Sometimes, we just need something simple and quick to train for our fat loss goals. This circuit is guaranteed to give you both strength and cardio benefits, while scorching your metabolism into fat burning mode. You’ll be huffing and puffing, but this one is over in just 15 minutes. Are any of you daring enough to try out this fat burning workout? Bare Essentials Fat Burning Circuit Repeat 3x, no rest between exercises, 1 minute rest at the end of each circuit:

• Bodyweight squats - 1 minute
• Pushup variation according to skill level - 30 seconds
• Front plank - 30 seconds
• Walking lunges w/ or w/o DB’s, KB’s or sandbags, (etc.) - 30 sec./leg
• Mixed grip pullups (either vertical or horizontal) - 30 seconds on the bar, no letting go
• Choice of Mountain Climbers or Bear Walk 30 seconds
• Rest 1 minute

Notes: For the timed sets, you don’t need to be repping out during the entire time. If you fatigue before the time period ends, rest and catch your breath, then try to squeeze some final reps in before the end. All of the exercises can and should be modified to fit your current conditioning level. If you like this fat burning workout, and would like some more mini-workout ideas, check out http://www.quatrofit.com To your health and success, John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

This past weekend, my wife and I, and a couple of my younger brothers went hiking in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. The summer months are always filled with plenty of physical activity, and we love making an effort to enjoy the outdoors as often as we can. This past weekend, we hiked up Mount Pierce and Mount Eisenhower just for fun.

It was cool and humid, and best of all, there were no black flies or mosquitoes in sight. The way our trail was setup required us to hike the most difficult portion first, the initial hike up Mount Pierce. The trail got gradually steeper and steeper, offering no rest for the weary. The setting was absolutely fantastic, and the birds were chirping all morning. We happened to snap a few short clips with our video camera to show you:

Hiking Mount Pierce and Mt. Eisenhower

I always leave one of these trips with a new life lesson, or several. The major lesson of this trip was one I have learned countless times before, but I always benefit from experiencing it one more time. If you have fat loss goals, then pay attention because this hint will help you burn fat in your training sessions.

The lesson I took home was that the body is capable of anything that the mind has determined to be possible. Taken a step further, if you decide, for example, that you are going to train with high intensity before even attempting a fat burning session - that’s exactly what will happen. You must accept that you are capable of more than you previously thought possible. You must accept that your body can handle a lot more work than it would like you to think.

Walking up a mountain is no easy task, and we had a wide array of fitness levels attending our hike. I took a sort of “back seat” approach during the hike to observe how everyone was handling the training stress (because I’m weird, I know!). I watched as each person went through a transformation in their energy levels, and everyone hit this point at a different time.

The initial stage of this physical transformation experienced by all were those of feeling fatigued, breathing heavily, taking frequent breaks, trailing behind the rest of the group, along with some negative self-talk. Very early on in the hike, it seemed like no one would make it to the top of the first summit. Some were even entertaining the idea of only hiking one mountain that day, when we had all set out to do both.

The next stage of the transformation is what was really cool to witness. With each hiker, all of a sudden, the feelings of fatigue, and the negative self-talk stopped immediately. Very quickly, everybody was more than ready to reach the summit, and then to get to the next peak. A little competition even started to see who could stay in the front of the group. My wife, even started jogging ahead of the rest of us, leading us on at a much faster pace than before.

First, seeing everyone feeling like they should just sit down, take a break, or go back to the parking lot. Then seeing everyone testing their abilities, trying to push further and harder, trying to enjoy competition with themselves and others. It was amazing how each person had completely flipped their perspective in a matter of minutes.

I think everyone left this hike with a new view of themselves, realizing that we are capable of so much more than we like to credit ourselves with. The body is an incredible adapting machine!

I highly recommend sometime setting up an activity in which you can test yourself. And I mean, REALLY test yourself. Push your body to it’s limit, and see what you can achieve. You may find that your fat loss goals are much more in reach than you previously thought.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. Anyone else enjoying the outdoors this summer?

P.P.S. Just as a side note, this was my second major hike this summer, and I credit my successful completion of this hike to the fact that I knew I could push my training limits today, because I had done it before already. Doing something hard will make the next time you do it seem like a walk in the park.

Today’s post is about something many of us encounter: failure in a fat loss program, or any program for that matter. Let’s face it, fat burning is hard work. Sure, the process looks easy on paper, but during the days and weeks of actually practicing a healthier lifestyle, it can become quite a struggle to lose fat. Fat loss often requires the changing of many lifelong habits - certainly not an easy undertaking.

We like to convince ourselves that starting to exercise will solve our problem, or that taking a special supplement will help us reach our goals, or skipping the potato chips, or the McDonald’s parfait, the list goes on. When it comes to fat loss, many people are guilty of setting up unrealistic expectations - and I can’t blame them. We are bombarded with the message that fat loss is easy by all of the various weight loss marketing schemes that promise ridiculous results based on false evidence.

