Diet makes the training program-part 2
Brian November 13th, 2008
In my last blog entry I talked about the importance of nutrition for weight/fat loss. In this segment I will discuss some tricks you can do with your training to maximize fat loss. Keep in mind that the effectiveness of this program is predicated on how diligent you are with your nutrition planning.
The trick to designing a weight training program for fat loss is maximizing the growth hormone (gH) spike from training. An transient increase in growth hormone will not have much of an effect, but an increase over time with multiple training sessions can have a substantial impact. Aside from its role in growth and maturity through adolescence, growth hormone increases fatty acid oxidation (lipolysis). Growth hormone levels can be increased from a variety of stimuli. Exposure to cold, starvation, naps, certain supplements, aerobic training and high density weight training can all lead to higher gH levels in varying degrees. For the remainder of this article we will focus on weight training density.Â
High training density causes a stress to the body which in turn causes a gH spike. Training density is simply how much work you do in a given amount of time. Let’s say your total tonnage (reps x sets x weight) for a training session is 2,000 lbs. If it took you 60 minutes to complete this session you would have lifted only 33 lbs. per minute (this is a rudimentary way to look at it, but you get the point). Now, if your total tonnage was 4,000 lbs. in the same time frame your training density would be twice as high. The main ways to increase training density are to lift a higher tonnage in the same amount of time or lift the same in less time. An example would be to have a base tonnage of 2,000 lbs. which is done in 50-60 minutes. By making your rest periods shorter you could make the session last 30 minutes, thus increasing the density of the training session. Other training variables can affect gH release such as the types of exercises performed and the speed at which they are done.
This should give you a basic template for what you need to do. Stay tuned for more in this series where I will discuss interval training, weight training exercises that need to be included in your program and some nutrition planning guidelines.
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In Health,
Brian Ramage