Program Design Basics for Fat Loss and Long Term Changes to Body Composition.

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Evan Green
5 years ago
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Program Design Basics for Fat Loss and Long Term Changes to Body Composition. Losing Weight is the single most common goal we hear from members all year around.

1 Program Design Basics for Fat Loss and Long Term Changes to Body Composition. Losing Weight is the single most common goal we hear from members all year around. It is actually the reason the majority of our members join the gym and stay training with us; to drop fat and then keep it off. Initially people think that losing weight is just about how they look, but as they get into the process they realize it is far deeper than that. That losing weight makes them feel more energetic, more positive, more in control, and they find themselves being nicer to friends and family, seeking out new challenges, generally living a fuller and more rewarding life. As more and more people suffer with weight gain and the associated side effects, the need for proper scientific based advice and professional guidance has grown. Sadly many people fail in their attempts to lose weight not through lack of effort, but through lack of knowledge. They may start jogging, they may start an exercise class, but they are not likely to have the full information they need with regards to the best forms of exercise, along with how to control and manage calories to set them up for long term success. The aim of this article is to give some basic principles and then an outline structure of what that best exercise program would look like. A more in depth look at the science behind this can be found in the article Program Design for Fat Loss The Science. This article is split into 2 parts. Part 1 outlines some Principles of Effective Program design for fat loss. Part 2 gives an example of an effective and efficient Program design for fat loss. The points covered in this article are relevant to the subject; fat loss and changes to body composition. I will not go into depth on more performance or athletic based programming, where there are far more specific scientific considerations. The aim of this article is to help anyone who is targeting fat loss and changing how their body looks, feels and performs.

Part 1 Principles of Program Design. Safety This may sound overly simple, but sadly in the fitness industry today with the low standard of some instructors, it is not always adhered to.

2 Part 1 Principles of Program Design. Safety This may sound overly simple, but sadly in the fitness industry today with the low standard of some instructors, it is not always adhered to. If you are new to exercise in particular, then you may not be ready for more advanced type exercises like barbell squats, Olympic lift variations, maximum effort jumping or sprinting. You will most likely need to build up to that. You can still work intensely and get results, but you have to avoid injury. The key to losing body fat is to move more. You cannot do that if you are injured, so as simple as it sounds, you need a program that is safe for you and does put you at risk of injury. Personalized Every program needs to fit with the personal requirements of the client, you. Everyone starts at a different level and brings different posture, strengths, weaknesses, background plus the times you have available to train and your work and family commitments. The program that suits and fits you may not fit someone else. Direction A program can only be set up once it has a specific direction or target. Every program should really work like a map; taking you from one place, (where you are today) to another (where you want to get to). Make sure that your program is based on the goals you have set, nothing else. That program should adhere to the scientific principles of fat loss and everything included should have a justification for being done. There are many forms of exercise that maybe fun or feel like they make you work hard, but very often these may not be the best choice for the goals you have in mind and hence you will not see the results you want. It is like climbing a huge ladder as fast as you can, only to find the ladder was against the wrong wall. Progressive

3 Especially when you first start exercising, you will make very fast progress. If the intensity and loadings in the program stay the same, you will be short cutting your chances of making the fastest results. Your program should progress safely and gradually and increase in volume and intensity as you get stronger and fitter. Progressions may come from increased weight, decreased rest periods, increased reps, or increasing intensity on cardiovascular elements of the workout. Efficiency You have limited time in the gym, limited time to work out. So to maximize your gains, that time has to be well used, not wasted walking on a treadmill hardly out of breath or sweating. If we take the average gym member who trains 3-4 times per week for a period of 1 hour. So if we work on 1 hour, 3 days per week, a total of 180 minutes per week, that is a tiny percentage of the actual week. We have to make sure that what you do in that hour is efficient, with regards to its effects on burning body fat and changes to body composition. In basic terms that is going to mean choosing interval style cardio over steady state. It is going to mean choosing high intensity resistance training over walking or X-trainer work. It is going to mean working to reasonable failure, not just to comfortable ranges. Time is not the issue here; how you use time is. If you are ever short on time, there is plenty that can be done in 30 minutes. Interval style cardio work, load up the prowler, set up a strength circuit, all efficient uses of time. Always choose the efficient exercise methods, not what is easy or? you feel comfortable with. Part 2 What could all that look like. Here is how your Training Program should be set up for fat loss and long term sustainable changes to your body composition: Warm Up

