Free Chapters Of The Fat To Fit Program (Related)
THE FAT TO FIT PROGRAM
YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO LOSING WEIGHT AND GETTING FIT
Ray Burton, ISSA, CFT
Editing by Branda Moen
Table of Contents
· Intro……………………………………………………Pg4
· One book……………………………………………..Pg5
o Why one book?
o Why everyone is so confused
o Losing weight
· The big questions………………………………….Pg7
o Which muscles where?
o How do I know it’s safe for me to workout?
o Choosing a gym
o Should I hire a personal trainer?
o How to pick a trainer for you
o What’s in the gym bag?
o Before you go
· The basics of working out and
your first routine…………………………………Pg21
o Stretching 101
o The no longer confused routine
o Sets and reps
o So what’s cardio anyway?
o How much weight should I use?
o Can we start yet?
o Rest between sets
o Your max heart rate
o Here’s your first routine!
o Don’t be a newbie!
· Your second routine…………………………….Pg29
o What’s next?
o Your hypertrophy and strength routine
· Your third routine……………………………….Pg37
o What’s changed?
o Hypertrophy rules! The third routine
· Supplements-the hype and the reality……Pg39
o The big scam
o Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny
o Supplements that work
Table of Contents – cont’d
· Diet……………………………………………………Pg44
o The basic macronutrients and the glycemic index
o The how, what and when of eating
§ The five steps to figure out your caloric needs
§ Eat frequently?
§ What and when to eat
o Water
o The post workout shake
· Motivation………………………………………….Pg53
o Why we do the things we do
o Fear
o Keep it real K?
o Why am I still fat?
o Does it really have to hurt?
o Talk the talk
o Stick to a plan
o Life’s meaning
· Tools…………………………………………………Pg72
o Exercise descriptions
Copyright 2002 buildingbodies. All rights reserved.
ISBN 0-9733878-1-5
No portion of www.buildingbodies.ca or “Fat To Fit” may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form without permission.
The views and statements expressed in this book and the web site www.buildingbodies.ca represent the opinions of the authors and should not be considered scientific conclusions. Neither www.buildingbodies.ca nor the authors assume any liability for the information-contained here. Specific medical advice should be obtained before you begin any nutrition, exercise or dietary supplement program.
INTRODUCTION
My name is Ray Burton. Fitness has been and will always be my life. There comes a time when you help people one on one as a personal trainer that you realize you are limited to the amount of people you can see in a day.
The only way to help every one that would like to change their life and fitness level is to make information available on a massive scale. Through this book I hope you will find the answers to all your fitness questions and that your future will be full of life and vitality.
Who This Book Is For
Some people do not know very much about training, some people know a lot. There is something in this book for everyone.
There is a common misconception that training in a certain way is for bodybuilders, another for athletes and another for swimsuit models.
While certain training styles do change the body in different ways, there is only one way to train to get fit. This is to burn excess body fat while retaining your muscle so that you can keep your metabolism high and stay strong.
During the book, I will however offer different routines if you would prefer either extreme of fat burning/weight loss or muscle building.
I am going to do this for those that would rather see a certain look in the mirror than use the best optimized plan for a balanced body.
The Idea
There has been a trend lately in the world where the truth seems to exist only if it is profitable. As the owner of Buildingbodies Fitness Systems, I see many people that have trained for long periods of time and never get any results. I feel this is a real shame. Countless numbers of really nice people put in the time and the effort and nothing happens, and they give up. There are too many theories and new wonder routines that confuse the average person and cause them to doubt if they are or were ever working out correctly. This confusion in itself is enough to halt any progress because if you’re not confident that what you’re doing is working, then you won’t give it your full effort. That is where this book comes into the picture.
Promises are given too freely these days and with too little value placed on them. If you promise someone that you will give them results, then you better produce the results. Once our value system breaks down, what good is anyone’s word and how do you know if anything is ever true?
I hope this book helps you to not only effectively attain the goals you want for your physique but also to let you be rational about the percentage of your life that you let it consume. It is important that you make fitness a lifestyle and not an addiction. There are many facets and experiences that are a part of life and fitness should help you to enjoy life more freely, not keep you a prisoner.
There is a reason pendulums swing side to side, for in the center lies the natural balance.
Why one book?
