Fat loss programming can be simple….if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t know what you’re doing then…well…it can suck real bad.

Since fat loss programs are usually very cardio intense and sometimes create a lot of nausea, partaking in a month of it only to find out that it was useless is about as fun as shaving your legs with a spoon.

When it comes to the pillars of what I believe to be a great fat loss program, these are what I look for.

Does the program allow for consistency? Meaning, is it both physically and psychologically sustainable in terms of what is required from you?

Does the program have progression built in? What happens when the sets, reps, and rest periods from week 1 no longer produce enough stimulus? What happens when you’re no longer seeing changes?

Does the program prioritize performance? Does the program allow you to perform at a high level and thus set the stage for more body fat to be burned? Or does it run you into the ground with unrealistic expectations and poor exercise sequencing?

Does the program have great exercise selection? Are the exercises not only the best for fat burning purposes, but the best for you and your current level of fitness as well?

Consistency

 

When programming for consistency a good rule of thumb is to make your program challenging, but you should always be able to complete it. If you’ve read some of my previous blogs you’ll know that I recommend training in the “sweet spot”. This is the place slightly below your maximum output where stimulus and technique are of high quality.

When it comes to training, if today’s workout was so intense you barely made it through, how likely are you to complete the next one. Hell, how likely are you to even wanna do the next one?

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Same goes for your diet. If you come out guns blazing on day 1 and remove everything in your diet except for boiled chicken and broccoli how likely are you to continue that for a month? I’ll tell you right now, the answer is “not at all”.

A program that allows you to be consistent in your habits will ask you to give just enough of what is needed right now and no more. It will set the stage to progress at your pace and introduce more as time goes on, which leads to the next point.

Progression

progression

All good programs have progression built into them. In fact, when someone hands me a program with no planned progression I automatically judge them and everything they stand for as a human being. Not really….but kinda.

Progression is what brings about results and it’s usually a big part of what separates people who actually train and people who #eatcleantraindirty.

For both training and diet, having a progression allows you to make long term progress and gives you somewhere to go when you hit a plateau (trust me, you will). It also forces you to keep track of what you’re doing so you can make correlations between your results and what is actually working.

Performance

Making sure you’re performing at a high level will make your workouts efficient at burning fat and you more efficient at staying out of the hospital.

When I say performing at a high level I’m referring to the quality of your technique and level of intensity. I’m all for working at a high intensity, but high intensity is a relative term.

A person with a great squat and hip hinge pattern who is doing squats and kettlebell swings as part of their program with great technique and tempo is working at a high intensity. They’re performing at a high level and they will get the most out of it.

On the other hand, a person with a horrible extension compensation in their low back who’s heard that “tabata burpees are great for fat burning” is reserving their seat in their very own wheelchair. If you haven’t guessed, it isn’t high intensity.

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Your program should produce the desired effect while working within your capabilities.

Exercise Selection

Great exercise selection, and sequencing, are hallmarks of good programming and they matter a lot in terms of fat loss.

Exercise selection should take into account current capability, fatigue management, and the goal.

For example, a person who rounds their back when reaching for a bar below their knees is not ready to deadlift from the floor yet but may be able to pull from pins in the rack or from blocks. This would be a case of choosing the right exercise for current capability.

bad posture
Probably not ready to deadlift.

Having your performance limited by your grip strength is a good reason not to group deadlifts, chin ups, and farmer’s walks together in one set immediately following each other. That’s an example of fatigue management.

Knowing that a push up or inverted row is a more full body, effective, exercise and will do more for your fat loss efforts than a triceps pushdown or bicep curl is an example of good exercise selection for the goal.

Does Your Program Have What It Takes?

There’s more to achieving a fitness goal than just showing up and going hard. If you currently have a program or you’re looking to create one for yourself make sure it has these components and you’ll be way ahead of the game.

 

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