More On Tabata Intervals And Fat Loss

Q. I’ve been reading a lot about Tabata intervals and fat loss, and I wondered if it’s ever worth just going out for a 30 minute jog? Should a simple jog, without any intervals, be dumped in the exercise dustbin when it comes to weight loss and general fitness?

A. The problem with interval training for fat loss is that many of the benefits are overstated.

Yes, it’s true that you get a higher post-exercise calorie burn (EPOC) with very intense interval exercise. However, EPOC is linked with both exercise intensity (how hard you work) and exercise duration (how long you work for).

In other words, increasing both intensity and duration - up to a point anyway - will deliver the best results. The EPOC following short bouts of exercise, no matter how intense it is, just isn't as great as some people seem to think.

In one of the most recent reviews on the subject of EPOC and weight loss, the researchers conclude:

"... the earlier research optimism regarding an important role for the EPOC in weight loss is generally unfounded. This is further reinforced by acknowledging that the exercise stimuli required to promote a prolonged EPOC are unlikely to be tolerated by non-athletic individuals. The role of exercise in the maintenance of body mass is therefore predominantly mediated via the cumulative effect of the energy expenditure during the actual exercise."

So, the researchers are making two main points here.

Firstly, that “the exercise stimuli required to promote a prolonged EPOC are unlikely to be tolerated by non-athletic individuals.” In simple terms, the type of workout you need to generate a large EPOC, both in terms of time and intensity, simply isn't a realistic goal for many.

Of course, I realize that a lot of those recommending Tabata-style interval training as the “ultimate” tool for fat loss are definitely in the "athletic individual" category.

But even for these people, problems with recovery can be a real issue. Interval training is very tough on the body, especially if you're lifting weights 2-3 times a week AND following a restricted calorie diet. It can leave you feeling mentally and physically drained, which isn't going to help when it comes to sticking to the program. Pushing your body so hard on a regular basis, week in and week out, will soon take its toll.

The second point made by the researchers is that “the role of exercise in the maintenance of body mass is therefore predominantly mediated via the cumulative effect of the energy expenditure during the actual exercise."

What do they mean? Essentially, the calories burned during exercise are going to make the biggest contribution to calorie expenditure, and increasing that number is going to have a much larger impact on fat loss than worrying about EPOC. No matter how hard you push yourself, there's a limit to the number of calories you can burn in a short period of time.

So, that’s my (rather long winded) way of saying that there's nothing wrong with a 30 minute jog - it's going to burn extra calories, and they all add up in the long run when it comes to losing weight.

NOTE: I’ve covered this subject in a bit more depth in Guerrilla Cardio And The Four-Minute Workout.

Will Maqui Berries Help Me Lose Weight?

Q. Have you heard of the Maqui berry? It’s supposed to be better than acai berries and goji berries. Is it going to help me lose weight?

A. I've lost count of the number of anti-aging "miracle" berries that have appeared on the market in the last few years.

In what sounds remarkably similar to the previous advertising campaign for the last miracle berry, the “previously unknown” Maqui berry is said to be “extremely rare” and “hard to harvest” from some far off location in South America.

Although the last berry was powerful, new scientific tests have revealed that this one is the most powerful berry EVER! Until, that is, the next one comes along...

Like most berries, such as blackberries or blueberries, the Maqui berry has a relatively high level of antioxidants. But the idea that it has some kind of unique anti-aging or slimming property is just marketing nonsense.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with eating more fruit and vegetables. Not only do they contain a bunch of nutrients that are important for anyone who’s healthy and wants to stay that way, fruit and vegetables can help you lose weight. But that’s not because they contain some kind of “secret” ingredient.

Rather, most fruits and vegetables have a very low energy density. Energy density refers to the number of calories in a gram of food. If you check the nutrition label on the top of a food label, you should find the standard serving size of the food, and the number of calories in that serving.

To calculate the energy density, divide the calories by the weight. A food that contains 200 calories and weighs 100 grams, for example, has an energy density of 2.0.

Let’s use grapes and raisins (which are nothing more than dried grapes) as an example. If you wanted to eat 150 calories of raisins, you’d be able to eat approximately 50 grams. Yet the same number of calories would give you almost 220 grams of grapes - more than four times as much.

Because the grapes are higher in volume, they’ll keep you feeling fuller for longer and you’ll eat less over the course of the day.

