Fat Loss Training

This is what I’d do, methodically .

[1] OWN IT:

About six or seven years ago, one of my colleagues “ all of a sudden” dropped about 80 pounds. He was a powerlifter here chasing a BIG squat—800lbs if I recall correctly—but could never get below 260. When he lost that 80 pounds, I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years, so I asked him how he achieved it.

“It was pretty simple,” he said. “I talked to [a mutual friend] and he said, ‘Dude, you gotta own your sh*t.’ And that was it.”

In other copyright, if you find it difficult to lose weight, you have to acknowledge your excuses—those stories and lies you tell yourself—and get rid of them. Change your stories.

[2] GET JUNK FOOD OUT OF THE HOUSE:

I’d go through the pantry and toss all cookies, chips, crackers, and soda. Then I’d hit the freezer and eliminate pizza, ice cream—any high-calorie “binge-y” food. If it’s not there, I can’t eat it, especially not on impulse when I’m under stress .

[3] I'D EAT A "PROTEIN-FIRST" DIET:

The first thing in my mouth each meal is protein. Every meal is based on it, then comes other stuff: carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice) and, of course, veggies.

Protein:

Stops hunger

Controls cravings for sugary and fatty foods

Speeds up your metabolism

Aids your recovery between workouts

In fact, 2015 research by Dr. Jose Antonio, PhD, et al, stated[1]:

“A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training program enhances body composition in healthy trained men and women.”

[4] I'D LIFT HEAVY (HIGH FORCE):

I’d use a 4-6RM for my most important lifts, especially if I’d been doing a lot of KB ballistics. Many people who do “lots of Swings” are surprised when they add heavy lifts. Their heart rates skyrocket more than during Swings or Snatches, boosting the body’s calorie demands for recovery.

[5] I would lift with maximum force ( max effort):

I’d make each rep as strong as I’m able—no more “phoning it in” or just “surviving” my sets. If I’d already been doing “a bunch of Swings,” I'd probably raise my usual rep ranges (or increase them by 50%). For example, sets of 5 become sets of 10; sets of 10 become sets of 20.

[6] I’d "bias" my training:

Most people do only what they prefer. But to strip fat off your body like turpentine on an antique chest of drawers, you have to do the thing you suck at most —because it requires you to use more energy.

I lean towards low-rep strength work—that’s my bias. The opposite would be higher-rep KB ballistic work, like sets of 10+. That would gas me , requiring more energy. For someone who does “a lot of Swings,” it’d be the opposite: a lot of heavy strength work. Again, more energy than normal needed.

[7] I'd sleep more:

Sleeping more aids fat loss; sleeping less encourages fat storage[2]. Hard to believe , but true. Lack of sleep increases hunger and makes you lose muscle (“fat-free mass”). I’d make sure I got 7-8 hours every night.

[8] I'd breathe more:

Breathing—specifically diaphragmatic breathing—is a way to reduce stress. Reduced stress lowers cortisol, which reduces belly fat. Diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) system and counters the sympathetic (“fight, flight, or freeze”) system.

High cortisol also suppresses anabolic (muscle-building & fat-burning) hormones like testosterone (T) and growth hormone (GH). So, breathing lowers cortisol and normalizes T and GH levels.

[9] I’d train 4-6x week:

Making your body lose fat is no mean feat. It’s like Scrooge McDuck hoarding his treasure: your body wants to hold on to fat. So you have to push it to burn regardless—by making it do more work. How you organize your training is up to you. I like contrasting training:

Hard sessions followed by easy sessions

Heavy lifting mixed with lighter sessions

That style makes the body work without burning it out . I would keep sessions focused but short —20 to 30 minutes.

[10] I WOULD FOCUS ON RECOVERY:

I’d make sure I stayed injury-free by focusing on restoration/ flexibility work, knowing my body would become tense from extra use. If you’ve ever had an injury from overuse , you know it’s no fun . Better to head that off at the pass .

So, 5 to 15 minutes of restoration work each session. “Yeah, but won’t that take total workout time up to 45 minutes?” Possibly . Or I could switch between hard training days with easy restoration days and do more restoration work on those days .

So How Long Would It Take?

As long as it needed .

But probably, no more than 12 weeks' time . Maybe as long as 16, depending on my recovery.