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Hey Team, I know, itβs still winter. Most of you may be enjoying the sweet relief of a bulk by slinging heavy weights and chowing down extra carbs. Others may have committed to a new weight loss goal or getting an early jump on a spring shred. Either way, dropping pounds can be daunting, but the journey starts in the kitchen and the gym. Youβve likely read in my previous letters the importance of a caloric deficit for losing weight. Iβd argue that itβs the number one rule and the surest thing to being successful. Itβs also largely why macro and calorie counting gained the popularity that it has today. If youβre consuming more than youβre burning, itβs going to be tough to convince your body to slim down. Start educating yourself on your daily calorie consumption versus expenditure to learn where you need to adjust. If youβre eating 2,000 calories but only burning 1,700- increase your activity level or bring down your calories. A word to the wise- trying to outwork diet in the gym is a recipe for physical burnout. Dial in. Stepping off my calorie soapbox and putting my trainer hat on now β there are three crucial criteria to include in your weekly programming to see results for weight loss. Letβs break them down. - Lift. Heavy. : Lifting light to moderate weights might not do the trick for the goal youβre after. Inserting challenging weights (with good form) into your strength days will activate the appropriate hormonal response to promote muscle growth. Feeling sore periodically is good, and a sign that youβre practicing progressive overload, just make sure itβs not after every session. Choose 2-3 days where you can tax muscles with enough stimulus to feel fatigued. Thatβs where the real growth (and in turn, shredding), occurs.
- Steady State Cardio: Specifically, Zone 2 training, which is 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate. Itβs essentially a slow, steady effort that you can maintain for long stretches of time while holding a casual conversation with friends. Hereβs the thing- everyone's zone 2 will differ. My sweet spot currently sits at 144-155 BPM (beats per minute). For some, it may be 120, others, 160. A formal VO2 max test can help determine where your current zones live. Remember, this will change and vary over time depending on your cardiovascular fitness. Zone 2 training activates fat burning. This is something you can do every day for 30-45 minutes since itβs not tremendously taxing on your body. If youβre crunched for time, start with three a week and add more gradually. Bonus points for the daily double- tack Zone 2 on after a strength session. Weights first, cardio second.
- REST: Failure to give your body (and mind) the proper time to recover and rest is a failure in itself. While it may seem worthwhile to push through fatigue for the sake of getting in another lifting or cardio session, it oftentimes leads to decreased performance. Your body holds on to stress hormones, like cortisol, when you overtrain. Youβll also lose efficiency in the days to come if youβre running an overworked system. Bake in minimally one rest day a week, and arguably a second low stress day reserved for βactive recovery,β where you aim to go for a long walk, yoga flow, deep stretches or activation series. Our coaches have a few great options in the app.
Change, big or small, is hard. Donβt try to overhaul your routine overnight. Instead, pick one of the tips we reviewed above and add in more over time. Until next time. π Looking for an extra edge? Shop Signature β’ to find your shred stack. Check out a few of our favorites: |
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| | Danielle Bitts
VP of Brand, Bodybuilding.com | | |
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