Targetting Fat Loss

Is there such a thing as target fat loss?

This is one of the more questions and worries of many gym bunnies.

You seem to be able to get fat off certain areas of your body but there are just some stubborn bodyparts such as the jiggling arms, the extra roll of fat around your waist and extra inches on your thighs that no matter what you do it just won't move. And you're wondering if thre is such a thing as target weight loss to zap those areas and melt the fat away.

Sadly there is no such thing as target weight loss. When your body mobilizes fat from your fat cells it does so on a whole-body basis, basically pulling fat from all over the place all at once.Certain areas of your body are more willing to give up their fat stores while some areas are more stubborn about it and hold off as long as they can. Depending on your structure, some people can tone their upper bodies easily while having real problems with getting their legs, hips and things nice and shapely.

The answer? The key is hardwork. Whether it be your arms or legs, you'll have to train them intensely and frequently. Many of my clients have found great benefit from training legs twice a week using lunges, step ups and supersets to give their legs and butts that burning feeling. Weight training plus at least 4 x 45 min cardio sessions will also help tone up the quads and hamstrings.

As for the upper body, some women are afraid to lift heavy thinking they might get big and bulky. But through pushing and pulling medium/heavy weights you'll help your muscles to grow and force through the definition you desire in your upper body.

You can certainly tone up the muscles in your problem areas and that will help a lot as far as improving them. The real payoff will come when your fat loss peels away the covering over those areas to reveal what you've worked for underneath! This is done through burning calories and watching what you eat. You're definitely on the right track!

Lisa, Go Figure
22 Oct 09

Planning cardio around leg training days

If you're a bodybuilder who enjoys the soreness and limp you experience following an incredible leg workout, then you probably already know the woes of trying to do intense cardio with sore legs. Many bodybuilders consider weight training and cardio training to be two separate things. In reality, since both utilize the legs, careful planning should take place to ensure your cardio doesn't interfere with your weight training, and vice versa.

The first key to remember is that you cannot do cardio the day before you train the legs with weights. Your leg muscles and glycogen stores need to be replenished. You can't expect a good performance on the squat rack if you went all-out just 12-24 hours earlier. Give then a rest before pushing them to the limit.

Second, you must ramp down the cardio intensity and angles in those two days following leg day. After all, DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, is at its worst in the 48 hours following a workout. So after you destroy your legs on leg day, the two following days will be slow, relaxed cardio, which gives the lungs a workout, yet works around the well-worn legs.

Finally, you should take advantage of the numbness you are feeling at the conclusion of your leg weight training session, and complete a very intense cardio session directly after completing your leg routine. Same day, same session. As your legs will already be tired after your session ou won't feel much of the pain while biking or on the cross trainer. You might as well get the most possible gains out of the day's workout by making the most of the torture.

Day 1 - Rest (no cardio)

Day 2 - Full leg workout (quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves) followed by 30 minutes interval cardio on the stepper machine.

Day 3 - Full Chest/Triceps workout, followed by 30 minutes walking on treadmill

Day 4 - Full Back/Biceps workout, followed by 30 minutes elliptical machine at low intensity

Day 5 - 30 minutes medium- to high-intensity cardio

Day 6 - Full shoulder workout, followed by 30 minutes very intense cardio

Day 7 - Rest day (no cardio)

Listen to your body. After day 7, (a full rest day), you might want another rest day. If so, keep day 1 as listed. However, if you are feeling your legs have fully recovered, then skip day 1 and go right into day 2 and train legs that day. The most important rule is to listen to your body and train legs and complete cardio with as much intensity as possible, while still giving them required rest for maximum recovery.

from ezinearticles.com

Oh Nuts!

Lately I've been getting into brazil nuts instead of almonds for my good fats for a change. They're big and it makes you feel like you're having something substantial and usually 3 or 4 is plenty to fill me up. But you know with nuts, once you start you can't stop.

