How Many Kcals Do I Need To Burn To Lose 1lb Of Fat!

I often find people get very caught up on how many calories they burn up in a workout.
It is the end figure illuminated on the treadmills display that often dictates to someone whether or not they've had a productive workout. If an hour passes and they're not happy with the figure displayed they'll often stay for an extra half hour/hour  to help increase it - nevertheless this is all well and good but do any of these people know exactly what figure their trying to achieve?! I mean what figure do they reach before they decide; time's up!

Well for most people who either run, row, cycle, etc their main goal is probably fat loss. (although we already know, looking back at a recent blog post that long duration cardio has a negative impact on fat loss)
With this goal in mind then, how many Kcals are needed to burn... lets say a 1lb of fat?

If you type into Google "how many kcals are in one pound of fat"  the answer you get is about 3,500kcals, however if we look at the science the figure is more like 4,082Kcals.

That's right - 4,082Kals Equate to One Pound of Fat

Now I'm not saying jump on a treadmill and reach 4,000kcals every workout, that would be ludicrous. What I am saying is, we now have a better idea of the figure we need to reach in order to burn a pound of fat.
E.g If you need to lose an extra 5lbs then you should aim for a calorie expenditure of 20,410Kals over a period of time to help with this weight loss.
Bare in mind this doesn't have to come from exercise alone, by adjusting your diet, taking into account your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR - amount of Kcals you burn while resting) and eating the right foods at the right times will help with total calorie expenditure.

Let this be quick reference, something tangible, to help keep you focused and on the right track. This figure can be used as a goal, something to aim for when training without over complicating things.

Remember though the science of fat loss and body re-composition isn't as simple as calories in vs. calories out.

Success Story #4

I'd like to congratulate another of my clients today on a terrific drop in body fat measurement around the love handles (supra iliac)

After only starting up with me a week ago I advised her to limit the intake of sugars and carbs and as a result she has dropped from 30mm to 24.6mm.

A total loss of 5.4mm and in only 6 days! 

Her total training for the week was only a one hour yoga session.

This shows that with certain, small yet important changes you can reap huge rewards.

This Weeks Top Tip

This is a top tip for anyone who finds it a problem remembering names, numbers, dates or even people's faces.
A lot of people believe that their ability to remember and retain information is down to perceptiveness and general brain activity. Little do they know that memory can be enhanced by eating the correct foods!
Brain cells, the primary component our brains are made out of, require what we call neurotransmitters to carry messages around.
Low levels of certain neurotransmitters can have impacts on our memory, specifically the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine and dopamine.

If you have a hard time remembering names and numbers it is a sign that you have a deficiency in the acetylcholine neurotransmitter.

For those of you who struggle to remember peoples faces it’s a deficiency in dopamine levels. 

If you are someone who struggles with the above then I've provided a short list below of the types of foods your diet should revolve around to help resolve the problem.

Here is a list of foods that help boost Acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter responsible for memory, concentration and focus:

Acetylcholine

• Egg Yolks
• Meat – Chicken, Beef, Pork, Mutton
• Fish
• Liver
• Dairy Products – Milk and Cheese
• Vegetables – Broccoli, Cabbage and Cauliflower have higher amounts
• Pine Nuts and macadamias are particularly good if eaten at breakfast
• Blueberries are also great at raising acetylcholine levels

Remember those clearly… and now for the next one.

Dopamine

Dopamine is responsible for learning, a very important feature that helps boost intelligent memory, the memory that contributes to your overall intelligence. A list of foods that boost this particular neurotransmitter:

• Protein sources – Meat, Milk products, Fish, Nuts, Beans,

I often find this information to be invaluable to clients of mine who need great memory for their job e.g accountants, mathematicians, historians, lawyers, policemen etc

The Myth Behind... Long Duration Cardio For Fat Loss. A MUST READ

One of the most common myths held by the public and indeed many fitness professionals is the notion that steady state cardio (long duration aerobic exercise) is the best exercise for fat loss. However when we take a look at the science and results I achieve with clients, it tells us a different story.

A study published by Trapp and Boucher et al, at the University of New South Wales, Australia has shown long duration aerobic work to be infective at burning body fat and can in fact make you even fatter!
Below are two study's that will open your eyes and educate your mind to world of aerobic training and it's affect on fat loss.

Study 1: Trapp and Boucher et al (1)

Group 1: performed 40mins of steady sate aerobics at 60% of VO2 max, three times per week for 15 weeks.

Group 2: performed 20mins of  interval training (8secs on, 12secs off - 60 times) three times per week for 15 weeks. Group 2 started at 5mins for the first week then built up to the full 20mins during the 15 week period.

Both groups had their dietary intake closely monitored.

Results
Group 1: The steady state group GAINED 0.5kgs of fat in the 15 weeks!

Group 2: The interval training group LOST on average 2.5kgs of fat in the same time frame. When two already lean subjects were removed the interval training groups results improved to an average loss of 3.9kgs of fat. (two of the women in the group lost 8kgs of fat, each)

Study 2: Tremblay et al (2)

This study pitted 20 weeks of endurance training against 15 weeks of interval training.

Group 1: 20 week steady state aerobic program burned 28,661 calories during their workout.

Group 2: 15 week interval training program burned only 13,614 calories during their workout (less than HALF as many as group 1)

Results
Group 2: lost 450% MORE body fat than group 1, despite the fact their workouts were both shorter and burned fewer calories.

Conclusion
The calories you burn during your workout are much less important than the calories you burn after your workout.
A 30 minute steady state aerobic workout will only give you 30 minutes of a metabolic boost and that's it!

