On Friday I saw a fitness workout dinosaur that I thought (and hoped) was extinct.
The Diet Coke Cardiosaurus (DCC).
You may have seen the DCC in your gym in the 80's and 90's. Typically the dinosaur was female, and it's natural habitat was the aerobics studio - although they could also be found glued to cardio machines for 45 minutes or more.
The DCC seemed to graze only on Diet Coke. Pre-workout, immediately post-workout, and then consumed liberally throughout the day.
And that's what the DCC thought was needed for fat loss - long slow cardio and restrictive eating.
But because this approach generally fails, I thought we'd seen the last of them fade off into extinction...till I captured that rare glimpse of a Diet Coke Cardiosaurus in the gym Friday morning.
After an hour boxing class and another hour on the elliptical machine, I watched this female DCC grab one of those big plastic bottles of diet coke as their "post-workout nutrition".
You see what's wrong with this approach? All the DCC thinks about is how to burn off calories. Perhaps she had cheated on her diet with some chocolate the night before...and thus her reasoning for punishing herself with 2 hours of cardio the next day. That's their (incorrect) line of thinking.
And I totally disagree with it. That is not a healthy approach to changing your body, eating, or exercising.
Here's a better way to think about it...think about food as fuel. This is a great concept that is starting to catch on.
Think about where you're going to put that food in your body. Is it going to contribute to defined arms, is it going to fuel your Turbulence Training intervals, or is it going to contribute to an increase in your metabolism? Where's it going to go? Think about your food positively.
Think about how the healthy fats are going to improve your cardiovascular health, how the protein you eat is going to help repair and rebuild your muscles, and how the carbohydrates are going to give you energy to exercise.
Avoid the thought that food is negative, and merely something to worry about burning off in the gym. Don't eat junk and justifying that you can burn it off with hours of cardio.
If you are about to eat a food that you know won't contribute positively to your body don't eat it.
Fat loss ain't easy, but it's possible if you follow a proven formula,
CB
P.S. Lean protein & intervals...
That approach will keep your fat loss success alive forever. And for defined arms, you'll need proven bodyweight exercises like close-grip pushups, decline pushups, and bodyweight rows to sculpt those arms.
Use bodyweight exercises to burn fat - get started here
Start working on your beach-body defined muscles today. And don't forget, your copy comes with the TT Nutrition guides for men and women.
"I think your BW routines are great! I've tried a couple and find them to be a perfect alternative for a trip to the gym or for some interval-level intensity when I can't run or am bored of the stationary bike. And the best part is, I never have to worry about not getting a workout in when traveling. Keep making more of these routines."
Christine Johnson,
"Craig, I have, for the most part, had an attitude that Bodyweight training must be for the weak and untrained. Recently, the two leaders in the field in my mind (yourself and Cosgrove) have had much to say about BW training. Needing a change, and stuck not making any progress in improved leanness, I decided to give it a try. What a surprise. The workouts are tough. I'm enjoying them more than weights and intervals (still do a bit of intervals). And guess what, suddenly I'm seeing major changes in my leanness. Considerably more than I was getting conventionally! With the ways you have to make it tougher, even very strong athletes can experience great challenge. Functional fitness training it is. You are terrific. Keep up the great work."
David Odell
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