It’s 5:00 am. The wind is howling, temperatures freezing, and your alarm is ringing off the hook.

You could pull the covers, roll over, and hit snooze. But you’ve got bigger plans.

You’re kicking ass at work and now it’s time for the gym. Time to  conquer the world, one meeting, one workout, and day at a time.

But there’s a problem.

You’re locked into work from 6:00 am until 7:00 pm. Between your commute, work, running errands, and side business there aren’t enough hours in the day.

Yes, you said you would train four times this week and figure out your diet, but you just don’t have time. Meh, how about next week instead?

Nonsense. “I don’t have time” is not a valid excuse.

When training for fat loss, it’s important to remember each workout should be completed while in a caloric deficit. The idea is to then use training to preserve your muscle and metabolism while creating an even bigger deficit for rapid fat loss.

With this in mind, long duration sessions (90 minutes plus) stink for fat loss. Rather than accelerate fat loss, they’re more likely to crush your motivation and consistency and lead to overtraining. 

Building a ripped, athletic body should improve your life, not consume it. your life, it should improve it.  In this post, I’ll share 7 fat loss strategies to trim your workouts and trigger massive fat loss.

High-Density Training 

Training density, the amount of work done relative to time, is extremely important for fat loss. Generally speaking, the greater the density, the greater caloric expenditure. This comes down to exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC). EPOC works like debt. 

The more gassed you get during a workout the greater the oxygen debt. The oxygen debt must be repaid. You’ll  elevate your metabolism longer after your workouts. You’ll continue to burn more calories.

Here are the simplest ways to increase training density to boost fat loss:

Supersets

Two opposing movements or muscle groups performed back to back.

1a. Dumbbell Push Press 4×6, Rest 0

1b. Chin Up Rest 4×6, Rest 90 seconds

Tri-sets 

Three non-competing exercises performed back-to-back-to-back before a longer rest.

1a. Dumbbell Push Press 4×6 ,Rest 0

1b. Chin Up Rest 4×6, Rest 0

1c. Goblet Squat 4×10, Rest 90 seconds

Giant Sets  

Four or more exercises performed in a row before a longer rest.

1a. Deadlift 4×5, Rest 0

1a. Dumbbell Push Press, 4×6 Rest 0

1b. Chin Up Rest 4×6, Rest 0

1c. Plank 4×45 seconds, Rest 90-120 seconds

These are all starting points and examples. Feel free to customize your own approach to training density.

Set Up Training Triggers 

Triggers are events that prompts the beginning of habit or activity.

Take waking up in the morning: You rub your eyes and narrowly miss stubbing your toe on your way to the bathroom. After that, you make a cup of coffee, take a shower, get dressed, brush your teeth, and head to work.

Waking up is the trigger, and each subsequent activity triggers the next.

Like these events, time-based triggers help you stick with routines over and over again.

 

Take working out: Your alarm going off at 5:00 am triggers you to wake up, make a cup of coffee, and throw on the workout clothes you set out last night.

Setting the right environment and a consistent training time is one of the best fat loss triggers you can use. Morning workouts are the best method to be proactive in your health before your reactive to the constant inputs from work, life, family etc. during rest of your day.

Be Accountable to Someone 

This is as simple as joining an online forum and posting your workouts. Or, you can ask a friend or family member to check in on your progress each week.

Taken a step further, invest in a coach. Getting a coach improves your accountability through answering to someone and financially investing your behavior in their expertise. If you constantly struggle with training consistency, then hiring a coach is a wise decision.

Train First thing In the Morning 

If it’s important, do it first thing in the morning. Ever notice how the days you roll over, hit the snooze, and lay in bed are your least productive?

You’re groggy, tired, and need enough coffee to tranquilize an elephant to be a functioning member of society.

Yea, those days suck.

The first decision of your day is indicative of how successful that day will be.

Eliminate the decision, wake up, and get your training done first thing in the morning.

The reasoning is simple—decisions fatigue us, and setting your day with morning rituals like working out helps you become unstoppable. Start the day off with small victories.

Related: Seven Secrets for Early Morning Workouts

 

Time Block Training 

Time block training is my favorite method for completing isolation for muscle growth, but is also one of my top Fat Loss Strategies because of high training density.

Set a timer for a part of your workout, and get as many high-quality reps and sets as possible.

This method can break up different portions of a workout as well.

If you have 40 minutes to train, try this:

Warm-Up: 6 Minutes

Athleticism: 5 Minutes (11 total)

     Box Jumps x5

     Plyo Push-Ups x5

     Rest 30-60 seconds between each set, go until the timer is off.

Strength: 15 Minutes (26 total)

Squats x4

Chin Ups x4

Rest 90-120 seconds between each set, go until the timer is off.

Hypertrophy: 8 Minutes (34 total)

    Bulgarian Split Squat x8

    Dumbbell One Arm Row x10

    Feet Elevated Push Up x12

Conditioning Work 6 minutes (40 total)

   Bike intervals 30 seconds on, 30 Seconds Rest

The key here is to focus on quality, despite a higher tempo. If you reach technical failure (form breaks down), drop the weight and increase your rest. Quality must always trump quantity.

Ramping Sets 

Through gradually increasing resistance and managing fatigue, ramp loading supercharges your strength while warming up your body.

A key to shorter workouts, ramping sets allow shorter rest periods, the same volume, and more strength on top-end strength sets to preserve your strength and muscle during a fat loss phase. 

In other words, you start off slow, but finish strong with the most important parts of your workout to build more strength, and size.

Squat Training Max: 405 lbs.

Set and Rep Scheme: 5×2

Heaviest Workload for the Day: 95% 1-RM= 385lbs

Warm-Up: 135×5; 185×5

Work Sets:

225×2

275×2

315×2

365×2

385×2

Ramping Sets for More Strength 

One Strength Move, Then Drop Set

Saving the best for last, this is my favorite lifting method when short on time. Basically, you ramp up to a heavy work set, say 5×3 to build strength.

Then, hit a drop set with a weight you can lift 10-15 times until near failure. This way, you’ll increase metabolic and mechanical stress to build muscle, and send your heart rate sky-high. After the big lift, the rest of the workout is a bonus, as you’ve already gotten stronger and stressed your body.

The Seven New Year’s Fat Loss Strategies

• Set Up Training Triggers
• Train First Thing in the Morning
• Be Accountable to Someone
• Density Training
• Time Block Training
• Ramping Sets
• One Strength Move, Then Drop Set

The New Year is when many people vow to transform their bodies. Once and for all you’ll lose the last ten pounds. Finally, you will gain the lean muscle to look more athletic and confident. Take the vow to take control, and start taking action.

All the power you need is within. You’ve got this. Take the proper steps and behaviors. Celebrate the win, workout by workout and meal by meal. Soon, the small victories add to huge changes. 

P.S. 

No matter your schedule you CAN get it done. If you need help with accountability, nutrition, and training to maximize your results then I’d love to help.  

Head over to my Online Coaching Page here and fill out a form. I’ll get back to you within 24 hours to take the next steps to Accelerating Your Fat Loss in the New Year. Apply Within. 

 

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