4 6-8 minutes spent getting hot where you prepare for the workout both physically and mentally should be the starting point for each workout. During this phase the heart rate raises slowly and you should spend some time thinking about the objectives for the workout and your purpose for being in the gym, getting focused and dialed in. Prehab and mobility (Shapes, Positions and movements) This is perhaps the most under trained and ignored aspect of programming, the ability to achieve certain shapes, positions and movements. Many gym users begin by using advanced movements like barbell squats and deadlifts, without the necessary movement qualities to allow them to safely execute those exercises. If the body is tight or weak in any part of a chain, it will compensate when you place it under load and that often results in injury, even if not immediate. Every workout should start with some movement quality work, common choices are things like giraffe walks, duck walks, wipers, scorpions etc. Opening the hips, lengthening the posterior chain and activating the core are often the key areas to focus. If you watch someone perform a squat pattern before and then after this type of work, it will likely look very different. Awaken the Bear (potentiator) In unscientific terms, you are really just trying to switch on and dial into your work. The best way to achieve this is to perform something dynamic like a series of medicine ball slams or jumps or sprints. Potentiation in sports science uses very heavy loads to create a window of enhanced performance, but in this style of program we are using it simply to give you the best chance to perform at your best on the main body of the program. Main Strength Lift This may seem strange for a fat loss program; to focus on getting stronger. But, the anabolic stimulus created by lifting something heavy, meaning lifting something for a 3-5 rep maximum effort, has longer term positive effects on your bodies composition. If you remember, the number one way to strip fat and change how your body looks is to speed up your metabolic rate. That is achieved mainly through the addition of and then frequent activation of lean muscle tissue. Hence working on strength using some heavier loads is an important part of the long term plan. An example here would be say a deadlift, or a bench press, hip thrust or even just the heaviest load you can push on the

5 prowler for 10m. This is telling your body I need to be stronger which is a stimulus for it to add and activate muscle tissue. Strength Circuit This is the part of the workout where we aim to create large amounts of lactic acid and stimulate EPOC (post exercise oxygen consumption). As you will see in the article about the Science of Fat Loss, it is this EPOC and Lactic Acid that stimulate the greatest fat burning effects. A strength circuit is simply 3-5 exercises, compound style movements, that are all completed 1 after another, with no break. An example could be a Reverse Lunge into a pulldown into a hack squat into a shoulder press. You would aim to get reps on the first set of each movement, rest about 60 seconds and then complete again for 3-5 rounds. This high intensity style weight training is very effective with regards to changing your body composition. Functional Fun Finisher An example here would be a loaded carry for distance in a time frame. So for example, front rack farmers walks with 50% bodyweight for distance in 5 minutes. You would simply rack the Kbells and then farmers walk under control up and down the track or car park and measure the distance you achieve in that time frame. You then try to beat it the next time you perform that workout. Interval/Tabata high intensity cardiovascular finisher Tabata style interval training is very effective and very time efficient. 1 round can be completed in 4 minutes. What is key is not to view this as 8 x 20 second attempts, but to view it as getting a maximum effort on each rep, even if that means performance drops over the following reps. Tabata can be done with bodyweight movements like mountain climbers, or it can be done on the Ski Erg, Assault Bike, Ergo. Just make sure that you go as hard as you can on every 20 second rep then take the 10 seconds recovery before going as hard as you can again in the next set. When you finish a tabata, you really want to be lying on the floor gasping for breath. This stimulates huge amounts of lactic acid and spikes your metabolism through the roof. Core/Abs Rather than focusing on the rectus abdominus muscle with movements like crunches and sit ups, it is more beneficial to focus on the deeper postural muscles like the transverse abdominus and multifidus that play a more significant role in your posture and how you function. Plank variations, loaded carries, woodchop and rotational movements are all useful here. These have far more transfer to you being better at the main lifts and sprints, plus injury prevention and improving posture.

6 Decompression and Stretch The final part of the workout should be spent on decompression and passive stretching exercises. This serves not only to help lengthen areas of the body that are often short and tight and can hence cause injury (hip flexors, pec minor, hamstrings) but also to activate the parasympathetic branch of the central nervous system. The parasympathetic branch is responsible for rest and digest and hence spending 3-5 minutes stretching with long deliberate breathing can start the repair and recovery process, aid digestion and sleep. Again, both key elements in the overall approach to fat loss. The Session And here is what it could look like in full. You may not know many of the names but any of our Trainers can show you anything you need to know. Warm Up, 6-8 Minutes, X-Trainer Prehab Sequence: Glute bridge, leg kicks, wipers, scorpions, giraffe walk, walking lunges with leg hold. Potentiator: Medicine ball series, slams, throw ins, shot putt, overhead toss. Main Strength Exercise: Deadlifts, work to best 5 rep maximum, perform 2-3 working sets at that max load. Strength Circuit: Reverse Kbell Lunges plus Lat Pulldowns plus Hack Squats plus DB Z Press, 4-5 rounds, reps per exercise, 75 seconds rest between circuits. Fun Finisher: Farmers walk, 50% bodyweight, 4 minutes for max distance on track. Ski Erg Tabata, max speed on each 20 second effort. Core: Slider walks x 20m both directions, 4 sets. Decompression: shin box, pigeon, child s pose. Summary The principles above should be used almost as a checklist and something to evaluate your own training program. Is it safe? Are you progressing each week? Is this the right program for you? Are you using the limited time you have for exercise in the most efficient way? This outline of a training program is one I have used for many years with any member who s primary goal is to change their body composition and build health, whether that be for a beginner trainer or someone looking to perfect their physique for a special occasion.

7 Combining these principles with this structure and a sensible diet plan will give you the best chance to make positive changes to how your body looks, feels and performs. Simon Jeffery (MSc)

Program Design The Science of Fat Loss and changing your Bodies Composition for the Long Term.

Program Design The Science of Fat Loss and changing your Bodies Composition for the Long Term. It is impossible to write this article without it going into depth about scientific processes. It would also