Posts Tagged ‘making the most of your workouts’

Serene Husseini Interview

Friday, January 25th, 2013

Does lifting weights make you bulky? How do you start if you it’s all new to your? What does it take to be stage ready? Continuing in our quest to find out what makes the people who inspire others through their actions be so inspirational, we are so pleased that Serene Husseini agreed to talk to us about her journey from over weight to stage ready and help answer some of the questions that stop so many people from making the changes they desire.

Serene Hussein Squatting with Big Weights

Health and fitness is my true passion and I am finally on the path I believe I was supposed to take. This is surprising to me, even now, as I was once the chubby girl who hated exercise, loved fast food and didn’t give a thought to the impact it had on my health. I began weight-training around three years ago when I met my current partner in my local gym, and with his encouragement, I began to lift weights. Now, at the age of 24, I still love weight-training like I loved the first ever session – I crave that rush of satisfaction after a workout and how energised it makes you feel. What’s even more exciting, I now own that local gym! When once my journey was uncertain and blurred, the path has become crystal clear – I know exactly what I want in life and I won’t stop until I get there. Goals will be met and aspirations will be fulfilled.

Firstly Serene, Thankyou for speaking with us. Can you tell us if you have always being interested in being in great shape, or was there a moment that felt you wanted to change/improve your health?

No, I haven’t always been in shape. I started exercising after returning home from university and realising I had gained nearly 2 stone! I had begun to dislike what I had become but even then, I wasn’t hugely motivated to exercise – I had to be pushed through classes at the gym and hated the thought of battling the treadmill. But I knew I wanted to lose weight and improve my health so stuck at it for a couple of years. The real turning point was when I started weight-training – I became an addict from the off-set and I haven’t looked back since! I loved the way it made me feel and the way my body changed as a result.

How do you keep yourself motivated when you have to deal with work, life and everything else we deal with on a daily basis?

Well I am fortunate enough to own a gym where I work full time so I rarely need to ‘find’ motivation. It’s just there, both right in front of me and within me, and working out to me is like any other daily activity like eating, drinking, sleeping. I know it’s going to happen whatever my mood so I don’t need to stress about it too much. I have no excuses!  Plus, the members are fantastic, hugely supportive and always interested in how my prep is going.

Is there anyone that you look to for inspiration, someone who offers great advice, or just has an amazing body that you aspire to be somewhat like?

Wow, that’s a difficult one. I admire lots of bikini and figure competitors including Ava Cowan, Nicole Wilkins, Ashley Horner and Felicia Romero to name a few. I feel I can identify best with Felicia in terms of physique but also because she seems to be a true girly girl like me.  However, I also love Andrea Brazier’s look! In terms of advice, I turn to my coach, IFBB pro and former Mr Olympia competitor, Eddie Abbew, IFBB pro Dennis Francis who trains at my gym, as well as a huge array of people who I communicate with through Twitter. I love my fellow tweeters!

You are a Personal trainer, can you tell me how it makes you feel when women say to you they don’t want to get bulky?

The proof is in the pudding – all I have to do is ask them if they think (as a size 8), I look masculine or too ‘bulky’ and when they reply ‘No’, I tell them that I train intensely 5 days a week, I consume my bodyweight and a half in protein daily and use extra supplements like creatine, amino acids and HMB to build as much muscle as I possibly can so their few sessions a week will not make them become big or bulky. They will only become tighter and more toned.

What would you say to someone, to try and re-educate them that this isn’t the case?

Firstly I would explain that whilst cardiovascular exercise is great for health purposes and burns a few pounds, it won’t change the shape of their body. If they want a smaller waist, pert bum, shapely legs and defined arms and shoulders then weight-training is the answer. Most women want to look feminine and curvaceous and this is where weights can help. Not only that, resistance training keeps the metabolism higher for longer and muscle burns calories at a speedy rate. Additionally, muscle is denser and takes up a smaller surface area so looks tighter and smaller on the body. Therefore, the more muscle a person has, the quicker fat is burned and the tighter and more toned they appear!

What advice would you have for someone that wants to start lifting weights but has no idea what to do?

