Albert K. Park

            “Why am I not losing weight if I’m working out?” This was the infamous question that set the theme for the week for me. First, was the random phone call from a friend I haven’t heard from in about 5 years. She skipped the catch up conversation and the tone of her voice demanded answers. No worries, I didn’t want the catch up conversation anyways.

            The next time I would sit in the hot seat would be with a bootcamp client who showed up early and on a mission. Her Honda civic screeched into the parking spot and then she B lined straight to about a foot in front of my face.

            Again no hi, how’s your day Albert?, or how about this awesome weather we are having! Despite the no beating around the bush mentality from both these ladies, I was up for the challenge in helping them get to the root of their problems.

            This question and their cases are so common, I thought I would share the answers I had for them to you on how they could start seeing gains and losing weight.

In a calm and collected voice I told my friend on the phone “Take a big breath, relax, and have a seat.” She stopped talking at mach speeds and was silent letting me know that she was ready for help. With my bootcamp lady, I told her nicely to take one step back, take a big breath so we could get to the bottom of her problem.

      Both ladies meant well with their interrogations but I can definitely understand where they are coming from. To them, they are doing everything right in order to lose weight and that should work, right? Wrong.  Initially this may have been enough to see “some” results and it may work in the long run but for quick results, they needed a tune up to their regimen.

            I broke it down to them in steps to apply in their race to fat loss.

The body is truly amazing. People don’t give it enough credit. When you train long aerobic (oxygen utilizing) cardio your body’s goal is to perform at its most effective level, utilizing the least amount of energy for the work.

So, for the individual that works out on a treadmill for 45 minutes 4 times a week. Every single time you get back onto the treadmill, your body is trying to perform the same workout expending the least amount of energy. The body is always looking to be effective!

This is counter-productive when it comes to fat loss. We want the body to expend as much energy as possible because more energy means more calories. Incorporating sprints, an anaerobic (not utilizing oxygen) workout, you require your body to continually expend energy since it is working without oxygen.

Allow full recovery between each sprint so that you can provide a 100% effort sprint each time.

      This is a big one! A common stereotype that somehow still exists is that weight training is only for building muscle and not losing fat. This could not be more further from the truth. If you want to lose weight and lose weight fast, you absolutely need to incorporate weight training.

      By utilizing supersets, performing 1-3 exercises consecutively before taking a break, you can tap into the anaerobic aspect of conditioning. Try picking exercises that don’t require the same muscle groups but require larger muscle groups to work. Larger muscles groups such as the chest, back, and legs will require more energy.

      Another common stereotype is the idea that you have to use weights. As the old timer at my old gym used to say,“ Let’s Pump some fu*kin Iron!” This is also false. Bodyweight exercises can be highly effective when utilized in the same superset or circuit fashion. The old timer could bench 225 lbs but couldn’t do 20 push ups, do you see something wrong here? Sorry Jim, your still a good guy!

Yogi Berra said it best, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll wind up someplace else.” You need to have specific goals so you can make a plan that’s going to get you there as fast and as effective as possible.

My friend in college would always say, “ I don’t know what I want to do, I just know I want to stay in shape.”  While he was just trying to stay in shape, my other friends and I were slapping on lean muscle mass and dropping body fat because we knew exactly what we wanted.

Since the theme of this article is evolved around losing weight, here are some things to consider when devising your plan.

No, protein is not just for meatheads and gym rat wannabes. Protein is vital to individuals seeking fat loss as well. It is so important; I devoted number 4 to it. Lean muscle mass is the number one tool to fighting fat, it promotes higher metabolic levels and the more muscle you have the less fat you hold.

 Why protein? Protein is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks to your muscles. Most individuals don’t get the required amount of protein though their daily diet, around 1-1.5 grams if your aiming to put on lean muscle mass and you are training, so we have to supplement it with protein powders.

Whey and Casein are both great proteins to supplement with and are both derived from milk. Utilize whey, a quickly absorbed protein, right after your workout, in the 45-minute window you have when your muscles are more apt to taking in nutrients. Use Casein during the day as a snack or prior to bed as it is more slowly absorbed in the body.

Another reason why we eat more protein then fats and carbs is because of how much energy your body expends to digest it. Your body is burning nearly 30% of the calories from the protein it digests. With carbs it burns about 10% of the calroies and fats is 0-5%. Conclusion, consume more of your calories from protein.

This one is simple. Your fat loss and results come down to 90% nutrition and 10% training. Make sure your nutrition behaviors match your goals. This is a common question we ask all our clients at our gym. “Do your Behaviors, Match your Goals?”

Quick Nutrition Tips

- Eat a balanced healthy breakfast, no matter what! In a worst case scenario drink a protein shake.

- Utilize healthy snacks to curb your hunger and increase your metabolism.

-  Eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout your day. A meal can be a protein shake, string cheese, and mixed nuts.

- Remove all the sugared drinks from your diet. Stick with water.

- Try to get protein in at every meal!

After educating both women on how they could improve their training, I was excited to see them anxious to retackle their goals. I even ended the phone conversation with my friend and I catching up on the last 5 years. I even found out that she was getting married soon. I think this was the main motive behind her goals for losing weight but I knew better than to open my mouth. My bootcamper worked harder then ever through bootcamp and left with high spirits. Nothing makes me happier than empowering a client to go after their goals.

Reaching your fitness goals is plagued with a roller coaster of emotions. Gains, plateau’s, and setbacks are common in everyone’s journey with consistency being tested every single day. I still firmly believe that your passion and heart can crush any obstacle. Stay zoom focused on how bad you want it and always ask yourself “Do my behaviors match my goals?”