Fat Loss Facts and Fallacies

If you're trying to burn off the fat from your belly and finally get a set of "killer" six-pack abs, you might be interested in this interview I did with Craig Ballantyne, where I dispel some of the most popular myths about burning fat and losing weight.

Craig is probably best known for developing Turbulence Training, an extremely popular fat loss system designed specifically to help busy men and women get the best results in the least amount of time. It's designed along similar lines to the Fight Fat and Win program, but also comes with some great bodyweight workouts that let you get a complete workout without the need for any fancy equipment.

Craig Ballantyne: Thanks for your time. Please tell us a little more about you and your career and accomplishments related to fat loss...

Christian Finn: Although I don't know what the goals of your readers are, I'm guessing that most of them want more muscle, less fat, or some kind of combination of the two. I've worked as a personal trainer and university lecturer (and also experimented a lot on myself), which has given me the opportunity to see what actually works in the "real world." Hopefully, some of the things I've learned will help your readers get better results in less time and with less effort.

Craig Ballantyne: Christian, are there any brand-spanking new updates in the science of fat loss that you'd like to pass along to our readers?

Christian Finn: I don't think there's anything new. Most of what's coming out is confirming what we know already and showing us HOW something works. We know, for example, that intervals work for fat loss. We know that training with weights, assuming that the program is set up correctly, works for fat loss. And the research is showing us why these things work so well. But I can't say that I've seen anything to suggest that people who are following an effective fat-loss program need to make a radical change to what they're doing.

Craig Ballantyne: What common fat loss "facts" have been debunked by science?

Christian Finn: Probably the main one is that cardio in the so-called "fat-burning" zone is the best way to lose fat. I had one guy e-mail me the other day asking if he should exercise at 30% of his maximum heart rate in order "to mobilise MCTs." At 33 years of age, 30% of my maximum heart rate is around 56 beats per minute, which isn't too far away from what it is at rest! Crazy!

There's also the idea that weight-training won't help you lose fat. Now it's true that the type of workouts most people do won't work. A lot of people, women especially, do hundreds and hundreds of reps with these tiny chrome dumbbells thinking they're shaping or toning or whatever.

For the most part, this is a waste of time. I know that women tend to freak out if they have to use heavy weights because they're worried about bulking up, but for most women this just isn't an issue. Truth is, a properly designed weight-training program is one of the best ways to lose fat while also preserving muscle tissue.

Craig Ballantyne: What role does traditional cardio have for fat loss? What about early morning cardio on an empty stomach? Does it work? Does it burn muscle? Or is it nothing special? And what about the fat burning zone? Give us all you've got on cardio for fat loss!

Christian Finn: I think traditional cardio does have a role, and by traditional cardio I'm talking about working at 60-80% of your maximum heart rate for up to 60 minutes.

Someone who's just starting out probably isn't going to want to do the high-intensity stuff straight away. And some people, for whatever reason, just prefer the long, slow distance stuff. Personally, I'm convinced that cardiovascular exercise machines create some kind of "rift" in the space-time continuum, where 10 minutes seems like half an hour.

Traditional cardio is also a good alternative to more intense forms of exercise. Intervals can be pretty tough if you're living one of these chaotic lives where you're feeling stressed and anxious all the time. That sort of lifestyle can make real inroads into your recovery ability. Sometimes it pays to give your body a break and back off a bit.

As far as fasted cardio goes, I think it's useful for some people under certain circumstances. Let's say you've got 5 or 10 pounds of stubborn fat to lose, which you just can't seem to shake off no matter how hard you try. In this case, fasted cardio might form one component of a complete nutrition and exercise program designed to target stubborn fat.

But for most people, it doesn't really make that much of a difference. I know Bill Phillips pushed the idea that training in a fasted state burns 300% more fat, which just isn't true. The actual number is a lot, lot smaller than that. I think the risk of muscle loss increases the leaner you get, so someone with 12% body fat, for example, has more to worry about than someone with 25% body fat.

Craig Ballantyne: How have your own workouts changed over the years since you've been dedicated to studying the fat loss research?

Christian Finn: When I started training, I wasn't all that interested in fat loss. I just wanted to build some muscle and "get big." It wasn't until I was about 27 that I woke up one day and realized I was just too fat.

So, I decided to focus on getting rid of the fat and basically shifted from what was a bodybuilding-style program to one that isn't too far removed from your Turbulence Training system. Of course, things have evolved and changed since then, but I don't stray too far away from the stuff I know works.

Craig Ballantyne: And what's your opinion on post workout nutrition for a fat loss program? What does the science suggest?

Christian Finn: One of the main benefits of a post-exercise meal containing carbohydrate and protein is that it helps with muscle repair and recovery. I've seen a few people suggest that a post-workout meal is going to slow fat burning. But the most recent studies I've seen don't support the idea. Fat carries on being oxidized after exercise even if you take in large amounts of carbohydrate.

And if you're doing intense training, a post-exercise meal containing carbohydrate and protein does help recovery. So, as long as the post-exercise meal fits in with the overall nutrition plan, it's something I recommend to people whether they're trying to lose fat or gain muscle (or both).

Craig Ballantyne: And finally, if you only had 45 minutes, 3 times per week to train for fat loss, what would your workouts look like?

Christian Finn: Personally, I'd train with weights three times a week and let my diet, rather than cardio, take care of any extra fat that the weight-training didn't get rid of. I'd use either a total-body workout or an upper-lower split, (see the routines in How to Fight Fat and Win II for a few examples).

The workouts would involve supersets (maybe a few tri-sets here and there), short rest periods, and lots of compound exercises - squats, rows, deadlifts, pull-ups, and overhead pressing movements with reasonably heavy loads (5-8RM) as well as a few exercises using lighter loads (8-12RM).

Craig Ballantyne: Thanks for the interview Christian!

About The Author Christian Finn holds a masters degree in exercise science, is a certified personal trainer and a regular contributor to Men's Health, Men's Fitness and other popular fitness magazines. If you're stuck in a rut with your current exercise and diet plan... fed up with only losing a pound here and there... or still skinny after months (or even years) of trying to build muscle and gain weight... click here now for instant access to his step-by-step muscle-building and fat-burning workout routines.

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