Common fat loss counsel seems to fall into two distinct camps: HIIT and heavy lifts. But beyond pop fitness is a world of bespoke tweaks and techniques to rev the body’s own burn-up power. We get the inside word on personalised fat loss from some of Australia’s premier fitness experts.
The age-old equation of energy in needing to be less than energy out is about the extent of generic fat loss counsel’s merit. While certain fitness and nutrition principles apply to most of us, blindly following textbook tips is unlikely to result in optimal fat burn. Where you tend to store fat and what you typically eat and when are among factors impacting how much body fat you
burn – and how fast.
“It’s important to realise that both training and nutrition are very individualised processes. Everyone has different genetics, hormones, training experience and lifestyles to take into account,” says trainer and IsoWhey sports ambassador Alexa Towersey
“Where you store your fat disproportionately can be a good indication of specific issues within the body.”
Fat stored on the hips correlates directly to nutrition, insulin sensitivity and blood sugar management, while the hated jelly belly is often associated with long-term exposure to stress, including food intolerances and digestive issues, in Towersey’s experience. And what about thighs?
“Thunder thighs are associated with toxicity in the body, either coming from external sources in the water you drink, the air you breathe, the medications you use, even the cosmetics you apply, or from a waste management problem within the body from underlying digestive or detoxification issues,” says Towersey. “The key to faster and more sustainable fat loss is understanding your own body and creating a training and nutrition plan that works with it, not against it.”
THE HOT ZONE
The famous ‘fat burning zone’ is a misnomer.
“The fat burning zone is sometimes thought of as the exercise intensity where the major fuel used by the body is fat.
This is generally long yet low-intensity exercise, and can be achieved both in the weights room and during traditional cardio variations,” says Towersey.
When you are working at 55 to 65 per cent of your maximum heart rate – think a jog around the block – you are thought to be in the optimum zone for fat burning, as your body opts for fat fuel over glycogen. Essentially, aerobic exercise increases the mobilisation of fat from fat cells for fuel in a process termed lipolysis, but low-intensity, steady-state cardio needs to exceed 45 minutes to effectively tap into fat stores.
Another target zone being imagined as a sort of body fat furnace is the 90-plus per cent intensity native to high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Among myriad studies supporting HIIT’s superior efficiency for building fitness and burning fat, a study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that obese women who performed three 20-minute HIIT workouts a week lost three times more fat as peers performing a comparable steady-state gym program. Yet on paper, in isolation, HIIT – distinguished by short sprints and short active recovery periods – isn’t a magicbullet either. Due to the intensity, it can only be sustained for about 30 minutes and uses primarily glycogen (a.k.a. carbs) for fuel.
HIIT’s burn is the gift that keeps on giving, with greater afterburn or EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) lasting up to 36 hours, compensating for the workout’s direct substrate impact. The size of the oxygen debt, which demands that the body restore the normative state that’s been put out of whack by a sweat session, directly correlates with intensity level. During this bio-correction, the body delves into fatty acid stores, meaning energy used up in afterburn includes a higher proportion of fat than regular energy usage. Over days or weeks, the extra burn adds up.
The true sweet spot for fat loss isn’t a zone or duration but a strategic composition of complementary approaches. Those who achieve optimal fat burn resist evaluating fat loss approaches in isolation or focusing on one advantage at the expense of another (say steady-state’s fat burn at the expense of HIIT’s afterburn). Expediting fat loss demands a fitness regimen that combines the two, Towersey says. “Steady state cardio not only burns fat for fuel, but in my opinion, it’s also needed to build a solid fitness foundation so that you can hit the required level of effort for effective high-intensity interval training sessions,” she says. “Its important to note that too much steady-state cardio can erode muscle tissue, especially when you’re not eating enough fat to fuel the activity you’re doing.”
TOAST VERSUS TREADIE
Early-morning fasted steady-state treadie session or pre-workout peanut butter and toast? Does when you fuel your workout really make a significant difference to your fat loss success?
If faster fat loss is your primary goal, science actually checks the empty-stomachis- best box – although its relationship to long-term body sculpting is complex. Individuals who fasted before an earlymorning, moderate-intensity treadmill slog burnt up to 20 per cent more fat then their breakfast-fed counterparts according to a small study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
“This is based on the pretext that without additional food intake prior to training, you will have to utilise stored fat for fuel,” says Towersey. But the cost may be higher than the gain. Fasted workouts can promote catabolism, or muscle loss, as your body turns to alternate avenues for fuel. Without adequate glycogen, the body liberates protein to turn into glucose through gluconeogenesis. Fasted exercise may also undermine both in-workout and after-workout calorie burn due to lower potential intensity (and therefore, EPOC) and earlier fatigue. EPOC was found to be significantly higher in subjects who exercised in a carbohydrate-fuelled state in a study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. This added afterburn effect
was present regardless of the intensity of the training involved (lowintensity long-duration or high-intensity short-duration).
