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Evolv Fitness Articles written by Padraig

RTE GUIDE NOV 11th 2005 - Losing Weight the Healthy Way

I personally don’t like the word weight loss. I would rather people to concentrate on Body Fat Loss and please remember losing weight does not always equate to fat loss. I feel the majority of people who exercise for weight loss focus to much towards aerobic training and as a result miss out on one of the most important and healthiest forms of exercise – Strength Training, also commonly known as Resistance Training. Not only is this the best route to fat loss, strength training is the medical prescription for healthy living in the 21st century. No the Murphy fellow has not lost the plot, its all about strength training and I’m not talking about sitting and balancing acts on a ball. Let me explain, I will clear up the myths on strength training and I guarantee if you apply the principles you are guaranteed results.

Why Not focus on Weight Loss
I feel the majority of people who focus on weight loss are doomed to fail because

I don’t like to see people watching a scales. Standing on a scales can become quiet addictive and overused if we don’t see the necessary weight loss it can really demotivate us and will we throw the scales our commitment to improving our lifestyle straight out the window.
Sometimes with exercise we can increase or maintain weight throughout periods of our routine. This is not necessarily a bad thing the body sometimes works this way while balancing to the new activity
The majority of people focusing on weight loss concentrate on aerobic training which plateaus very quickly and can result in an end to you achieving your goals.
Sometimes weight loss results in an unhealthy shape, symmetry and posture.

Why Focus on Fat Loss

Exercise is receiving a lot of attention at the moment due mainly to the growing incidence of obesity and its related health factors in the country. Health factors such as peripheral vascular disease, heart disease, diabetes, degenerative joint disease and depression. Since 1990 the levels of obesity have increased in this country by as much as 67%. The big issue is not just the weight factor , obesity should be viewed towards the ratio of lean muscle against body fat (body composition). If we are to focus on height and weight ratio as so many do it would penalise those who are carrying muscle. We would be telling some of the fittest and strongest people that not only are they unfit but also may be at risk of some of the dreadful diseases open to the obese individual.
The best way to reduce fat is to increase muscle by strength training, and not only will it reduce fat but give you a more toned and better shaped body. Remember the real goal of exercise is not to burn the calories during the activity but when we stop the activity the body continually burns calories at a higher rate. This is done through muscle gain.

Let’s clear up the Big Fat Lies

I feel the reason people shy away from strength training is due to the misconceptions
Don’t strength train because?

Lie: You will build big bulging muscles. Truth: What determines the result of the strength training programme is the design of the programme, exercise selection etc. You can strength train to build large muscle, or strength or for fat loss. It is your choice.
Lie: When you stop the Muscle will turn Into Fat or flab. Truth: Muscle cannot turn into fat. If you strength train you gain Lean muscle, due to this and other qualities to strength training we increase our bodies ability to burn calories at rest. End result an increase in energy expenditure that is fuelled by your dietary intake. If you stop training, muscle will atrophy, waste away to nothing which leads to a drop in your energy expenditure and bodies ability to burn calories. Your diet stays the same; weight goes on, nothing to do with muscle turning to fat or flab.
Lie: Can Increase Blood Pressure or cause heart attacks. Truth: If blood pressure increases it is not due to strength training it is usually due to a diet to high in fat, overtraining or the use of steroids. According to Exercise Scientist Dr. Mel Siff, high intensity Strength Training may play a role in preventing Heart attacks by conditioning the cardio vascular system to cope more effectively with sudden changes in blood pressure and heart rate.
Lie: Slow you down and Make you muscle bound: Truth: Strength training done correctly will improve speed and performance. Remember quality then quantity.

Why not Aerobic Training to achieve Fat Loss

We all see it; Joe blogs consistently out pounding the road and still carrying the Ned Kelly (belly) and you may ask yourself why. We lose approx 5 – 10lbs of muscle every decade from the age of 20, no matter how much aerobic training we do. This naturally leads to a reduction in our energy expenditure and the body’s ability to burn calories and an end result of an increase in body fat.
Aerobic training tends to reach a plateau very quickly. Once this is reached we tend to no longer reach our goals. You must constantly change the goal posts when exercising for fat loss, due to the plateau with aerobic training this is far harder to achieve than in strength training. A simple change of an exercise, rest period or reps has a huge change for the body. This is easily applied with strength programmes

Why focus on strength training to achieve Fat Loss

We increase lean muscle. The more muscle we have the greater the bodies ability to burn calories at rest
During a strength training session of just 30 mins you can increase the Bodies ability to burn calories by as much as 25% FOR UP TO 15 Hours post exercise.
Strength training produces higher levels of lactic acid in the blood which results in accelerated fat loss.
We lose muscle constantly from the age of 20, the only way to prevent this loss is through strength training
Strength training once done correctly provides us with the overload principle; the dreaded plateau which results in the death of all goals is avoided.
Overweight people often have orthopaedic problems that prevent them from participating in many types of aerobic exercise

Strength Training- The medical Prescription fro healthy Living

Strength Training – The Healthy Choice

Improved muscular strength / Endurance
Increased bone density, joint stability and co ordination.
Improved posture and muscular balance
Decreased body fat and improved body shape we already discussed muscle loss and its affects on calorie burning. Please remember this muscle loss also leads to postural imbalances which can lead to pain and immobility.
An increase in the bodies ability to burn calories in particular while at rest
Studies have shown increase in glucose uptake by as much as 26% which is very important in relation to obesity and diabetes
Studies also show an increase in GTT times by as much as 56%, gastro intestinal transit, i.e. you go to the toilet more effectively. The likes of Irritable bowl syndrome, digestive disorders and disease can be greatly

No I’m not saying aerobic training is wrong, but should be towards a goal of improving the ability of the heart to pump the blood and lungs to reoxygenate the blood making us physically fitter translating to less fatigue and fewer risks to certain types of injuries.