Not that there's anything wrong with it, but one of my fears when trying to shed body fat is that I don't want to end up looking like one of those thin men's fitness models. If you're a bodybuilder or just seriously into the weights or strength training, you don't want to lose size or strength. At the same time, you don't want to be a fat bodybuilder. For a while that's where I was heading after I turned 30. Many of you are in the same boat. You may have grew up on the skinny side never being able to gain weight and have a phobia of being too thin so now that you've put on some size over the years you're holding onto it as if it were your life line. Mentally and psychologically, it is. But in the interim you've gained some unwanted body fat whereas before you couldn't gain weight to save your life.
Weights
Whereas diet is a crucial factor, we're specifically covering training here. Many have the misconception that when you're trying to lose body fat you automatically lose strength and need to train with light weight doing more reps. It's actually the opposite though. If you're looking to gain or at least hang on to lean muscle mass, you need to be lifting hard and heavy. If you're nutrition is on key, meaning you're getting plenty of quality protein and you're taking supplements such as glutamine and BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) to assist with proper recovery and growth, and you're getting adequate rest for growth, then there's no reason you should lose strength. If anything, you're going to at worst maintain your current level of strength because you're eating better quality foods and cutting out the crap in your diet. Also, pushing heavy weights really revs up your heart rate and can be related to high intensity interval training which is great for burning fat.
Cardio
You definitely need a cardio plan when dropping body fat but don't overdo it. Remember, you're ultimate goal is to carry as muscle mass as possible with minimal body fat; you're not training for a marathon. So your cardio program needs to be catered to this goal. I've found that alternating short sessions of high intense interval cardio training with longer sessions of low intensity cardio work best for fat loss (day 1 - short session, day 2 - long session and so forth). Doing cardio first thing in the morning is ideal. If this can't be done then perform it either after your weight training routine or really it can be done anytime. I don't recommend doing cardio before the weights though. Four to five times a week should do it but check the mirror and adjust accordingly.
To recap, lift heavy and lift intense and have a steady cardio plan. With everything, to get results, be consistent. You'll be amazed at how quickly you drop body fat while still being able to push some bone crushing weight in the gym.
Jason M. Stallworth
Owner of TheMuscleProgram.com
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