I am pretty sure that most every one reading this has heard of P90X. If you haven’t, go do your research and then read this.
P90X works. Pure and simple. But it isn’t the workout program itself that makes it so damn potent of a program. As a matter of fact, if you have ever done or even seen the workout for p90X, you know that there is nothing new in the content of the workout. There is one thing that sets p90X apart from any other work.
For the general population, losing weight is a numbers game. For some, what this post entails does not apply. This is geared toward the general population that has a little more than a few pounds to lose (over 30).
First and foremost, living healthy is more that losing weight. I need to make sure that this point is established first. This article is to show you the basics of losing weight, however most people get caught up in only losing weight, and not living a healthy life. Living a healthy life starts with being active, eating clean, and just living a content life. However, I know that sometimes, people need more information than that and just can’t get past “losing weight”. So I have decided to try and give some light on the simplicity and science behind losing weight.
When considering weight loss, it truly is a numbers game. Many fitness/health professionals will argue against calories in vs. calories out and I am in the middle of the argument. I don’t think people should worry about calories in and calories out and just eat real food. Eat healthy, stay active. That is health. However, some people can’t get over the “weight” and the “diet” and need to start somewhere. So for that reason, I believe that calories in and calories out is effective for weight loss. So if you are one of the millions of people in the world that are overweight or obese and you need to lose weight, play the numbers game.
1 pound is 3500 calories. If you eat 3500 calories, you gain a pound. If you burn 3500 calories, you will lose a pound (remember this is for the general population I am discuss so fitness “pros” don’t start diggin’ on me). Obviously, if you are reading this, you don’t want to gain weight. You want to lose some weight. Play the numbers game. How much weight do you want to lose? How are you going to do it?
Let’s look at a example. Let’s say that Mr. Smith wants to lose 40 lbs. 40 x 3500 is 140,000 calories. Now, Mr. Smith informs his trainer he wants to do this by losing 5 lbs a week. Well, let’s play the numbers game. 7 x 3500 calories is 24,500 calories a week. Typically, for the general population, a decent jogging pace will burn roughly 280 calories a mile. So basically, to just burn this amount, you will need to run 87.5 miles. In a week. Have fun.
Oh but wait, we have to take into account the diet. Let’s say mr. smith is currently eating an outrageous 4000 calories a day (this is huge, by the way). We cut his calories to a low 1800 calories. Well that is a 2200 swing a day! So over 7 days, that is 15400. Which means only 9100 calories now need to be burned! Which means we only need to run 32.5 miles a week or roughly 4.6 miles a day. Now, remember, Mr. Smith, you are 40 pounds over weight, so how likely is it that you will stick to a strict 1800 calorie diet when you are use to eating 4000. You maybe overly tired and be going through crazy hunger swings. Also, since you have 40 pounds to lose, how likely are you to run 5 miles 7 days a week? Even if you did, you probably are not a avid running and will probably develop shin or knee problems early in your regime.
The key to the numbers game is being realistic. Losing 1-2 lbs a week is normal and healthy. That is 3500-7000 calories a week to cut/burn. That is doable. Look at your normal routine. Start with your diet first. What can you clearly cut out? Snack foods? Desserts? Beer? Most people can hit their calorie deficit just by looking at those aspects. Dropping the burger and adding a fresh salad will throw you over the top. Now think about your schedule. Do you have time to hit cardio during the day? What about a brisk walk in the evening? Work it into your system. Find a way. Do the math. Play the numbers game.
If you want to lose 2 lbs a week, that is 7000 calories. Try to cut 500 calories a day from your diet. If you start reading nutrition labels, you would be surprised on how easy this can be. A regular fast food hamburger is well over 1200 calories. Then try to burn 500 calories a day. This is difficult to do, as this can be some intensive cardio, but try it. Go for a walk/job in the morning and another one in the evening. Take a class at your local gym. Do push ups/sit ups during the commercials of your favorite show instead of fast forwarding tivo.
The biggest thing to take away from this article is to be realistic with your goals. Remember, your goals need to push you, but also need to be attainable. Don’t create a goal that is unrealistic because you will just get frustrated not hitting your goals. If you need help playing the numbers game, drop me a line and I will help you set a realistic goal and get you to where you need to be.
To Your Health -
~Zach
I have a big issue training for nothing. Like most people, if there is no end in site, it is really hard for me to get going. So I always ensure I have a goal or something that I am training for. Here is some science on why you should do this as well:
The principle of specificity: The body will specifically adapt to what stress you put on it. You get what you train for is the most brilliant principle, in my mind, in the fitness/training world. I built my personal fitness beliefs of this principle. People ask me “How can I get better at running?” and I tell them go run. Someone asks “how can I get stronger” I say go lift heavy things. Although the programs I create are more in depth and involve more than the simple explanation I give, this is the basic principle for how I train. Find the goal, train for the goal. Like everything else I preach, for most people, it is that simple. It is a very functional, specific way of training. If you want to get your body to do something, do that thing to your body, and your body will adapt.
