The Best Way To Burn Fat: EPOC

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC, informally called afterburn) is a measurably increased rate of oxygen intake following strenuous activity intended to erase the body's "oxygen deficit". In fact, the term "oxygen debt" is still widely used to this day. In recovery, oxygen (EPOC) is used in the processes that restore the body to a resting state and adapt it to the exercise just performed. Another use of EPOC is to fuel the body's increased metabolism from the increase in body temperature which occurs during exercise. EPOC is accompanied by an elevated consumption of fuel. THAT FUEL IS FAT!

The EPOC effect is greatest soon after the exercise is completed and decays to a lower level over time. Anaerobic exercise in the form of high-intensity interval training was also found in one study to result in greater loss of subcutaneous fat, even though the subjects expended fewer than half as many calories during exercise! In a 1992 Purdue study, results showed that high intensity, anaerobic type exercise resulted in a significantly greater magnitude of EPOC than aerobic exercise of equal work output.

OK, Clint! Enough of the exercise lingo! What does that mean to me?!?! It means, if your workouts are short and intense, you will continue to burn fat via EPOC for up to 38 hours after you finish. If you do LSD (steady state exercise on a treadmill, outside, elliptical, etc.) EPOC ends very shortly after you're done!

OK, fitness boy?! How the heck do I do that?! The easiest way to attain and maintain intensity is interval (fast/rest) training. Interval is the best of cardio and Tabata (20 seconds hard exercise/10 seconds rest) is the King intervals!!!!

By the way, there is a way to get the EPOC effect in your resistance training (lifting), too. Weight lifting using compound lifts, which means multijoint weightlifting exercises performing a weightlifting circuit that alternates between upper- and lower-body exercises will place a greater demand on the involved muscles for Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP for short. ATP is a high-energy molecule found in every cell. Its job is to store and supply the cell with needed energy. Increased demand for anaerobic ATP also causes a greater demand on the aerobic system to resupply the muscles with ATP during the rest periods and during exercise recovery.

So what does all this mean? It means that intensity is more important than duration. Exercise sessions need to be short, fast and hard. Cardio needs to be high intensity intervals, whether it is body-weight circuits, sprints, or some type of machine like elliptical or treadmill. Lifting must favor compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, over isolation exercises like curls or leg extensions. The cardio sessions alone will give you the EPOC effect for up to 36 hours after exercise is over!

If you want exercise advice feel free to email me at cdrgrimes@gmail.com or message me on Facebook. You can also see my exercise videos there. To get the secret of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight go to http://tinyurl.com/healthy60

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Clint_Grimes/753096

The Best Fitness Equipment: The Frog Vs Bowflex Treadclimber

Personally, I'm not a big fan of exercise(cardio) equipment, opting to use bodyweight exercises in Tabatas (High Intensity Interval Training)because I believe people become dependent "their (type of) machine." But I do recognize that there are some great pieces of equipment out there so I thought I'd do a comparison of two of the fairly new and most effective machines, The Frog by Frog Fitness and The Treadclimber by Bowflex. Both are quality machines but are not without their strengths and weaknesses.

Frog Fitness is the creator of What they believe is the next big thing in fitness! "The Frog". It provides the benefits of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Strength Training simultaneously. The Frog, is designed to help athletes reach their peak performance potential in minimum time and it delivers! When you add that the human body is not used to performing high intensity training in the horizontal position, the additional stress adds a new dimension to even the most rigorous of workouts.

You move The Frog by performing frog-like movements that combine resistance training with HIIT aerobic exercises. It is a compound exercise extravaganza! The machine has four wheels on two axles,that are attached to resistance bands. In the basic Frog workout, you lie face down on the machine then stretch it out by straightening your arms, legs, and torso. You can also perform other workouts to work all different areas of your body.

It's kind of like doing a horizontal military press and a squat simultaneously.

In summary, The Frog promises "a total body resistance trainer that works all major muscle groups in an incredibly short amount of time." You can also perform lower body workouts, curls, squats, triceps extensions, and other types of upper body workouts.

If there are any real limitations on the Frog, I would say it would be space. You have to have space for the machine to roll around so if you are limited by weather or space, or the $1500 price tag, the Frog may not be for you. But if you have nice weather outside or plenty of space outside, or inside, it is an outstanding machine for overall body fitness.

The Bowflex Tread Climber claims that the combination of three movements in one trainer burns more calories than traditional fitness equipment, and that's the major difference Bowflex was aiming for when designing what has now become their most popular product line.

This piece of equipment combines the forward motion of a treadmill, with the stepping motion of a stair climber, with a smooth elliptical type motion. What is the benefit?

It's actually been proven that you can get a better workout than walking or jogging, in less time, without the joint impact of running. The mixture of the three motions prevents muscle fatigue so you feel less tired, which will help you keep making progress toward your fitness goals.

There actually is a study that showed why it makes you feel less tired, even though it burns more calories as a treadmill at the same speed is because it causes less of something called Blood Lactate, which is lactic acid buildup from a workout. That's chemical that makes people feel exhausted after exercising, which can make it hard to stay motivated.

