**5 Star Fat Loss***

One of the biggest misconceptions that I come across in a gym is the way in which you achieve FAT LOSS. Most people think of this as WEIGHT LOSS, but I assure you this is not always the same thing. When discussing fat loss with a client here is what I mean:

FAT LOSS = Decreasing the individuals BODY FAT, whilst aiming to maintain (or even build on) lean muscle mass. This is the best approach as it promotes better body composition, performance and health. You could lose 5kgs of FAT, gain 5kgs of MUSCLE and remain at the same BODY WEIGHT. The difference is now your leaner, stronger and healthier.

WEIGHT LOSS = Decreasing the individuals BODY WEIGHT. That's it! No matter the tissue, muscle, bone, fluid or fat. Decreasing the bodies stores to any of these will result in decreased body weight. Now depending on your goal, you may need to lose weight, especially if you have large amounts of body fat to lose. But like the above example, you could go on a crappy weight loss shake diet, LOSE 10kgs of BODY WEIGHT, only to find out 5kgs of that was MUSCLE MASS!

WHICH WOULD YOU PREFER???

        
It's an obvious choice! But people still go the weight loss route!

Is it a matter of education? Maybe.

Are those mid-day marketers are just too good at selling the next best thing in diet and exercise?Could be!

In my opinion it's that achieving FAT LOSS (not just weight loss) is HARD WORK!

For those of you looking for superior results, optimal body composition, and don't mind putting in some hard work, I've included a workout below. This workout is designed for the advanced trainee (at least 1yr of strength training experience). So if that's you, have a go and let me know your thoughts. For the beginner to intermediate trainee's, your best bet would be to get to a gym, find a credible trainer and earn your stripes. Jumping straight into something like this would not only be dangerous, but you wouldn't be able to complete it in the way I'd intended.

FAT LOSS GIANT SETS
To get the desired effect, you must train each exercise to failure, within the rep range listed. Once your reach failure, quickly move onto the next exercise. Keep your rest between exercises to a minimum, and rest 2-3mins once you have completed each exercise in succession. If you feel like you don't need that much rest, you are simply not working hard enough! If done right, good luck tying your shoes for the next couple of days.

A1. Barbell Deadlift, 5 sets, 8-10 reps. 31X0 tempo, rest 10sec
(lower for 3sec, pause for 1sec, lift as fast as possible, 0sec pause at the top)
A2. Incline Bench Press, 5 sets, 8-10 reps. 30X0 tempo, rest 10sec
A3. Mid Foot Hack Squat, 1 1/4 reps. 5 sets, 8-10 reps, 30X0 tempo, rest 10sec
(Squat all the way down, PAUSE, push up a quarter of the way, PAUSE, squat back down, PAUSE, now push all the way back up. That's 1 rep)
A4. Chin up, 5 sets, 8-10 reps. 30X1 tempo, rest 2-3mins

This would be completed 2-3 times per week with additional time spent doing high intensity interval training (like sprints). Of course for maximal fat loss, this MUST be accompanied with a strict and focused diet.

The goal of this type of advanced fat loss training, is to fatigue as much muscle fiber as possible, stimulate maximum growth hormone release (one of our bodies most prominent fat burning hormones), and to maximise your calorie burn. This is achieved through HIGH VOLUME, HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING! As noted above, make sure you train every set to failure and do this with perfect form. Leave your ego at the door and aim to 'feel' the muscles you are using. Train hard, and let me know how things go!

PS. I'll be looking to film this in the coming week to give you a visual look at how this would be done. Keep checking in for updates. Thanks for reading!