Weight Loss – John O’Connell’s Fitness advice

The primary goal with Nicole, as with any fat loss client, was to increase her metabolism. By doing so you ensure you are burning a high amount of fat 24 hours a day. Most people only think we burn fat during exercise but in fact we use fat as a fuel 24/7. The problem is most people aren’t burning much fat if their metabolism is slow. In order to increase the metabolism there are a few key principles I work by.
 
 

1. Increase Range of Movement at all Joints

By working on mobility and flexibility at all joints we ensure maximum muscle recruitment. When exercising muscle places a demand on your heart and lunges for energy. The more muscle used the more energy (calories) you will burn. So, when working with any client or fitness camp member, we always focus on increasing the range of movement using our mobility and muscle activation sequence.

2. Work as Many Muscles as Possible During a Session

To get the biggest boost in metabolism we must work as much muscle as we can. More muscle equals a greater energy demand. This is why I don’t recommend typical exercises for my clients and camp members. We use big movements like squats, push ups, renegade rows, walkouts, mountain climbers etc. That way we use all the major muscles in the body.
More muscle = more energy used = more fat burned.

3. Do More Work Each Session

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is that they do the same exercises over and over again. They rarely progress the exercise and so their body has no need to burn extra calories and plateaus. The key to getting consistent results is to ensure you are doing more work every session. That can be lifting a heavier weight as you get stronger or doing more reps/sets in the same time.

Unfortunately most people tend to only increase the amount of time they exercise which is very inefficient and ineffective. Instead focus on challenging the body to do more work in the same time or the same amount of work but in less time.

Without doubt research shows that weight training is the best way to increase the metabolism and get back in shape. Done correctly it will not make you big and bulky it will make you lean, trim and toned. You can use your own body weight (push up) or external weight like a kettlebell (KB Swing)

The cardio we use is called interval training. Instead of doing the long, slow and steady approach that is so common yet very ineffective try breaking your cardio up in to sets of intense work followed by rest. Ensure your work to rest ratio is around 1:2 or even 1:3 and that you use big, energy demanding movements.

How to track your results

This is the most important piece of advice I can give. When tracking your progress make sure to take many measurements. Use tape measure to track circumference measurements. You can use body fat calipers to track millimeters of fat lost. You can also use a pair of jeans that are at least 1 if not 2 sizes too small as a goal to fit into.

One of the best ways is to use photos. Taking front, side and back photos with minimal clothing will show your shape changing far better than anything else. The scales are not the best way to track your progress, sometimes they will shift and other times they won’t but if you are following a good training programme as outlined and your nutrition is spot on your cm will be going down and your shape will be changing. The scales only show you a number, the other measurements actually tell you that you are looking better.

For more information, go to www.sffitnesscamps.com

Next Psychology by Allison Keating