Many different factors have to come together for fat loss to take place, and sometimes someone will have some of the factors in place, yet have forgotten others. Some people will start exercising with such intensity that they are shocked that their weight remains the same - yet they haven’t taken into account that their diet must change also. Others may start a complete nutritional rehaul, and yet won’t manage their stress, which competes with the body’s ability to adapt and maintain homeostasis.

If you have struggled to reach your fat loss goals, it may be time to take a different approach to reaching your goals. Fat loss is a predictable process of deliberate trial and error. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true. The fat loss research community has an exact understanding of what needs to happen to shed bodyfat, and we know that it takes some estimation and trial and error to make this work for each individual. Fat loss will always occur if there are certain things at work:

1) a caloric deficit. In other words, you’re consuming less calories than you are using during the day.
2) a progressive, challenging resistance training program
3) a progressive, challenging cardiovascular training program
4) adequate rest, recovery, and stress management

If these things are in place, and performed appropriately, fat loss is guaranteed. So, you now know exactly what you need in your lifestyle to burn fat! You are completely equipped with the baseline knowledge of what is necessary for fat loss progress. This means that if you are having trouble losing bodyfat, then one of the four factors above is either missing or not be utilized correctly.

So, you can effectively narrow down the criteria and figure out what may be preventing your progress. You can ask yourself:

“am I positive that I have been in a caloric deficit?”

“do I have trouble sleeping at night? do I eat good post-workout nutrition? do I allow just enough rest days in my training program? do I get sick frequently that sets me back in my training a few days? am I always stressed out about something?”

If fat loss is not occurring, or you are experiencing a plateau, these types of self-analysis questions are perfect for figuring out what needs to be done. One of the biggest mistakes I see when people get frustrated with poor fat loss results is assuming that they are a special case. That somehow they are genetically destined to remain overweight. To this, I say nonsense. The formula is above, and it works for everyone when applied properly.

If you find out that you’re not in a caloric deficit, then that is a pretty simple (but not always easy) one to fix - just eat less than you have been.

If you realize that your strength training hasn’t been challenging enough, and that you haven’t been getting stronger - do some research on designing an effective fat loss program, get a book, or hire a fitness professional to help you setup a program.

No matter what is hanging you up, you are equipped to do whatever is necessary to lose fat. All you need to do is accept that you DO know what is best, that you DO know exactly what you need to do next. You certainly know that something needs to change - doing the same thing will only lead to diminishing returns and continually stalled progress.

Don’t ever allow yourself to think that you can’t do something - the minute you surrender your mind is the minute you’ve lost all hope of achieving your goals.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If you’ve ever experienced a fat loss plateau, or difficulty achieving your goals - we would love to hear about how you overcame those trials. Please comment below.

It’s been a couple days since my day-long quest of achieving all my daily goals, which you can read about here. I want to share with you what I learned so that you too can achieve your fat burning goals one day at a time.

To begin, I have tried many, many times before to make drastic changes in my daily habits – things like reading more, spending more time with family, and playing less video games (if it’s not TV, it’s something else!). It has always been within me to commit to bettering myself - it’s inborn. I can’t tell you how many times I have actively tried to make changes and failed drastically. Over and over again I toiled to try and do something right, yet I was met with resistance and almost always folded under pressure - seldom achieving my goals.

There is a universal principle that I have noticed about changing habits and reaching goals. We must expect the resistance that will come with every new decision - everything we do anew will require us to press through this resistance, this membrane, that must be broken and left behind. This is the only way to progress and it works every time.

Here is my hourly journal for my “perfect day” activity. These are just cliff notes to keep it short and simple:

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Question:

Hi Kyle

just a quick question for you. I have a client who has never worked out, since he joined me he has recently lost about 12 lbs. He has been

with me for about 14 weeks and he is on the second program I designed for him. Since he is just getting weight loss now, he has already

lost quite a few inches, his body fat %’age has went down and I have explained to him the transistion period of adding muscle so weight

loss off the start would be slow (in my opinion), should I change his program again as most people suggest or should I run it longer until

he plateaus? If you could give me your professional opinion I would greatly appreciate it. I know this may seem like fatloss101 but I am

curious as to your opinion. Thanks for your time.
Don

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If you do nothing else but take the advice offered in this post, you will be well on your way to a leaner, healthier body. These short words are the foundation of all that concerns fat burning. All other endeavors are just icing on the cake - the last 10% of the equation. If you’re wondering how to burn fat as fast as possible, while ensuring your continued health, pay very close attention to the following words.

Fat loss is very hard for most, in the beginning. It often requires the changing of an entire lifestyle for perfection. But what is often forgotten about burning fat is that it is simple and even predictable in practice. If you consistently strive to do just four things, you will succeed with practice. This formula works every time.

Here are the four cornerstones of a fat burning program:

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