I love fitness and wanted to make a living from it. I thought of several different ways and realized that I should put some of this stuff I do on a daily basis to paper to save people the time and effort of figuring it out for themselves. The big money these days is in magazines. I thought about it, but came to a startling idea. Much of what is real and solid in the fitness field can fit in one book. There are always new ideas, but the essence remains the same. There are some rules, but most are more like guidelines. So how do magazines keep going year after year? Well, swimsuit additions, star profiles, supplement adds, and new and confusing routines that keep you jumping around and never fully applying yourself for any length of time to see results. I am not alone in this train of thought. So that is the reason why I would like to put my experiences to paper. They have worked for me through the years, as well as my [personal training clients. I’m not going to confuse you or pretend that this is incredible new science. You are going to learn what has worked for millions of people, for the last 100 years. Learn this stuff and apply it…..it works.
Can’t
Can’t is a word that is foe to ambition;
an enemy ambush to shatter your will.
It’s prey forever to a man with a mission;
and bows only to courage, and patience, and skill.
So hate it with hatred that’s deep and undying,
for once it is welcomed twill break any man.
And whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying!
And answer this demon by saying, “I Can!”
Why everyone is so confused
I guess the real problem for people who start to get in shape is that they don’t know where to start and how to effectively get the ball rolling. There are so many different ways to get fit and people want to know which is the correct one. It makes sense because, why start if you’re only wasting your time on a less than perfect routine? Here’s the catch; every routine will work for someone out there at some point in his or her training progression! The reason is because everyone is different. Just like for every individual, there is a perfect mate, for every person they may need a different routine. No one routine or method always works for everyone!
Here is the deal though. In order to sell something you need to package it nicely and then spell it out point blank. It is all about convenience and economic selling. Write it out, put a pretty wrapper on it, and advertise the heck out of it. That’s not what is going to happen here. No joke, I will give you the tools and information that you need to develop your routines and change them as your body changes. This whole thing is a trip without a final destination, so you better enjoy the process because you never reach the end. What I mean is that, seldom do I ever talk to anyone who says, “I am the best that I want to be, I no longer need to improve!” As we go through this book, I will explain things to you so that you won’t be blindly following numbers and exercises. You should know why you are doing everything and what affect it will have on your body. At no time should you think that you can’t do this or that because of time restrictions or anything else because your routines are always flexible! The point is that in ten years, your body won’t care if it worked out on a Tuesday or a Friday, but your wife or husband will sure care that you put them in second place to something. You can see what I am getting at, make the routine fit your life, not your life fit the routine.
Now, there are no perfect routines, but there are ways that are better than others when you go about this whole fitness game!
Losing Weight
This topic is front and center because if you don’t get this stuff straight right now, all the rest of this book will be useless.
Losing weight is the topic on many of our minds. If its so important, why do so many of us fail in our weight loss efforts? Well, while I do want you to like who you are, fat and all, I will not say what people want to hear if it’s not the truth. You’re here because you want to change your body. I’ll say what they need to hear to do that very thing. So if you have been working out for a few months and you haven’t seen any changes, then there is a problem with what you are doing. If your not working out, but think your on a great body changing program, you can stop right here. You’re overweight because you’re inactive.
What I have come to understand is that many people are smart enough to know what needs to be done to change their bodies. What I also understand now thanks to my experience with others that are overweight is that knowledge is not what makes us succeed when trying to lose fat. It’s putting that knowledge into practice. So if people know what needs to be done to change their bodies, why are they not doing it?
One reason is because the bad habits that made them overweight somehow makes them feel better now than they think they will once they lose weight. In other words, immediate satisfaction. We all know that most things that are worth having in life take effort. If this is you, than learning about discipline is your first step.
The other is that its easier to be overweight now and enjoy your bad habits than it is to put in the effort on a fat loss program if your not 100% sure that this program your on will help you lose fat. You’ve tried to lose weight before right? Your still here looking for answers too. That tells me two things. First, you have unresolved personal issues that need to be dealt with professionally because you have adopted unhealthy habits that help you mask your personal pain. Second, you’re still overweight.
So if you have tried weight loss programs before, (more than you care to admit) and you haven’t lost weight, do you think there is a problem with every one of those fat loss programs? Or do you think maybe the lack of results lies within? Don’t turn away, this is facing the facts time if you want to change your life.
