There are so many fat loss myths out there in “exercise-land” that I was hired by a fitness magazine to write about one myth each month.

After all, by now you’ve probably heard that if you don’t do 60-minutes of cardio in your fat burning zone on an empty stomach while Venus is in line with Jupiter, you’ll never burn fat.

The problem with myths is that not only are they wrong and give false hope to millions of people trying to lose weight, but they also waste your time and mental effort.

I could go on for days about fitness myths, but I cut my list from 30 down to the Top 5 Fat Loss Workout Myths today. I’ll save the other 25 for future newsletters.

Myth #1: You have to do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Relax. You don’t have to hop on the treadmill at 4:30am every morning. Let’s allow common sense to dictate when and how you exercise.

If you want to work out first thing in the morning, and I know that is the best time for many TT readers, by all means, go ahead and do it.

But there’s nothing magical about this time – although it is often the only time many of day many people have to themselves.

We need to think “outside of the hour” of exercise and realize that calorie burning and fat burning goes on for 24-hours. Forget about the theories and look at the big picture.

It doesn’t matter when you exercise – as long as you exercise intensely and consistently. Focus on relatively high-intensity workouts to increase your metabolism for as many hours after exercise as possible. That is best done with interval training and resistance training.

Myth #2: You have to do your cardio in your “fat burning zone”.

Again, nonsense.

While you might burn a larger proportion of total calories as fat when you exercise in your fat burning zone, you burn fewer calories overall by exercising at such a low intensity.

When you INCREASE your workout intensity and get out of your so-called “fat burning zone”, you burn more total calories, and as a result, more fat.

In addition, the “fat burning zone” training doesn’t put “turbulence” on your muscles…so you don’t burn many calories in the post-exercise time period. But with interval training, you burn a significant amount of calories for hours after training, and that leads to more fat loss.

I’ve worked with hundreds of people that have avoided the fat burning zone while still managing to lose dozens of pounds of fat. The “fat burning zone” is one of the biggest fitness myths of all time.

Click here to stop the cardio & lose fat with Turbulence Training workouts:

=> http://www.turbulencetraining.com/

Myth #3: You have to do cardio for 20 minutes before you burn fat.

When I hear this, I picture a fat-burning switch in my body that turns on only after I’ve been doing “cardio” for 20 minutes.

But what if I only exercise for 19 minutes and 59 seconds? Are you telling me that I won’t have burned any fat? Ridiculous.

What if I did it on an empty stomach in the morning and in my target heart rate zone? (read that one sarcastically!)

I’ll say it one last time. We need to be more concerned with our 24-hour metabolism, not how much fat or even how many calories are burned during the workout.

Myth 4: Drinking ice cold water will help you burn calories and lose fat.

Standing in line at the grocery store is a great place to pick up the latest fat loss myths. You’ll also find this one all over the Internet.

This myth often comes along with some calculations showing that by drinking 8 glasses of ice-cold water you can burn 70 calories per day.

I don’t believe that actually holds true in real life. Regardless, drinking cold water is not going to burn any more fat off your body than drinking room temperature water.

Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe you should drink 12 glasses of water per day, but the temperature of your water won’t have any effect on your overall fat loss success.

Myth #5: Adding one pound of muscle will burn 50 extra calories each day.

Uh-oh, now I’m cutting down a myth that supports my use of strength training in a fat loss program.

But I have an obligation to set the record straight about this extremely prevalent myth (even though I just saw a big name fitness expert perpetuate this myth in a recent article!).

This myth sounds so good. Add a pound of muscle, boost your metabolism 50 calories. That doesn’t seem out of line at all.

But do the math for a guy that puts on 30 pounds of muscle.

Does his metabolism really increase by 1500 calories?

Absolutely not.

For an average guy, that would require his resting metabolism to increase from 2500 calories to 4000 calories per day.

How would he be able to keep any of that muscle with a metabolism like that?

He’d have to eat like a pig forever.

So when you look at the big picture, you can see this little myth start to fall apart.

That’s not to say you should stop your strength training, but just don’t use this myth as an excuse to cheat on your diet.

Bonus Myth: Negative Calorie Foods Cause You to Lose Weight

According to the “experts”, a negative calorie food requires more energy to digest than it provides you when you eat it.

Often included in the negative calorie food list are apples and bananas, which other “experts” claim are bad for you, based on the ridiculous “fruit stops fat loss” argument.

Sheesh.

There is no such thing as a negative calorie food. It’s a shame “experts” are out there promoting this stuff, and that so many people fall for it.

Instead, let the common sense fat loss principles apply. It’s going to take consistent effort, working hard at your workouts and with your nutrition to get the results you want.

Stick with the proven Turbulence Training plan here:

=> http://www.turbulencetraining.com/

I guarantee you that Turbulence Training will successfully guide you to the fat loss you deserve and desire.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

Your metabolism is your fat loss foundation. It keeps burning and burning fat 24 hours a day…the only problem is, do you have a fast metabolism? And if not, what can you do about it to boost your metabolism and burn fat to lose weight?

