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This time of year is full of people selling fat loss product which pretty much drives me freaking insane!

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While I’d certainly be hard pressed to say that fat loss is easy (especially given the pscyhosocial complexity of obesity or overweight), the concept itself is relatively simple.  In fact, I think it is so simple that it can be distilled into 3 simple rules that (if followed) will result in success almost every time.

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Here are the central rules that make up the core of all of my fat loss programs.

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1.  Create a Calorie Deficit

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Whether you create the deficit by exercise alone (least effective), diet alone (more effective), or diet plus exercise (most effective) you need to consume fewer calories than you burn.  Anyone who tells you calories don’t matter is probably selling something.

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2.  Resistance Training

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If you’re in a calorie deficit (and you should be if you’re trying to lose fat), you need to resistance train to maintain muscle mass which will ultimately result in the greatest improvement in body compostion and make you look great nekid.

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3.  Adequate Protein

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While in a calorie deficit the need for protein is slightly higher than it would be when calories are plentiful (i.e., you need more protein while dieting than putting on mass).  However, I would be hard pressed to recommend any higher than 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.  I should note though, that this is a starting point and I honestly don’t stress if a client goes below this value so long as body composition testing shows that muscle mass is being maintained.

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Of course, this could easily been seen as a point of contention for those who regularly consume high protein diets while dieting and suggest that “it works”.   However, I would argue that I’m not saying higher protein amounts don’t work.  I’m just saying they aren’t necessary.

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Making it really simple

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If you want to lose fat create a calorie deficit, do resistance training at least twice per week, and consume adequate protein.  For most people, worrying about meal frequency, macronutrient (carb/protein/fat) ratios, and everything is pretty much a waste of time.

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Okay…so I wasn’t going to post anything today, but this week I stumbled across two things that I think are ”must reads” for the week.

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The Truth About Bodybuilding Genetics

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This is an absolutely stellar review research on the effects of genetics on muscle building, fat loss, and athletic performance by my friend Bret Contreras.  I absolutely think that this article sets the bar for all future articles to be written in 2011.

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2011 – Your Best Year Yet

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Let me preface this article by saying that I pretty much HATE rah-rah motivational articles.  Generally speaking, I think they make people feel good for about 5 minutes and then the feeling wears off leaving the person in about the same state they were before reading it (and having wasted 5 minutes reading).

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This post, on the other hand, is a great guest post by Todd Durkin on Alwyn Cosgrove’s blog listing 83 ways to make 2011 your best year yet.  I love this list because it isn’t just theory and each item is an actionable.

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I’ve personally printed this list and posted it above my computer.  I figured you might want to do the same.

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If you could recommend an article to someone who could only read ONE article this week…what would it be?

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Last week in my 2011 professional goals post I mentioned that one of my goals this year is to create 2-3 really solid fitness products.  Recently I’ve been brainstorming some ideas for products and I’ve got some mapped out in my head, but I wanted to know what YOU want to see from me before I set to work.

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Here are my ideas so far:

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1.  Core Training Progressions for Performance

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I’ve been a fan of Dr. Stuart McGill’s theories for years, but the transition from crunches to planks often leaves a lot to be desired in terms of variations and intensity.  Over the last 10 years I’ve created a progression including hundreds of exercises for the anterior, lateral, rotational, and posterior core. 

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Perhaps more importantly, I’ve devised a means to assess and eliminate energy leaks from the core to increase stability and allow for better force and power transfer through the core (i.e., better athletic performance and strength under the bar).

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Of course, better performance in the gym can result in greater muscle gain and fat loss so this is a double bonus.  In short, this would be a performance product…not a rehab product.

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The end goal would be to create a product where there would be a video recording of 4-5 powerpoint lectures detailing each progression, why it is used, when it should not be used, and methods for eliminating ”leaks” in the core.

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Along with this would be all of the powerpoint lectures (PDF) and a summary of all of the progressions. 

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2.  How to access, read, interpret, and implement fitness research

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I’m always being asked how I choose the research I read, where I get it, and how to start reading research.  As I’ve had a great many statistics and research design classes (which can be more confusing than helpful sometimes), my goal for this product would be to break the whole process down so any fitness professional or exercise enthusiast could extract and implement relevent information from the latest research rather than being a slave to what some internet guru says.

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I’m thinking of 4 videotaped lectures

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- How to obtain fitness research

- How to read a study (breaking it down into parts)

- Understanding research design and statistics (a basic primer)

- Analyzing, comparing, and implementing fitness research

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3.  The psychological component of body composition change

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I honestly don’t have a solid idea of how this would come together as I’ve just come up with this idea, but the goal would be to introduce some of the tools I use with my clients to address lifestyle factors for body comp change including readiness, identifying cues, thought modification, behaviour change, etc.

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In other words, if you or a client is struggling it is likely not because you don’t know what to do.  It is more likely that you’re just having trouble doing it.  The goal of this product would be to give you the tools to start getting it done (without getting all soft and wimpy like a daytime talk show).

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So what do you think?

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Do any of these sound like something you’d want to see?

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If so, what exactly would you want included in the product?   Would you prefer audio, video, or print?

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If not, what types of products would you like to see from me in 2011?

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I’m anxious to hear your feedback.

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Last week I wrote a post discussing my professional goals for 2011 which talked quite extensively about my desire to increase my web presence, grow my readership, and increase my income as a result of product creation.  Today I’d like to talk briefly about why I chose those goals so you’ll have a clearer picture of where I’m going and why I’m going there.

