Performance Benefits

Caffeine’s greatest exercise benefit is on your body’s aerobic endurance, or your ability to maintain a certain exercise intensity for a greater length of time. Numerous studies have demonstrated that caffeine intake prior to, and during, exercise results in greater exercise duration, reduced fatigue, and greater time to exhaustion. Similar effects have been shown for short-duration exercise intervals as well.

Some research suggests that caffeine can improve sprint and power events, but the findings are somewhat equivocal. Furthermore, the number of studies examining caffeine’s role in these types of events (e.g., weightlifting, 100m dash, etc…) are scarce.

How it Works

Caffeine is believed to improve aerobic endurance performance by increasing the body’s ability to use its fat stores during exercise. It is well understood in exercise science research that the greater use of fat for energy prevents the depletion of glycogen — the stored form of glucose that we receive from consuming carbohydrates. The more glycogen we are able to conserve in our muscles, the more energy we will have later on in an event.

Dose

Research has demonstrated that the most effective caffeine dose prior to exercise is about 1.5 to 3 mg per 1 lb. of body weight. Keep in mind that a cup of drip coffee contains about 150 to 200 mg of caffeine, while a cup of tea contains about 50 mg.

Consuming more than 4.5 mg of caffeine per 1 lb. of body weight may cause adverse symptoms, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The NCAA penalizes athletes who have more than 15 micrograms of caffeine per 1 mL in urine samples, and consumption of more than 10 g is believed to be fatal for most humans. You’d need to consume about 8 cups of coffee to exceed the IOC’s caffeine limit.

Source

Caffeine appears to be more effective when consumed in tablet form than from food sources such as coffee. Consider purchasing pure caffeine tablets for the most optimal effects. If coffee, vitamin water, or energy drinks are your preferred caffeine modality, you’ll just have to consume more. According to Graham and colleagues (1998), coffee may contain a compound that limits caffeine’s chemical response in the body.

Warnings

Not all people react to caffeine the same way. Some individuals may experience heightened nervousness, irritability, and anxiety after consuming high amounts of caffeine. Some sources of caffeine, such as coffee, can cause stomach problems, such as gas, bloating, and cramps. In severe cases, caffeine can lead to heart problems.

Caffeine is also a diuretic, and increases the risk of dehydration and heat-related conditions in hot temperatures.

Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There is much confusion in fitness centres regarding what the best methods are for reducing body fat. So many people are using terrible training and nutritional protocols that I cringe every time I step foot in a gym! This article aims to help abolish some of the common misconceptions people have regarding fat loss, as well as offer some appropriate guidelines to achieving a more toned physique.

If I eat less and less, I will weigh less and less!

This is NOT the ideal method towards achieving fat loss! By starving yourself, you allow anabolic hormone production that is responsible for metabolism to go down. While it may be true that you will lose some weight initially, your metabolism controls the total amount of calories you burn on a day to day basis. Allowing your metabolism to slow down will actually make it more difficult to burn fat! There are several studies which examine this phenomenon. For example, one study held by the American Society of Clinical Nutrition measured the resting metabolic rate to lean body mass ratio in 6 six women over 3 weeks on a very low calorie diet. The study found that resting metabolic rate to lean body mass ratio decreased to an average of 82% of the original values within just 3 weeks! Assuming you had a basal metabolic rate of 2000 calories a day (the amount calories your body burns in a day), at 82% of that you would only be burning 1640 calories per day! So assuming you were to starve yourself, you may be able to lose weight at the beginning, but your metabolic rate would slow down and cause you to easily put the weight back on.

Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If I do Strength Training I will get Hyuuuuge!

Your body composition will change according to the amount of calories you put into it. People who are looking to burn fat are usually on a light to moderate daily caloric restriction and restricting calories is not conducive to muscle growth. For instance, you can strength train all you want, but you will not gain inches on your biceps if you are eating salads all day. However, strength training does have its usefulness in a fat loss program in that it can help to increase metabolism, and maintain fat free mass (lean muscle).

Aerobics are the Only Exercise I Need to Lose Weight!

Aerobics are an effective weight loss tool, but only when used in conjunction with strength training. Excessive aerobic exercise will cause you to lose muscle mass which is responsible for giving your body a healthy and defined look. So in other words, while you may be able to lose weight doing exclusively aerobic exercise, your body fat percentage will remain high because you will lose muscle mass as well. Strength training must be used in conjunction with cardio in order to attain a lean physique. Furthermore, the higher the intensity of the exercise protocol, the greater the effect on exercise post-oxygen consumption (EPOC). Your metabolism increases as your oxygen consumption increases, so what you ideally want is a large in increase in EPOC after exercise. Therefore, if you want to optimize your cardio, the best way to go about it is using high intensity exercise methods. I have my clients include interval training as cardio in conjunction with weight training. Aerobics alone are not as effective!

