Secret Fat Loss Formula Revealed - Part III

If you have been reading our newsletters, you'll notice there is a theme for making Men over 50 Harder To Kill:

 Maintaining muscle mass and keeping body fat levels below 20%.

With nearly 80% of Men over 50 overweight or obese, we focus on dropping body fat levels while at the same time maintaining muscle mass.

The health benefits of reducing body fat (specifically visceral fat) while maintaining your muscle mass are enormous. We covered this topic Harder To Kill #007.

Here is the Fat Loss Formula:(Body Weight x 70%) in Grams of Protein + Caloric Deficit + Resistance Training + Rest

In Harder To Kill issue #008, we covered the amount of protein you need to eat everyday.

In Harder To Kill issue #009, we outlined the need to be in a caloric deficit for carbohydrates and fat while being in a caloric surplus for protein.

Today we touch on the third component of the Fat Loss Formula: Resistance Training.

Resistance training, also known as strength training, is the ideal tool to burn fat and build muscle, especially for Men over 50. Here are six reasons why:

It Grows Muscle When you lift weights and consume adequate amounts of protein, you will gain muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat so it is highly metabolic. The net result: building muscle helps you burn fat, a win/win.

It Offsets SarcopeniaSarcopenia is the loss of muscle due to the aging process. It is the default setting for humans. If you don't take actions to offset this, you will lose 1-3% of your muscle mass each year, get weaker and your body fat % will increase. Our approach offsets sarcopenia and allows you to keep your hard earned muscle while you shed unwanted fat. In fact, you will be able to ADD muscle if that is a goal.

Its Anaerobic ExerciseAnaerobic exercise (short, demanding high intensity exercise) relies on stored energy in your muscles vs oxygen. Anaerobic exercise builds muscle and burns fat as opposed to aerobic exercise (or cardio) which can burn fat but does not build muscle. You can get the benefits of aerobic exercise with strength training so it is a much more efficient and effective choice.

It Burns Fat After Your WorkoutExcess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) is the technical term for “after-burn” effect. When you work out at a high intensity, you lower your body's oxygen levels. The body has to work harder over the next 16 to 24 hours to build its oxygen stores up. The result is you burn more calories than if you had done lower intensity exercise and more calories burned means more fat burned.

It Increases Your Resting Metabolic RateYour resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the rate at which your body burns calories when you are at rest. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate. As you burn fat and keep (or increase) muscle mass, a higher RMR burns more calories.

It Allows You To Do More WorkAs you add muscle and burn fat, your work capacity increases. You can move more weight in less time. This benefit translates to everyday activities like shoveling snow, chopping wood, yard work, etc. It's like adding horsepower to your body!

Wait...What About Cardio?We are not anti-cardio. We enjoy biking, hiking, and aerobic exercise as much as the next guy. But we believe you get way more bang for your buck with a resistance training program as your primary fitness program. Men looking to reduce body fat % who focus on cardio do lose weight; the problem is a big portion of the weight loss is muscle mass. This ends up lowering their RMR (see above) which means they now need to eat less to avoid gaining weight. And their body. fat % may drop, but because they are are also losing muscle, their body fat % will not drop nearly as much compared to our approach.If you enjoy cardio, keep it in your program just make resistance training the focus of your training.

Summary

Resistance training is a key component of reducing body fat and maintaining (and possibly increasing) your muscle mass - two key factors that will make you Harder To Kill.If you are Man over 50, resistance training should be at the center of your fitness program. There are many places to start so do some research, pick a program, and get started today.

Note: The content in this newsletter is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems.

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