Since the Treadclimber causes 12% less lactic acid buildup than treadmills, and 38% less than ellipticals, that makes it easier to keep working out and getting results. That's very important to me, because you don't want to burn out, or become discouraged. You want to consistently make progress over time, and this unique design helps you do just that.

The Treadclimber is priced from $1500 to $2500 depending on the model. It can be used for interval training, however, it is for lower body exercise only. It also does not require much space to operate, unlike our friend The Frog.

If you want exercise advice feel free to email me at cdrgrimes@gmail.com or message me on Facebook. You can also see my exercise videos there. To get the secret of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight go to http://tinyurl.com/healthy60

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Clint_Grimes/753096

The Best Way To Measure Weight Loss

The scale, Body Mass Index (BMI), the tape measure, have all been used to measure weight loss/fitness throughout the years but what is the most accurate way to measure your (change in) size and your physical fitness? People have been slaves to their scales for 150 years or more. But the scale is completely accurate in measuring one thing and one thing only; weight! What is the most accurate yet practical way for you to track your progress?

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 years. It can be used to indicate if you are overweight, obese, underweight or normal. A healthy BMI score is between 20 and 25. You can get it from a table or a calculator easily found online. A score below 20 indicates that you may be underweight; a value above 25 indicates that you may be overweight. Some athletes, such as football players have a high muscle to fat ratio and may have a BMI that is misleadingly high despite their body fat percentage. I am 5'-11" tall and weigh 195 pounds. I am an avid weight lifter and do high intensity cardio three times a week. My BMI of 27.2 says that I am overweight, which is true in the sense that I do weigh more than the average person of my height but that is because of having more than average muscle and not more than average fat.

I am constantly touting size change that happens when you lose fat, 9 cubic inches per pound. I'm also constantly talking about the importance of resistance training. You must build muscle to both fill the some of that void the vanishing fat has left, to burn more calories, and to give you the sexy shape you're looking for.

Why do I want you to stop weighing yourself? It is NOT the most accurate measure of your progress. If you are going to measure your progress, I'd like you to use two instruments; 1. Your camera/phone. 2. Tape measure. Here's why. The scale only measures weight. It doesn't measure size, or shape.

We were talking about this last night at a dinner party. If you traded 10 lbs of fat for 10 lbs of muscle, you would weigh exactly the same but you would be 67.5 CUBIC INCHES SMALLER! If you trusted the scale you'd be a failure, but THAT'S NOT TRUE!

So let's do this. Get a tape measure and start measuring your waist, hips, arms and thighs, every two weeks. Take pictures of yourself every 15 days and compare them. If you can't do that. Get a pair of your "fat pants", put them on every 2 weeks, and have someone pull the waistband away from you and measure the distance from your belly button to the waistband. This way you'll get a vivid, accurate and encouraging measure of your progress.

Stop looking at that scale and become a "tape worm". You'll be glad you did!

If you want exercise advice feel free to email me at cdrgrimes@gmail.com or message me on Facebook. You can also see my exercise videos there. To get the secret of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight go to http://tinyurl.com/healthy60

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Clint_Grimes/753096

Weight Watchers Vs Jenny Craig Vs Herbalife Vs Isagenix

The weight-loss industry is big business, and getting bigger - in spite of the recession. A recent study highlighted just how big the financial side of the industry is. Based on the findings of Marketdata's 11th edition of the U.S. Weight Loss & Diet Control Market study, the worth of the weight loss industry was estimated at $61 billion in 2010. There are a lot of weight loss solutions out there, using various methods, at a range of prices. Let's make an unbiased evaluation of four of them; two widely advertised on television, Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, with the other two marketed via network marketing, Herbalife and Isagenix.

WEIGHT WATCHERS

Pasta, steak, cheese, ice cream... You can eat what you want on Weight Watchers. While the popular weight-loss plan has been overhauled, the basic principle of eating what you love remains -- though the program steers you toward healthier foods with its points system. In its new program, called Beyond the Scale, fitness also takes a bigger role. You'll be encouraged to exercise every day.

Weight Watchers isn't so much a diet as it is a lifestyle-change program. It can help you learn how to eat healthier and to work out, so you lose the weight permanently. You can follow the plan online on your own. You'll track your food choices and activity, chart progress, and find meals and workouts. There's a coaching option if you prefer one-on-one guidance by phone, email, and text. You can go to group meetings, where you'll weigh in. A Consumer Reports survey found that people who attend meetings were more satisfied with the program and lost more weight than people who just participated online. While Weight Watchers sells its food in grocery stores, the program teaches members to choose their own food using a point system. This method, while effective, may have a weakness in that you are assigning point values to food and allowing a certain number of points daily. While this method is effective in restricting calories, it isn't necessarily a good method to teach healthy eating. A monthly pass to attend unlimited meetings will run you $39.95 per month, and the online counseling plan costs $47.90 for the first month plus $17.95 for each subsequent month which is really reasonable, considering the cost of weight loss supplements of other programs.