But now I have to stop!!! as brazil nuts can be quite toxic if you have too much of it. Is there anything that's good for you that you can eat heaps of!!!! So if you like or eat alot of brazil nuts beware.

Below is an article on Brazil nuts by researchers at Otago university.

" One brazil nut a day is enough to raise the average New Zealander's selenium intake to internationally recommended levels and eating two could lead to added health benefits, new research shows.

However, Otago University researchers warn that too much of the micronutrient can be toxic and people should be careful to limit themselves to no more than a few nuts a day.

Department of Human Nutrition Professor Christine Thomson said today the nuts were a simple, effective and relatively low-cost way for people to boost their levels of the essential micronutrient.

New Zealanders have a marginal selenium level compared to many other Western countries, owing to soils here being generally low in the mineral.

"There is mounting evidence that a marginal selenium status can lead to an increased risk for a range of conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular disease," Prof Thomson said.

There was growing scientific support that higher intakes might provide additional health benefits, like enhancing the body's immune system.

Prof Thomson and colleagues carried out the first-ever study to look at how much selenium people can obtain from brazil nuts and the resulting levels of antioxidant activity in their blood.

Their study appeared recently in the American Clinical Journal of Nutrition.

Sixty volunteers were tested over 12 weeks. They were divided into three groups, one of which ate two brazil nuts a day, while the other groups were given either a 100 microgram selenium supplement or a placebo to take daily.

The results showed the blood selenium concentrations of the brazil nut group were up by 64.2 per cent, the selenium supplement group's increase was 61 per cent and the placebo group 5.3 per cent.

The results showed that including a couple of brazil nuts a day in the diet could ensure a greatly enhanced selenium status without needing to fortify other foods or take supplements.

Prof Thomson said that while New Zealanders' low selenium intakes needed addressing, too much of the micronutrient could be toxic.

"People should be careful to limit themselves to no more than a few brazil nuts per day, otherwise selenium could potentially accumulate to toxic levels in body tissues."

- NZPA

Motivation. I need some!

I wanted to write something really motivating to get you guys all revved up and focused on your fitness goals. Something that was going to help you stick to your diet, start a diet or simply to go for a walk three times a week. I wanted to write something that was going to inspire you to get your butt off the couch onto the bike or pounding the pavement.

But alas, I was lacking motivation - and suffering one of those writers blocks - so like most people who 'live' on the computer I surfed the net to find something that could trigger off a flurry of words that would inspire me to help you get motivated. And I got lucky! I found a diet website by Anne Collins who wrote what I wish I had written.

It really captures the essence of how we all can find the drive to get to the gym, go for that morning wallk or be stricter on our diets. I hope you will benefit from her words as I have. It's certainly fired me up to write - but then again, I don't need to now. At least I was motivated enough to go surfing!!

You Need Motivation? Join the Club!

We all need motivation. Trouble is, no one else can really help us.
We have to find the motivation from within ourselves.

We have to want to lose weight. We have to get fired up.
It's no good sitting down and squeaking 'I need to lose weight' (sob).

We have to stand up and SHOUT IT!

We have to say:

I'M FED UP of being fat.
I'm FED UP of covering up my thighs.
I'm FED UP of being laughed at.
I'm FED UP of being ignored.
I'm FED UP of feeling bad about myself.

I WANT MY LIFE BACK!!!!

I want to LOOK GOOD!
I want to FEEL GOOD!
I want OTHER PEOPLE to feel good about me!
I want to have FUN!

But shouting it isn't enough either

We have to start ACTING as though we MEAN it.
We have to get OFF our butts and start making PLANS.
We have to STAND TALL and take ourselves SERIOUSLY.
No one else can do this for us

So get going, girls!
Stand tall and start taking yourself seriously.

NO MORE excuses.
NO MORE junk food.
NO MORE fad diets.
NO MORE fat person.

The moral?First, get an attitude. Then get slim.

Anne Collins

Targetting Fat Loss

Planning cardio around leg training days

Oh Nuts!

Motivation. I need some!

More Articles...

Go on facebook!