Are you looking for fat loss?

Is fat loss a top priority for you right now?

Do you feel like you’re working hard but not getting the results you want?

One of the frequent mistakes I see people make, when looking for fat loss, is not keeping their work level high enough during training sessions.

I see lots of people happily blabbing away while performing exercises, and while that’s great if you go to the gym for social stimulation, it’s not so great if you are miffed as to why your body has barely changed.

If you are looking for fat loss, chatting should be THE LAST priority during your sessions.

Everyone has specific goals and it’s important to make sure that the plan you select matches your goal.

For example, if you are looking to acquire a leaner physique (fat loss), your diet and training program is going to be somewhat different from someone who is looking to add mass (get bigger).

We just finished our first 8 week real [FIT] life Body Transformation Challenge and our participants lost some serious weight and lots of inches by utilizing a total body training program, increasing their overall daily activity, and by following a diet that was high in protein and kept them in a slight caloric deficit.

(I’ll be highlighting our winners and their personal winning strategies in an upcoming feature.)

1. For optimal results, try a total body training program 2 – 3 times a week for 45 minutes to an hour, on non consecutive days.

2. Alternate upper and lower body resistance exercises for three to four sets and keep the rests between those sets to 60 seconds.

(For example, pair reverse lunges for 8-12 reps per leg (lower body) with push ups (upper body) for 8 – 12 reps. Repeat those two exercises, as a pair, for three to four sets before moving on to your next pair. Perhaps, Romanian deadlifts and inverted rows. The combinations are endless!)

To watch a how to video, go here.

3. Your heart rate should be fairly elevated and your breathing somewhat heavy as you alternate from set to set.

If you are able to easily talk with friends between sets and have full fledged conversations without having to catch your breath here and there, chances are, you are NOT working at an intense enough effort to reach your goal. Our real [FIT] life’rs who are looking for fat loss, and strictly adhere to this tip, see significantly noticable results over time.

Some of our real [FIT] life’rs even use a stopwatch to time their rest periods and to ensure they don’t go well over the 60 second rest limit.

And if you can easily talk WHILE performing your lifts? Its REALLY time to bump things up a notch.

Select weights and exercise variations that are appropriately challenging and as you get stronger, make sure you then make things slightly more difficult once again (slightly heavier weights or a more difficult variation), in order to keep the work level moderately high to high.

Modified push ups and plank

Modified variations can be challenging for most people who are just starting out. Many people overlook basic foundational variations thinking they are considered to be “too easy” and won’t elicit results. Remember, if a variation is difficult for YOU, that’s all that matters. Your body doesn’t discern whats “advanced” and what isn’t.

Form and technique are important as well, and usually if you focus on doing something the right way, that in itself will make the exercise challenging.

The amount of weight you select or the variation you choose should not compromise your technique to the point that you can no longer perform all the basic criteria necessary to maintain good form.

Remember, this recommendation is for fat loss. Have any questions? Be sure to ask!

Now, get out there!

Jeannine Trimboli

CEO, real [FIT] life