15 Keys To Fat Loss Revisited

I thought I would share some of the knowledge that I have learned here on T-Nation and the things that I have been doing in the last year to meet my goals of 12% BF, Power snatching 225lbs and getting to 12 solid pull ups. What are your goals and what are you doing to get there. Any thoughts or revisions to my basic foundation of training principals?

  1. Do 15-20 min anaerobic cardio in the AM on off days (Tues, Thurs, and Sat). Such as Jump Rope,Run, Bike, Row, Heavy Bag, ( Max Effort 15 sec Light Effort 90 sec ),

  2. Eat Breakfast (example: Oatmeal and a protein shake)

  3. Increase protein intake to 1 - 1.5 grams per pound of LBM

  4. Lower carb intake below 100g and eat very little simple carbs after 3:00pm

  5. Lift at least 3x per week concentrating on the big Heavy Lower rep lifts, Bodyweight, Kettlebell and Olympic Lifts.
    a) Bench Press
    b) Dead lift
    c) Pull Up
    d) Squat
    e) Power Snatch
    f) Dips
    g) Chins
    h) Bent Row
    i) Hang Cleans
    j) Kettlebell Swing Snatch

  6. Increase good fat intake and supplement with Fish Oils and Flax Oils

  7. Do 15-30 Min of cardio after lifting (Jog, Swim, Bike, Row) (this a tough one but it pays off)

  8. Keep a food log and keep caloric intake 500 calories below maintenance to take advantage of caloric deficit.

Macro Breakdown and Caloric Target Calculations using LBM.

(Example) 245 lbs. X .78 (22% Body Fat) = 191 lbs. Lean Body Mass

Protein: 1.5 x 191 = 287 grams X 4 = 1148 CALORIES 47%

Carbs: .42 x 191 = 80 grams X 4 = 320 CALORIES 13%

Fat: .57 x 191 = 108 grams X 9 = 972 CALORIES 40%

= 2,440 TOTAL TARGET CALORIC INTAKE

This Calculation should put you at 500 calories below maintanence which should equal around a week fat loss.

(Carb calculation excluding post workout shake.)

Re-Calculate every couple of weeks to compensate for Fat loss !

  1. Eat 6 small meals a day using P+C and P+F rule.

  2. Drink 15 - 20 Glasses of water daily

  3. Drink a Post workout shake, Surge!

  4. Foods to Eat

Good Protein Foods:

Fish (salmon, tuna, cod) , Eggs, Chicken breast , Cottage cheese, Milk protein isolates, Whey protein isolates, Lean red meat

Good Carbohydrate Foods:

Vegetables, Mixed beans, Low glycemic index fruits, Oatmeal/oat bran, Mixed grain bread, Small amounts of protein-enriched pasta

Good Fat Foods:

Flax oil, EPA/DHA (Fish Oils), Olive oil, Raw Mixed nuts

13.foods to avoid:

Bad Protein Foods:

Fatty meats
Fatty dairy foods
Most lunch meat
Whole milk
A lot of soy

Bad Carbohydrate foods:

Regular bread
Sugar added foods
Most cereals
Soda
Fruit juice
Bagels
Fruit bars
Candy

Bad Fat foods:

Margarine
Vegetable oil
Corn oil
Heated or fried oils in general

  1. There is no difference between the way a male and female should train to increase lean muscle mass and decrease body fat.

  2. When you fall off the wagon (and you will) Get back on.

KraigY

Looks good, but would just recomend at least one day completely off," no cardio or weights" a week. Its just good to give the nervous system a break. I also like to have three back off workouts every 18 workouts.

I just do 3 sets per body part for 60 reps for capillary groath. Charles Poliquin wrote about it in his last article. I also take 5 days off every two and a half months. This way I dont get sick or injuries.

I take Sundays off and I do a program for 4 weeks and take the 5th week completely off. and then start all over with a new periodization changing lifts, grips, reps, Etc…

just wondering where you got the numbers for calorie estimates. .42 carb, .57 fat. It worked out, but i just wondered where you got them.

I was given this caculation as a 40-30-30 plan on another site’s forum about 5 years ago and over the years I have adjusted it to a higher protein low carb and higher fat plan.

a quick one, is it possible to lose fat while recoverying from this knee injury?

The Franchise- Sure, first off eat clean and take advantage of caloric deficit. also spinning on a bike for an hour a day should be ok. Also get a good lifting plan that is aligned with your goals. Starting with upperbody work and slowly work your legs back in per your doctors advice and what your body tells you.

-I don’t think number 4 is very useful as written, since not everyone’s schedule is the same. Some second-shifters are just waking up at 3pm.

-I disagree with number 7, as it interferes with muscular recovery and PWO nutritional benefits.

I also disagree with number 7 - if your diet is on point it should take care of it.

If you need to schedule another cardio session to burn off more fat - that’s fine, but I don’t think it should be done right after lifting. That’s just asking for LBM loss.

Other than that - it’s pretty on point, for the most part.

Bump Any other thoughts?

Sounds pretty solid to me. Eat Clean…Lift Heavy…Burn calories.

Reading these posts always puts things a little bit back on track.

[quote]OARSMAN wrote:
I also disagree with number 7 - if your diet is on point it should take care of it.

If you need to schedule another cardio session to burn off more fat - that’s fine, but I don’t think it should be done right after lifting. That’s just asking for LBM loss.

Other than that - it’s pretty on point, for the most part.

[/quote]

How about a fasted/semi-fasted cardio upon waking instead of the PWO cardio? (Semi-fasted meaning perhaps some cottage cheese or 1/2 scoop Low-Carb Grow! + coffee.)Keep the cardio easy, like a 1/2 hour walk to pick up the daily paper at the local 7-11. I agree that you need to be ramming and jamming CHO and PRO PWO.

Dan “QUID PRO QUO” McVicker