Is the Biggest Loser a scam? Could this hit TV drama (oops, I meant weight loss documentary) be scandalous?  Maybe just a tiny bit?  Is it possible that the extreme fat loss results portrayed each week really weren’t as impressive as they seemed?

Gee, ya think?

For those of you who thought the miraculous, jaw-dropping averages (of fat loss) that most contestants were hitting each week, was actually doable…think again.

Oh, and the Tooth Fairy didn’t come and leave you money in exchange for your teeth when you were younger, either…after all, Tooth Fairies would have no need for money.

They carry a wand and fly for crying out loud (it was probably your parents who left the money after the Tooth Fairy had swooped in and grabbed your baby chompers).  Duh…

Sorry, where was I?  Oh yeah, the Biggest Loser and how Jillian and Bob freakin’ rock…

Seriously, I know most trainers and fitness pros hate these two ‘celebrities,’ but c’mon…you’re telling me you wouldn’t take that kind of money and fame to go jump on peoples’ backs and yell in their face?  Sure you would.

It’s the show that irritates me.  Because it confuses the hell outta the average person looking to drop some pounds (or kilos, depending on which side of the pool you’re on).  Let’s face it, our society is pretty damn gullible and if they see contestants on this show losing as much as 31 lbs in 7 days (I think that was the record, but don’t quote me…I didn’t care enough to look it up)…well, you know what they’re gonna think–that they can do the same.

Then you have 200 lb guys and 150 lb girls thinking they had a bad week if they only lost 1-3 lbs.  It’s misleading as hell and it’s all done for money.  I mean, would anyone watch a single episode if it wasn’t filled with a heart-wrenching plot, tear-jerking scenes and a miraculous ending where the underdog does the unthinkable?  Hells no, we wouldn’t…

So it’s our fault.  Kidding…

The Biggest Loser producers should take a little more caution with the powerful message they’re sending out with each of the 116 seasons that have aired so far.  You can’t blame them for wanting to have great ratings and rake in the dough (who doesn’t do that?).  It’s just that they could probably achieve that without having to exaggerate contestant fat loss results.

It’s obvious to anyone in the fitness industry that the results are completely bogus.  The problem is that most people aren’t in the fitness industry and they’re easily persuaded into thinking super duper extreme weight loss results should resemble what they see on the ‘ole flat screen.

I’m not a big fan of lying to or misleading people, plus this damn show makes my job as a fat loss coach even harder…since everyone has this perception that double digit loses indicate a ‘good week’ of dieting.

The reality is that extreme fat loss in the real world is a lot less spectacular.  Before I forget that the original point of this post was to put in a video of one of the former Biggest Loser contestants totally ripping apart the validity of the show, let’s roll that tape:

Hey, I’m all for pushing yourself hard and trying to outdo the safe industry standard of 1-2 lbs per week (yawn).  It’s just that if we’re talking pure fat loss (and not loses in lean muscle mass or water weight), it’s nearly impossible to achieve much more than this.  I thought this was a good video to give people a reality check about the artificial results portrayed on the Biggest Loser.

Plus, this chick has some balls to go public and spit the truth like that.  Can you imagine the look on the faces of any big wigs over at NBC when they saw this interview?  I’m sure they’ll slap a lawsuit on her so fast it’ll make her head spin…so props to her for voicing the truth.  At least it’ll open the eyes of some and give them a clearer vision of what’s actually possible with ‘extreme weight loss.’

What’s your take on the Biggest Loser scam? Overall, do you think the show is positive or negative for everyone at home who’s being influenced by it?  What about the characters Bob and Jillian play–yay or nay?  Side note, I think Jillian looks amazing in that picture (you go, girl).

Talk to you below.  Don’t forget to read how to get ripped without weights and carb cycling for fat loss (both killer blog posts…sorry, there goes my horn again…I’m always tooting that damn thing).

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

When it comes to achieving extreme fat loss, how does traditional carbohydrate cycling stack up to my cheat day (followed by a fast day) method?  That’s the topic of today’s post, but before I tell you which dieting strategy takes the cake (get it?), I’m going to make like the maid I wish I had and do some housekeeping…

If you haven’t downloaded your FREE bodyweight workout videos yet, make sure to get on that before the offer expires.  Check out this post for details:  Get Ripped Without Weights and learn more about this hardcore bodyweight-only training system right here:  Tacfit Commando.

Next up, I received this email the other day from a relatively new TopFatLossTrainer reader and thought it was straight fire (that’s Brad talk for:  it made my day)…

******************************************************************************************************************

I’m not sure if these messages actually get to you Brad, but I want to say thanks for publishing this blog.  I have only recently discovered it and what I like most is the fact that you speak (or write) plainly and bluntly.  You don’t try to overwhelm us with science, and you clear out the BS and hit us with the facts.  You write in a conversational tone as opposed to a text book.

Anyway, I have found your tips refreshing.  I was beginning to succumb to information overload from all the misinformation out there but I like your no-nonsense approach best.  I’m 42 and my journey began just this year 1/1/10.  I was 6′ 0″ and 265 lbs with 40% body fat.

As of today (7/6/10) I have cut that to 223 and 21% using virtually all of the techniques you describe.  I still have a long way to go but I have accepted that patience is the key.  Once I get lean, I’ll try your tips for adding mass.  I’m looking forward to it.  Thanks!  Kraig

******************************************************************************************************************

Just wanted to say congrats to Kraig for his impressive transformation so far and I hope you keep that momentum going until you reach your end goal.  The reason that made my day was because he hit the blogging nail on the freakin’ head–everything he pointed out is exactly what I set out to do when I first created this puppy.

I know that my bluntness, less than professional atmosphere and laid back personality won’t vibe with everyone, but I’m cool with that because (in my opinion) the last thing the Internet needs is another prim and proper boring-a*s weight loss site, where the author lectures to his/her readers and spits out the same old safe and rehashed crap that’s been known for decades.

