Frequently asked questions about fat burning

When you have finally managed to get yourself moving (maybe start exercising again), it can be very annoying that many weeks or months go by without the expected results. I’m sorry to break the news – you must be doing something wrong! Yet, don’t lose heart! You don’t have to dump your whole plan, you just have to do some modifications.

Either you like it or not, finding the balance is essential. There is nothing in this world that can persist in a state of imbalance for a long time (and it’s true for all spheres of life, sport included). Sometime less is more, and too little doesn’t do any good. Therefore, it is fairly difficult to find the right balance, where you operate at that “just enough” level. Since we didn’t always manage to find it ourselves, it would be all the better if you could learn from our mistakes!

4 myths you believe as a beginner

“I don’t want to work out with heavy weights, it’s smaller ones I want to use for shredding.”

First of all, what do you mean by smaller weights? Find the biggest weight that allows you to do a set of 8 to 12 of a given exercise. This is your maximum load, and for burning fat you will need to do 80-100% of it. And why? Probably you don’t want to be doing biceps for 3 hours to finally kick in your metabolism. Life is not only about workout. In addition, if you trained this long regeneration time would also greatly increase. Our goal is regular exercise (daily or every other day). With moderately large weights and a medium repetition number you can get your body-fat percentage improve for the muscle part (you become more proportionate and toned) and kick in the fat burning, but you shouldn’t stop exercising as soon as your are done with weight-lifting, either.

“I exercise twice a day. In the morning I run, in the afternoon I do squats and sit-ups at home/in the gym, but there is hardly anything showing.”

What we referred to above applies also here: you develop your muscles and lose weight not during the trainings, but in the rest periods between them. To put it simply – you take in the right nutrients that are devoured by your muscles during workout, then micro-tears develop as a result of the load, which your body regenerates during the rest time by strengthening them. If you skip anything, the process collapses. Training twice a day is recommended only for conscious professional bodybuilders and sportspeople who are assisted by a trainer. As an everyday person it can be very difficult to find your balance, and you may end up overburdening your body. Would you believe that with sleep, recreation and wellness activities you can get better results than with a second workout?

“If I skip a meal sometime, and I don’t drink my protein shake after a workout, was my training totally useless?”

We have a number of articles on the actual and unrealistic effects of dietary supplements. It’s not a pig in a poke. These are not elixirs. You can reach your goals even without them! Of course, they are important tools that charge you and give you a boost, enhance your weight loss and provide an excellent alternative if you don’t have time to eat, for example. But you should remember one thing. Your training is NEVER in vain, every occasion matters! Of course, if you can, take some protein and even carbohydrates after the training (the best would be a complete meal), but your muscles won’t shrink just because once in a while you skip a meal! (I would compare this myth to the one “big weights will make me a hunk”. Trust me, catabolism and muscle mass growth doesn’t happen in a matter of seconds, it takes weeks and months, sometimes even years of hard work/laziness/bad eating habits!)

“I’m skinny, I’m regularly play football / volleyball / handball on a team / I ride the bicycle / I run, and still, my muscles won’t show. I want to burn fat to be shredded!”

First of all, congratulations! You must have been doing sports every since you were a kid. It’s very important to develop a love for exercise and sports skills from early childhood. You didn’t commit any “mistake”. It would be fairly controversial if your exercise kept you from burning fat! However, the only trick is that your body is an amazing “gadget” that can easily get used to monotonous and constant strain. If you are on a volleyball team, you have been training for your competitions for years. What would be a huge challenge for our bodies, its nothing special for yours. However, if you expose your muscles to new types of “stress”, you will see change in no time! Lifting weights could greatly complement the above mentioned sports. And vice versa, if you have been working only with weights and bars, why don’t you take up swimming twice a week? It can give a boost to your stamina, too. Go for it!

Don’t feel ashamed. If you are stuck in your development, tell your story to a fitness blogger or your personal trainer, or even us. Our experts are happy to respond to your questions.

Panna Plézer

Trainer