A 20 minute high intensity interval workout will:

• Burn more calories after your workout, boosting your metabolism for up to 36 hours post exercise.
• Cause your body to burn more fat all day long. Your body will burn a greater percentage of calories from fat after an intense workout rather than a low intensity workout, such as jogging ot long distance training.
• Keep the stress hormone (cortisol) low, allowing for preservation of muscle, low oxidation stress and decreased death of brain cells.

You only need to compare two kinds of athlete - a marathon runner and a sprinter to help show that interval training supersedes long distance work when it comes to fat loss!

Sources: 
1. Trapp EG and Boutcher SH. Fat loss following 15 weeks of high intensity, intermittent cycle training. Fat Loss Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

2. Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism, 1994 Jul:43(7):814-8

The Myth Behind... Turning Muscle Into Fat

This was inspired by a friend of mine who was told by his friends he was wasting his time in the gym as when he stops training all the muscle he had would turn to fat... I had to laugh when he told me this however it's not the first time I've heard it.

A lot of people believe you can turn fat into muscle and muscle into fat.

Let me tell you now, this circulating 'gym talk' is in fact complete nonsense and is a total myth!

Fat and muscle are two completely different compounds and total opposites. Muscle is comprised of mainly water and amino acids (proteins) it's metabolically active (requires energy/calories to help maintain it) and is a 'living' tissue.

Fat on the other hand is comprised of toxins and is a storage site for lipids that can be released into energy. Fat can also be broken down into two substrates - white and brown adipose tissue. White adipose tissue is usually the fat which the majority of us don't like and want to lose... it's metabolically inactive and can raise questions to ones health if too high.

Another reason people still believe this to be true is through the reflection of bodybuilders. Bodybuilders dedicate great time and effort when it comes training and nutrition. They have incredible physiques and extremely low levels of body fat, often consuming 5,000 - 6,000 Kcals per day to help grow and maintain their muscular physique.

Problems become apparent when they become too old or decide to stop training; we often see bodybuilders looking fat and out of shape. This image gives people the impression their hard earned muscle has now turned to fat. The actual explanation of this is down to nutrition.

Many bodybuliders go through years of consuming enormous amounts of food per day, once they retire from training their muscles begin to atrophy from lack of stimulus and they find it hard to cut back on the calories and still eat what they were when once training... this then causes a problem! 

The amount of calories going in each day soon adds up and so does the body fat!

So the next time you run into someone giving you the 'chit-chat' of turning muscle into fat, you can either direct them to this post or simply smile to yourself and walk away in confidence knowing the truth behind it all!

Research Study

A combination of some sun exposure and vitamin D supplementation may be the most effective means of reducing the risk of breast cancer, as opposed to either one alone, suggests findings from a recent study. 

Source: Joint effects of dietary vitamin D and sun exposure on breast cancer risk: results from the French E3N cohort

On The Twelth Day Of Christmas, Hall Training Systems Gave To Me...

...Improved Kicking Power!

The split squat is the best known exercise for predicting kicking power.

For sports that require a strong kick (kick boxing, football etc) the spilt squat should be a stable exercise in your workout.

I will be posting up exercise technique in a couple of days as this is one exercise I see so many people perform incorrectly.

On The Eleventh Day Of Christmas, Hall Training Systems Gave To Me...

...A Great Breakfast For Fat Loss!

They say 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day.' When it comes to training it IS!

When training for fat loss a breakfast consisting of cereal, piece of toast and a cup of coffee will leave you feeling tired, bloated and often the carvings for sugars and carbs.

If becoming lean is high priority for you then a breakfast high in protein, fats and greens will be a far superior option.

A great example would be bacon and eggs with a handful of pine nuts and an avocado or chicken breast on a bed of watercress with a handful of cashew nuts.

A breakfast high in these macro nutrients will help keep blood sugar stable, feel fuller for longer and help to increase metal focus throughout the day.

On The Tenth Day Of Christmas, Hall Training Systems Gave To Me...

...A Simple Way To Measure Whey Protein Amount After A Workout!

Use this simple formula to calculate the amount of whey protein the body needs after a workout.

0.3 grams of whey protein per lb of bodyweight

e.g A 200 lbs man would need 60 grams of protein (200 x 0.3 = 60)

Remember! Your post workout shake needs to be consumed within the first 10 minutes of finishing your workout

On The Ninth Day Of Christmas, Hall Training Systems Gave To Me...

...The Importance Of Good Eating When It Comes To Strength Training!

The energy stored and utilized by a muscle is determined on what you ate 2 days ago

On The Eighth Day Of Christmas, Hall Training Systems Gave To Me...

...Two Signs To Look For When Over Trained!

When it comes to training the phrase 'more is better' isn't necessarily the best approach to take.

Overtraining is very common amongst most gym goers and can really halt progress in your performance.

Suppression of appetite is a sign of over training on volume of work i.e too many resp and sets

A drop 2% in body weight is a sign of over training when it comes to intensity i.e amount of weight lifted in respect to your 1 R.M

If you find yourself falling victim to either of these then it's time to take several days off before re-entering the gym again.

On The Seventh Day Of Christmas, Hall Training Systems Gave To Me...

...The Myth Of The Vertical Jump!

Don't waste your time on developing your quads and calves if you want rapid increases in your vertical jump. These two muscles only contribute between 10-15% of your vertical jump.

Instead focus on developing the hamstrings, glutes and erector spinea (otherwise known as the posterior chain) all of which contribute towards 80% of your power output.