Okay, so most fitness knowledge has been known for a long time, but hopefully you get my point.  I guess that was just a really long-winded way of saying that it’s satisfying to know that my decision to be a little more unique and real is being noticed and is being appreciated…so GRACIAS to Kraig and others who’ve left similar comments.

Okay, now that the place is looking spotless, let’s see if I can focus on the original topic long enough to spill some fat burning knowledge.  Here’s the exact question I received…

******************************************************************************************************************

Hey man, I absolutely LOVE the site and your dedication to helping people out.  Truly awesome and inspiring!!

I have a quick question about the cheat day, I’ve read up quite a bit on carb cycling and it seems somewhat different to your notion of the cheat day, yet you likened the two.  Others seem to talk about carb cycling, spread out over a week with high carb days, medium carb days and no carb days.

I much prefer your idea of the single cheat day followed up by the full days fast, which I did for the first time the other day, no problem.

What I was wondering was is there much difference between your “cheat day” and conventional carb cycling?  As I can’t seem to find out much else regarding the cheat and fast day apart from your site.  Sorry to be so long winded.

Thanks again for all the great work!!

-Grant

******************************************************************************************************************

Carb Cycling for Fat Loss…

Alright, so another good question there from Grant.  As you probably guessed, carb cycling is just that–simply varying or rotating the amount of carbohydrates consumed throughout different days of the week.  You’ve probably heard the terms refeeds, carbing up, zig-zagging, etc–all of which are used to describe carb cycling.

There are many different ways to use carb cycling in your fat loss diet plan.  For example, some plans alternate between high carb, medium carb and low carb diet days, while others use only two ‘types’ of days.  From there, you can obviously use different intervals in terms of how often you cycle carbohydrate intake, plus specific dieting days can be paired strategically with certain workouts to enhance desired results.

Carb cycling is generally thought of as strictly a weight loss tactic, but can also be used for muscle building or to promote maintenance of lean muscle mass during a fat loss phase.  For the purposes of rapid fat loss, it’s effective (and I’d go so far as to say essential) for the exact same reasons the cheat day is so clutch:

1) High carb days boost slipping leptin, thyroid and other hormone levels that have fallen due to consecutive lower carb days.  This hormonal bump is KEY to keeping metabolism high during a weight loss diet.

2) By cycling days of lower and higher carbs, we can manipulate insulin levels and maximize muscle building and muscle sparing (preventing lean muscle breakdown) effects according to your overall body transformation goals.

3) Because higher carb days follow several days of lower carb intake, most of the added carbs consumed will be put to good use by refilling glycogen stores in liver and muscle, rather than being stored as fat.

4) Carb cycling offers a huge psychological upside as well.  Besides all the internal benefits, you get to look forward to days where it’s not only okay to eat more carbohydrate-rich food, but it’s required by the diet plan.  This scheduled ‘break’ from lower carb dieting can be a game changer when it comes to staying on track the rest of the week.

This should all sound very similar to the benefits I’ve talked about with using the cheat day/fast day approach.  However, the carb cycling method generally has two major differences:

1) Carb cycling usually calls for higher carb days that consist of complex (healthier) carbohydrate foods, whereas the cheat day recommends you enjoy any of your favorite not-so-healthy carbohydrate foods.

2) The intervals and magnitude of the high and low carb days are much more extreme with the cheat (then fast) day diet strategy…meaning you’ll go longer without cycling and when you do cycle, both the high and low carb days are much more exaggerated, as compared to carb cycling protocol.

Hopefully that points out the similarities and differences between standard carb cycling and the cheat day, fast day madness.  So which one works the best?  The politically correct answer is that they both work well and it depends on who’s asking and what their goals, preferences, habits and experiences are…

Assuming the person asking has no preferences and just wants to shed fat as fast as possible (and assuming they have no underlying conditions that would make them a poor candidate for an all-out cheat day and a 24-hour fast day), I’d give the edge to the cheat day, followed by a fast day.

It takes extreme measures to achieve extreme results and this is far and away the best game plan for torching body fat quickly, without sacrificing lean muscle mass (and in many cases, allowing you to make small GAINS in lean muscle) and without forcing you to give up all the foods you love to eat.

My main beef with the traditional carb cycling method is that it basically calls for 100% clean eating and it’s just not likely that the average person is going to avoid temptation each and every meal for the duration of the diet, let alone forever.

The Xtreme Fat Loss Diet allows you to indulge strategically, so you don’t have to feel guilty about giving in to ‘forbidden foods’ or worse yet, become that antisocial person who has to make excuses every time an event or activity revolves around tasty food.

That’s just my preference though.  Although I do think tit for tat, this approach is more powerful and more capable of lending greater weekly fat loss results…as I said before, the major determinant of which approach is best has to do with WHO we’re talking about, as no single diet strategy or workout principle is generalizable to everyone.

The ironic thing is, after copying and pasting that email about how my site is less scientific fluff and more in your face “meat,” I just realized that was probably the most serious and bland post I’ve written in a long time.  Sorry, hope I didn’t geek out too much on you guys…

See ya on the flip side.

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

PS – Join my VIP email list:  Lean Ripped Body Workouts <— caution:  these are awesome “certified”

Any time I see the same question being asked by multiple cool people (translation:  TopFatLossTrainer readers), I’ll go ahead and address it in a blog post for everyone to see.  Not only will this delay the inevitable onset of my carpal tunnel, but I’m sure it’ll clear the heads of many curious readers who are undoubtedly wondering the same thing.

Since we’ve been primed to believe that we’re absolutely ‘starving’ if we go much longer than 4-5 hours without food intake, it’s understandable why you might be quick to question if it’s advised to workout on a fast day–and if so, how intense can this workout be?  Here’s the exact question (plus referenced links for your viewing pleasure)…

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have been checking out your site pretty extensively the past few days since I discovered it.  Starting on Monday, or possibly Tuesday since I’ll be celebrating the 4th until then , I am going to start the UFC diet and exercising.   I have already been doing Insanity (not sure if you’ve heard of it but it’s a very intense cardio workout).

