Many people in today’s society would like to lose some of their body fat for a variety of reasons. The top reason being aesthetics, followed by health and performance benefits. As a certified trainer, I am constantly confronted with the question, how can I lose ten to thirty pounds of body fat fast and easy? The same people will often request an accompanying nutritional program to expedite their intended goals as quickly as possible.

There are a variety of ways for the average person to lose body weight. Conventional approaches like aerobics, dieting and supplements have produced results in bodyweight reduction, but I will explain a specialized approach to help those persons who are striving to decrease body FAT versus just bodyweight! This specialized approach requires regular exercise, a nutritional program that includes foods that are high in protein, low in fat and sugar, and moderate amounts of carbohydrates. A nutritional program of this nature, although not conducive for enhancing performance, will greatly improve an individual's ability to lose body fat. In conjunction with aerobic training exercises (i.e.: walking, jogging, treadmill, lifecycle, and stair climbers) the body fat loss can be dramatic. The most important factor for effective FAT LOSS is not how long you perform your session, or the intensity level at which it is being performed, but rather the precise time when the work is being performed. Engaging in cardiovascular work at the right time period during the day will cause your body to lose fat at an optimal rate.

The human body is equipped with body fat as a standard feature. Fat serves many functions in the body. Fat is important to help keep our bodies alive and healthy. It also helps to protects us from starvation and helps keep the body warm in colder climates along with other vital functions. Depending on our genetic make-up, which manifest as our phenotype, some people have more body fat and some have less. We all have the ability to lose body fat with proper training, specifically cardiovascular training. Training at specific periods of time during the day is very simple and with the right attitude can be easy. I use time specific training myself while preparing for competitions and consider it the main reason I am able to achieve less than 2% body fat (as evidenced by these pictures). Many clients have achieved DRAMATIC results while on this same program. The key is that you USE YOUR BODY FAT AS FUEL!

If you do your cardiovascular training first thing in the morning, insulin levels are suppressed, liberating free fatty acids for energy to complete your aerobic training. This is the best specific time period to burn body fat. Discipline and persistence are essential in breaking out of the comfort zone of your bed in the early hours of the morning. In order for the body to burn body fat, you MUST have an empty stomach. No calories should be consumed prior to your morning aerobic training. This will force your body to use your fat stores for fuel while speeding up your metabolism. Your morning session should be between 25 to 45 minutes of medium intensity (60% to 75% of your maximum heart rate) aerobic training. I suggest a brisk walk for individuals with low fitness levels (previously sedentary) and jogging or a lifecycle set at moderate resistance for individuals with higher fitness levels (intermediate or advanced trainees). Please be sure to eat immediately after your morning session. Your body will now digest your food more effectively with very little chance of storing any excess calories as body fat. I consider this the First Time Specific Period to optimize fat loss.

If you do not have the time to split up your cardiovascular training session and your resistance training session, the Second Time Specific Period to optimize fat loss would be to perform your cardiovascular training AFTER your resistance training. Your body will have used most of your fuel calories (glycogen) during the weight training session since carbohydrates are the substrate preference for intense work done under 90 minutes. So when you start your aerobic training immediately after, you will now be using your FAT AS FUEL, since substrate preference switches to fat and protein after 90 minutes of training. I would recommend 25 to 45 minutes of medium intensity work. Conversely, if you chose to engage in cardiovascular work prior to lifting weights, your body would be burning calories consumed from your last meal as energy, not utilizing body fat for energy. Doing this will improve your cardiovascular conditioning, but will not optimize body fat reduction. The Second Time Specific Period to optimize fat loss would be to perform your cardiovascular training after your weight training.

If you are unable to perform your cardiovascular training during the First or Second Time Specific Period, then performing aerobics prior to going to sleep would be the next best alternative. Engaging in cardiovascular work prior to sleep would be the Third Time Specific Period to optimize fat loss. If you have the time and determination to do 20 to 30 minutes on the treadmill or lifecycle, it will help in your fat loss goals. During this time specific period your own metabolic rate will be increased, not only while you're doing the cardio, but into your sleeping hours as well. Therefore, your body will be using more excess calories stored from food not used for fuel during the day along with FAT AS FUEL while you sleep. At the end of your evening session, just prior to bedtime, you should not consume any foods or non-protein calories afterwards. This will help to prevent foods from being stored as body fat during your sleep. Instead, if you are hungry, you should consume a protein bar or shake to ensure you are protecting and building muscle tissue. The protein will fortify your muscles throughout the night and will not be converted to fat in the body. The Third Time Specific Period to optimize fat loss would be prior to going to sleep at night.

Depending on your specific goals and individual daily schedule, your daily training program will surely be varied. However, if you are serious about losing body fat quickly, you should try to plan to do your aerobic or cardio sessions at least three times a week (3x per week), once per day (1x day) for 25 - 45 minutes at the three aforementioned time specific periods. Anyone with the right attitude, ambition, and proper nutritional plan can expect to lose on an average of 10-20 pounds of body fat within 12 weeks or less. Total exact body fat lost will depend on the individual's initial body fat levels and adherence to a synergistic approach of proper nutrition, resistance training, adequate rest, and cardiovascular training during one of the three Time Specific Periods to optimize fat loss. To win the battle against body fat loss while maintaining your lean body mass, train during one of the three Time Specific Periods.

For any questions or comments regarding this article please contact Roman at RomanGabriel2@aol.com.