You see here is the problem I face. As a personal trainer working with people who want to lose weight, I have the knowledge to do this. But they have to use it in order to lose weight, I can’t move for you (yes I’m talking directly to you). I’m writing this with you in mind. How can I be talking to you without knowing you? Because everyone that wants to lose weight faces the same personal demons. I know you. You are my living.
Nothing happens on a weight loss program without movement! It takes calories to move, and using calories is the heart and soul of a weight loss program. Now I’ve told you that in order to lose weight you must move. Are you going to move or sit there and stay overweight?
If you are still sitting there overweight, read on.
Another reason that people cant break the bad habits that are holding them back is because at some point something or someone did or said something to this person that has preprogrammed them to think bad things about themselves. Things like: your fat, your over weight, you will never lose weight, and you’re big boned. Programmed to think that in some way you are flawed and doomed to a life with some sort of shortcoming that makes fat loss impossible for you! You are living out life overweight because someone somewhere did something that scared you. You are allowing someone’s none caring actions to affect your life! You have let someone control and undermine what you are capable of becoming. Don’t. To the person that said something to you…”to h-e-double hockey sticks” with them! Go ahead say it! It’s time to get tough.
T-F-A-R
Thoughts lead to feelings causing actions that create your results.
Those people don’t know what your cable of or how perfect of a person you are, and you know what? Neither do you. Not until you do your very best will you know what you can achieve when you truly apply your self to a serious fat loss lifestyle. If this person told you that you are weak willed, fat, ugly, or lazy, then that’s their perception of you. That’s not you. You are and can be so much more.
Let me set the record straight right here right now. You are not a special genetic freak. If you are human (and I hope you are, if not “live long and prosper”) then you can lose weight. Read that again. If you are human, you can lose weight.
If you continue to believe that you are destined to be overweight, then you will fight with your inner self to be anything better. In essence if you change and stop feeling lazy, weak willed or fat ect, you will loose your old identity. The “fat ego” has a way of wanting to self preserve (even though outwardly you want to lose weight, you really do), so it will fight you. This is why change is hard. This is why starting a new fat loss life style will be a challenge. You must recreate yourself and become something more wonderful and beautiful than before…. lose your old self and create a better you. Step up and become involved with life. Do not stand on the sidelines any longer. Fight that “fat ego voice” that wants to keep you down. Other people (even family who are often the cause of your personal pain) will get in the way. Obstacles and challenges will come. But this is about you and fixing yourself. You have to come first sometime. Now is the time.
If you are human and you want to change, you can lose weight. If you have trouble losing weight, it’s one of two things; medical, or discipline.
One of the things people don’t get is that weight loss is like balancing your bank account. Except now you want to be in the red. You can’t deposit more calories than you withdraw or your fat bank account grows. If you stay comfortable and keep that bank account balanced…. you’ll always have fat money in the over weight bank. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So you must either cut that many calories from your diet (very hard) or burn off that many with exercise (doable) to lose a pound of fat a week. The trick is to use both.
If you are shooting for 2 pounds of fat loss per week, you are looking at withdrawing 7000 calories from you fat bank account. That’s 1000 calories a day my friend. When you’re hungry, you don’t want to lose that much food from your diet. So burn some of those fat calories away!
Break down your weight loss program something like this:
· 250 calories from a half hour weight training
· 350 calories from a half hour cardio
· 400 calories by diet
Now the final important thing to know about weight loss is that you need multiple meals per day to loss fat. Your body can only use so many calories in one sitting before converting the rest to fat.
Let’s say you need 3600 calories a day (you wish!). Lets say that your body can use only 600 calories per sitting before you start to store it as fat. If you eat six meals per day, all totaling 600 calories than your getting what your body needs without becoming overweight.
Now let’s look at what most people do. Remember that your body will try to get those 3600 calories because that’s what it needs. You wake up and maybe have a small breakfast, about 300 calories. Go to work, eat lunch because you’re starving after 5 hours and binge down 1200 calories from MacDonald’s. Congratulations you have already stored 600 calories to fat. Than you starve yourself to supper and binge again, eating another large portion of 1200 calories and storing more fat. Go watch some TV and go to bed.