I just had a question about the fasting day.  If I fast after my overeating day, will I need to limit the amount of exercise on that day?   I know I’ll be hydrated from drinking a lot of water but will not eating affect any of my workouts?

I’m going to use workouts from the different celeb workouts you reviewed, mainly Cam Gigandet’s, David Beckham, and Ryan Reynolds.  I mainly want to get lean first then start adding muscle.  I have the dvds for P90X I got for Christmas I just need a nice chin up bar that will fit door frames that are 36″.

I really like your site and the amount of information you include for guests that are not in the inner circle is great. Keep up the good work and I’ll try to keep you updated with my progress.

Currently, I am 6’1″ and weigh about 200.   I have steadily been at the 195-205 mark for a while now and my diet is the main factor.

Thanks!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Like I said, it’s a good question and lots of people have it simply because fast days aren’t typically a staple in the average person’s diet plan.  Before I directly answer the question, it’s important to remember the basis behind using a post-cheat day fasting period…which is basically to create the largest caloric deficit we possibly can, while in the presence of a newly rejuvenated metabolism (thanks to the cheat day).

This day is your best opportunity to drop kick body fat, so we need to take advantage.

This two day dieting zig-zag is a super powerful weight loss strategy by itself, but guess what makes it even more slick Rick-like…throwing in one of your most intense and effective fat loss workouts, of course.  In fact, you could even cross the line into full grind mode by knocking out two calorically expensive workout sessions on that fast day.

The fact is that you’re just not going to be near as weak and light-headed as you might think, especially if you’re working out first thing the morning after your cheat day.  True, a second workout later in the fast day may have you feeling a little low on blood sugar so you’d have to use caution and common sense when it comes to exercise selection and effort level.

A longer, less intense cardio session may be the best option starting out and you can up the ante as the weeks progress and you learn more about how your body will respond to the 24-hour fast coupled with a double dose of calorie-chomping movements we call exercise.

So what about the first workout on your fast day?

I recommend a metabolic weight training circuit, hardcore HIIT training, plyometrics or an evil combination of two or more to create a hybrid workout.  Here’s an example of one I used on a fast day a little while back:  fat loss workout after cheat day.

To summarize, not only can you workout on a fast day, but I highly encourage you to make sure that’s one of your most effective workouts in a given week.  You don’t have to use multiple workout sessions, but it’d sure help lead to the extreme fat loss results you’re looking for.  If you choose to go with just one workout, GIT ‘ER DONE, then treat yourself to some NASCAR later in the day (no Mt. Dew, though…water only).

In upcoming posts I’ll talk about another advanced fat burning supplement strategy that ties into the fast day and acts as a lean body savior.  One more thing–ain’t nuthin’ to it but to do it…YEAH BUDDY…

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

PS – Can you handle this?  Lean Ripped Workouts

Howdy.  I wanted to use that horrible word because I can’t stand opening up blog posts with the same greeting.  Cool, now that I got that out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks (also a phrase I’d never use).

I was just finishing up my responses for the day and I thought I should go ‘head with my bad self and just post the answer to this particular question via blog post, for everyone to see.

Here’s the question…

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hey Dr. Brad,

Thanks for all the information.  I’m okay with my training its just my eating i have battles with.  I would like to know how to build muscle and not take fat with me?  What would you advise?

Leo

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I figured Leo probably isn’t the only one wondering how to achieve this feat.  My advice in response to this question is probably a little more cautious than the average trainer, simply because I’m strongly biased towards a body type that is lean and ripped and therefore very low in body fat percentage.

Because of this preference, combined with the fact that fat loss is such a pain in the ‘trunk,’ I advise anyone in search of building more muscle mass to do so without taking their diet off the hinges.  In other words, even if Leo was asking how to put on muscle as fast as humanly possible, my recommendations would not have changed much, if at all.

I rambled way too much already, so here are my suggestions on how to gain muscle without gaining fat:

1) Take your body weight in pounds and multiply by a factor of 17.  If you’re measuring in kilograms, take that number times 2.2 and then times 17.  For example, a 79 kg male would need:  79kg x 2.2 x 17 = 2,955 calories per day.  This is a starting point for anyone wanting to build lean muscle without adding fat.

I realize there are much more fancy and complicated equations that claim to be ‘the most accurate,’ but the bottom line is they all yield a result very similar to this and you must realize this is simply a starting point that will probably need to be adjusted slightly based on weekly results.

2) Males can expect to gain roughly 1/2 lb (0.22 kg) of lean muscle mass per week and females should expect only 50-60% of that (about 1/4 lb or 0.11 kg).  This ends up being roughly 13 to 26 pounds (5.91 to 11.82 kg) per year.

You need to be monitoring your results carefully–I suggest tracking body weight, body fat percentage and girth measurements at preset intervals.  If you’re gaining much more than 1/2 lb (0.22 kg) per week and/or if your waist is increasing in size, it’s pretty obvious you’re gaining fat along with muscle.

3) Adjust your diet based on results from step deuce.  Bump your daily caloric intake up or down slightly, depending on what your monitoring is revealing about changes in body composition.  Alternatively, you can adjust your cheat day and “xtreme” fast day to produce better results.

4) Go heavy.  Even skinny guys and gals who want the lean body type need to slang some big weights or perform very challenging body weight workouts (example:  Tacfit Commando) that cause fatigue in the lower rep ranges.  Not only is this a necessity for muscle building, but the hormonal response can be quite favorable for fat loss as well (neato, huh?).

That’s pretty much how I’d pick it up and lay it down.  Again, no need to stress about ridiculously long and complicated equations (I dealt with enough of those in pharmacy school)–the simple one I gave you will be right on the money (or at least fairly close) for anyone who wants to add muscle and not get fat in the process.

Remember, this is NOT the fastest way [at all] for packing on the beef, but it is a moderate approach that minimizes your chances of expanding the ‘ole waistline in the process.  Hope this gave everyone some easy-to-follow guidelines for achieving this common question.

Make sure you peep this dynamite guest post, if you haven’t already:  Target heart rate for weight loss.  As always, further comments, questions, updates and straight up shout-outs are encouraged below.

