15 Quick Tips for Fat Loss

I've been thinking a lot about fat loss lately - especially as we put the finishing touches on our upcoming fat loss workshop this Saturday. Here are 15 quick fat loss tips to help you reach your goals!

The Prowler - Great for Fat Loss

1. After making appropriate nutritional changes (you cannot out-train poor nutrition), prioritize your training choices based on your available training time. 1) Weight training, 2) high intensity interval training (e.g. sprints), 3) low intensity training.
2. Train to build some muscle – it will rev up your metabolism
3. Strength is a limiter for many training goals – including fat loss – focus training time on getting stronger on basic exercises
4. Take the time to learn how to do these best exercises safely and effectively
5. The harder the exercise (e.g. squats vs. crunches), the better it will likely be for fat loss
6. Emphasize exercises that move the body through space
7. Limit isolation, single-point exercises. They have their place for structural balance, but they are of limited use for fat loss
8. Abs should make up the smallest part of your training exercises – you cannot spot reduce so spend your valuable training time doing something that will be effective
9. Forget the light-weight, high rep “toning routines” for fat loss – they are not that effective and they can wear out your joints
10. Stick to low and moderate reps 
11. Sprints are great for fat loss – if you can do them safely (i.e. not too heavy or too weak)
12. Sprints can be made safer by sprinting up a hill, pulling a weighted sled or pushing a prowler
13. Traditional cardio usually results in a plateau in fat loss before one reaches his/her goals and will decrease performance for most athletes
14. Too much high intensity work (i.e. weights, interval training) can burn you out and increase your risk for injury. If you are already doing this and still want more activity, try adding a daily brisk walk. 
15. When training for fat loss, train as hard as you safely can. 

Note for trainers: check out our up coming workshop The Science & Application of Effective Fat Loss HERE.