I would advise them to find a good Personal Trainer to ensure that they learn good form and technique from the beginning as poor technique can result in serious injury. I would suggest they start out using light weights and higher repetitions practising isolation moves for each body part so that they learn to engage each muscle properly. When they feel more confident, they can then attack the bigger compound moves and increase the weight.

You recently stood on stage for the first time, can you tell me about that experience?
Yes I did my first show with only 6 months of preparation – the UKBFF qualifier and placed 2nd with an invite to the British in October 2012! I was pretty nervous backstage but as soon as I got on the stage the nerves fell away and the feeling was incredible. I just told myself this is it, I’ve worked my butt off for it so show off and I did! When I received an invite to the Championships, I couldn’t believe it and dived straight into preparation for the next show without a second thought.

What made you take on the challenge of competing?

I had been weight-training intensely for a year and a half and trialling various methods of dieting. Other gym members would ask me what sport I was training for and I also replied ‘nothing, I just like to train’. Then I started to become more familiar with female fitness competitors in magazines like Flex and mentioned in passing to Dennis Francis that maybe I could compete one day but secretly never thought I’d be ready anytime soon. In that instant, he was on the phone to Eddie Abbew and a few weeks later I was sitting with Eddie discussing preparations for competition! It all happened so quickly, I barely had time to reconsider and I’m glad I didn’t!

People will assume that because you are a PT, you would know everything to get yourself in competition shape, so can you tell us why you would choose a coach, and the importance of having that experience when you want to take your body to the next level?

While I know a lot about preparing my physique for show (you quickly get used to your body and the way it works), I cannot stress how important it is to have a coach. Firstly, Eddie knows a million times more than I do, he has worked with thousands of bodies and has probably been in every possible situation.  Secondly, towards the end of dieting, you become more tired and weak from a lack of carbohydrates and what you see in the mirror is often not a true reflection of yourself. Having an extra pair of eyes there is great as he can direct me all the way in accordance with how my physique changes. Most importantly, you need someone who is honest – as family members and loved ones can be soft for fear of hurting your feelings – and Eddie is just that! He will tell me his thoughts exactly and for that, I cannot thank him enough.  The few weeks before stage are crucial and everything must be done exactly right to bring your best to the stage.

You are in the middle of preparing for another competition this year. Can you tell me what you enjoy, or find hard about the preparation stages?

To be honest, I enjoy the dieting and prep for stage. I am sort of in prep all year round but the diet is tightened 14 weeks out. Within this time, I do have my down days when I just wish I could sit on the sofa and eat chocolate but I just keep reminding myself of how I want to look on stage and I am instantly back on track. With dieting, it’s a game of you’re in or you’re out and I choose to be 100% in – if I don’t look as good as I should up on stage, I want to be able to say ‘at least I tried my best’ – I don’t want to give myself reasons for why I wasn’t as conditioned as I could have been or as defined, so I stick to the plan exactly.

As your diet and preparation becomes more strict in the last 12 weeks leading up to an event, how do you juggle social events, eating out. Do you need to just say no?

Socialising is very difficult during the final 12 weeks. Alcohol is most certainly a no-no however I do generally have a weekly cheat meal until the final weeks so can often base any social events around these. Often I will go to events with my own tupperwares but if it is in the last 4-6 weeks, I often just avoid socialising altogether because it’s just easier.

Are your friends/family supportive at this time, or do you find yourself constantly saying no to people trying to feed you lol?

Yes and yes. I am fortunate to have an amazing family and friends who are hugely supportive of what I do and my aspirations in life. My partner is my rock – he keeps me grounded and helps me throughout contest prep and he is the one that has to deal with my mood swings close to competition! Yes I do find people constantly want to feed me, especially when I am dieting which can make it more difficult but after you have said no over and over, they understand and stop offering. Haha! I fly abroad to see my grandma post-competition so she can enjoy feeding me up!

Finally, can you tell us what your favourite exercise is, what your favourite cheat meal is, and who your favourite inspiration is?