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

PS – Click here to build muscle, lose fat and get shredded like mozzarella in the next 45 days…

When it comes down to improving athletic performance, Brian is pretty much the man.  He and I met at a business seminar a few months back and quickly hit it off–we’ve been good friends ever since.  Anyways, I conned him into hooking you guys up with a stellar blog post.  You may want to take notes…

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From the mouth of legendary anchorman Ron Burgundy….

“Oop… I almost forgot.  I won’t be able to make it fellas.  Veronica and I are trying this new fad called uh, jogging.  I believe it’s jogging or yogging, it might be a soft ‘j’.  I’m not sure but apparently you just run for an extended period of time.  It’s supposed to be wild.”

Wild?  Hardly.  Effective?  Not in the least.  Distance running often causes knee pain, and it’s no mystery why when you consider that your body absorbs 6 times its own weight in force with each repetitive foot strike.  Plus, just look at the obvious case studies of a sprinter and marathon runner.

You tell me whose body you’d rather have.  Interval training workouts, on the other hand, are tougher on the muscles and mind than on the joints.  In short, they provide every training benefit respective to both time and results.

Simply put, interval, or anaerobic, training is alternating periods of work and rest.  Team sport athletes have performed interval training for years to prepare for competition, while the fitness world fell in love with steady-state aerobic training, like the aforementioned “yogger” Ron Burgundy, in the seventies.

This trend of wheel spinning fitness has actually continued into the 21^st century for many, although recently more educated personal trainers have began using concepts previously reserved for athletes to improve results in fitness clients.

More and more people are starting to realize they don’t need to slug around for hours on aerobic equipment anymore to get a lean body.  In fact, the research shows us that less is more, which is great news for those of us who value time and results.

So, why on earth doesn’t everybody interval train?  First of all, over time mass media has drastically oversold the benefits of aerobic training.

Second, intervals are hard.  Everybody wants to look and feel better, but very few are actually willing to put forth the effort required in anaerobic training.  They would rather justify in their minds that the investment of time on their elliptical machines is more productive despite results to the contrary.

And, finally, people don’t know where to start with interval training.  There’s nothing complicated about maintaining the same steady pace while jogging or on a machine.  But, what should the rest and work ratios look like for effective interval training, and do these numbers look different depending on the individual?

For those in the fitness world, it’s not enough to just burn calories.  You want to burn fat calories, which is why most people train in the infamous “fat burning zone.”  This approach is justified by basic physiology that says the human body will use more fat for energy during steady, low-intensity exercise versus more intense interval training, which relies on carbohydrate for energy.

I won’t argue this fact, but I will argue that you will burn more calories, including fat calories, with anaerobic exercise, thanks to the phenomenon of EPOC, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.

Most exercise advice is based on the idea that the only calories that matter are the ones you burn during a workout when you’re breathing hard and consuming more oxygen than normal.  So, as mentioned above, most people cling to this concept and perform long, tedious, steady-pace workouts.

BUT, there’s another way to consume oxygen, which will allow you to burn more calories.  If you work really hard, even in a short period of time, your body will continue burning calories after your workout is over.  This post-exercise oxygen consumption can be minimal and brief if the exercise is low-intensity, or it can be significant and last more than a day in the case of a very intense training session.

This approach requires you to think outside the box as you can’t possibly predict how much EPOC a particular workout will deliver, but research has shown that each calorie burned during intense interval training burns 9 TIMES MORE FAT than a calorie burned during steady, aerobic exercise.

All this information is great, but it only brings us back to the question of how to perform interval training.  We’ll start by taking a look at heart rate.  The conventional method for determining max heart is to subtract your age from 220, but the problem here is that at least 70 percent of the population doesn’t fit into this theoretical calculation.  An updated formula for determining max heart rate is 206.9 – (.67 x age).

How to Calculate Target Heart Rate for Weight Loss…

A reliable method for determining your target heart rate zone is the Karvonen Formula.  Let’s take a 23-year old with a resting heart rate of 65 beats per minute (bpm).  The formula above would suggest that this person’s max heart is 191.  Next, subtract the resting heart rate number to get 126.  Multiply by 65% for the low end of the heart rate zone (82) and by 85% for the high end of the heart rate zone (107).  Finally, add the resting heart rate (65 bpm) to both numbers to get a target heart rate zone from 147 to 172.

To melt fat during a workout and enjoy the EPOC effect afterward, you should achieve the top end of your target heart rate zone, or higher, during bouts of activity and use the low-end number as the green light to resume activity after your rest interval.

Now, how to apply this info….

There are a couple approaches to take here.  The first of which, the perceived exertion scale, is a little more subjective.  It’s based on the physical sensations a person experiences during exercise including increased heart rate, increased respiration or breathing rate, increased sweating and muscle fatigue.

The perceived exertion scale ranges from 6 to 20 with checkpoints such as: 6 = no exertion at all, 9 = very light (easy walking), 13 = somewhat hard (feel tired but can continue), 17 = very hard (very strenuous with a lot of fatigue), and 20 = maximal exertion.

There is a suggested correlation between this rating times 10 and the actual heart rate during activity.  So, if a person’s rating of perceived exertion is 12, the heart rate should be approximately 120 beats per minute.

The other, more objective, assessment would be to use an actual heart rate monitor, which will allow you to monitor your heart rate much more accurately during a workout.  I’ve gotten great use out of my Timex, which are commonly priced now for less than $100.

For athletes, interval training goes beyond replicating the anaerobic demands of sport and attaining a desirable body composition for performance; it’s also a method of slowness-prevention.  We are born with a defined number of muscle fibers, most of which are fast-twitch and slow-twitch which we cannot change.  But, our intermediate muscle fibers take on the characteristics of our mode of training, so aerobic conditioning will only make an athlete less athletic.

By staying above the theoretical 65% threshold for aerobic training, an athlete receives the benefit of both an aerobic and anaerobic training.  So, once again, there is no need for conventional aerobic training for athletes.

