Monthly Archives: November 2010

So you want to get fit and get in shape? You probably want to lose fat, feel energized, and look good at the beach and in the bedroom. Jogging alone won’t do it, and neither will aerobic exercise combined with eating the way the touted food pyramid suggests-unless of course you want to have a shape like the food pyramid. What you need instead is burst training and proper nutrition combined with a quality, nutrient-replacing body cleanse program.

No one, except maybe jockeys and high-school wrestlers, simply wants to lose weight. Rather, most people want to lose fat. The problem with extended so-called aerobic exercise like jogging is that, while it does burn calories, it doesn’t really do much to help you lose fat. And that means a large portion of the weight you lose is in fact muscle mass. And a loss of muscle mass means a slower metabolism, which in turn makes it all that much harder to lose fat. So you need a fitness program that promotes fat loss while at the same time conserving or increasing your muscle mass.

Burst training holds the answer. Although not exactly the same as high-intensity interval training, burst training is similar because it involves short bursts of effort at about 90% of maximum capacity followed by short periods of rest. Burst training promotes fat burning, allows more time for recovery, raises your heart rate, and revs up your metabolism. And unlike with jogging or other prolonged aerobic activity, after a burst-training session is over, your metabolism stays revved up for a while and continues to burn fat.
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Nutrition is certainly one of the most overlooked aspects of any triathlon training program.  We tend to focus so much on conditioning and not on fully optimizing our training. We have all heard the saying “work smarter not harder”. Well, to a certain extent, that saying can be applied to your training program. We may either say to ourselves “I burn X number of calories a day, I can eat what I want when I want” or “I need to eat less to lose weight for my event”. Both of which may be true in some regards, but without proper structure these thoughts can keep you from getting maximum benefit from your training.

As a result of your training, you may in fact be able to load your body with a lot of calories during the day. If you are preparing for an Ironman Triathlon, then chances are you are burning 2 to 5 thousand calories a day or more during training. And, yes you have room for a lot of intake. However, how and when and what you intake can make a difference in training results.
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1. Every training program should consist of joint mobility training, strength training, conditioning, and flexibility. The amount of time devoted to each will depend on the trainee and the situation.

2. There is absolutely no reason why everybody should not be taking fish oil. It reduces total body inflammation, improves body composition, and promotes joint and cardiovascular health along with a host of other health benefits. If you burp up fish, store it in the freezer. If you forget to take it, put a note on the door to your freezer. No excuses. And no, eating fish twice per week will not cut it, especially when it is most likely farm raised.

3. Eat fruit, don’t drink it. Juice has no fiber and more calories, which is not a good thing.

4. Females who are afraid of strength training because they do not want to get bulky, should be more concerned with a degenerative bone disease called osteoporosis. If you ask me, that is a bit more alarming than being strong, having some muscle and looking good. I am just saying.

5. While it is true that direct arm work probably will not do much to enhance performance, high school kids love training the guns. The key is to prioritize what is conducive to improving performance and do these things first. Movements that exploit several joints should take precedence and if there is time at the end, throw some direct arm work in to appease the appetites of the high school athletes. It is similar to a child getting ice cream after eating their meat and vegetables. If there is not enough time to fit it in, no big deal.
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