Oooh tough question! My favourite exercise would have to be Romanian Deadlifts (Note from Mark – these are often mis-titled Stiff Leg Deadlifts, they are quite similar, but there are important differences. Have a read at THIS if you haven’t already for more on this) –  nothing hits the spot quite like it and hamstring training is brutal! My favourite cheat meal – if I want a real cheat I’d choose a burger and chips (preferably a gourmet burger place with organic beef!) but if I fancy something a little cleaner, I’d opt for peri-peri chicken or sushi. Finally, my fave inspiration would probably be Felicia Romero! I just love her whole image and I can identify with her body shape and tone. She also seems grounded, level-headed, girly and dedicated which I like!

Interviewed by Barbara Graham for our Beginners Guide to Getting Ripped page – Check it out for more information and post your own questions for Serene and she just might pop in to answer them.

You can follow Serene on Twitter as she prepares for the next UKBFF qualifier: @Serene_Husseini

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Are you really giving your all?

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Until now I’ve mainly been looking at excuses that are likely to be holding many people back in their pursuit of an improved physicality and fitness levels. Obviously as a reader of this blog, you are probably not someone who is greatly hampered by such things, but it never hurts to instil the odd reminder now and again.

Today I want to discuss something else that has probably affected all of us at some point.

It’s not so much an excuse, but it is something that is limiting more people in their progress than you might think. In fact it is something I see hour after hour, day in day out. If there is a group of people training, chances are this is affecting at least one of them.

The question is – Are you giving your All at All times?

Just turning up to the gym and going through the motions is not enough to make progress.

If you are one of those people that head for the recumbent bike with a book, have a read while you spin the pedals around, then step off without a hair out of place and think that was a worthwhile 30mins or whatever, then I can assure you, your results are a long way off.

In fact, if that is you, then either make a decision to change right now, or stop reading right here and don’t come back to this site until you are willing to put in some kind of effort.

Similarly, when you hit the weights room, regardless of what you are lifting for, whether it be hypertrophy, strength, fat loss or toning, how you lift is as important, if not more important, than what you lift.

The people that make real progress are the ones who put their all into every rep of every set. If the target of the set is failure, then push to failure, not just until it gets uncomfortable. If the aim is to recruit as many muscle fibres as possible, then you are looking to lift, not just heavy, but with acceleration. Accelerating a heavy weight is the optimal route to accessing your deep threshold motor units, ensuring the largest stimulus for your muscles. If the target is speed, then push to the end, push through the wall and force your body to adapt.

In other words, just making the movement pattern is not enough.

Yes, it is important to learn correct form. It is necessary to spend some time developing your mind muscle connection. It is a good idea to work on bringing up weaknesses. But, regardless of the type of workout you are doing, it is of critical importance that you make the most of it.

Why waste reps?

Now I’m not a big advocate of HIT training, but there is one thing that you can learn from that method. Make every lift, every movement and every set as important as it would be if you only had one chance to make it work. With HIT training you perform one set for each muscle group. One set and one set alone.

Let’s assume you are looking for some major chest development. Imagine each week you only had one set of 5 reps of bench pressing in which to achieve that. 5 reps and that’s it until next week. You would be much more focused, you’d ensure you kept your chest muscles activated throughout the movement on every rep, you’d accelerate the bar with everything you had, you’d squeeze every rep for all it was worth, you’d ensure a full range of motion and you’d do it all with the heaviest weight you could manage.

After all, you’ve only got one shot at this and that has to be enough to make your chest grow.

HIT or no HIT, this is the sort of focus you should be applying to every rep of every set, regardless of the number of sets.

2 people can do the same workout and get massively different results. You could put that down to genetic makeup. But the fact is the person who puts their all into every rep will always outshine the person who just goes through the motions.

Always be in control.

When you are lifting weights, you control the bar, don’t let the bar control you. You lower it and you ‘command’ it back up. That is a very different process than letting it drop under gravity and then trying to grind it back up (before resting at the lockout position for 5 seconds).

If you are doing something a bit more cardiovascular, be in control of your breathing and your form. Remain focused and keep your posture. Then, even though your breaths may shorten and your heart rate quicken, you can control it back down again at a comfortable pace. Don’t bend over double gasping for air. It’s your body, you control it.

“What about overtraining?”

In my experience the attempt to avoid overtraining is, in itself, the most overdone thing in a gym. I am so sick of hearing the ‘overtraining’ excuse.