Guidelines for Effective Fat Loss

• DO NOT starve yourself! Your body needs calories in order to maintain a healthy metabolism and hormone production.
• DO perform strength training. A full body program which utilizes compound movements (exercises which work several muscle groups) will increase metabolism as well as maintain fat free mass.
• When performing cardio it is best to use high intensity interval training for fat loss. This method elicits a greater oxygen consumption response within the body which will in turn burn fat.

References

Effects of strength or aerobic training on body composition, resting metabolic rate, and peak oxygen consumption in obese dieting subjects

http://www.ajcn.org/content/66/3/557.short

Energy-metabolism adaptation in obese adults on a very-low-calorie diet

http://www.ajcn.org/content/53/4/826.short

Strength training increases resting metabolic rate and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50- to 65-yr-old men http://jap.physiology.org/content/76/1/133.short

The effects of intensity of exercise on excess postexercise oxygen consumption and energy expenditure in moderately trained men and women http://www.springerlink.com/content/rgk7421182182pjm/

Cut out the white bread to help reduce body fat.

In order to reduce body fat, you should steer clear of a number of foods. Two categories of foods, in particular, can have a particularly adverse effect on body fat: most white foods and foods high in sugar — especially fructose. White-colored foods are often high in the carbohydrates starch and sugar. Carbohydrates are an essential component of a healthy diet, but many people are not active enough to burn off the excessive amounts of these nutrients they consume. When carbohydrates go unused, the body converts them to fat and they are stored in various locations — particularly the abs– for later energy use.

White-colored foods typically also have a high glycemic index — a measure of a particular food’s effect on blood sugar levels. High-glycemic foods are quickly digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, causing a sudden rise in blood glucose levels. This surge of blood glucose causes a quick burst of energy, but is followed shortly after by a crash. High-glycemic foods can leave you feeling hungry shortly after eating — craving another blood glucose rush.

White Breads and Refined Grains

White bread, and other foods made from white flour, are high in carbohydrates, particularly the simple sugar glucose — and have among the highest glycemic indexes of any foods available. Refined white flour also undergoes a milling process that removes the bran and germ from the wheat grain. These two layers of the seed hold much of the grain’s vitamins, minerals and fiber. You need to consume more white bread, and thus more calories, to obtain the same amount of nutrition as whole grain products. Though fiber is technically also a carbohydrate, the body does not digest it, and it therefore does not cause the rise in blood sugar of other carbohydrates.

Potatoes

Potatoes are high in the carbohydrate starch. Starch is exclusively found in plant foods, and is composed of hundreds molecules of glucose. Carbohydrates are ultimately converted to glucose in the bloodstream, thus starch is dissolved very quickly, causing a sudden and drastic rise in blood glucose levels. Like potatoes, white rice is also high in starch. Instead of white rice and potatoes, eat brown rice, barley and other non-starchy whole grains.

Fructose

When most carbohydrates are digested, they are converted to glucose in the bloodstream. The body then secretes insulin to help cells absorb the sugar to be used for energy. Fructose, however, is processed more slowly in the liver than other sugars. The liver cannot convert excess amounts of fructose into usable energy quickly, so it converts it to fat. High amounts of circulating fat in the bloodstream can suppress hormones that regulate appetite, leaving you feeling hungry for more calories. Excess fat also contributes to insulin resistance — a condition in which the body has difficulty using glucose for energy. The body, then, releases more insulin into the bloodstream. High levels of insulin can contribute to excess fat storage and a difficulty accessing fat stores for energy.

Photo © Wikimedia commons

Why Do Timed Sets Work?

Timed sets with weights work because they force you to use your body’s anaerobic energy system heavily. The net effect of fat loss is much greater because of EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). When your body is consuming more oxygen, your metabolism is higher, allowing you to burn more fat. With standard aerobic training it is typical for your body to return to normal oxygen consumption within a few hours. After heavy anaerobic training it is typical for your body to be in a state of EPOC for 2-3 days! This means a longer fat burning window and more toning for your body.  Additionally, timed sets in the weight room help you to build and maintain muscle. The more lean mass your body holds, the faster your metabolism will be.

Fartlek

Fartlek is a Swedish  term meaning “speed play”. In fartlek training you combine brief spurts of high intensity anaerobic exercise with longer spurts of lower intensity aerobic exercise. This method of training is outstanding for burning fat as well as raising your anaerobic threshold. For this reason fartleks are very popular with runners and cyclists. As a former sprinter performing fartleks helped me to get better base conditioning before track season. These workouts were hard, but rewarding in the end. An example of a fartlek is stationary bike sprints. You can sprint all out for 20 seconds of work and take 40 seconds to rest for a set amount of time.

