Exercise Science & Information

G’day!,

Every time we seem to turn on the Television, watching day-time television shows, or those late night infomercials that promise the world, yet deliver very little; we always tend to see a tonne of exercise equipment claiming to target specific area’s, ensuring results that are so multifactorial that its unrealistic to accept as fact.

At this stage, you are probably wondering: "What do you mean, Spot specific reduction?" , so allow me to elaborate. The idea of spot reduction, is the notion that if you exercise (or ‘work’) a specific muscle group, that you will reduce fat levels in that target area. This, however, is just not the case.

The most popular, and relatable example is the ‘abdominals’. There are a tonne of Abdominal advertisements. “The Ab Crunch” , “Total Abs Machine” , “Express Abs” .. what-ever they choose to call their inventive, yet ineffective get-rich-quick scheme.

In reality, there is no way to target fat in any specific area through natural means. You will -not- get a flat stomach through performing a thousand varieties of abdominal exercises! - Ofcourse there are medical interventions, but you must be aware that these usually hold consequinces, and poor body reactions. They can be dangerous, and are highly discouraged.

The reason the body is unable to spot reduce; is because - basically - muscle does not own (or control) the fat that surrounds it!

Referring back to the Abdominal example. Sit-ups (and other Ab exercises) will certainly build and strengthen your abdominal muscles - there is no discounting this fact - however sit-ups alone will not remove/lessen the layer of fat covering the abdominals.

To lose fat anywhere on your body, you need to burn calories. This is acheivable through a safe - natural - recommended method which consists of an appropriate cardiovascular and weight training program in conjunction with adequate diet and nutrition. Through this, you will then reduce fat stores through-out your whole body, inclusive of the problem area’s you are wanting to target.

You will notice that you may lose weight quicker in some areas and slower in others - Much the same as gaining weight more in certain areas as opposed to other areas. This is quite simply a result of your genetic selection pattern that dictates where fat stores will be dominant. In men, this tends to be in the stomach/midsection region , where with women this tends to be in the gluteal (thigh) areas.

While this makes it a tougher task to reduce fat in these area’s over their gender counterparts, it is not overly difficult to do so. The problem area’s tend to be the first to store excess fat, yet be one of the last areas to present results. Therefore, patience, consistency, and a reduction in your overall body-fat! will aid you.

So - Your take home message….. Do not attempt to reduce fat stores in a spot specific manner. You must reduce your overall body-fat in order to acheive an overall, wholistic target body composition.

Best of luck in your exercise endeavours!

Cheers,
Nicolas Hart.

Hello all,

There are many proclamations towards ‘weight loss’ and a desired ’solution’ - however, the real weight loss approach cannot be acheived through "tablets", "miracle diets", or "single exercises". Weight loss is not an instant outcome, just as weight gain isn’t an instant outcome. It does take time, and effort; though is not as difficult as it may be perceived.

The equation to experience weight loss is actually quite simple:
Cardiovascular Training + Weight Resistance Training + Nutrition = Controlled, healthy and real weight loss.

Prior to discussing each element of this equation, so that you’re able to understand why each variable is essential to weight loss … it is important to provide you with a basic understanding of the energy relationship amongst humans, the substances we ingest, and the activities that we perform.

A simplistic view of our biological system, and the ability to gain or lose weight, is often expressed as an "energy in -vs- energy out" ratio. Energy is measured in kilojoules (kJs), and we as humans use energy in all activites we perform, inclusive of rest periods (as our body requires this to remain operational). To replenish this energy, we consume food and beverages. All substances we consume have energy value!. Everything we eat and drink can be measured in kilojoules, and it is this relationship of "kilojoules used versus kilojoules consumed" (kJ in -vs- kJ out) that dictates our ability to lose or gain weight.

Implications of Cardiovascular Training

Cardiovascular training is the most common method of training utilised by individuals wishing to lose weight. Often people feel that if they’re physically running, or engaging themselves in such cardiovascular activities; that they’re using enough kilojoules to acheive weight loss. Infact, most overweight individuals identify the term physical activity with cardiovascular training - though there is far more to physical activity than this alone.

Cardiovascular training does work. It is very useful in assisting a person to lose weight. However, this type of training does have its limitations and should have other variables to co-ordinate with for maximal results.

These limitations relate to weight loss because you’re only utilising additional kilojoules whilst performing the cardiovascular exercises. This means if you are running for 30 minutes, you will only be ‘burning’ extra kilojoules for this 30 minute period. This may reduce your kilojoule levels by 1300kJ’s (example), however, one extra snack or meal could possibly counter-act your hard work from earlier on.

Certainly, you should be actively participating in cardiovascular exercise, however to ensure that you lose weight (rather than simply maintain weight), you will need to utilise other functions of physical activity.

As a result, it is highly recommended to participate in weight resistance training!

Implications of Weight Resistance Training

Weight resistance training often receives a hesistant and apprehensive response from overweight people. Regular concerns such as "resistance training will make me bulky" , or , "muscle weighs more than fat" are produced by the overweight individual - however - this is simply a misunderstanding of weight training and the outcomes it can provide.

Weight resistance training is the single most beneficial activity that an overweight (or underweight) person should partake in. It has a breadth of physiological benefits that need to be acknowledged, however the largest of all is that it assists you in utilising kilojoules during rest periods. This means that it will enable your body to continue to reduce your kilojoule levels / utilise energy between exercise!

