The Big Rock Concepts For Training!

In part 1 we talked about the Big Rock concepts for nutrition, in this part we put the same thoery into training, showing you the main things or rocks that should be in your training program for fat loss success. So, lets get started.

1. Full Body Workouts!

Full body workouts will yield a greater energy expenditure per workout when compared to split routines because of the large amount of muscle mass being taxed in each session.

In 2000, a study came out in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that compared training just one day a week versus three days (with the same total volume).

The subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one day per week of three sets to failure, or three days per week of one set to failure.

The study concluded that the one day group only achieved 62% of the one rep max (1RM) increases observed in the three day group, in both upper-body and lower-body lifts.

Larger increases in lean body mass were apparent in the three day group as well. The findings suggest that a higher frequency of resistance training, even when volume is held constant, produces superior gains in lean body mass and 1RM.

So regardless of your routine, frequency is a key factor for optimal progress.


2. Use Compound Exercises!

What Are Compound Exercises?

Today's fitness programs tend to focus on functional fitness, which refers to exercise that simulates real-life activities and uses a wide variety of movements through a wide range of motion. At the heart of these routines are a variety of compound exercises. Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at one time. Examples would be Squats, Lunges, Deadlifts, Step-ups, Press-ups and chin-ups to mention a few.

Why Use Compound Exercises?

There are many reasons to use compound exercises during your workout, including the following:

Using more muscle groups. . .

• means more calories burned during exercise.
• simulates real-world exercises and activities.
• allows you to get a full body workout faster.
• improves coordination, reaction time and balance.
• improves joint stability and improves muscle balance across a joint.
• decreases the risk of injury during sports.
• keeps your heart rate up and provides cardiovascular benefits.

3. Interval Type work!

The landmark study in interval training was from Tremblay:

Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C.

Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism.
Metabolism. 1994 Jul;43(7):814-8

This study pitted 20 weeks of endurance training against 15 weeks of interval training:

Energy cost of endurance training = 28661 calories.
Energy cost of interval training = 13614 calories (less than half)

The interval training group showed a nine times greater loss in subcutaneous fat than the endurance group (when corrected for energy cost).

Read that again. Calorie for calorie, the interval training group lost nine times more fat overall. Why? Maybe it’s EPOC, an upregulation of fat burning enzyme activity, or straight up G-Flux. If the interval training group had lost the same fat as the endurance group, we’d get the same results in less time. That means interval training is a better tool in your fat loss arsenal.


4. Consistency!

I think this speaks for itself as the more raining you do over a month or year the better the results will be. A good why to be more consistant with your training is to get a training partner or personal trainer as this makes you more accountable to turn up and train.

Supervised exercise versus non-supervised exercise for reducing weight in obese adults.
Nicolaï SP et al
J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009 Mar;49(1):85-90.

Two groups – Group one met a trainer twice a week for 4 months (as a group).
Group two received basic advice to increase physical activity and access to a fully equipped gym (any exercise they did was unsupervised).

The group with supervision lost on average 362% more fat over a 4-month period. (Total fat loss of 13.4lbs in the coached group – and only 3.7lbs in the advice only group)

Interesting side note -they made these improvements without ANY dietary advice given.

Another study came out a few years ago showing that a participant would exercise 30% harder or more (can’t remember the exact number) with someone just watching them (i.e. not offering any instruction or encouragement). You can imagine how that could translate into much greater results, when added with a good program, great coaching, great social support and great instruction.

In Conclusion!

Make sure you have the big rock principles from these 2 articles in your training and nutrition program and you will big changes in your shape. Then if your progress stalls this is the time to add the small rock concepts of training and nutrition. So, if you aren't doing the big rock principles first then start implimenting them and see the changes.

The Big Rocks Concept For Nutrition!

There are so many theory's/ concept's out there about nutrition i hear you say, so why would we need another one. Well this concept is a bit different than most, so stick with me on this one as it will all become clear.

Stephen Covey tells a story that one of his associates heard at a seminar. The seminar presenter pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar and placed it next to a pile of fist-sized rocks. After filling the jar to the top with rocks, he asked, "Is the jar full?"

The group replied, "Yes."

He then got some gravel from under the table and added it to the jar. The speaker jiggled the jar until the gravel filled the spaces between the rocks. Again, he asked, "Is the jar full?"

This time, the group replied, "Probably not."

The speaker then added some sand and asked, "Is the jar full?"

"No!" shouted the group.

Finally, the speaker filled the jar to the brim with water and asked the group the point of this illustration.

Someone replied that you could always fit more things into your life if "you really work at it."

"No," countered the speaker. The point is, if you don't put the big rocks in first, " . . . would you ever have gotten any of them in?"

So, how does this apply to nutrition?