EDT

EDT stands for escalating density training. EDT is an interesting take on timed sets. You have to complete the maximum amount of reps possible in a set time. For example: maximum amount of chin ups you can perform in 15 minutes. By exercising using this method you are able to increase total workload by performing many sub-maximal sets. My suggestion would be to figure out exactly how many reps you plan to do per minute. This way you can control your fatigue levels. In the last minute or two, shoot for more reps if you have energy. The objective is to surpass the amount of work you did in the previous workout.

Circuit

Perform an exercise for a set amount of time then move onto another. When all the exercises in the circuit are complete take a rest break. The time you work on each exercise should be kept short (under 1 minute), so that you can work at high intensity.

Tabata

Tabatas are difficult but have a profound effect on fat loss. They are usually performed as 8 all out sets of 20 secs of work and 10 secs of rest. The total time of one tabata should last 4 minutes. Tabatas can be utilized as a good finisher for a workout.

The Workout

The following workout is an intense, fat burning experience that will leave your legs shaking and your stomach turning! Make sure to bring some water and a towel along for the ride!

List of Fat Burning Foods

Have you ever heard of the quote, “An apple a day keep the doctor away.”? The apple does live up to the quote’s hype because it’s packed full of vitamin C and malic acid. Malic acid plays an important role in energy regulation, which means they enable your body to convert fat into energy more easily. In addition to helping your body burn fat, apples also have a lot of fiber and are water based so they keep you full longer. Try snacking on an apple and a stick of string cheese midway between breakfast and lunch to stay full and keep your body’s metabolism running.

Next up is berries. Almost all types of berries are packed with fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins essential for fat burning (and helping you stay young). Try substituting berries for healthy snacks instead of a candy bar or other sugary sweets. Berries are perfect additions to morning oatmeal or cereal, giving you a quick nutritionally balanced breakfast in a bowl.

Another big fat burner food is raw almonds. Raw almonds are a great source of magnesium, a key element that your body needs to regulate energy and fat burning hormones. You can crush raw almonds and sprinkle them on top of a cup of non-fat plain yogurt for an afternoon snack. You can also keep 5-10 raw almonds with you at all times and eat a few whenever you feel fatigue as they are an excellent source of energy. In addition to being a fat burner, raw almonds also contain protein to help build muscle, fiber to help keep you full, and vitamin E to help you stay healthy.

Eggs is an unexpected fat burning food. Eggs contain vitamin B12, a supplement for breaking down fat cells into energy. In addition to its fat burning capabilities, eggs are also full of protein and animo acids so they are sometimes used by fitness extremes to supplement recovery protein shakes. You can cook eggs with just about anything (eggs make everything taste good). If you are concerned about cholesterol, you can try just using more egg whites than yolk.

Yogurt, like any other non-fat dairy item will aid you in burning fat and keep you full longer. The three a day rule is good for getting rid of fat and keeping up on your calcium (for fighting bone loss). It is also great for your digestive system. When purchasing, buy non-fat, and try to avoid yogurt with added sweeteners.

Green leafy vegetables are technically not a food that burns fat, but they contain so little calories and so much fiber that your body ends up burning a energy digesting it. Besides salads there are many wonderful and delicious recipes you can make that include all kinds of leafy greens.

Final Words

A word of caution: always remember to eat in moderation. Although these are natural fat burning foods, they are still food. Consuming a large amount of these foods will pack more calories than your body need, and that can work against your fat-loss goal. Aside from that, eating healthy is easy when you know the direction to take. All of these foods are delicious and can be combined with other foods to liven up your menu (plus a lot of these foods are a part of my daily diet plan). For best results, you should combine fat burning meals with proper fat burning exercises, the working man’s weight loss tips, and supplements like the ECA stack. It’s not a diet but a new way of life.

Contrary to the common opinion and the impression that is given by many infomercials and ads about weight training workouts, many common exercises are not primarily designed to lose weight. Find out about the most common misconceptions in this article.

In general, weight lifting does not necessarily burn a lot of fat. Heart rate and overall fat burning capacity is relatively low, because many weight lifting workout routines address only a group of muscles at a time. Therefore, the same time spent in an exercise that engages more muscles at the same time will burn a lot more fat and energy.

However, there are exceptions to this generalization. You actually can get both done at the same time if you follow the guidelines in this related article about how to burn fat by building muscle.

Weight lifting workouts really strengthen specific muscle groups and build muscle. This can actually lead to an increase in weight, particularly if it is not accompanied by fat burning exercises and targeted nutrition adjustments.