It is incredibly hard to reach a level of overtraining. I’m not talking about a bit of fatigue because you pushed heavy on a few workouts despite not having enough sleep [intlink id=”979″ type=”post”]I’ve already covered how to deal with that[/intlink] or getting ill from training heavy and hard on a poor diet. That’s a nutritional issue. True overtraining takes weeks to recover from and would require a level of training that most regular people could never find the time to achieve.

I’ve actually seen people stop their workout because the clock told them they had been training for an hour and they didn’t want to go one minute over. I’ve heard others talk of the mythical 45min maximum session time.

It’s all garbage and nothing more than an excuse to stop or simply a lack of proper information.

Think about it – When does the 45mins start? When you hit the gym floor? When you enter the gym? When you lift your first weight? What if you lifted something heavy just before you came to the gym (maybe you had to move a couch) does that mean you better get to the gym quick as your 45mins have started? Of course not!

Train to the maximum level that you can optimally recover from.

Some days that could be 20mins other days it could be 5hrs. There are no set rules and relying on a clock is just finding another constraint to hold you back.

If someone is there to spot you, that doesn’t give you licence to give up.

If you are doing an exercise and you get to a rep that is a real push. It’s probably going to be your final rep, you know you have nothing more to give – in fact you’re not sure you are even going to make this one. Just because you’ve got someone standing over you is not a reason to just relax every muscle safe in the knowledge there is someone there to help you up with the bar.

Your spotter is not there to lift the bar for you, their purpose is to give you as little assistance as possible whilst keeping you safe. Don’t make them have to upright row the bar back onto its hooks because you didn’t have the determination to push out that final rep.

If you are doing 50 meter sprints, don’t just stop and walk at 40 meters because it’s your 6th set, your lungs are heaving & your legs feel like jelly. You lift your chin and you push as hard as you can, it might be slower than a sprint, you may be barely moving, but you set yourself a distance of 50 meters, so that is what you push for. Giving your all right to the line.

I have to return again to the reason you are training at all. The result you are looking to achieve. The physique you so desperately crave. Remind yourself of the reason you are doing this, see it in your head, reconnect with the emotion and use it to push you in every aspect of your training.

The same goes for your diet. Use the emotion to help you decide what to eat or drink. Are your cravings stronger than that emotion? Or are you simply ‘giving in’ because it’s easier at that moment?

You want a result, you have made a commitment to do something about it, you have set aside time to train for that result, so why would you then give sub-optimal effort levels?

If you are already using the excuse that you [intlink id=”901″ type=”post”]don’t have time[/intlink], then why, when you give yourself some time, would you waste a second of it? Why would you want to take 5min rest periods just because the exercise it tough and you are putting off your next set? Why would you do sub optimal reps? Why would you eat ‘convenience foods’ when it is going to put you back several days? (not very convenient if you ask me).

Change is difficult. Your body is comfortable as it is (even if that comfort is safe in the knowledge that your health is in danger) it doesn’t want to change. If you force it, it will resist and suddenly all excuses seem logical. At that point, your willpower will lose, logic will go out the window until it becomes hindsight and then it becomes clear.

But it’s too late by then!

So, if you have fallen into any of the traps I’ve described, now you can be mindful of them. Realize what you are doing, take a step back, think about what you want to achieve and more importantly, why? Reconnect with that emotion and use that to overcome your excuses.

Never again should you be making [intlink id=”901″ type=”post”]Work[/intlink], [intlink id=”943″ type=”post”]Not Liking Something[/intlink], [intlink id=”979″ type=”post”]Fatigue[/intlink], [intlink id=”1018″ type=”post”]Injuries[/intlink] or Lack Of Intensity a reason for not progressing.

Stop making plans to fail and start planning a route to success.

Your results, your goals, your physique, your health and wellbeing are all in your hands. Take hold of your destiny and leave the excuses behind you. Now go and make the greatest improvements you’ve ever made – No excuses!

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How hate can be turned on its head

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Don’t be distracted by the title. If you clicked here thinking this might be about relationships or something similar then I’m sorry to disappoint. That said, I’m sure some of the things I’m going to mention might be applicable there as well.

When I sat down to write something it had been such a while since my last post (sorry about that if you’ve been waiting for something new – just been busy busy) that I had so many topics running through my head and so many notes and bits of information put aside for you that I didn’t know where to start. So I thought maybe a simple way to get something down was just to post a recent workout of mine that I thought worked well.

