One of the biggest problems I find with my clients who are looking to lose body fat or become better conditioned is the misuse of aerobic training.

At Synergy we have studied the available research, performed our own trials and have discovered what works and what holds our clients back. We've found that when an individual's training program incorporates too much aerobic work the greater the likelihood is they will suffer from an inability to reach their fat loss or conditioning goals.

 

Let’s look at the two main reasons why continuous aerobic work is not your fat-burning or sport conditioning friend.

 

1. Continuous aerobic work plateaus after 8 weeks of training. This explains why we all come out of the gate with a “bang” on our weight loss programs-losing 5-15 lbs. immediately and then hitting a roadblock. What’s the standard answer? Do more! Bump that 30 minute workout up to 45 minutes. . . . then 60 minutes. . . . then 90 minutes...all while cutting your caloric intake to the brink of starvation. Those of us with the most willpower force our bodies to train 6 days a week, 60 minutes or more every workout, resulting in the following: a slower metabolism. In simple terms, these cardio junkies begin to increase body fat despite all their hard work.

 

2. Aerobic training increases adrenal stress which can make you fatter and produce other undesirable health consequences.

 

This tends to affect the cardio junkies or really stressed individuals trying to lose stubborn body fat. You will notice women tend to store fat on their butts and thighs, and the men carry it around their belly button. The sad part is, the more cardio these people do, the worse their trouble areas become. According to Dr. James Wilson (author of Adrenal Fatigue – The 21st. Century Stress Syndrome), when one does too much continuous aerobic exercise, the adrenal glands are stressed and secrete a greater amount of the hormone, Cortisol. This hormone is catabolic, which means it works AGAINST testosterone, HGH and IGF by BREAKING DOWN the proteins in your muscles and organs and using the amino acids that are released for energy. With Cortisol being elevated too long the result is adrenal fatigue. It has been shown through numerous studies that Cortisol levels following several months of aerobic exercise are far higher than when weight training is used for body fat loss.

 

Here's an inside peek into the effects cardio had on a national level endurance athlete:

 

Like most people, I used to believe that rigorous aerobic activity was one of the keys to staying healthy – the more mileage you could accumulate (at the highest intensity), the better. During my 20+ years as a competitive endurance athlete, I logged tens of thousands of training miles with the assumption that, in addition to becoming fit enough to race successfully at a national class level, I was doing my cardiovascular system and the rest of my body a big healthy favor. The first signal I had that something was wrong was when I developed debilitating osteoarthritis in my ankles…at age 28. This was soon coupled with chronic hip tendonitis and nagging bouts of upper respiratory infections. In retrospect, it is clear now that my carbohydrate-fueled high-intensity aerobic lifestyle was promoting a dangerous level of continuous systemic inflammation, was severely suppressing other parts of my immune system and the increased oxidative damage was generally tearing apart my precious muscle and joint tissue.

 

So what’s the alternative???

 

Let’s start by looking at some research: in a study by Tremblay and colleagues, it was demonstrated that high intensity exercise, specifically intermittent, supra-maximal exercise, is the most optimal for fat loss. There were two groups—the long, slow distance aerobic endurance group (LSD) that was on their program for 20 weeks and the high intensity interval training (HIIT) group that was on a program for 15 weeks. The amount of energy utilized (calories) by the LSD group was DOUBLE that of the HIIT group. However, six skin fold measurements demonstrated greater loss in the HIIT group than the LSD group. When this was expressed on a per energy basis, the HIIT group’s reduction in skin folds was nine times greater than the LSD group. That is what you call more bang for your buck (Willey 2007). In simple terms, you get skinnier by lifting weights. How was this possible? The HIIT group created large post-exercise oxygen consumptions (EPOC), which can take up to 48 hours for your body to fully recover from. This is where fat loss occurs, not during the hours spent on the treadmill. In another published study by R. Bahr and performed at the Department of Physiology at the National Institute of Occupational Health in Oslo, Norway, it was demonstrated that low intensity (defined as 65 percent of maximum heart rate for less than one hour) led to a total EPOC of only five calories. On the other hand, intensive exercise where the heart rate was above 85 percent of the maximum, led to EPOC values of up to 180 calories (Staley 2005). The gymnast is a prime, real-world example: they never do aerobics, yet it can be argued that they have the best physiques of any group of athletes out there. Their training consists of explosive high intensity bouts of exercise often with nothing more than their body weight.

 

 

We use German Body Comp weight training protocols first popularized by Hala Rambie who used these methods with the Germans. These protocols were taught to me by world renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin. Rambie discovered that the lactic acid pathway is far superior for fat loss than the commonly accepted aerobic pathway. The other positive of GBC training is the fact that it will not sacrifice muscle mass and strength like aerobic training does. To read a great article written by Charles Poliquin on this topic “German Body Comp for Athletes”

click here: http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article.aspx?ID=291

(it even includes an example workout that is not for the faint of heart!!!)

 

When we design programs for fat loss we follow five simple rules:

 

Rule 1: The program must elevate Lactic Acid.

Rule 2: The program must cause the body to elevate androgen levels, and growth hormone levels

Rule 3: The program must create large post-workout oxygen consumption (EPOC)

Rule 4: All workouts are short in duration. They cannot last longer than 42min as research has shown a drop in testosterone and rapid rise in Cortisol after 42 minutes.

Rule 5: All workouts are followed immediately by our proprietary Synergy Cocktail.

 

 

Summary

 

The costs of chronic (repetitious) mid and high-level aerobic work

- decreases efficient fat metabolism--you’ll have to work longer to burn fat

- increases stress hormone Cortisol--slows down your metabolism causing greater fat storage

- depressed immune system--greater risks of upper respiratory infection

- increases oxidative damage (free radical production)-- “Accelerated Aging”

 

The benefits of Body Comp weight training

- increases muscle fiber strength- feel younger and stronger

- increases aerobic capacity (work ability)--actually improve your aerobic conditioning better than that of aerobic training alone.

- increases muscle mitochondria--the true source of your energy

- increases insulin sensitivity--one of the keys to dropping body fat quickly

- increases natural growth hormone production--the body’s natural body fat regulator

-save time--the commitment to a program like this is less than 42 minutes per session and as little as two times per week!