Towersey says your gym diary should be arranged in accordance with your individual goals. If weight loss (muscle and fat) is your go-to, stick to low-intensity, longer-duration, fasted cardio. If adding lean muscle for its calorie-burning effects begins to look more desirable, Towersey says weight training and HIIT workouts should be performed mid-morning once the nervous system is awake and you have had adequate fuel for both body and brain. Dietitian and nutritionist for Fitazfk (fitazfk.com) Marika Day agrees. “If you find exercising on an empty stomach results in a poorer workout, have a small carbohydrate-based snack an hour before exercise. A great example would be a small banana or a slice of wholegrain toast,” she says.
LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Customising your fitness plan to meet your genetically pre-disposed body shape could help you light the fat-burning furnace. The mechanisms hinted at by somatotype – mesomorph, endomorph and ectomorph – such as your hormonal and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) characteristics, respond differently to exercise. “If you’re a mesomorph, you’re more likely to find it easier to build
muscle than an ectomorph; however, you’ll also be less flexible, so adequate stretching will be important for correct posture and injury prevention,” says exercise scientist, herbalist and health oach Angela Jackson (teapothealthcoaching.com).
As a general rule, mesomorphs typically have more fast-twitch muscle fibres and naturally prevail in short, sharp sprints while ectomorphs often have more slow-twitch fibres and are suited to aerobic endurance exercise such as long-distance running. Generally, ectomorphs gain weight less easily than endomorphs. “But since they also find it more difficult to build muscle, they’ll need to be more consistent with their training to see results,” Jackson says. Endomorphs – colloquially described as ‘apples’ – find it more difficult to lose weight, so prolonging elevated heart rate through endurance-type resistance training can be a useful training edge. Somatotype is also related to the body’s tolerance of carbohydrates – the former often burn a greater percentage of carbs for fuel and so work well on a higher carbohydrate diet, with lower fat; the latter benefit from higher fat and protein intake when compared to carbs.
QUICK FIX TRICKS
With the world of supplements, TV and social media feeds brimming with the latest pastel-packaged products promising faster fat loss, it’s hard to separate the kale from the green lollipop in the world of sport supplements. “I think too many people are looking for a quick fix, and are all too eager to buy into the multi million dollar supplement industry as an answer to all their problems,” says Towersey. “A supplement should be exactly what it suggests – something that ‘supplements’ or enhances your existing nutrition and lifestyle. If you have a poor diet and are making less-than-ideal lifestyle choices, no amount of supplementation is going to help.” Both Day and Towersey point to pre-workouts as the most beneficial to losing fat quickly, while branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements and the like should be left to those craving bulk. Pre-workout prep or not, both Day and Towersey lament that the hard yards will still have to be completed. “In relation to fat loss, there is limited evidence to suggest that supplements will increase fat burning; the effect is more likely to be due to an increased output during exercise, which leads to more calories burnt,” says Day.
Pre-workouts get their power from both caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system, leading to increased performance, and beta-alanine, which provides that tingly feeling by preventing a drop in fatigue-contributing muscle pH. While the effects of caffeine diminish over time, Towersey says it’s also important to recognise the long-term dangers of such supps. “In terms of pre-workout, I have had experience with thermogenics. While they can be very effective short term, I have found them to be really damaging long term, as your body begins to rely on artificial stimulants to provide energy instead of being able to generate its own,” says Towersey. Towersey suggests a shot of espresso coffee for energy or a serving of a pre-workout fuel with L-carnitine to encourage the shuttling of fats into the muscle cells.
FUEL FOR THOUGHT
The wisdom that weight and shape change are primarily determined by diet is another truthful catchall, but surrounding factors can enable or cap dietary effects. Following fat loss nutrition rules in isolation, without considering the body’s various interdependent systems, is like changing the car’s oil without topping up the coolant or fuel. fuel. “When I’m looking at nutrition, one of the first things I’ll do is support digestion. If your gut is happy, everything else is happy,” says Towersey. “If you are unable to digest your food, and utilise the nutrients during its breakdown, it will be impossible to lose body fat or build lean muscle,” says Towersey.
Towersey starts with a standardised digestion-friendly schedule of white meats, seafood and green vegetables. Post-workout fuel can also inform fat loss. While recovery snacks and shakes may seem like discretionary calories that erode caloric deficit achieved in a workout, skipping them is false economy. “If we don’t recover from exercise effectively, it will be more difficult to exercise at a higher intensity in the following bout of exercise,” Towersey says.
And for an added burn, try adding AM protein to the most important meal of the day. A recent study out of the University of Missouri-Columbia found that those who ate a high-protein (35 grams) breakfast voluntarily ate less throughout the rest of the day and reduced body fat proportions compared to their low-protein (13 grams) breakfast counterparts, who gained fat. It’s thought the added protein helped stabilise blood glucose levels, resulting in regulated energy levels and less appetite to binge.
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