Dillon Down 20 lbs in 5 weeks and his common question…
I get asked this question often . “Do I have to use weights and practice resistance training? Can’t I just go running or get on a treadmill and build muscle? Don’t I use muscles when I run?” Not in the manner needed to look like a sprinter, who uses resistance training, and a marathon runner who doesn’t. See the differences in the pictures?
My most recent client who asked this question was Dillon. Dillon in the past had lost a lost of weight simply by doing aerobic exercise and eating pretty much nothing (starvation should not be a diet option). Yes, it worked, but he lost a ton of muscle and ultimately it wasn’t sustainable and he found himself back where he started. I train his mom Dee and she lost 50 lbs, so she referred him to me and I feel super blessed!
Dillon is just killing it! In 5 weeks he has lost over 20 lbs and improved his body fat percent by 2 points. Has Dillon been perfect? No, but he always logs his food and gives me 100% in person and online. Dillon trains with me twice a week and I then have him perform 4-5 other workouts online via the Just You Fitness App.
So, is cardio/aerobics the best way to get lean, cut, and shapely?
The ultimate answer is, no….as Dillon can testify too.
Most people will not get toned and build muscle if all they do is aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise doesn’t deliver enough stress to your tendons, bones, or muscles to elicit the kind of response you need to become to build muscle which will make you “Toned.”
If all you do is focus on aerobics exercise, to the exclusion of resistance training you run a huge risk of becoming skinny fat. Skinny fat is a condition where someone might appear skinny on the outside (best base scenario) with clothes on but underneath those clothes and inside their body they are unhealthy and at risk for illness.
Essentially, if you’re losing weight from aerobic exercise and eating correctly you’re losing both muscle and fat.
This cycle ensure that your body is going to use your muscle tissue as fuel and will burn right through it. Unfortunately, as you lose more and more muscle, you start to become and weaker and your metabolism starts to slow.
To make matters worse, as you lose more muscle your bones become weaker, because you lost more muscle your bones have to work harder which sets you up for hairline fractures.
Another risk is hidden fat. They did a study in which 800 slim people had an MRI scan to check for hidden fat. Here’s the scary part 45% of those people who had the MRI scan had excess amounts of internal fat, which are undetectable from the outside.
This is called visceral fat and it is the most dangerous fat to have. It tends to accumulate around your organs and then begins to release hormones and other secretions that can often lead to disease. Unlike cardiovascular exercise, resistance training can greatly reduce the amount of visceral fat as well as help prevent it forming on your organs.
In short, don’t stop resistance training just because spring is here and you are more excited and eager to go outside. There is absolutely no substitute for resistance training at least two to three times a week. After all your health is on the line.
Go be awesome!
KELLEN LAKE – GO LIFT!
PS – NEED A PLAN Resistance training plan? I CAN CREATE ONE FOR YOU, Reply and let me know, starting at $25.00 a month.
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