What has happened is that you have eaten 2700 calories, 900 less than you needed so your metabolism slows (read getting gain more weight) but you have also managed to store 1200 calories to fat because of your large meals. A double whammy that kills many weight loss best intentions.
This is where I will stop for now. On to the good stuff.
In the next chapter I will give you a progression that a raw beginner would be best to follow when wanting to start out with fitness. This is a routine that I have found to work for a lot of people of all ages that have come through the different clubs. It works around the idea that you should walk and then run! Lets get started by answering some basic questions before you head off to the gym!
THE BIG QUESTIONS
Which muscles where?
In the beginning, sometimes you don’t know which muscles are supposed to do what! Well for that matter, even where they are. You hear the fit folks saying, “Man did those bench presses ever blast my pecs!” But the problem for many is that you don’t have a clue what a pec is except that chickens do it when they are hungry! So instead of giving you the scientific name like pectoralis major (chest), I’m going to explain things like you would hear it in the gym or in the muscle magazines. No more mystery…
Just remember… I’ve done my best here to cover all the angles and answer all the questions I’ve heard over the years. However, there is always something that needs clarification. I’m only an email away, and it’s free. Contact Ray at www.buildingbodies.ca
How do I know its safe to workout?
I think the real question is “how safe is it for you not to workout?” Did you know that obesity has just replaced smoking as the number one cause of health related problems? That’s incredible! Sorry to say, but that mean North Americans are a bunch of fat, inactive people! Back in the day when people milked cows and planted their own food you would never hear of something like this. Think about that the next time you can’t work out because of a hard day at the office! O.k. before I tear off too far into my own little rant, lets look at some of the real concerns you should tend to before working out.
· Go see your doctor-Get a check up. Make sure you get a blood pressure test and a blood test. Have your heart condition checked and make sure all the other stuff is done and o.k. Some people mistakenly hold back serious effort in the gym for too long because they are afraid something may be wrong with them. If you get a check up and receive a clean bill of health, that’s one more excuse gone!
· Note your pains and past injuries- Your trainer will need this to know how to design your routine. If you are going to do it on your own, you will be able to do some research as to which exercises are the safest and most beneficial for you and what you should avoid.
· Medications - A large part of working out these days involves sports supplements. It’s a good thing to know if any medications you’re on will interact adversely with these supplements. I.E. Blood pressure meds mixed with ephedrine and caffeine is not a good idea!
· There is also a form called the PAR-Q (physical activity readiness questionnaire). It covers most questions that should be addressed before starting an exercise program. Most gyms stock these forms for liability reasons and it shouldn’t be hard to get a hold of one.
Last point; if you are just starting out and have a lot of questions about exercise and your health, invest in a trainer. It is the most sure fire way to make sure that you are doing everything correctly.
Choosing a gym!
If you have never been to a gym, at first one may seem as good as the next. If you have been working out for some time, you probably already have a good idea of what to look for. Here are some of the things that you may want to take into account.
1. Atmosphere-I like to train hard and fast. At gyms where there are a lot of first timers, things can get frustrating. It’s not their fault; it’s just that a lot of people that are new to the iron game are not aware of the unwritten gym protocol. They rest on benches reading between sets and sip coffee while holding up machines with long rest periods. The opposite is true if you’re just starting out. A hardcore gym may make you feel a little intimidated. Find a gym where you feel comfortable (usually you can try a gym for free for a couple workouts). The main thing is that you look forward to going because you like the place and the people.
2. Gear - This doesn’t mean all the new sparkly machines and chrome dumbbells. What you need is a gym that has plenty of cardio machines and enough gear available at the time of day you have chosen to work out. Look to make sure the gear is well maintained. No frayed cables, loose dumbbells or bent bars. The state of the gear in a gym can say a lot about the professionalism of the management and what to expect from customer service.
3. Cost - Most gyms charge an initiation fee and then a set monthly fee for the full term of your membership. Simple is good. Don’t get talked into a gym on your first visit unless you know for sure it’s really what you want and like. Some of the sales people can be real smooth!
4. Location - Make sure the gym is a reasonable distance from your home. If the gym is out of the way, you probably will miss a lot of workouts no matter how nice it is. In the beginning any excuse is a good excuse not to go! It’s best not to allow yourself any wiggle room in the beginning. I would usually take location over atmosphere or gear. If you don’t go, you won’t get fit! Make sure there is enough parking. It’s not a big deal, because even if you have to walk, you are there to exercise after all.