Then it hit me! In doing that I could give a very important piece of advice at the same time and a lesson I think is extremely important when it comes to training, fitness and getting to the results you are looking for.

So I’m going to do as I set out to do and give you a breakdown of one of my recent workouts that I feel worked fantastically well.

It’s a leg day workout and it involves Front Squats. However that is really neither here nor there. What I want you to know is that 3 or 4 months ago I hated front squats, so much so that the very idea of trying them made me cringe.

Now, regardless of the exercise, that probably rings true with you on some level. Am I right? At some point in your quest for health, fitness, leanness, a toned stomach or buns of steel, there has bound to have been a workout you dreaded, couldn’t be bothered with or thought was ‘too hard’. Or, at the very least, an exercise that you never put in your programme because you just don’t like it.

You may well have justified its absence to yourself (and no doubt others) in a way that makes you feel good about skipping it altogether, but in your heart of hearts you know that is the exercise, workout, class or activity you should really be doing.

You didn’t go running because “It’s bad for your knees” and you really needed to stay at home and do 10mins of abdominal exercises, when in reality it was raining and you didn’t feel like getting wet.

You don’t do squats when you are at the gym because “It’s bad for your back” when actually you’re just not adept at squatting and don’t want to embarrass yourself when the young girl in the size 6 leotard comes over and squats the same weight as you.

You don’t want to lift heavy weights because “you don’t want to get all bulky” when actually you just can’t lift anything heavier than a bag of sugar for more than 4 reps.

You can add your own in, but rest assured, at some point in your life (some more than others) you have done this.

With me it was front squats.

A few years back I had been back squatting around 160kg for 6+ Reps for a few weeks as part of my leg day and thought it was time to mix things up a little. I knew how good front squats were and that the guys that did them swore by them and I thought now was a good time to give it a try. I had read somewhere that a front squat weight would on average be around 70% of your back squat weight (which would be around 112kg) but despite the fact this was my first attempt, there were other people in the gym. I didn’t want them to see me with that on the bar. So 120kg was the weight I selected.

Needless to say I got about one decent rep out before the bar started rolling away from me.

BTW if you don’t know what a front squat is, you are essentially holding the bar across the front of your shoulders rather than behind the neck with your elbows high in order to stop the bar rolling forward. There are 2 common grips for this, the power lifting grip (which has your hands gripping under the bar at just beyond shoulder width with your elbows straight out in front as high as possible) or a bodybuilding grip (where your hands cross to hold the bar from the front, again lifting your elbows high). I tried both that day, but my grip of choice now is always the latter.

So I ‘humbly’ dropped the weight to 100kg and tried again. I think by this point I had two foam collars on the bar and a towel wrapped around it to try and take the discomfort off my shoulders.

This time I think I managed 5 very dodgy reps before re-racking and walking away to find my next exercise as if it was all planned.

It was years before I tried again.

Late Aug 2009 I decided enough was enough. This is a tool I should have in my training arsenal and I was going to master it.

I started with no weight on the bar and performed 8 reps as smoothly and as close to perfect form as I could manage. I then started adding 10kg at a time, each time aiming for 8 reps. If I made it I would go on, if not, I’d stop there and start at the previous weight next time and go from there.

I made it to a very humbling 60kg!

However, on my next leg day that 60 became 80kg and I vowed to get to 100kg before the end of the year.

I didn’t bother using pads, just steel on skin and I came out with bruises after every session. But each time the bruising was less and the pumped feeling in my quads became more.

I used a combination of straight sets and cluster sets to force the weight higher and by the end of October I was loving leg day. I looked forward to it before hand. I hated the pain during it (there is something so different about lower body workout pain to upper body) but afterwards I felt fantastic and that I had really achieved something. And then I reached my 100kg in mid November with around 6 weeks to spare.

And this is the point I want to make!

If you really want to make a difference! If you have a goal you genuinely want to achieve! Then that thing that you don’t want to do because you ‘don’t like it’ or ‘it’s just too hard’ or whatever other excuse you have given out for avoiding it, is probably the very thing you need to be doing. And if you can just be determined and stick with it for a few weeks (That’s right, doing it once is not an excuse to say “I tried it and I didn’t like it) make sure you are doing it the way it should be done; make sure you are giving it your complete attention; see the results it is going to bring you.