Your metabolism is basically how many calories you burn each day.

Children have faster metabolic rates than adults, and we all know about the legendary metabolism’s of teenage boys. That’s the metabolism you wish you had.

And while it is inevitable that your metabolism decreases with age, it doesn’t doom you to gaining weight. It might even decrease 30% over your life, but that is NOT a reason to become overweight.

No way. Not when you can turn it around with a couple of simple, proven techniques listed below…

Here are 7 possible metabolic boosters and the truth about whether each works.

1) Metabolic Resistance Training -

• Claim: Boosts metabolism up to 10% after a training program

True!

In fact, despite what many men and women think, harder exercise is better for your metabolism. However, please note that 1 pound of muscle does not burn 50 calories per day.

In one study, women received a greater metabolic boost from using 8 repetitions per set rather than traditional high-rep (12 reps) sets. So stick to harder exercises (pushups and more advanced bodyweight exercises) or dumbbell exercises.

Turbulence Training uses metabolic resistance training in every workout to help you lose fat and keep your metabolism high.

2) Eating Breakfast -

• Claim: Because it stops your “fasting”, it can boost metabolism

True? Maybe yes, maybe no. Your metabolism won’t go into “starvation mode” without breakfast, but it is associated with successful weight loss. So make it a habit to consume some protein, fiber, & fruit (& even veggies if you can fit them in) at this time. This will keep your appetite in check till your next break or even lunch.

3) Drink Green Tea –

• Claim: Burns an extra 80 calories per day

True? Yes and no. It has been shown to burn 80 calories per day in young men on the first day of supplementation, but will this affect last once your body gets used to it? I don’t think.

After all, take a look at caffeine. You can find studies that show it increases metabolism as well. But really, is anyone losing fat with caffeine? The revolving doors at Starbucks say “No!”.

Coffee is okay in moderate doses, and I recommend Green Tea to everyone, but for health reasons, not for fat loss. The only way you will lose fat with Green Tea is if you replace a 300+-calorie Frappucino with an iced, unsweetened Green Tea. Otherwise, don’t count on it for much in terms of metabolism.

4) Fat Burners -

• Claim: Boost your metabolism big time!

Fat burners are simply caffeine pills with a few other ingredients thrown in. You’ll get an increase in mental energy, but that doesn’t mean it will significantly boost metabolism or burn fat.

5) Ice Cold Water with Lemon Juice Squeezed into it –

• Claim: The body will burn calories warming up the water and the lemon juice also burns more fat.

Truth? Nice in theory, short in practice. Nobody is losing fat with ice cold water. If it sounds too good to be true – you know the rest of the story.

6) Eating 6 small meals per day -

• Claim: Boosts metabolism and can help control cholesterol.

Possibly true. Try and split your meals up into smaller meals that can be eaten over the course of the day. This might be part of the breakfast magic…

7) Eat More Protein -

• Claim: Burns more calories (uses more calories in digestion than carbohydrates or fat).

True, but…

I’m not sure if this is significant, but protein also helps fill you up longer. And that’s where the real benefit comes in – preventing overeating. And if you want details, another study showed that animal protein results in more energy burned than vegetable protein.

BONUS: Interval training -

• Claim: Interval training causes a greater increase in post-exercise metabolism than regular cardio.

I certainly believe it.

The interval training portion of Turbulence Training has helped thousands of men and women around the world to lose fat WITHOUT slow, boring cardio.

And I do know this. A recent study from Australia found that a shorter interval program led to more weight loss than a twice-as-long aerobic training program. This confirms the original interval training study from as far back as 1994 that showed greater results from a shorter interval program when compared to a traditional cardio program.

Bottom line: Intervals training works fast

So we see that hard work and diligent eating burn more calories and that magic pills and potions don’t work.

But that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. My advice? Add strength, intervals, mini-meals, and protein to your weight loss plan and you’ll be leaner and warmer thanks to your faster metabolism.

=> Start firing up your metabolism today with Turbulence Training

Turbulence Training was built to boost your metabolism,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS, CTT
Author, Turbulence Training

Great issue of Men’s Health this month. By this month, I mean May, 2011. The magazine is heavier on recipes and cooking advice than I have noticed in the past, so if that’s your thing, this is a “must-get”. There’s also a thorough Triathlon Training article in here that I can’t even begin to summarize, so if you’re thinking of trying a tri, you’ll need to head straight to page 106 for the article and workout program. Training for a tri is one of the most common workout questions that I can’t answer, so I was happy to see this article in the mag.

Now let’s take a look at the training advice from the magazine. First, I want to cover an interval training suggestion they make based on a Scottish research study that found six 30-second intervals done 3x’s per week for 2 weeks leads to weight loss and increased fitness.

The exact workout goes like this:

A) 4-minute warm-up

B) Six 30-second sprints with 4.5 minutes (270 seconds) of recovery between sprints

Men’s Health then recommended this routine.