5. Change rooms - This really depends on your level of demands and your lifestyle. To me, all you need is lockers, showers, toilets and that’s about it! The bottom line is clean! Change rooms can be gross and even if you’re hardcore, germs are still bad! You may want towel service or a steam room but these are not necessary and will drive up your monthly fee.
6. Food! - Not a big deal, but a juice bar is great if you’re on the run a lot. Its great to be able to finish you workout, have a shake and carry on with your day. The juice bar is also a great place to chat with friends and catch up on what’s going on. It’s a much better place to have a conversation than on the gym floor while people are waiting to use the equipment!
Why hire a personal trainer?
I know personal trainers can be expensive. The usual fee is anywhere from $35-$125/session, which is usually about an hour, depending on the circumstance and the depth of the routine and package. So the question is “why hire a personal trainer?” In one word: efficiency. A personal trainer will get you to where you want to be in the shortest possible time. How do they do that? Well most of the trainers have been on the scene for a while and know the ins and the outs of this working out thing much better than you do. Like anything you want to succeed at, it’s always best to copy somebody who is already where you want to be. Why? Because they already have it all figured out. Let’s look at a few of the most obvious ways that a trainer can save you time and frustration.
1. Exercise technique - Sometimes the pictures in the magazines are a little abstract and can leave some question to the finer points of an exercise. I can tell you from experience that unless you’re doing the exercise right and are feeling it in the right areas, your results will be dismal.
2. Time off due to injury - This is close to number one. When you move a weight in unaccustomed plains of movement, you have to do it right. It is almost painful to watch some of the exercises people think they are doing right in the weight room. Inside I know it’s only a matter of time before they have to push aside their goals and stay out of the gym in order to heal an injury caused by lack of knowledge or technique.
3. Proper program - So you have the proper technique, great. You feel it where you’re supposed to, awesome. Now you must know if you’re on the right overall program to reach your individual goals. Are you in the right set and rep range? Are you using enough weight? How frequently are you training? Part of a proper program is your diet. This is where I find that most people need a lot of help. One of the greatest things a trainer can do is pull all aspects of the “fitness approach” together. Then, to lay it all out for you in an easy to follow program of diet and exercise.
4. Commitment and motivation - Your trainer is going to be there and you are paying him whether you show up or not! Just knowing that someone’s there waiting for you and that the time is scheduled in, is a great help to keep you on track. The other thing trainers do is motivate. Trainers aren’t all about grunting and yelling. My clients have a personal side that sometimes needs attention too. My clients need to know that when they are down, I’ll do my best to have them “up” by the end of the workout. They need to know that when everything else is crap, there is someone they know who will always push them to be their personal best every time we meet.
These are the things that come to my mind and are the roles that I fill on a daily basis. The bottom line is that personal trainers are your gym teacher, guidance counselor, shrink and best friend all rolled into one. The mind, the body and the spirit are all things that the personal trainer can help you with on your path to true physical fitness.
How to pick a personal trainer for you
This is a great question, but a little hard to answer. Picking a personal trainer is like dating in a way. You both have to jive and also enjoy the company of each other. I like to push my clients to their personal limits. Now that doesn’t mean Mr. Olympia workouts all the time, but I want them to work as hard as they are capable of on any given day. Some clients I have run into only want the status of saying that they have a personal trainer and never give their all or try hard to reach any personal goals. In this case, I would be the wrong trainer for this person.
Personalities also have to match. You have to like and have a certain “respect” for your trainer if you are going to listen to and do all the challenging things they thinks of! Obviously your trainer should have the qualifications to provide you with the information you need to reach your goals. Lastly and this is just my opinion, I think your trainer should walk the walk. I never ask my clients to do anything that have not done or have experienced myself. I feel that they have to know something is possible to be able to achieve it themselves. I like to be able to provide the resources needed from personal experience and it helps to have experienced the obstacles first hand.
I think it’s great if you can find a trainer that will sign you up for 1-3 sessions with the understanding that this new “relationship” is on a trial basis. That way you don’t get stuck with some shmuck that looked great at first but really has the skills of a cucumber when it comes to getting results for you.
