More on interval training for fat loss....

Today's post: Thursday, 5-22-2008

This is a follow up on the article & our last post from Tuesday, 5-20.

It has some extra information on how interval training can be done.

And, in addition to my comments on that, I’ve added a few other strategies for fat loss that have appeared here before that those of you who haven’t read our blog before would have missed.

The article I quote was a follow up to the first article I quoted saying that interval cardio burned a LOT more fat & took half the time of slow even paced cardio exercise.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

“The Best Timing for Interval Training By Craig Ballantyne

If a trainer tells you interval training must be done in 30-second... or one-minute... or five-minute increments, he's misinformed. Research shows that all types of intervals will help you burn belly fat better than slow cardio - and there's never been a "head-to-head" study comparing interval workouts of various lengths. But, based on my experience, I have an opinion: I like simple 30-second intervals for fat-loss workouts.

If you do intervals on a cardio machine, it's easy to stick to the 30-second interval timing, followed by a 60-90 second recovery at a much slower pace. If the intervals were any shorter, it would be tough to change the settings on the machine fast enough.

Any type of interval training for fat loss is going to be better than slow cardio - and it allows for faster workouts.
[Ed. Note: If you are new to exercise but want to lose weight, start with a beginner bodyweight-training program for 2-6 weeks, such as the one in Craig's Turbulence Training manual.....]”

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As you might guess from just this article if you didn’t read our last post or know about interval cardio, interval training is when you warm up for a bit; then do a much faster & intense pace; then rest or go a good bit slower until you recover; & then repeat several of these intervals for a total of 10 to 25 minutes.

I personally prefer self-managed intervals rather than timed ones. The timed ones work well for powered treadmills etc. But the self-paced ones work well on elliptical trainers & Nordic Track exercisers & in walking, running, & swimming.
You can warm up until you feel ready then speed up gradually to fast over a period of a few seconds for the first one; then slow down or rest until you catch your breath & speed up faster and repeat. That works well when you are just starting interval training. Just speed up a bit less & slow down a bit sooner until you get used to the exercise.

I also like counting my strides and count for a certain number at a fast moderate pace; then a shorter number for a fast pace; & then a very fast pace for a slightly shorter number still. I also time how long a set of these 3 part intervals takes me & work to gradually go a bit faster overall. I do six of these intervals & find I also do the second 3 a good bit faster than the first 3 which then acts a bit of a warm up.

I’ve found that works great to keep me in shape.

Here are some other tips for fat loss.

1. Stop things that make you get & stay fat.:
Cut way back on sugar & foods that contain sugar. Drink absolutely no regular OR diet soft drinks. Eat no packaged snacks & avoid most packaged foods. Eat less grain foods. And when you eat grain foods eat ONLY whole grain foods & eliminate virtually all refined grain foods. (And, yes that does mean that if you eat most commercial sandwiches or hamburgers, you need to do it Atkins style & not get or totally discard the refined grain bread it comes with normally.) Be totally sure to stop ALL intake of foods or drinks containing high fructose corn syrup. It’s both bad for you AND makes you hungrier when you consume it. Ouch !!

2. Also do progressive strength training at least twice a week.

3. Eat as many cooked & raw nonstarchy vegetables each day as you can fit in. MORE is actually better. And this step also has multiple health benefits, particularly if you eat only organic vegetables. Your blood biomarkers of health will all improve & your chances of getting cancer drop in at least half. We evolved to eat these foods as a staple & our bodies don’t work well if you don’t eat them.
Even better, they make you feel full enough, you can lose fat WITHOUT getting hungry. Nonstarchy vegetables are so low in calories that Weight Watchers lists them as having ZERO points.

4. Eat some high quality, health Ok protein foods at most meals. Protein does help keep you from getting hungry the best. That’s why high protein diets work as well as they do. Plus you tend to lose weight as FAT only & keep your muscle mass if you eat protein and do interval cardio and strength training. That is both much better for you & makes it much more likely your fat loss can be permanent.

Beef fed only grass, pasture fed poultry, wild caught fish, nuts, eggs from pasture fed chickens, nonfat & very lowfat dairy, & beans and lentils all work.
5. Allow yourself some health Ok fats each day, just be moderate in the amount. Nuts, avocados, wild caught fish, nuts, and nut butters, and extra virgin olive oil all work.

It’s been shown that people who do this while losing fat are much healthier than people who overdo eating a low fat diet. Even better they lost more fat & keep it off better than people who don’t.

6. If you don’t make the progress you’d like, also join a Weight Watchers group & go to the meetings.

They have you push for cutting back more than I think works for best long term results. They don’t emphasize exercise enough. They don’t stress avoiding health damaging foods enough. And, their point system is a bit too oriented to removing fat from your diet.

So, why this recommendation?

With those exceptions, their point system is VERY will researched & accurate. If you learn to take in 5 % fewer points each week, you will eventually weigh 5% less. And if you do it right as listed above, that will all be permanent fat weight you lose.

They also have a new slogan I think is accurate for many people: Diets don’t work. Meetings do.

When you are in the period when you are first losing fat & making these lifestyle upgrades, you WILL make more progress & make it more reliably if you do go to their meetings.