JENNY CRAIG

Jenny Craig has a comprehensive weight loss package that includes more than just food. Their program includes prepackaged low-calorie food, a consultant to offer support in person by phone, online tools to help you plan and track meals, and an a workout program. There are no forbidden foods, "detoxes", or menus loaded with exotic meals.

At first, you'll eat Jenny Craig's menus of 70 prepackaged meals, each at about 1200 calories. If your starting weight is particularly high, that could vary. In one study, Jenny Craig clients lost an average of 10% of their initial weight during the first year on the plan. Jenny Craig allows for fresh fruits and vegetables as well as low-fat dairy products. The Jenny Craig philosophy, which is sound, is low-fat foods that are rich in water, fiber, and protein to make you feel full, combined with non-starchy vegetables.

The Jenny Craig program is highly effective and nutritionally sound. However, Jenny Craig is very expensive, at about $100 per week.

HERBALIFE

Herbalife is a health supplement company focusing on weight-loss and overall health. Most of their products contain protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and, sometimes caffeine. There are four components to their quick-start program: Formulas 1, 2 and 3 and Herbal Tea Concentrate. For the best results, you must take all four. Herbalife gained popularity in the 80s, as a network marketing company, meaning you order products from an independent distributor or from their website. Currently Herbalife has a positive BBB rating.

Herbalife's flagship is their meal replacement shake. According to the website, Diet Spotlight, "Using meal-replacement shakes to lose weight is an effective option." The problem is that you will spend upwards of $92 to $95 each month and that's just the starter package." Though not expensive for a starter kit, which contains other additional supplements besides just a shake, for many companies, $90+ a month for just shakes is rather expensive.

There have been complaints about the taste but I chalk that up to people who need to lose weight generally crave food that taste sweet and anything less than that proves distasteful to them, at least early on. As for results, Herbalife has very good reviews.

ISAGENIX

Isagenix is a supplement company offering weight-loss solutions since about 2002. Their products are sold via network marketing via independent distributors. Their most prominent products are meal replacement shakes, cleanses to flush toxins from the body, and energy boosters. They have clinical trials backing the effectiveness of the ingredients of most of their products.

One point of concern is price. Isagenix products are definitely on the high end of the health supplement spectrum, at $350 for a 30-day weight loss program. There was also a significant level of complaint about taste, which again, I somewhat chalk up to the clientele. While people in the dieting world would complain, people in the fitness world probably would not because of the difference in their palates.

Though lacking in proof via clinical trials on their website, the science behind using protein and fiber to curb appetite and using cayenne and green tea to increase metabolism is absolutely sound.

These are just four of the prominent weight loss systems available on the market today. There ar many more. If you take your time and do some research, there is a solution that will get you to your goal weight, teach you how to eat, and not do much damage to your wallet.

If you want exercise advice feel free to email me at cdrgrimes@gmail.com or message me on Facebook. You can also see my exercise videos there. To get the secret of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight go to http://tinyurl.com/healthy60

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Clint_Grimes/753096

For Weight Loss: If You Could Only Pick One

Nothing about weight loss has changed since the beginning of time! The road to a healthy weight has always been the Second Law of Thermodynamics;

Calories in - Calories out = Calories accumulated.

To put it simply, to lose weight you need to eat less, exercise more or both. What if you could only use one method. There are many eating/diet plans, and good ones, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, just to name a few. On the exercise side some of the most famous, or infamous exercise programs include P90X and Insanity. All of these programs are effective in their own right, but if you had to choose one direction, which way should you go?

The answer is perfectly clear. If you could choose exercise or diet, you should choose diet. I say this with the utmost confidence. And this is coming from the mouth of a lifetime fitness fanatic and a strength and conditioning coach. Why do I say this with so much confidence? That's easy! It is extremely difficult to out exercise your diet! Let me give you a couple vivid examples.

If you had an 140 lb woman, and she ate two pieces of cheese pizza and a piece of cheese cake, that would be a total of 955 calories. In order to burn that off, she would have to run 10 minute miles for 1.5 hours! In the height of my running days as a young man I couldn't do that and I highly doubt you could either.

Here's another vivid example of this. According to Malia Frey, a weight loss expert writing on About Health, dropping a daily large cola from McDonald's completely (if you drink about one per day) would result in reducing your annual calorie intake by over 200,000 calories - or about 60 pounds - in one year. Replace that soda with water and overcome obesity. That's just one large soda. For the same 140 lb woman to burn the same amount of calories, she would have to run 1.5 miles in 16 minutes, EVERY DAY! Wouldn't be easier just not to drink the soda and have a glass of water instead?

Fortunately, we don't have to pick one. We can incorporate both a healthy meal plan and exercise in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Experts say that the contribution is 75% nutrition and 25% exercise. I will talk about both in future articles.

If you want exercise advice feel free to email me at cdrgrimes@gmail.com or message me on Facebook. To get the secret of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight go to http://tinyurl.com/healthy60

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Clint_Grimes/753096