A balanced “weight lifting workout” should consist of a cycle through different actual weight lifting exercises that are changed up with fat burning exercises like jogging or bicycle. It is also important to give the different muscle groups time to build and “digest” the strengthening exercises for certain time intervals before addressing them again with intensity.

It is also important to consider your overall workout goals and the time that you have available to put into the routines. Someone who wants to develop an overall fitness from scratch with a 3-day per week time availability will end up with a significantly different workout plan than a person who is in good shape and wants to build more strength in 5 workouts per week.

Most people who want to learn how to lose weight fast and gain better overall conditioning and fitness will get best results with a fitness workout routine that matches about 2 parts of fat burning exercises with one part of muscle and strength building.

This means if you are looking at a 3 day regiment, you can do two days of fat burning and conditioning, and one day of weight lifting. If you have the time to work out on five days per week, you can do three days of fat burning and conditioning, and two days of weight lifting and strength building. For best results switch between fat burning and weight lifting days.

What Causes Belly Fat Build-up?

Excess belly fat is so common because many factors can contribute to this “spare tire”, “love handles”, “muffin tops”, or “pot belly” syndrome.  If all the root causes are not addressed all at the same time, then there is no way your belly fat will go away.  Here are some factors that contribute to excess belly fat:

• High calorie diet that is heavy on trans fat
  It’s no myth that eating too much can make you fat.  If you consume more energy than your body can burn, then your body stores that extra energy as fat for later use.  Researchers at Wake Forest University have also found that trans fat is a major contributor to belly fat.
• Not enough sleep or irregular sleeping patterns
  Sleep deprivation lowers the amount of leptin in your system, the chemical used for suppressing appetite.  Sleep deprivation can also lower your insulin levels, which helps regular your blood sugar.  Toying with these chemicals in your body so often by sleeping irregularly can have permanent adverse affects on your body (obesity and diabetes) .
• High stress levels
  Prolonged stress can causes our body to produce an excess of the cortisol hormone.  A small amount of these hormones are beneficial, but a large consistent amount can be detrimental to your health in many ways.  You guessed it, one of the drawbacks of cortisol is that it also contributes to belly fat.
• Lack of exercise or incorrect exercise routines
  It’s simple math.  If you consume more energy (calories) than you burn each day, that extra energy gets stored as fat cells.  Believe it or not, localized stomach workouts are actually one of the least effective workouts for burning off excess belly fat.
• Drug abuse (alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana)
  Drugs have adverse effects on your energy levels and appetite.  After one night of binge drinking, your metabolism slows down temporarily and will not recover for two days.  Cigarette cravings often feel like hunger cravings so people misunderstand and ingest food even when they are already full.  A well-known side effect of Marijuana is its ability to promote appetite.

How to Attack These Root Causes

I will be writing a few articles to talk about some of these things in more detail later on.  For now, here are some quick suggestions:

1. Come up with a weekly school/work/life schedule that works in the following elements: 7-9 hours of sleep starting at about the same time each night, minimum 4.5 hours of exercise, grocery shopping, and cooking time.
2. Come up with a healthy eating pattern (more on this on a later article) and try to not eat trans fat.  You can also try to incorporate these natural fat burning foods into your diet. I suggest that if you don’t have time to cook, you should either shift to eating simpler meals (cereal, salad, soup, fruits, steamed vegetables, etc.) or try freezer cooking to save time and still be able to eat healthy.  In general, food cooked at home is much healthier than food purchased from restaurants.
3. Try to exercise at least 4.5 hours a week. Three times each week at the gym: spend 45 minutes on weight lifting workouts focusing on building slow-twitch muscles and spend 45 minutes doing interval training (alternating low intensity and high intensity aerobic based exercises).  Slow-twitch muscles should help you burn extra fat day-by-day.
4. Find a way to de-stress yourself.  Try scheduling a meditation or yoga session weekly.  It might also help to adopt a new regime for getting work done or find ways to improve your mood.
5. Say no to drugs.  Try to limit yourself to 3 drinks at social events.  If you are a smoker, remind yourself that feeling of hunger can just be cigarette cravings.  You really don’t have to drink or smoke to be social.  I’ve lost a total of 20 lbs. ever since I’ve stopped smoking and stopped binge drinking.
6. Take fish oil supplements to help improve your metabolism. See another post on the fish oil supplements out there.

More Help Is on the Way

I will be continuing this discussion in later posts, going into detail on which exercises to perform, which diet plan to follow and which de-stressing techniques to try.  Until then check out my post on using the ECA Stack for weight loss and stay tuned to this blog via the RSS feed!