focused and add VARIETY.  Trust me – your body and your mind will stay focused when variety is added and you’ll continue to enjoy this fitness commitment you’ve made.

Secondly, the real important factor is to understand why you’re there in the first place.

You see it’s my belief that if you are going to commit the time to do something – be it some home improvements, a favor for a friend or neighbor , or your fitness program – then it only makes sense to give total focus and energy to do it right.

Now I know not all people may think like that, as I said at the start some things can be started, set up and left to autopilot, but real productive things – particularly your health and fitness – things that require ‘your input’ cannot be left to chance – your time given to these things is a commitment you’ve set to give your all for the betterment of your lifestyle and health.

Trust me, the people I see who get outstanding results set out like this.  No exceptions.

(Oh, and these are not pro athletes but stay home mums, busy people who have jobs, people who have not worked out for a long time etc)

The successful people do the following:

1)      They make their commitment – something has fired them up to say ‘no more’ – they want something badly.

2)      They understand that the road will be up and down and it will require consistent dedication – not just for a few weeks or sessions

3)      They decide totally that the ‘hour’ or 45 minutes they dedicate to their health is going to be time they focus on nothing else. This is their time and they are going to give 200% because results won’t come with anything less ( well ok, maybe 110% will workJ)

4)      They destroy any possibility of boredom in their fitness programs by implementing (with their own growing knowledge and/or their trainers help) varied training protocol as discussed above.

You see the question we asked about how hard should I train for results is not really the right question, it’s actually:  How committed must I be for results to happen?

I think we’ve shed light on the reality of fitness training success for any person who begins.  It’s not just being there for the session – it’s actually BEING THERE AND DOING IT’ to your absolute best.  Committing all you have in the time you set aside to change your health, life and body.

The 4 steps/tips above really spell it out.  They give you exactly what you need to know before beginning.  Because it’s the biggest shame to see a person start a workout program thinking that it will all take care of itself and missing out on the real thrill and benefit of seeing their body change – when all they needed was the right mindset and commitment the moment they set foot into the gym or their workout ‘space’ on that first day.

Honestly, the results people can get are astounding.  I’ve seen it over and over and the way our media is changing with the growing phenomenon of the internet we can all see even easier each day the proof of people changing their bodies by being dedicated, clear in their expectations, aware of the challenges and determined to succeed.

I know that you are the type of person who is on track for results and I look forward to helping you in any way I can.

Don’t worry if you have an off day, just make sure you give your all every session and you’ll reach heights in your fitness lifestyle and body transformation that will blow you away.

Take it easy, and all the best to you and yours

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1. Fat Loss Workout for Busy People