What’s in the gym bag?
What do I need to buy before I hit the gym? Nothing. If you are healthy and don’t have any specific joint problems or injuries, anything you buy is just for convenience, pure luxury. I’ll explain later what all those gadgets are for but just remember, any time you use something to assist you or to make life easier, you will usually develop a weakness in that area when you are not using the device. If you lift “bare” when you first start out and tough out the sore forearms and fatigued back, these weaker areas will come up to speed in time and soon you will only feel the target muscle working and not the little guys. Here is a list of some gadgets and what they do.
Lifting belt - Used to support the lower back during overhead lifting and other heavy compound movements. Some people develop a dependency on the belt and don’t do a single lift without it. All this does is ignore the problem of weak stabilizer muscles, while continuing to develop the main target muscle. The time to use a belt is when you are attempting a heavier weight than usual and venturing into uncharted territory. The other is if you have an injury to the lower back, although, in this case I would suggest going lighter until the injured area is brought up to speed. If you always rely on the belt your lower back will never be able to acquire the strength that it needs.
Knee and wrist wraps - These are elastic type bands that are wrapped around the joint to provide stability. This again is the same type of deal as above.
Gloves - Gloves are good if you find that your sweat prevents you from being able to grasp the bar for the duration of the set. The other reason for gloves is if you have an aversion to calluses.
Lifting straps - I am kind of divided on this one. Lifting straps go around your wrists and then you wrap the remaining material around the bar affording you a much stronger grip. So of course if you use them all the time you never get a strong grip. Eventually though, the power of your back can jump ahead of your grip. The last thing you want to do is train your back at sub-optimal levels because of a lack of grip. So, what to do? Train as much as you can without them and only put them on for the top end heaviest sets. Every once in a while attempt to do the set without them and if you can make it through, ditch the wraps until they are needed again.
Lifting chalk - O.k., so this is one thing that I like. Chalk absorbs your sweat when you put it on your hands so the bar isn’t so slippery. I will always use chalk before I use wraps. That way I still get the gripping power but the slipperiness of the bar is gone. Some gyms do not allow chalk, so make sure you check the rules.
Your tunes - Most gyms you go into usually won’t play the music you listen to, so bring your own. Music that you enjoy can change your mood and get you pumping with more intensity. The other benefit of listening to tunes is that most people will not stop you in order to talk up a storm if you are going to have to take off your headphones. This way you can keep up your training pace and not get caught up in someone else’s social outing and hinder your training effect.
Shin pads - I have never personally seen anyone else use these but me. Maybe I have actually pioneered something, which would be cool. I use the shin pads during deadlifts so that I don’t loose the skin off the front of my shins. Again, not needed but something that I like to use.
Stop watch - This is a good one because once you start to get tired, your rest periods will probably get longer than they should be. With a little watch, you can time your rest periods and keep the training pace honest and fast.
Training journal - This is one thing you must have! It is so important to keep a record of everything you do in the gym. Memory fails and you have to know how much you did last time in order to make continual upward progress. It’s also good because when you have an exceptional day you can look back and see what variables contributed to such a great workout and therefore you will be able to replicate it again. I record everything. What day I start certain supplements and if they worked or not. What music I listened to. How I felt. You name it, if it has an effect on your training then you should keep note of it. Every time you repeat a workout, you should look back to the last time you performed the same workout. During today’s workout, you want to add weight, add reps or decrease your rest periods. This way, your workout will be more intense than the last. This is the whole secret to success. Constant improvement.
5 Things To Do Before You Go
Well, if you are like me the first time you shelled out some money for a routine, you’re biting at the bit to see if this stuff is actually going to work. It will. Guaranteed. I have trained many people using the exact same stuff I am showing you now and they have all done very well. Having said that, you’re probably even more pumped to get going! First, there are a couple of things I would like you to do before you even step foot into the gym, these will pay great dividends for you later.
· Get your body fat checked
· Measure all your body parts (biceps, calves, chest, etc)
· Buy the food you are going to need
· Have a clear and defined goal of why you are going to the gym and what you are trying to accomplish once you get there. Put this on the first page of your training notebook.