Determining rest intervals for an athlete based on heart rate can be challenging when you consider that shorter intervals produce less heart rate elevation even when the activity feels as difficult as longer intervals.  Intervals of less than a minute don’t elevate heart rate as much as longer intervals, because the heart needs time to elevate.

These shorter intervals have a higher muscular demand and a lower perceived cardiovascular demand, based on less elevation of heart rate.  So, a 30 second sprint may require a minute rest (2:1 rest to work), whereas a 1 minute sprint may only require an additional 30 seconds (1.5:1 rest to work).

There are 2 approaches to interval training when working with athletes.  The conventional work-to-rest method uses a set time for work and a set time for rest.  Once ratios are determined, the athlete rests for 1, 2, or 3 times the length of the work interval before resuming activity.  The flaw of this method is that it is very arbitrary as it only guesses to what is actually happening in the body.

On the other hand, a heart rate monitor allows us to look at physiology instead of looking at time to measure rest-to-work.  For athletes with a top-end target heart rate zone threshold in the 160- to 170-bpm range, a 40-bpm recovery is recommended.  For athletes with thresholds above 170, a 50-bpm recovery period is recommended.  By using these guidelines, some athletes may perform their workout at a 1:1 rest-to-work ratio, while others may be at 2:1 or 3:1.

This type of workout individualization insures that unfit athletes will not be overtrained and fit athletes will not be undertrained.

A final consideration for your interval training workouts is the mode of execution.  For most people, their minds immediately conjure up visions of a track when they hear this.  Running short sprints or even shuttles really is the best case scenario, but in reality, most adults are not fit enough to run.  The best option is likely going to be a stationary bike, with a Schwinn Airdyne being the best choice because of its dual-action function.  You can really work hard on this piece of equipment and avoid injury.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is avoiding the herd mentality of what you see most people in the gym doing (i.e. elliptical trainers).  But, more importantly, hold yourself accountable to the workout by training within your target heart rate zone and reap the benefits in a fraction of the time.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks to Brian for the great post.  If you have any questions for him or myself, just holla in the comments section below this post.  And make sure you help spread this around by giving us a “like,” “retweet” or by using any of the social icon buttons.

Have a great week, put this information to use during your interval workouts and stay tuned for more extreme fat loss content coming at ‘cha.

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

In the summer months especially, I like to focus hardcore on losing any fat that I ‘accidentally’ put on during the winter months.  In doing this, it’s hard to put on significant muscle size in multiple muscle groups due to the low calorie intake and increased focus on workouts that promote maximum calorie-burning (as opposed to training for muscular hypertrophy).

As you already know, however, I think it’s definitely possible to add ‘some’ muscle size while aiming for extreme fat loss.  The key is to focus on your one to two muscle groups that are lagging behind and blitz those ‘suckas’ like Lawrence Taylor would an underage prostitute (ouch…low blow, sorry L.T.).

If you throw in a specialized workout that overloads those muscle groups twice weekly–once on your cheat day and once mid-week, you’ll likely be able to see decent improvements in those areas, despite maintaining an overall aggressive fat loss diet and workout regimen.

Don’t expect to be able to put on muscle size in all muscle groups while in fat loss mode.  Unless you’re a true beginner or a genetic freak (in which case we could never be friends), this probably won’t happen.  Your mindset should be locked into maintaining all lean muscle mass while losing fat as rapidly as possible.

Then, strategically tackle those one or two stubborn body parts on days where your diet lends higher energy levels (‘cuz you’re eating more…duh) and drop it like it’s hot during those specialized workouts.  With enough protein intake, you shouldn’t have an issue taking a couple of muscle groups from zero to hero, even though you’re losing weight simultaneously.

For me, it’s generally shoulders and calves that get beat on a lil more heavily during all-out fat burning phases.  My reasoning is simple–most people neglect these muscle groups and therefore their symmetry and proportions look like shit (oops).  By placing extra attention on these muscle groups, I think you can really set yourself apart from the herd of wannabe hunks and hotties.

Okay, enough rambling.  Here’s the video…if you think your shoulders and calves could use some extra special attention, rock this twice weekly for the next 4-8 weeks (on top of your normal training sessions).

Lean Body Workout:  Shoulders and Calves…

If you don’t have a Gymboss Interval Timer and you’re not following right along with me, just remember that everything is done in 30-second intervals, including the rest periods.  Like I said, focus on form and not so much on weight used (although it should be challenging).  Also, sip a whey protein shake during these specialized weight training workouts, to promote immediate muscle building and to reduce muscle breakdown during the actual workout.

Anyone new to TopFatLossTrainer, click here to download free diet plans and more killer workout videos.  Also, if you thought this workout was cool, go ahead and share it with your friends using the Facebook “Like” button or any of the other social media buttons below (gracias).

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

PS – Yes, I like that Lady Antebellum song…ya caught me

I know everyone is having an anti-fat week, or at least I hope you are.  I had to indulge a little yesterday–unexpectedly.  My girlfriend conned me into going out to our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Is it just me, or have I been living at restaurants lately?  Seems like every time I post a new blog entry I’ve got some story bout how I’ve been stuffing my hypocritical face with fatty food, right?

I promise, I’ve been punishing myself with “wacky” workouts and “furious” fasts following these lean body-unfriendly feasts.

After all, that’s the ONLY way you even stand a chance of surviving frequent high calorie restaurant meals.  I advise saving these for your cheat day, which is what I normally do.

Anyways, before I head out to the near 100-degree heat to hit up some angry intervals (my post Cinco de Mayo punishment)…I wanted to answer a few of the questions from my TopFatLossTrainer readers.  Let’s jump right in…

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hey Brad,

A few things:  One.  Ive lost a ton of weight with your workouts and I can really see the definition in MOST of my abs now.  Most being the key word.  I like don’t have my bottom two abs.  They are just non existent.  What can I do to build them?

Two:   I can’t seem to get the size of chest that I want.  I’m following your Sexy Beast Plan from the Inner Circle.  What can I do to build my chest more while I’m doing this?