If you can do that, you might just find that the ‘hate’ you had in your mind for that one thing turns to love. Something you really look forward to. Something you can FEEL working for you.

And at that point, it’s probably time to change your routine and find something else to do!

Because if you are loving it, it’s probably too easy and you’ve adapted to it and you have to find a new way to challenge your body. But you will always be able to come back to it after a while and you now have another tool in your arsenal to use for the rest of your days.

So with that said, here is a note of my leg day workouts from that period taken from mid October.

I would point out that when I started in late August I was doing almost the same workout every 4 or 5 days and it was twice as long as this. After a few weeks I decided to split the workout in two. So I would do this session format, then a Back & Triceps day, followed by a rest day, then a shoulders, calves & abs day, then the other half of my original leg workout (tweaked a little), then Chest & Biceps, another rest day, before returning to this workout.

After following that path for a few weeks I realized my results were much better and my sessions much more focused.


(A1) High Box Squats – Worked up to 4RM (at 175kg)

(B1) Front Squats (Clusters) – (100kg) 5/5/5/5/5 Reps

(C1) Stiff Leg Deadlift – (90kg) 5/5/5 Reps

(D1) Lying Hamstring Curls – (32.5kg) 6/5/4 Reps

Notes:

I used the High Box Squats primarily as a primer for my quads. I set the box up just above knee level and started with just the bar. Squatting with my feet in a much narrower position that normal for a box squat (just inside shoulder width) to put the focus fully on my quads, I would then squat back to the box under control, pause for a couple of seconds focusing on relaxing my hip flexors, whilst keeping my core tight. Then driving up hard with my quads and repeating.

After around 10 reps, I took the weight to 60kg and did the same again. I then moved to 80kg and performed 5 reps and re-racked the bar. I was nowhere near failure and didn’t want to be. Remember, this is only really a warm up / primer. I repeated this process adding 5kg to the bar each time, taking just as much time as necessary to be fully recovered for the next set. (which was around the time it took to change the plates until the last few sets). At 175 I felt the 4th rep was a bit of a grind and so I re-racked the bar and got ready for the next exercise.

I should point out that I foam rolled before this and between sets for the first 3 sets just to be sure my muscles were loose and warm but not weakened through over stretching.

For the front squats, this was the first week I tried 100kg on the bar. I had gotten stuck at 92kg for 6 reps 2 weeks running and so switched to clusters to get used to the bigger weight. Last session I used 97.5kg.

The cluster sets I followed were 10 sec rests between reps. After 5 reps I would take time to fully recover (no more than 2mins) before repeating and managed 5 clean reps on all 5 sets.

I reduced the bar to 90kg for stiff leg deadlifts. My target was anywhere between 4 and 6 reps and it so happens I managed 5 on each set. Again taking as long as needed (under 2mins) to recover for each set.

With my hamstrings burning I moved on to Hamstring curls. I wanted to keep this heavy as I do slightly higher rep work on my 2nd leg day, so I loaded 32.5kg worth of plates on to the bench and focused on fully contracting each rep with as much force as possible (with good form) and then lowering under total control. On each set, as soon as that perfect form started to go and I was no longer in full control of the weight, I stopped and rested for the next set.

After some stretching it was time to head home with a feeling of a job well done. If I had to continue the session my focus would possibly have lapsed and I wouldn’t have had such a good feeling afterwards. So I’d suggest, when planning your programmes, sometimes it is necessary to push your limits, but it is easy to write out a huge programme that is going to hit every muscle fibre available, but that doesn’t make it the ideal choice.

Sometimes less is more.

Remember you don’t build muscle in the gym, you build it when you are recovering and if you can’t recover in time for the next session all you are doing is damage.

So now that I’ve been through all of this, have a think, is there something you know you should be doing as part of your routine? Maybe it’s something as simple as getting off the sofa and doing SOMETHING. Or maybe it’s a little more advanced than that. Either way, put the excuses behind you; leave your ego at the door and just resolve to get it done.