· Believe in yourself. Know, without a doubt, that whatever someone else has achieved, you too are capable of achieving the same results if you put in the same amount of discipline and effort.
Body fat check - Most gyms will do this for you, and some will do it for free. If you can’t get a gym to do it and you don’t want to pay a trainer to do it, then you can buy devices at fitness stores that will take a measurement for you. Some of these are more accurate than others but at least you will have an idea of where your starting point is. The reason you want to do this is because you can lose weight but it might be muscle and you don’t want that because then you will do the yo-yo and end up with more fat then before! Also, sometimes people gain weight and freak out. If you check your body fat and your percentage has gone down then your weight gain has been muscle and you should be stoked because now you will have a better shape and a higher metabolism. Scales are o.k., but they don’t tell you where the change in bodyweight came from so keep that in mind.
Measure your body parts - Get a plain old tape that a seamstress would use (not a carpenters tape or duct tape!) and get measurements for all your body parts. Make little notes as to what side of the body it was and if you can find a land mark like a freckle or scar then you will be more accurate when you come back to do it again. You want to do this because then you will know if a body part responds quickly (and you can be excited) or if you may need to put more effort into a body part that is lagging (in this case, cash in on that determination!).
The bottom line is that if you don’t do these two things, you won’t be able to appreciate the differences you have caused to your body. On those low days when motivation wanes, you can look at what you have accomplished already and get your butt to the gym.
Buy Your Food And House Clean – If it is there, you will eat it. Therefore, get rid of the bad stuff around the house and go buy a bunch of good stuff. The difference between what to eat and what not to eat is as simple as this; “If it was made by man, then it’s banned. If it came in a wrapper, it will make you fatter!” Make your foods from natural sources. You can eat it if it grew, walked, swam or flew.
Have a clear goal - Lifting weights and watching your food intake is not without its trials. When you do anything that takes you out of your comfort zone, you had better have a good reason why you are doing it. In order to do your best at anything you really have to want it. You must have something that will drive you when your motivation wanes.
Believe - Have you ever gotten ready for something and had that feeling that no matter what happens you are going to succeed at it? What happened? You probably got what you wanted right? Well, the same thing applies here. The body cannot achieve anything that the mind thinks is impossible. Did you know that when people under hypnosis touched an ice cube that they were told was a hot piece of steel they actually developed a blister? This just goes to show the power of belief and that whether you think you can or can’t, you are going to be right! “As a man thinketh so shall he be!”
THE BASICS OF WORKING OUT AND YOUR FIRST FAT BURNING ROUTINE
The No Longer Confused Routine
…An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied… -Arnold Glasow
Since your body develops to the needs put on it, chances are that your body right now is a finely tuned machine for TV. watching! So what we need to do is get it ready to train without causing your body to say “nope, don’t think so pal” in the form of an injury. Basically we are going to get your butt to the gym and get used to the routine of getting out of the house a couple of days a week.
Most people can handle a three-day a week commitment, and really that’s all that is needed to make most of the changes for the majority of people. Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the weekends off is usually convenient. It doesn’t really matter as long as it is three non-consecutive days. Then we go and train the whole body on each of these days with one exercise per body part. Now its always smart to warm up before exercise so we do five to ten minutes of any cardio machine to get the blood flowing. This gives the heart a heads up that something is coming! Then we go on to the routine, and finally, the 20 to 30 minute fat loss cardio. Your cardio can be done on the treadmill, bike or whatever. You just have to move and sweat! So to take care of everything, you’re looking at an hour to an hour and a half if you’re taking your time.
Sets and Reps
Well, what is a set? A set is a bunch of reps done in a row, followed by a rest of usually a minute or two. So then, what is a rep? The rep is short for repetition. Or, how many times you raise and lower the weight in a row.
THIS IS THE END OF THE FREE CHAPTERS. If this looks like a program that may be of help to you, I stand behind my work. Please take a look at the complete diet and fat loss program at http://www.fattofitprogram.com (Related) .
Have an awesome day!
Ray Burton
Author of the Fat To Fit Program.
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About Ray Burton: Ray Burton is a motivational speaker, an ISSA-certified personal trainer,owner of Buildingbodies Personal Training, and author of the best selling weight loss book,
Fat To Fit - The Journey (Related) .
Ray has been trainer to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Calgary Rugby Union.
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