Total Diet

Lose Fat in 15 Minutes

Written by Ted Frazer

Stoking the furnace

Look at the cover of any lifestyle magazine today and the
chances are that the two words “burning fat” will appear in some
form or another. Its an obsession. Even those who don’t
necessarily have a weight problem are drawn to articles that
discuss fat burning and new strategies to do so more
effectively. Fat – more specifically, body fat – has become a
topic of increasing debate over the past 10, 20, 30 perhaps even
40 years, and today more than ever, we are constantly trying to
find new and effective ways to “burn” fat off our bodies.

Fat is usually “burnt” off through exercise. There are also
dietary approaches that claim to put the body into a
“fat-burning” state, but generally, the term “burning” is more
readily associated with exercise.

There have been many analogies used to define how body fat is
burned off – one such analogy being to liken the body’s
metabolic system to a “furnace” that needs to be “stoked” to
increase its “fat burning” efficiency. This analogy implies that
fat is burnt during a particular exercise activity – whilst the
activity is being performed. This analogy has also fuelled other
theories and mindsets, such as the longer the duration of an
exercise activity the more fat will be “burned off” – i.e. the
“I’ll-just-run a-few-more-miles-to-burn-off
the-extra-slice-of-cake” way of thinking.

Unfortunately, this eat more/exercise more approach can spiral
out of control with exercise becoming just a means to an end -
almost creating a situation that can be seen as “exercise
bulimia”.

This approach not only also leads to potential overtraining
injuries, but is extremely time consuming, with some people
exercising up to several hours a day to ensure that they
continue to “burn fat”.

There is a far more sensible approach to burning fat…one that
not only is far less time consuming, but also burns fat whilst
at rest….long after the exercise session is finished.

Burning fat – From 10%-90%

As mentioned earlier, the traditional “fat burning mindset” is
that body fat is burnt whilst performing a particular exercise
activity (the preferred exercise activity usually being aerobic
or cardio type exercise). However, even if an exercise activity
is performed for 2 hours (e.g. 2 hours on the stationery bike) -
which is a considerable amount of time – this still only
represents just under 10% of the day. Also, with most aerobic
type activity, the metabolic rate returns to normal just 1 hour
after the exercise session is completed (the metabolism or
metabolic rate being the single most important aspect that
affects fat burning).

Surely it would be better to be able to burn fat for 70%-90% of
the day? To somehow keep the metabolic rate elevated for as long
as possible to ensure that fat was “burnt” long after the
exercise session had finished?

Metabolism and Muscle

If you want to burn fat, you need muscle – it’s that simple. The
more muscle, the more fat is burnt….whilst exercising and
whilst at rest.

Now this does not mean that you need to become a competitive
bodybuilder, or even become “musclebound”. But it does mean that
you should consider reducing the cardio sessions and increasing
or adding resistance training sessions to condition your
muscles. To put it in perspective, for every pound of muscle,
the body requires an extra 60-100 calories a day to maintain it
at rest! Also, resistance workouts keep the body’s metabolic
rate elevated for up to 15 hours after the exercise session is
completed (assuming that the workout is relatively intense).
Also, endurance cardio training makes muscles smaller, which
means a less efficient fat-burning furnace in the long-term.

So now that we know that better conditioned and stronger muscles
increase the body’s metabolic rate – which in turn leads to more
efficient fat burning, how do we do this in 15 minutes?

Fat Burning in 15 Minutes

Please note the following: This exercise approach is very
intense. If you are not used to exercise or exercising with
resistance, then you should begin the routine with very light
weights at first and take a 2-3 minute rest between each
exercise. As you become fitter and stronger, you may gradually
increase the weight and also gradually reduce the time between
each exercise.

The following 2 routines are tough…very tough. There are
several aspects that make this routine effective:

1) Each exercise uses several muscle groups – thus placing a
higher energy demand on the body 2) Each exercise focuses on
larger muscles – by using larger muscles, we also place higher
energy demands on the body 3) The level of resistance required
places 90-100% demand on each group of muscles (NB:
beginners/intermediates must use lighter weight) 4) There is
minimal – ideally zero – rest between sets creating a massive
cardio and fat-burning effect that literally “fries” calories 5)
Both routines are brief – and should not take longer than 15
minutes

The Metabolism Stoking Fat-Frying Routine

For each exercise of the following 2 routines, select a
resistance load that allows you to complete no more than 10-12
smooth repetitions. If you can perform a 13th repetition, then
the weight is too light (NB: Beginners & Intermediates to select
a light weight and progress gradually).

Also, keep rest between each exercise as short as possible
(ideally run to next exercise and start as soon as possible).
Again, beginners & intermediates take longer rest periods
between sets.

Routine 1:

Squats Dumbbell Pullovers Stiff-legged deadlift Squats Bench
Press Chins or Pulldowns Bench Press Barbell Curls Shoulder Press

Routine 2:

Squats Bench Press Chins or Pulldowns

Repeat above 3 exercises 3 times with no rest between all 9 sets

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