And if you just don’t know what to do, then the best thing you can do is hire a personal trainer. (erm – you’ll find my contact details at the bottom ;-p)

Remember, it’s OK to be yourself. Just be your BEST self!

Mark.


If you want to contact Mark about Personal Training, Coaching, Nutrition, Classes or anything else, please email – info@designsonyourself.com

 

Mark Tiffney is a fully qualified professional fitness instructor & personal trainer currently based in Glasgow. He also has qualifications in Circuit Training, Indoor Cycling (spin), Nutrition & Weight Management, Body Composition Analysis & even has a module in Golf.
This is along with his full qualification and experience in architecture as well as a background in football, ice hockey & squash (to name but a few).

Mark offers a professional service to those who are serious about achieving their fitness goals and promises to treat each client with the utmost respect and confidentiality.

“Your results are my command”

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So what is a ‘Fat Burning Zone’?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

I was recently presented with a question on the ‘Fat Burning Zone’ as part of a forum discussion and my response ended up being an article in itself, so I thought I’d post it here in case someone else finds it useful.

The tone is a little rambling and it may not be all that structured, but I was just letting go, because it’s one of those ‘trueisms’ that just keep appearing again and again and one I thought there was more common knowledge about these days.

The original post read:

“I have been fat burning for 2 months now and seem to be wondering sometimes if I am wasting alot of time for nothing. I have lost about 1 st in this time from 18.7 down to 17.7stone, and need to get to 15 stone. I was in a bad accident 1 yr ago and when I came out of hospital with my shoulder and leg in casts I continued on my normal diet of pasta ect and not taking into account the amount of cal’s I am not using compared to what I did before my accident and this made me put on at least 2 1/2 stone over the year. I knew I shouldnt be eating as much but it was so hard not to due to the bordem .

The problem I have is 2 of my friends have gave me conflicting info and both of them are fitness instructors. I am 28 and 1 of my friends says I should be doing 60% of my max H/R for 1 hr a day which is about 115-116 beats per min…… well i now do 1hr 45 a day at this rate and I do feel the difference….. AND…

My other friend says i should be working at around 135-140 for 1hr for the best fat burning

 

I know how the fat burn process works ect, like you only burn sugar for the 1st 20 mins then u burn fat but I dont know what H/R’s to stick to”

My Response read:

“I’m going to try to answer this, but talk of a ‘Fat Burning Zone’ really drives me crazy because it adds confusion where there should be none (as you have clearly found out).

First of all, there is no magical heart rate where you suddenly start burning fat. You are always burning fat and carbohydrates (or glycogen) in every activity. What shifts is the balance between the two (or the focus). The slower and more laid back the pace, the more your body uses fat as its primary fuel source. As the intensity of your activity increases your energy source switches from Aerobic to Anaerobic and the fuel source becomes primarily carbohydrates (I’ll stick with that term as it is the macronutrient you consume and so will recognize it more freely – I don’t want to over confuse with the actual internal process).

However, even when carbs become the primary fuel source, your body will still be burning fat, just a much higher percentage of carbs.

The so called ‘fat burning zone’ is the zone that you work at where you are burning the most calories before reaching the point where this change in emphasis occurs (and it’s usually – though not always – around 60-70% of your Max HR).

There are several problems with that though:

1) The max HR calculation of 220-age is a huge generalization. Even the person who came up with it has since been quoted as saying it was just a theory and he didn’t expect people to take it so literally. That calculation can be vastly off. First off, women can usually get the heart rate higher than men during exercise (if at the same level of fitness).

Also, someone who is physically fit can raise their heart rate much higher during exercise (safely) than someone who is new to physical fitness. Therefore, if you are going to aim for this magical zone it would probably be best to use PRE (Perceived Rate of Exertion) as your guide [on a scale of 1-10 (10 being flat out) how hard are you working?] and you would aim for around 6-7/10 which is slightly out of breath but still able to hold a conversation without the sentences getting broken up.

2) Is burning fat during exercise the best solution? – Have a think about this. Your body will react to the demands you place on it. So, for example, if you lift weights, what you are actually doing is breaking down muscle. Your body then reacts by building that muscle back stronger than before in order to cope with that demand.

If you burn fat, therefore, what does your body do?