And three:  Whats your take on NO-Xplode?

Thanks man,

Lucas

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

First off, congrats on the progress you’ve made so far, Lucas.  Don’t sweat it, the lower two abs are always the last to appear for us guys.

To address this first issue, there’s two things we’ve gotta focus on:  A) You need to continue to tighten up the diet plan and get even more lean, as that lower stomach area will be hella stingy when it comes to giving up the fat that’s covering up those lower abs; B) To enhance the ‘popping’ of the lower abs, there’s a few exercises you can implement into your Sexy Beast Plan.  Here are my favorite ab exercises that focus specifically on the lower abs:

—>> Lying hip thrusts – try keeping knees and ankles together; also minimize the tendency to bend at the knees; maintain 90-degree angle between body and legs; contract as hard as possible, raising your heels towards the ceiling and hold for a two count at top; lower slowly and under control.  If you can do more than 10 perfect reps, try holding a dumbbell between your feet (abs are no different than any other muscle group and hypertrophy is most likely to occur in the low to moderate rep ranges…so don’t make the mistake of doing thousands of reps and then wondering why your abs don’t look a bit different).

—>> Modified hanging leg raises – if you’re strong enough, hold yourself at the top of a pull-up bar with lats flexed hard, elbow joint at about 90-degrees (instead of hanging with arms completely straight like Gigandet shown above)…and perform straight or bent knee leg raises, depending on abdominal strength.  Focus on fighting gravity and momentum, as you contract super hard during the lowering phase.  This is quite metabolic, as you’ll be working your lats, forearms and biceps as well.

—>> Also try doing the Advanced Ab Routine Workout within the Inner Circle.

Just remember that although these ab exercises will help to add some size and definition to those stubborn lower abdominal muscles, you’ll never be happy with the way they look without reaching an extremely low body fat percentage.

Okay, now for part two of your question.  The “catch-22″ is that you’re wanting to add size to your chest muscles, while aiming for overall fat loss.  Obviously, it’d be much easier for you to add size to your chest if you weren’t eating at a caloric deficit and following workouts that are designed to help you lose weight quickly.

However, it IS possible to both lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, but only with highly strategic dieting and workout plans.  This is precisely what my buddy’s new Xtreme Fat Loss Diet plan is designed to do – allow you to shed fat rapidly, while gaining muscle at the same time ( check that program out if you haven’t yet).

Basically, to accomplish your goals of getting shredded, finally seeing a razor sharp 6-pack that actually includes the stubborn lower two abs, AND building a larger, more defined chest (like our boy Rain in the pic above)…and doing all of this as fast as possible…you’ll need to use a new and improved chest workout on the same day as your cheat day.

The massive influx of calories from your cheating will provide the ideal environment for an increase in muscle size.  When combined with a fresh new chest workout that you’ve never done before, you’ll experience a noticeable improvement in this lagging muscle group.  In this way, it’s possible to gain muscle at the same time (or at least within the same week) as losing body fat.

The important message is that to increase the size of a specific muscle (or muscle groups) during a designated fat loss period, you MUST train that body part with high volume, high intensity, heavy weight AND create an environment that’s favorable to muscle hypertrophy.  By “favorable environment,” I of course mean lots of calories…and it just so happens that our accelerated fat loss plan includes such a day–the cheat day.

Alright, so now that you understand the “how” when it comes to losing fat and building lean muscle at the same time – in this specific case, losing lower stomach fat and bulking up the pecs – it’s time to look at a potential chest-ripping workout that you can attack on your cheat days…

Here’s a torturous chest workout that worked like a charm for me (just ask anyone who’s been around me long enough to see the “pec dance” when I’m purposely acting like a meathead)…

Grab a heavy pair of dumbbells that allows you to get approximately 12 perfect reps, but no more.  Set an adjustable bench to incline (if your upper pecs need more work), decline (if the lower pecs need the most work) or flat (if the middle or outer areas need the most work).

After a brief warm-up, some dynamic stretching and a couple sets of body weight push-ups to activate the pushing muscles, it’s time to rock…

Perform 6 reps of dumbbell chest presses using an explosive concentric phase (it’ll be hard to move this heavy of a weight much faster than normal, but the key is to FOCUS on pushing the dumbbells as fast and explosive as possible), a one second pause in peak position, a much slower four second lowering (eccentric) phase and then a full one second pause at the very bottom position.

Rest for 15 seconds and repeat for another 6 reps, making sure to fight the urge to ignore the lactic acid-producing tempo I described.  Repeat this exact sequence (making sure to stay true to the brief 15 second rest periods and the excruciating lifting tempo) for a total of 8 sets.

We’re not done yet…

Rest 3 minutes, then it’s time for the ultimate chest pump…

Here, you’ll be doing 8 sets of push-ups to failure, using an angle opposite of the dumbbell presses.  For example, if you started with incline dumbbell presses, use decline push-ups (feet on ground and hands on a bench or step…it’s opposite of what the name implies); if you first performed decline dumbbell presses, use incline push-ups (feet on bench and hands on ground); and if you used flat bench dumbbell presses, select your push-up variation based on which part of the pecs needs the second most work.

Hammer out as many push-ups as possible, using a fairly quick tempo, but making sure to use an absolute range of motion.  Focus on keeping the abs tight, back straight and spine in it’s natural alignment.  Right before you fall on your face, end the set and rest for 30 seconds.  Repeat this exact pattern, going to failure with each set, until you’ve completed a total of 8 sets.

Pairing this killer chest workout with a high calorie cheat day will give you a pump like no other.  More importantly, the anabolic environment and high volume workout that takes you through a variety of advanced muscle building tactics, will surely give your chest the spark it needs to become larger and more defined.

Feel free to add additional weight training to this chest workout, but make sure to perform the chest-blasting part first, when your energy and focus will be the highest.

Cool, now for the last part of your question.  I’ve actually purchased and used NO-Xplode in the past.  For those that don’t know, here’s what this supplement claims to do (in the manufacturer’s own words):

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NO-Xplode is the world’s first and only pre-workout supplement that produces immediate results in energy, size, strength, pumps, performance, mental focus, and training intensity…You will literally see and feel NO-Xplode working within minutes of taking it!