In one eating study at Pennsylvania State University, a group of women hardly noticed when they ate fewer calories each day - as long as their meals contained lots of fruits and vegetables to bulk up the servings and lower the energy density.

One other tip: When you shop for fruit and vegetables, choose those rich in color - the darkest blackberries, the greenest apples or the reddest strawberries. As a fruit ripens, the pigments become denser. The anthocyanin content of blueberries, for instance, more than doubles between the time they turn blue and the time they reach full maturity. And the darker the fruit, the more antioxidant “power” it has.

Will Cardio Make My Muscle Fibers Shrink?

Q. I’m following the Maximum Muscle Plan 4-day routine, and I wanted to know how to incorporate cardio in the program. Also, I read an article saying that running shrinks your muscle fibers - is that just in the leg area, or is it throughout the whole body?

A. To answer the second part of your question first, it really depends on the amount of running you're doing.

Running long distances 3-6 days per week is a step in the wrong direction if you're trying to gain muscle. But in general, aerobic exercise – as long as you don't do too much of it - does not interfere with gains in muscle size.

Unless you're someone who really struggles to gain muscle, and provided that calorie intake is sufficient, the addition of 1-2 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (such as cycling at 60-80% of your age-derived maximum heart rate) to a weight-training program won’t make your muscle fibers shrink.

In fact, several studies show that it may actually help a little with muscle growth (see Does Aerobic Exercise Really Slow Down Muscle Growth?).

As for how to incorporate cardio in the 4-day routine, I’d suggest doing it on your “off” days. For example:

Monday: Lower Body
Tuesday: Upper Body
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Lower Body
Friday: Upper Body
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Off

If you want to do cardio after you lift weights, I’d recommend doing it after the upper body workouts. My legs are usually trashed after training my lower body and the last thing I want to do is spend 30-40 minutes on the treadmill.

Because of its potential to interfere with recovery, I'd steer clear of any high intensity interval training and stick with steady-state cardio.

10 Reasons Why You're Not Building Muscle

Believe it or not, summer is just a few short months away. If you want to look good when "shorts and t-shirt" weather finally rolls around, time is running out.

If you're not getting the results you really want from the gym, or you're frustrated because you think you could (and should) be doing better, I’ve put together a simple muscle-building “checklist” you can use to find out what's holding you back.

Click here now to take the brakes off muscle growth.

Simple Secrets For A Stronger Core

The other day I got an e-mail from someone asking whether they should be doing more exercises on a Swiss ball.

"I've just started working with a new trainer," he wrote. "Some of the exercises we do, such as the overhead dumbbell press, are done sitting on a Swiss ball."

"My trainer says that doing them on a ball makes them more functional for my core. And the exercise does feel harder, even though I'm using a lot less weight. My goal is to build some more muscle before I go on holiday later in the year. Should I be doing more exercises on a Swiss ball to strengthen my core?"

To cut a long story short, no. You don't need to do anything on a Swiss ball to strengthen your "core" muscles. If your main goal is to build muscle, doing more exercises on a Swiss ball isn't just unnecessary, it may actually slow your rate of muscle growth.

Click here now to find out why.

Do You Make This Muscle Building Mistake?

A reader, KB from England, wrote in to ask a question about building muscle.

"I read in a fitness magazine that if you continue with a workout for longer than six weeks you'll actually become less fit and less muscular," wrote KB.

"Do I need to shock my muscles by changing exercises every six weeks? How long should the 4-day routine in the Maximum Muscle Plan be followed before changing the exercises so my muscles don't adapt to them and become less effective?"

It's a good question. After all, the "change exercises every 4-6 weeks" mantra usually gets repeated in most of the popular fitness magazines on a regular basis as if it's some kind of undisputed fact. But it isn't. In fact, too much variety can lead to a frustrating lack of progress.

Click here now to find out why.

Four No Gym Muscle Builders

Earlier this month, it snowed. A lot.

As you can see in the pictures below, the road outside my house was completely covered in snow.






This meant that I couldn't get to the gym for several days.

However, rather than skipping my workouts altogether I decided to use my garage "gym" instead.

You don't need a lot of fancy equipment or expensive gym memberships to get in great shape. With a bit of creativity, you can push even the fittest body to the limit with the bare minimum of equipment.

In fact, as you'll see in these videos, you can get a great upper body workout with just a towel, a rucksack, a tow rope and a bag of sand. Click here now to find out how.