Now here is the PROBLEM…

This interval program – and most other interval programs that use this similar “30 second sprint and 4 minute recovery” protocol – was done on a specially designed stationary bike in an exercise physiology laboratory.

Now, if you do this interval training on a bike in a regular gym, you probably won’t be able to work at the same intensity provided by the bike in the lab, so you can cut back on the recovery period…to 90 seconds, and maybe even 60 seconds. Add 2 intervals, and you should be set.

However, do NOT do this by sprinting. You will hurt yourself.

You need a LOT more warm-up than 4 minutes if you plan to go out and sprint/run as hard as possible for 30 seconds. If you don’t warm-up properly, you will get hurt. Guaranteed. So be careful.

I highly recommend interval training on the bike because it works, it is safe, and it is the method used in almost every interval training research study I have ever quoted on this blog. So that’s it for the interval training discussion.

Now let’s move on to low-back/core/torso/ab training advice. First, we eliminate low back pain with the help of Bill Hartman, the smartest man in fitness. Bill comes through on page 20 with advice about one of the best stretches that you can do to combat back pain.The stretch is called the “3-D Psoas Stretch” used to target the hip flexor area. The psoas is one of your hip flexor muscles, but you don’t actually have a single muscle called “the hip flexor”. Random muscle trivia for you there.

As Hartman notes, sitting often results in a tight psoas. And that’s what you are doing right now, and probably for 6-10 hours of your day. A tight psoas pulls your spine forward, and messes up your pelvic alignment – one of the many, many causes of back pain. If this sounds like you consider using this stretch, because your body stretches in all three planes of movement: From front to back, up and down, and from side to side.

This isn’t exactly it, but this image shows you a similar stretch.

In addition, later in the magazine, Certified Strength Coach PJ Striet suggests two uncommon but powerful ab exercises – neither of which are bad for your back. In fact, just the opposite, as these exercises are recommended by low-back health guru, Dr. Stuart McGill. These exercises are called the “Stability Ball Stir-the-Pot” and the “Stability Ball BodySaw”. They both look like typical Stability Ball plank exercises, but movement is involved to increase the level of difficulty.

I first heard of the Stir-the-Pot exercise from my Toronto Chiropractor, Dr. Michael Sommers, after he attended a lecture by Dr. McGill. Here’s how to do the “Stir the Pot”.

- Assume a Stability Ball Plank position with your elbows and forearms resting on the ball. Move your elbows in a circle, making sure your core doesn’t rotate. Go in one direction for 2 reps, then switch. Repeat for a total of 12-20 reps or for 30 seconds. If you can go for 60 seconds with perfect form, you’ll have an incredible abs.

Now for Nutrition…

Again, the magazine was packed with recipes, recommended foods, nutrition shake reports, and more. I guess they are getting my message that diet is more important than exercise. Here are a couple of quick tips that I had to share:

1) According to Danish researchers, following this simple diet advice will help you lose weight. Simply make sure you are getting 25% of your calories – during weight loss dieting – from protein. So if you are getting 2000 calories, than you’ll need 500 calories from protein – and that is equal to 125 grams.

2) Other research suggests that drinking Green Tea after a meal will help you feel fuller, longer. Therefore, if you find that your meals aren’t taking the complete edge off your appetite, just add a cup or two of Green Tea to get you through to the next meal without additional calories or hunger pains.

3)  Lou Schuler reports on some of the latest weight loss science, and says that people who keep the weight off the longest tend to do several things, including weighing themselves frequently, planning their meals, and simply eating the same thing most of the time. Now what you could do is have “3 go to options” for each meal that you know are best for your weight loss. That will give you a little variety, without the danger of overeating due to lack of planning. Also realize that most people mess up on weekends, so make sure you plan your weekend meals too, not just weekday meals.

4) On a more interesting nutrition note, one of my favorite nutrition experts, Alan Aragon, reports on the “foods you need to eat now” on page 65. Among the surprises are macadamia nuts and navy beans. I like Alan’s articles because he isn’t an extremist against milk or grains. Very common sense advice. In a pullout poster that follows his article, the argument is simply made that we should emphasize VARIETY in our diets. Something that my friend, Brad Pilon agrees with.

By the way, both Brad and Alan were interviewed by Men’s Health for a debate on fasting, and they had a little disagreement. Check it out here.

5) On page 133 we get into the good stuff, with a review of the best steaks to get in a steakhouse, and then on page 153, you get instructions on how to cook the perfect steak, from a Spanish chef.

There’s a ton of eye candy in this issue if you like red meat, so enjoy.

Finally, being a fan of the motivational quote, I was happy to see the top 3 football quotes on page 26. Here they are:

“Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” – Vince Lombardi

“It’s not the will to win…it’s the will to prepare that makes the difference.” – Bear Bryant

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

Stay strong,

Craig Ballantyne, MS, CSCS, CTT
And guy who was not quoted at all in this month’s Men’s Health magazine. Boooo.