Now, there is some people that have this theory just plain wrong. They over think it. They try to add too much to the basic principle and before you know it, you are creating plans that just don’t work.
Let’s look at the example of wanting to “tone up”. I see it and hear it all too often. People want to tone up. You see certain demographics grab those cute little light pink dumbells and do 3×20 bicep curls, and shoulder presses wanting to tone up. This is a great way to do specific training, if you are training to only be able to lift superlight weight 20 times. It doesn’t really build strength, which builds muscle, which helps burns fat, which is the key to toning up (less fat, more muscle). So if someone really wants to tone up, they need to drop the light weights and start strength training. You get what you train for.
In the same manner, gaining strength is the same principle. You see other demographics gathered around a bench press see how much weight they can get up. They put three 45lb plates on each side and get 1, maybe two reps up and are pumped. Again, this is great – if you ever find your 315 lb friend falls over you when you are laying down and you need to press him off of you. Other than that, this feat really isn’t very functional for someone to do. True strength training needs to be explosive, multiplanar movement. Strength to me isn’t found in guys who can bench press a large amount of weight. Strength to me is a 185 lb person bear hugging an entire couch by himself and carry it up a flight of stairs. No bench press will get you to be able to do that. You get what you train for.
If you are really looking for results, ask yourself what you are training for. Don’t aimlessly jump on a treadmill and start jogging or grabbing extremely light weights to get “toned up”. Figure out what you want: Gain more strength? Lose a few pounds? Run a 5k? Run an iron man? Be able to perform simple daily tasks? Whatever it is, with a end goal in mind and the right programming, you will have better results. So find what you want, and go do that. It really is that simple.
To Your Health,
~Z
I see the same situation in the gym over and over. A woman tries to build a “lean, tone look” by grabbing the lightest weight possible and pushing out 12 reps without ever breaking a sweat. Most women fear that if they lift too much or too heavy, they will get big muscles and gain bulk and mass. That really isn’t the case. So this post I am hoping to put some science behind the question:
I am not a fan of big box gyms. They are full of distractions that take away from you getting a good workout in. I believe that you can get great workouts in without ever stepping foot in a big box gym. There are very inexpensive (and expensive!) tools you can use to get a great workout in the comfort of your own home. Tools like a simple dumbell set, a kettle bell, a TRX Suspension trainer, a bosu ball, a medicine ball and resistant bands are all great tools to use in your own home to get a workout in.
I am a big thinker. So big, my mind sometimes runs wild. I will start with a simple project, a simple idea, or opinion then get distracted by something, then get distracted again, and again, and again until I forget what exactly I am doing. It isn’t until I bear down and focus on what I am doing and stay focused do I produce massive results in whatever task I am doing.
Weight loss is a battle. I don’t care how you look at it. Sometimes in life, you have upper hand. Other times, you give in and happy hour with the boys gets the best of you. The key to gaining the upper hand in the battle on weight loss is to stay consistent in your battle, minimize the losses, and create a lifestyle change that will always win the battles throughout the longevity of your life.
I took a hard dose of my own advice this evening.
Anyone that reads this regularly knows that I am a very keep it basic/keep it real for results type of guy. There isn’t magic potions on this site, no 5 minute fixes. Just basic ways to make lasting changes in your life. I attempted to think outside this box today.
Here is something to ponder on:
According to the CDC (center for disease control) the leading causes of death in America are as follows:
I just read a great blog post from Alwyn Cosgrove, who owns Results Fitness. It was about a homeless man who was given $100,000 dollars, which is a large sum for someone who is living under a bridge. Within 6 months, he had $5000 left and within 9 months he was back living under a bridge. The idea behind the post is the fact that it is your attitude needs to change in order to make something stick. For the homeless man in the story, his attitude toward money didn’t change. He didn’t want to invest, or budget, or anything else. It is the attitude, choices and behaviors that made him homeless, 100k didn’t change that.
So put this into perspective for YOUR life. Imagine that you woke up tomorrow morning and had the ideal health and fitness you always wanted. You looked exactly how you always dreamed. You felt like you have always wanted. What would you do differently to maintain that? Would you eat better? Would you exercise more to keep the physique? Or would you let your attitude, choices and behavior shatter the body and take you right back to where you were? Most of you would probably do whatever you can to keep the perfect body and health.
So why not start living that way now?
