Do you want to burn fat, build muscle, and get lean? Normally when we talk about getting lean, people simply call it losing weight. So if you want to reduce your tummy size or mid-section, or firm up your thighs, you may call it losing weight, but I call it “getting lean.”
It has NOTHING to do with the scale. You may weigh the exact same thing but be a size smaller, with a less jiggly belly and firmer, more muscular thighs.
So, I wanna talk about how to GET LEAN by utilizing proper workout plans and diet plans for your body and your goals. Here is how to fuel your body for your daily workouts..
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To begin, we first must recognize that we have glucose, aka blood sugar, that just kinds hangs out in our body, readily available for us to use an energy. So let’s say you haven’t eaten in four hours and you go out for a three mile run and you realize after mile one you are dragging and feel tired. That means you didn’t have much glucose ready for energy.
That’s not a big deal though because the body can naturally draw upon glycogen, or stored energy as a resource to keep you going. Now, it can draw from fat, which is great, if you have a lot of fat to lose (think 30% body fat or more) and it can draw from sugar stored in the liver and it can draw from sugar stored in muscles, which is also fine.
Now, if your goal is to build muscle in effort to get lean (under 30% body fat) you don’t really want this. You want to get most of your energy from glucose so eating something like a banana and greek yogurt or cottage cheese and pineapple (foods with sugar in them) is a good idea.
If you are working toward performance based goals I also suggest having glucose readily available as well because your performance WILL decrease without it. In this case it matters little to none about your body fat percentage is because performance comes first, right? (This would be the case for someone doing the CrossFit Open and doing a 10k time trial – your body fat % matters less than your time or your score on this very day, so screw the body fat goals, and focus more on performance and eat before you workout.)
So, if you are looking to build muscle, have something with sugar to eat before you train. If you are focused on your performance have something to eat with sugar before you train. This will ensure that you have glucose ready to be used for energy. If you are looking solely to burn fat, this is less important as your body will draw from other sources to energize itself.
This is why fasted cardio can be helpful for people trying to lose fat.
(Also, side note, low intensity cardio, like walking at a moderate pace for like an hour can help you burn fat, without increasing cortisol.)
Now, all of this said, once you get to a certain point (which is different for ever individual) your cortisol will naturally become elevated, which is a good thing because cortisol in small doses helps you burn fat. But cortisol for extended periods, and/ or frequently causes fat storage.
To manipulate cortisol to help you burn fat, doing 10 – 20 minutes of high intensity interval training cardio 2 – 4 times a week is usually a good thing (again, not for every single person.) However, cortisol can cause the body to use the amino acids from our muscle to energize us, which is bad. This is why endurance training is not a good way to lose fat or get lean.
Sure, going for an hour run or taking an hour spin class once a week is not going to do much, if any, damage, in terms of building muscle because it’s just not frequent enough. It’s not helping you build muscle, but if you enjoy it, I support it. But doing that 3 – 4 times a week isn’t doing you any favors.
Bottom line, these are my BASIC suggestions..
Over 30% body fat – focus on fat loss. You CAN eat something with sugar before you workout to have more energy, but training fasted can be helpful. No more than 20 minutes of high intensity interval training cardio 2 – 3 times a week; definitely lift weights 2 – 4 times a week.
Under 30% body fat – focus on building muscle. Definitely eat something with sugar before you train, no more than 20 minutes of high intensity interval training cardio 2 – 3 times a week; lift weights 2 – 4 times a week. Your post workout nutrition is KEY and you can read more about that here.
Under or over 30% body fat with performance based goals – focus on your performance. Do what you need to do to get to where you want to be. Fuel your body for that which usually means eating something with sugar before.
I hope this helps you in your struggle. If you need help with individualized workout plans and clean eating meal plan, I can help!
Your Coach,
Kyra
