There are a number of ways to skin a cat, but if you're looking for fat loss, a good place to start is by taking a look at what stereotypically lean groups do and start applying those techniques to your own lifestyle.
Steady state aerobic exercise has taken some seriously heavy rap from trainers over the past few years, as Tremblay's (1994) landmark study demonstrated that high intensity interval training yielded a nine-fold increase in subcutaneous fat loss than steady state training. However, one look at the standard 'cutting' protocol for bodybuilders, the absolute masters or fat loss, indicates that submaximal exercise certainly plays its part in shedding those unwanted pounds. Indeed, longer stints of endurance exercise provide an effective way of increasing workload and thus energy expenditure, the latter of which being the most essential factor in fat loss. Unlike high intensity intervals, which relies heavily on carbohydrate as opposed to fat utilisation for energy, sub maximal training is a key stimulus for fatty acid oxidation, and thus plays an integral role in fat loss.
Bodybuilders, fitness models and other groups requiring high levels of body leaness often utilise what is known as depleted state training (training whilst fasted, ie. first thing in the morning before breakfast) in order to maximise the proportion of fat oxidised (ie. fatty acids stored in the form of tryglycerols in adipose tissue are mobilised in response to energy demands). In addition to optimising fat utilisation during exercise, depleted state training also upregulates the release of enzymes involved in fatty acid metabolism. Consequently, as it is dependent on fat rather than carbohydrate, a role for fasted, submaximal, steady state exercise(50-70% VO2 Max)becomes apparent. When utilising depleted state training, care must be taken to avoid muscle catabolism (breakdown) and the associated decline of basal metabolic rate. This can be achieved by increasing protein ingestion.
That's not to say that interval training doesn't play it's part too. Despite the fact that high intensity exercise primarily relies on glycolysis (the breakdown of glucose, a carbohydrate, into pyruvate), and the phosphocreatine system for energy, it nevertheless initiates a much greater Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), which is an increased energy requirement post-training. What is interesting is that this energy requirement is greatly contributed to via fat oxidation, meaning that high intensity intervals are, also, great for burning fat. Indeed, professional sprinters, who typically do considerably less overall work during a session than their long distance counterparts, are commonly the leanest athletes around.
Finally, resistance training, or lifting weights, lends itself extremely well to increasing basal metabolic rate and goal attainment providing the goal is fat loss rather than weight loss (muscle mass is considerably denser than fat and thus weighs more despite taking up less surface area). As well as initiating elevated heart rate and having anaerobic fitness gains, muscle gains resulting from resistance training also increases the energy cost of both exercise and recovery, making it a powerful stimulus for fat loss.
Obviously when deciding which fat loss strategy is right for you will depend greatly on your time availability and other goals. If you are a sprinter or thrower for example, steady state training is unlikely to be of use to you due to potentially negative impacts on your power output and anaerobic capacity. The take home message, therefore, is to think carefully about the following three things:
1) what tools you have available to you?
2) what your other goals are and which strategies will align well with them?
3) How much time do you have?
If in doubt, enlist the help of a good coach who will help you establish a program suited to you and your goals.
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