It has the unique ability to get you dialed-in and pumped up for every single workout by inducing the strongest and most advanced nitric oxide, creatine, and body-mind stimulating surge ever developed in a supplement.  No other products can say that!  No other products can do that!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hmm, all that and they had the audacity to not include the fact that it probably cures cancer as well?  All jokes aside, it basically gives you an energy boost and dilates  your blood vessels, which theoretically could make your workouts more productive and deliver more blood and nutrients to the working muscles…hence, a better “pump.”

From personal use (this was several years ago when it first came out), I can tell you that it tastes great and it definitely did give me more energy and focus.  But so would anything that contains B-vitamins and caffeine.  As for the “NO” part – yes, nitric oxide does cause vasodilation, but I’ve yet to find a well-conducted study that shows a correlation between muscle gains and enhanced widening of the veins due to supplemental intake.

In other words, you have a mere theory, lots of overly-hyped advertising and almost no reliable proof whatsoever.  I’m sure there’s plenty of guys who’ll swear by the added muscle building effects of this supplement, but it shouldn’t take a pharmacist to tell you that the power of the placebo effect can be huge.

My advice is to have a cup of coffee pre-workout (or my personal favorite – a diet Rock Star) and blow your $50 on something more worthwhile, like a really long lap dance (kidding…relax).

I think that should pretty much wrap up those questions.

Don’t forget to grab your copy of the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet Plan <<—— Save $30 if you act now (sale ends soon)

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

The Xtreme Fat Loss Diet is essentially everything  I’ve been preaching to my TopFatLossTrainer readers from day one.

We’ve talked a lot about using the cheat day to bump dwindling leptin levels and basically prevent a nasty cascade of events that would otherwise take place in response to prolonged dieting.

This series of internal “anti-starvation” responses actually works against your fat loss efforts, leading to burnout and eventual failure.

The key to extreme fat loss week after week is to outsmart the body.  Step one is, of course, the cheat day.  Step two is following this cheat day up with a fast day.

This makes perfect sense, as your body is currently revved up and ready to burn serious rubber (I mean blubber), thanks to the strategic cheat day.

By immediately creating a large calorie deficit the next day, you can really cash in on a “fresh-to-death” metabolism.  So why not create the largest calorie deficit possible by using a total fast day (water and green tea only) and consuming zip, zero, zilch, nothing, nada?

Not only does the post-cheat day fast give you an opportunistic method of attacking stubborn fat stores at an ideal time, but there are many other benefits associated with this fast day.

For example, although it can be a little tough mentally, the fast day actually teaches you to gain better control over your cravings.  By intentionally going without food for at least 24 hours, you’ll prove to yourself that it actually is possible to maintain discipline in the face of intense desires to indulge in your favorite foods.  This added confidence and willpower helps you stay true to your fat loss diet the remaining days of the week.

A fast day also improves circulation and increases your body’s ability to eliminate toxins.  Theoretically, this means that you’re less likely to get sick, suffer from illnesses and it may even help to slow down the aging process.  By giving your digestive system a much deserved break, you’ll free up energy that can be used to to clean and repair.  Makes sense, right?

One of the raddest and baddest benefits of using a fast day is the laser-like focus and increased energy you’ll experience.  In fact, as I write this Xtreme Fat Loss Diet blog post, I’m about two-thirds of the way through today’s fast (I had my cheat day yesterday) and I can’t even describe how clear, refreshed and bomb diggity-ish I’m feeling right about now.

As you can see, there are lots of perks to using a fast day – the biggest of which being extreme fat loss that just doesn’t stop…I’m assuming this is cool with you.

As with anything, the fast day is not without downsides.  I’m not going to lie – especially after an all-out cheat day, the first few hours will probably include hunger pangs that can get pretty intense.

You’ll have to dig deep and grind through this early phase.  After doing so, it tends to get easier and easier throughout the day.

You may also feel a little lightheaded and dizzy at times.  Those on blood pressure, prostate or certain other medications should not utilize the fast day without first discussing it with your doctor.

My Xtreme Fat Loss Diet Review Might Have You Uber Excited, But I’m Not Done Yet…It Gets Better…

Those of you who’re concerned about muscle loss during the fast day shouldn’t worry.  Thanks to raised leptin levels and a surplus of calories and protein from the preceding cheat day, and combined with the fact that you’re following a strategic fat loss workout plan…loss of lean muscle tissue will not be an issue.

As you can see, with the exception of a few select cases, the fast day is a phenomenal tool that should be built into your extreme fat loss diet.  To be exact, the fast day should be used immediately following a high calorie cheat day, which allows you to “double dip” into the fat loss sauce I just served you…ya dig?

If you’re a thinker, you’re probably wondering what’s shaking on the other days of the week…

Well, this dieting system takes the cheat and fast days to a whole ‘nother level.  In fact, the program claims to allow you to lose up to 25 lbs of body fat in just 25 days, thanks to added metabolism-boosting tactics like a depletion day and specialized workouts that maximize each day’s food intake.

The exact protocol takes you through five 5-day cycles, for a very extreme 25-day fat-blitzing dieting solution.  This is the smartest and fastest weight loss diet created to date.  That shouldn’t surprise you, though, because you’ve been hearing me preach about these exact strategies ever since I created TopFatLossTrainer.

Go ahead and leave any questions about my partner, Joel Marion’s, rapid weight loss program in the comments section  below…

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

PS – If you want to download your copy of the entire program, you can learn more at the official site…

+++++++++ Click Here to Learn More About the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet Program +++++++++

PPS – If stunting is a habit and ya just gotta have it (a lean, rock-hard body like George St. Pierre, that is)…you’d be crazy not to visit TopFatLossTrainer every single day…I’m just saying…

You know I love shorter, harder and more advanced workouts for losing fat, building muscle and sculpting the kind of hard body that could cause fender benders when you’re out running around town.