The purpose of weight resistance training, in this instance, is to improve your body composition by increasing your lean muscle mass. This does not mean increasing muscle s.i.z.e (hypertrophy) - which is a common misunderstanding - what it does mean is that you will be ‘burning’ more kilojoules at rest, through improving the amount of muscle in your body. The reason this is ideal, is because of the metabolic activity that muscle demands, relative to lipids/fat.

Muscle is a highly active substance in our bodies, and therefore requires a heightened metabolic process in order to sustain its activity - whereas fat / lipids on the other hand, are highly inactive, and therefore require less metabolic activity to maintain storage. As a result, your resting metabolic rate will improve with weight resistance training and increased muscle mass, resulting in you being able to burn more kilojoules in the process.

With cardiovascular training utilising kilojoules during exercise, and weight resistance training utilising kilojoules between exercise - there is only one final consideration that will "make or break" your weight loss goals - nutrition!.

Implications of Nutrition

One of the most misunderstood, and feared components of weight loss, is the nutritional aspect. Many overweight individuals falsley believe that they must alter their diet towards foods and beverages that lack taste, texture and interest. This is simply not the case.

It is certainly a high recommendation to stay away from "fast food" or "take away" foods, because these not only contain high levels of saturated fat (amongst other undesirable substances), but they’re also high in energy value; which is what you’re trying to minimise. The main concern, however, is the amount you eat … remembering the basic foundation of weight loss, is using more kilojoules than you consume!

Your diet should consist of the following macronutrient levels (approximations):-
- 55% - CHO - Carbohydrates
- 20% - AA - Protein
- 25% - Fat - Lipids

Therefore, you should be aiming to ensure that your meals through-out the day, total to a consumption rate of the above ratio. ‘Complex’ carbohydrates are ideal, where you are able to see that carbohydrates should be your main source of energy intake. Carbohydrates are the most abundant and efficient source of energy utilised by our body’s; while also containing the lowest kilojoule value.

Beyond this, the other main concern is your fat consumption both in the amount you consume, and the type of fatty acids you consume. Saturated and trans fats should be avoided, as they will increase your chance of cardiovascular disease; where most of your attention should be towards consuming polyunsaturated fatty acids -and- monounsaturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fats assist in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, while Polyunsaturated fats have essential ‘omega fatty acids’ that are highly beneficial to individuals.

In addition to these fundamental peices of information, it is also advisable to eat 5-6 smaller meals through-out your day, rather than 3 large meals with snacks. Many people believe the myth that starvation will ultimately acheive weight loss, though in the short-term this will not occur, and in the long-term you will become quite ill; and pathology will result.

Ultimately, you will need to determine (on average) how many kilojoules you currently use, and begin tracking what you consume, with what you’re using. Seeking assistance from your general practitioner, personal trainer or qualified nutritionist is advisable, as more accurate readings will be achieved.

REMEMBER:-
Cardiovascular Training + Weight Resistance Training + Nutrition = Weight loss!!

I wish you all the best in health, and happiness!

Please, if you have any question, feel welcome to ask them via a "reply" to this Blog; so that others can learn from your queries.

Regards,
Nicolas Hart

Hi there,

When you read the title of this blog, it would be of no surprise if you were initially questioning the relevance and validity of discussing such a topic - however - using the correct shoes for weightlifting, and resistance training activities is equally as important as the considerations given towards running and cross-training activities.

Through performing a range of various activities, it becomes obvious that the style of ’shoe’ you wear becomes an important consideration, as it can significantly effect your performance - and this includes when lifting weights!

For a long time now, shoes have been carefully and ergonomically designed to suit certain scenarios, whether it be pure running based, field based, or for a variety of other activities. It is an interesting observation, then, to see the amount of people whom engage in these specific activities without any awareness of the possible negative implications (or positive improvements) that result in their footwear choices.

One of the most common faults in shoe choice, are people wearing "running shoes", or "cross training" shoes through-out a weightlifting program that demands stability. When you are performing squats, deadlifts and lunges; or more complex movements such as clean & jerks, or snatches; then you require as much stability as possible to ensure your balance and technique are not compromised. Yet, through wearing running shoes or cross trainers, you are creating an unstable platform for performance of these lifts.

Cross trainers and runners, whilst different in weight, also contain a significant amount of cushioning, padding, and various gels; which all aim to provide better protection and shock absorption - yet when you descend into your squat (for example), you will sink into this cushioning at uneven rates, especially if you naturally over pronate/supinate at natural stance. These movements are able to demand and control a high calibre of weight, thus with this excessive weight attempting to be "controlled", you should clearly be-able to see the danger of imbalance when using these impractical shoes. Infact, professional weightlifters use flat wooden soles, which have absolutely no padding or cushioning at all - therefore providing a completely stable foundation for lifting.

It is understandable that those whom perform weight resistance training (or weightlifting) for health purposes may not consider investing in shoes that promote stability in these movements; though for any strength trainer, power lifter, body builder, weightlifter, or athlete aiming to perform these compound (and somewhat complex) movements; choosing to invest in stable shoes is a very wise and encouraged choice. Certainly, you won’t need to purchase wooden sole shoes, however spending minimum money on a cheap pair of shoes will ensure a "sneaker style" look, with practically no cushioning. A cheap alternative to improving your safety and functional technique.

In other words, use runners and cross trainers for their actual purpose (running, field based sports, etc); and leave them behind when choosing to engage in functional weight resistance training. Otherwise you’ll create excessive ‘wear and tear’ through flattening/damaging the cushioning/padding; and may risk instability and injury as an unforeseen outcome.

Good luck with your training goals!

Cheers,
Nicolas Hart.