Green Tea, Cardio, and Beginner Weight Loss

Here's a sample of some of the fat loss questions I'm answering over at www.TTmembers.com

Q: I am already doing sprint work which I really enjoy, but isn't important for beginners to start off building a good endurance base level before hitting the intervals??

Answer:
I don't expect someone who is out of shape to sprint.

All I'm asking is that they exercise slightly harder than normal. For example, if they currently walk at 3.5mph on the treadmill for 20 minutes, their interval work would be 3.8mph for 2 minutes and then recovery down at 3.0mph for 2 minutes.

That's why I never write about "HIIT" (high-intensity interval training).


Q: Same with the weights - don't beginners need to start off and build up their muscular endurance (12-20 reps) so they can prepare their muscles, ligaments and tendons for the higher intensity weight, and also to avoid injury?

Answer:
You'll see the TT Introductory and Beginner workouts are incredibly conservative. I've used these exact workouts with 300 pound men and 200+ women with success and without injury or excessive soreness. Go conservatively, and everything will be fine for healthy individuals.


Q: Also with the intensity, is there any time you should go to failure or will this fatigue the CNS too much??

Answer:
I say don't go to failure simply for safety reasons. Most people train at home by themselves and it is conservative to ask them to stop before failure. 99% of the TT users will get the same results training 1 rep short of failure than they would training to failure.


Q: When I do start the programme where will be the best place to start. I have been lifting free weights for years now and have done a little bit of core work but not a lot - should I start building my core up first?

Answer:
People fitting your description enjoy starting at the intermediate stage first. Give it a go for a week. If its too easy, move up to the first advanced stage.

In addition to your "core", you simply have to learn how to use all of your muscle groups (from your calves to your abs to your rhomboids to your pecs, etc.) Concentrate on perfect, controlled form at all times.


Q: I noticed there are not many exercises for bi's and tri's in these workout programs, is there a reason for that?

Answer:
Regarding the lack of arm exercises, we just had to omit them because of time constraints (3 sessions of 45 minutes per week only allows you so many exercises).

We choose to get our arm training from "big-bang" economical exercises like presses and chinup and row variations under these circumstances.

That said, for my clients that can spare a little extra time for their arms, we usually pick 1-2 arm exercises and do supersets or drop sets, cramming as much work as possible into 5-10 minutes.

For the low incline dumbbell curl, that would be a variation of the db incline curl found near page 75 in the main Turbulence Training manual.


Q: What is the best kind of alcohol to drink so that I do not gain fat?

Answer:
The easiest answer is none.

Booze contains calories that do not contribute to the improvement of your body in appearance or health.

Always remember, each serving of booze (1 shot of hard liquor, 1 beer, or 1 glass of wine) generally provides 100-150 calories.

Mixed drinks can be a huge source of calories, plus alcohol lowers your inhibitions to food intake.

It is a 1-2 punch against fat loss. Staying away from the popular mixed drinks of summertime will help you stay lean despite summer outings.

If you choose to drink, please drink responsibly.


Q: Do I really need to drink Green Tea?

Answer:
Absolutely.

First, it will help you cut back on the liquid calories you consume as juice, soda, and whatever you put in your coffee.

And second, the most recent research* from Europe shows that Green Tea helps dieters lose weight and maintain their weight loss while on a low-caffeine intake (even though I find it very HARD to believe that Green Tea directly causes weight loss).

The Turbulence Training lifestyle recommends at least 4 cups of Green Tea per day.

*Westerterp-Plantenga, M.S., et al. Body Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance in Relation to Habitual Caffeine Intake and Green Tea Supplementation. Obes. Res. 13: 1195-1204, 2005.


Q: What is a good fat loss workout for someone that sometimes only has 15-20 minutes per day to workout?

Answer:
With all good fat loss workouts, an intense session using weight and interval training is best. You only need about 15 minutes to get in either an interval workout or weight training session. So in this case, just do weights on one day and intervals on the next day.

You can get a lot done with weights in 15 minutes. Beginners will be impressed by the gains they can make and advanced trainees will easily maintain their physique by training with weights for 15 minutes a couple of times per week.

It is easy to put together a weekly training schedule comprised of a weights plus interval session (or doing alternate days of lifting and intervals).

A 5-minute warm-up and a 10 minute workout or 10-minute interval session followed by 5 minutes of cool-down will go a long way (when combined with proper fat loss nutrition).

So if you are running behind, don't forego your workout even if you only have 15 or so minutes.

It is all about efficiency of exercise. You are going to have to work hard, but you will be thankful when you still manage to do some type of workout.

A fat loss routine should also have balance. Most people in the gym like to train the chest, biceps, and quadriceps, but by doing so they neglect the muscles that ultimately define their physical appearance!

You have to target the exercises and muscles that don't get a lot of appreciation in regular training programs. These include rowing for the upper back, deadlifts for the entire posterior chain, and reverse lunges for the glutes and hamstrings.

See the TT for Fat Loss program for more guidelines.

Make it your goal to be in better shape by the end of February,

CB

PS. There are more 10-Minute TT Workouts...
In the December 2006 Monthly workout, available to www.TTmembers.com only. Check out that workout, along with the TT Nutrition Guide, the January Fat Loss Workout, and the February Unilateral Workout Program with lots of new exercises.

Get it at www.TTmembers.com!