But the fact of the matter is you can’t go hard every single workout, especially when you’re following an aggressive fat loss diet plan.

So speaking of running, one of the most effective ways to add powerful calorie burning workouts to your weekly regimen without risking overtraining, is to use tempo running.

A tempo run (also called anaerobic threshold runs, lactate threshold runs or just threshold training) is basically a moderate duration steady state run done at threshold pace, which is the effort level where your body’s ability to clear lactate can no longer keep up with lactate production.

You’re probably wondering how you’re supposed to know how hard of a pace this is.  Good question.

If you have access to a heart rate monitor, this would be at about 85% of your maximum heart rate.  I prefer to just go by feel, though.  A tempo run should be done at a pace that is uncomfortable, but not impossible, to maintain.  It’s faster than  you’d like to run, but nowhere near the intensity level used with interval training.  Most tempo runs should last 20-40 minutes, depending on your fitness level.

Tempo-pace running is ideal for maximizing aerobic capacity and increasing aerobic efficiency.  This carries over to your weight training workouts and more demanding cardio workouts, where you’ll be able to perform at a higher output without hitting the wall.

Not only does tempo running increase the fat-burning potential of other workouts by allowing you to train more efficiently, but it’s a pretty solid calorie-burning tool in itself.  The icing on the cake is the fact that tempo training is just moderate enough in intensity that it gives your muscles and nervous system a break from the insanity they’re exposed to in other (more hardcore) workouts.

You can take this a step further and perform tempo runs in interval-like fashion.  This segmented threshold training is also referred to as tempo reps, tempo intervals, tempo cruising or moderate interval training.  The standard protocol is of course longer runs done at tempo pace that last anywhere from 90 seconds to 10 minutes, followed by brief rest intervals of about 1 minute, and repeated for 20-40 minutes.

This longer, but less intense form of interval running allows you to accomplish a higher volume of quality training without adding excessive amounts of stress to an already taxed body.  I really like using a cardio workout such as this when I’m feeling a little drained from fasting.

In fact, I did a 30 minute tempo rep run this morning because I knew I wouldn’t have the fuel to attack a more challenging workout (this morning was the tail end of a 31 hour fast I used to get back on track after a few slip ups the past few days).

After a brief warm-up, I ran 90 seconds at a challenging (tempo) effort, recovered at a slower jog for 45 seconds and repeated nonstop for 30 minutes total.  This was just the right blend of intensity and duration and I felt like a million bucks afterward.

Anyways, that’s the skinny on how to use tempo running to get un-fat.  Make sure you’re using this training tactic to your advantage throughout the week.  I’m off to flex in the mirror for a bit.  Be cool.

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

PS – I just got a new iPhone, in case you’re wondering how I came up with the picture theme for this post.  I must have got screwed ‘cuz my iPhone didn’t come with apps like that.   

I swear I can’t go the gym without having a funny story to share with you guys.  Seriously, it’s impossible.  There’s just too much irony and way too many meatheads to not see something hilarious (and by hilarious, I mean frustrating in a way that makes me want to gouge my eyes out).

Alright, so I’m at the gym the other night, minding my business, doing my thing, when I can’t help but notice this stereotypical meathead hanging out on the squat rack.  I’ll give the kid some credit because he had a major case of bird legs and he was actually working on them (which is better than most guys can say) – first with about 20 sets of squats and then he moved onto calves.

No problems yet, except for the fact that he was hogging the damn squat rack for the length of my entire workout, which meant I had to improvise and hit my quads with some Bulgarian split squats (ouch).  Anyways, as I watched this kid check himself out in the mirror for about 5-minutes in between each set, I slowly started to get irritated.

Then, his girlfriend musta finished her cardio workout because all of a sudden there’s this chick hanging out with him, which extends his rest periods to about 10-minutes of “OMG story time.”

Gimme a break dude, talk to your girl when you’re done with your damn workout.

I think he was one of those paranoid, over-protective boyfriends who has to have his girlfriend right there with him at the gym, but at the same time is never more than like two feet away from her because he’s scared other dudes will be checking her out (you’ve all seen that guy before).

Anyways, the happy couple who apparently think they’re on a date are not only preventing me from doing my planned weight training workout because of their time-consuming shenanigans…but they’re starting to get all touch-feely as if there’s no one else in the gym.

Really?

It gets worse.  After cranking out some sets of standing calf raises (again, he gets some props for working on the legs), he feels the need to do donkey calf raises.  Here we go.  Next thing I know I see this clown tell his girlfriend to mount him, as he bends over at the waist and does his reps.

Ridiculous.

I felt like punching him in the throat.

You’re not Arnold Schwarzenegger bro and no one believes for a second that it would be tough to do donkey calf raises with a 95-lb sorority girl on your back.

I don’t know, maybe I was just pissy because they were completely blocking off the squat rack, but seeing this dude grunt and huff and puff with his frail girlfriend on his back, just sent me over the edge.  Plus, there was a seated calf machine like 5-feet away.

I think he was just trying to impress his girlfriend…either that or he was suffering from meatheaditis (that’s a new medical term I just made up, lol).

If you’re going to take more than 90-seconds rest in between working sets, you better be either puking, contemplating puking or getting a really big drink of water.

If you’re checking yourself out in the mirror, giggling with your girlfriend, fixing your hair, talking on your cell phone or reading a magazine, you’re wasting your time and drastically reducing your chances of making any progress – whether it be fat loss or building lean muscle.

I know none of YOU pull this crap…I just wanted to share that story with you.  It was kinda funny and extremely irritating, all at the same time.

Okay, I’m done with donkey calf raises and I’m done with my rant.  Good to get that off my chest.

Anyways, who else is absolutely RIPPING it up this weekend?  I’m about to annihilate the lean body workout I have planned for today.  Time to get in the zone…talk soon.

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

PS – Here’s some bomb-diggity workouts you might want to check out:  Jason Statham Workout, Cristiano Ronaldo Workout, Randy Couture Workout, Jessica Alba Workout and Fergie’s Workout.