It tries to cover that demand for the future by trying to store more fat. Now if you keep pushing for longer each time and continue to train, that may not be a problem. But you can’t increase your output indefinitely. There are only so many hours in the day. And when you stop increasing your output level your body’s improved fat storing ability will catch up with you. And if you were to stop altogether, you would probably end up putting on more fat than you had to begin with. Therefore, if fat burning is your goal (as apposed to endurance running) then wouldn’t you be better teaching your body to store the nutrients you want it to and to let it realize the one thing it can do without is fat?

As a comparison – Imagine the physiques of an Olympic 100m sprinter and compare to that of a marathon runner. Which would you prefer to achieve?

Most people go for the sprinter, because they look more ‘toned’. That is because, whilst long distance runners are ‘skinny’ they still generally have quite a high body fat content and what they have lost is actually muscle tissue. The reason is that is what makes them more efficient long distance runners. (muscle weighs more than fat, fat is easier to carry around and is an acceptable fuel source, so that’s what is sticks with).

3) Calorie Balance – When it comes down to it, the only thing that matters when burning fat is the calorie balance. If you are burning more calories than you are consuming you will lose weight (and fat) if you are consuming more than you burn you will not (and may add weight). Therefore, the more calories you burn the better. Now, if you were to go out and go for a nice gentle stroll for half an hour the percentage of fat burned over carbs would be huge. The ratio is greatly in favor of fat burning at that level. If, however, you were to go and bust a gut sprinting for half an hour you would be burning more carbs than fat.

Does that mean you are more likely to burn more fat walking than sprinting for the same period? Absolutely not! In fact, even though you are burning more carbs than fat whilst sprinting, you are still burning more fat than you would be walking, you are just burning WAY more carbs. But over all, what you are doing is burning vastly more calories and that is what will help you achieve that deficit.

My last point is going to be about weight though – you say that you have lost 1stone and NEED to get to 15stone. Why? What is so magical about 15st?

Are you competing in a boxing competition?
Are you a jockey?
Are you doing some kind of activity that has a weight restriction?

If yes, then your comment is perfectly valid. However, if it is because you were 15st in the past when you looked good, that is not a valid reason. If you stuck your arm in a tractor’s wheel and ripped it off you would probably lose the weight you wanted to, but I’m guessing that’s not the look you are going for (But then maybe I’m just out of touch with the ‘in look’ these days).

However, if you were to add a little muscle (say 5lbs) and drop another 15lbs of pure fat, I think you’d find you’d look a lot better than you wanted to. But you will only have lost 10lbs more. The thing is, weight is not the issue – the amount of fat on your body is (remember, muscle weighs more than fat). I refer you back to the 100m sprinter and the marathon runner physiques. The marathon runner will weigh much less than the sprinter, but which physique looks healthier and more ‘toned’?

So in summing this up, my suggestion is to forget about fat burning zones.

When you go to train, with whatever you are doing, do it with an intensity befitting the results you want. If you are looking to burn fat and you have 40mins available, then work at an intensity that is befitting 40mins of HARD WORK. Push yourself and don’t leave anything in the gym (or on the track). If you have 20mins work even harder to squeeze the most out of your session. If, on the other hand, your goal is to run the London marathon, then train for endurance, forget the scales and just work on your technique and progression.

If you train hard and your diet is right you will get the results. At the end of it all, results are all that matters. Find what works for YOU and do that, even if it goes entirely against what the ‘science’ says ‘should’ work.

I hope that is of some use to you.

Rant ends.”

Hopefully that clears up a few issues and maybe clarifies some of the confusion regarding the subject and will allow for a more informed choice when it comes to your training regime.

Thanks, as always, for taking the time out to read my ramblings and I truly hope you are finding them useful.

Mark

Mark Tiffney is a certified Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, Fitness Instructor & Life Coach. (REPS Registered)

If you are interested in having your diet evaluated or having a meal plan prepared for your body type, fat loss or muscle building goal or are looking for general help with your training of fitness goals, please contact Mark by emailing:

 

info@designsonyouself.com

 

Mark is also currently offering one to one Personal Training & Coaching sessions in Glasgow.
To arrange a free consultation, please call 0141 41 60 348 or email info@designsonyourself.com
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