Well i believe there are 5 Big Rocks in nutrition for fat loss that need to be address before you would start looking at any other nutritional strategies for loss fat.


1. Never Skip BreakFast!

What's for breakfast - coffee? Most mornings, we barely glance at the kitchen. Fixing breakfast takes up precious time that's in short supply. But there's ample evidence that the simple act of eating breakfast -- every day -- is a big part of losing weight, lots of weight.

"People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, that person is starved," says Milton Stokes, RD, MPH, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. "Breakfast skippers replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling, bingeing at lunch and dinner. They set themselves up for failure."

The Benefits of Breakfast

Eating breakfast is a daily habit for the "successful losers" who belong to The National Weight Control Registry. These people have maintained a 30-pound (or more) weight loss for at least a year, and some as long as six years.

"Most -- 78% -- reported eating breakfast every day, and almost 90% reported eating breakfast at least five days a week - which suggests that starting the day with breakfast is an important strategy to lose weight and keep it off," says James O. Hill, PhD, the Registry's co-founder and director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School. "When you don't eat breakfast, you're actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you're not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight."


2. Portion Control!

Calorie balance is still the one and only way to lose weight, calorie balance being the equation of calories in versus calories out. So to make sure you are holding firm to this rule you have to watch how much you are eating. One way of accomplishing this is portion control, and a good way of achieving this is the HAND portion control system.



HAND portion control works by placing your 2 hands together side by side and this respresents your plate. Now we divide up into different food choices. The size of one palm of your hand should be the size of your Protein portion. The whole of the other hand should represent the amount of fibrous vegetables, and the fingers of the other hand should represent the amount of low GI carbohydrate sources.


3. Multiple Meals Per Day!

A major benefit of multiple meals per day is it's ability to control blood sugar levels. The traditional "3 square meals per day" causes 3 large injections of carbohydrates (sugars) into your body. These carbohydrate injection cause spikes in blood sugar levels. This is disruptive for your body, which likes to maintain a steady blood sugar level. In an attempt to bring blood sugar levels back to normal the body secretes the hormone insulin.

Your body, eager to bring blood sugar levels down, can get overzealous and release too much insulin, resulting in very low blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia (hypo = low, glycemia = sugar), can leave you feeling tired, shaky, or light headed. This fluctuation of blood sugar levels is not the optimal situation for muscle growth or fat loss. Spreading your meals throughout the day and eating more often helps prevent this blood sugar roller-coaster.


4. Protein With Every Meal!

High-protein diets have become a popular way to lose weight because emerging research has hinted that protein may be able to satisfy hunger better than either fats or carbohydrates.

What Studies Show

Participants in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported greater satisfaction, less hunger, and weight loss when fat was reduced to 20% of the total calories in their diets, protein was increased to 30%, and carbs accounted for 50%. The study participants ate some 441 fewer calories a day when they followed this high-protein diet and regulated their own calorie intake.

Another study, reported in the Journal of Nutrition, showed that a high-protein diet combined with exercise enhanced weight and fat loss and improved blood fat levels. Researchers suggest that higher-protein diets help people better control their appetites and calorie intake.

Diets higher in protein and moderate in carbs, along with a lifestyle of regular exercise are often purported by experts to reduce blood fats and maintain lean tissue while burning fat for fuel without dieters being sidetracked with constant hunger.

5. Know Your Carbohydrates!

Carbohydrates can be both good and bad for your health. There is a big difference between the various types of carbohydrates that we consume. It is always good to know which carbohydrate sources could benefit us instead of make us unhealthy.

Are Carbohydrates Good or Bad?

Carbohydrates have been the subject of dispute in the past ten years. Carbs have been considered a ‘no-no’ in may fad diets and some have been recognized as healthy nutrients that lower risks for chronic diseases.

What is the verdict then? Are carbs beneficial or disadvantageous? The truth is, carbs are both good and bad, and it is fortunate that it is actually very easy to tell the difference.

• Good carbs like the ones that are fiber rich have many health benefits. These prevent sudden rises in blood sugar levels because they are slowly absorbed in our systems. Good carbs from fiber-rich foods can be found in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans.
• Bad carbs have beneficial fiber stripped away from carbohydrates like white bread and white rice. Eating less of these products can dramatically reduce the health risks posed by bad carbs.

Managing your carbohydrate intake doesn't have to be complicated, if you want to keep it simple, keep your carbs complex (fiber-rich), and just cut out the candy, skip the soda and pass on the processed pastry.


In Conclusion!

Make sure you have the Big Rocks (fundamentals) in your diet set before trying to implement any other strategies for losing fat. Remember the fundamentals are the building blocks for success. If these are in place the other strategies will work better.