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Before I go on though, I want to talk about the three types of fitness professionals I see out there.

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1.  The “In the Trenches” Coaches

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These are the guys who own facilities, work long hours, and have more “in the trenches” experience than many of us will ever have.  Good examples are guys like Mike Robertson, Nick Tumminello, Eric Cressey, Tony Gentilcore, Jim Smith, and Mike Boyle.

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2.  The Research Hounds

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These are the guys who spend hours and hours hovering over research studies, often work with clients primarily via consultation, and are probably some of the brightest academic minds in the industry.  Their work often provides critical and unbiased insight into strength training, muscle building, fat loss, nutrition, and supplements that is unaffected by the latest and greatest trends in the industry.  Good examples of these guys include Lyle McDonald, Alan Aragon, and Martin Berkhan.

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3.  The Online Marketers

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This group are often creating products and programs, but many of them do not train anyone in person and most do not even do fitness related consultations at all.  They are sometimes viewed with disdain by those “in the trenches” because they are accused of having very little “real world” experience.  However, I should note that they also typically have numerous success stories, testimonials, and raving fans using their products and membership sites.  Good examples of this category are guys like Craig Ballantyne, Brad Pilon, and Joel Marion.  To be fair, many of the “in the trenches” guys are starting to crank out products to share knowledge with the masses these days as well.

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In my opinion, each of these categories has pros and cons.

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- Being an “in the trenches” guy means you’ll have a lot more direct experience training people, but also typically requires long hours that could potentially take you away from your family.  Plus, you’re pretty much stuck trading hours for dollars.

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- Being a “research hound” allows you to critically analyze the science behind all of the methods presented by the media and trainers on a daily basis, but often doesn’t allow you to interact with clients in a hands of fashion all that often.  Sometimes we can get so caught up in “what should be” and forget about “what is”.

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- Being an “online marketer” gives you the freedom to earn your income wherever and whenever you want, but can completely take you away from actually working with people (which is why many of us got into this field in the first place).

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My Aim

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My aim is for my goals to allow me to pursue all of these areas at once without being hindered by the limitations of each.  Increasing my online revenue will allow me to continue to keep training clients, but not have to do so in such a way as to take away from the time I spend with my family.

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Most importantly, this will allow me stay in the trenches by training clients, but not HAVING to train clients.  If I want to take a vacation, take the night off to play with my daughter, or go on a date with my wife I’ll be able to do so without worrying about whether I’ll continue to earn money from clients I have to put on hold for that time frame.

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This will also free more time for me to spend reading research and staying abreast of important developments that effect how I should train, feed, and counsel my clients for optimal results.  Of course, this means sharing this information with you by way of research reviews, more posts, articles, and products.  *Note – Later this week I’ll be asking you what type of product you want to see from me*

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The Wrap

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In the end, I have to admit that for the first time in a decade I know exactly where I want to be in the fitness industry and exactly what I need to do to get there.  Some of those reading may have different aspirations which is why it is important for each person to create their own goals.  The key is to decide what YOU want and to pursue it with unrelenting passion.

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What I want is to become part applied strength coach, part research hound, part “work from anywhere” guy:  A Hybrid Strength Coach.

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Whatever it is YOU want in 2011…make a plan…and get after it!

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Each January almost every fitness blog seems to have at least one post dedicated towards setting your own goals for the year.  However, I’d like to follow the trend set by my good friend Mike Robertson and let you have a peek at my professional goals for the upcoming year.

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1.  Double my income

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I know it is not always considered cool to talk about making money in the fitness industry (some people expect everything for free).  However, the very real fact is that this is how fitness professionals like myself support our families and it is no different that having aspirations in a non-fitness related career.

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Having had a daughter last year I’ve had do to a lot of reflection about the type of life I’d like for my family to have and it is going to take a lot more money to pay for my daughters schooling, activities, and the things I would like for my wife and I to have in our retirement (something most fitness professionals don’t bother to save for until it is too late).

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As a result, my goal is to step it up this year to dramatically increase my income.  And since most of my current income comes from sources that are not online, you can expect to see a lot more from me this year on the interwebz.

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2.  Finish my Masters

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As some of you may be aware, I was just shy of completing my Masters in exercise physiology a few years back when my father passed away unexpectedly as a result of some medical misdiagnosis.  At the time, I had a personal training business as well as my academic load and with the possibility of a law suit in the works I just couldn’t keep all the balls in the air.  I wanted to finish and defend my thesis, but I didn’t have the steam so I withdrew from the program and left my academic career behind.

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Recently, I exchanged a few emails with my old thesis advisor and he pointed out that the manuscript of my study was nearing completion for submission to a journal and that it wouldn’t really take much in the way of time or energy to come back and defend.  Now I have to admit that getting my M.Sc. at this point in my career won’t add much (if anything) to my life financially, but I am big on goals and having not completed that has hung over my head ever since.

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This is something that you might technically consider a personal goal because it probably won’t effect my professional life that much, but it will give me some more letters after my name which makes me instantly cooler.  I should al;so note that this goal is largely dependent on goal number 1 since going back to school (even for a very short time to defend) could be a costly endeavor so this may happen later in the year than sooner.

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3.  Double website traffic

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When I started this blog in January of 2009 I had 14 visitors in the first month (no, that is not a typo).  By January of 2010 that number had increased to 7,408 visits per month.  As of the end of December 2010 my site is averaging close to 30,000 visits per month.  While this is certainly nothing to write home about, it is definitely more than 14…which I think is a pretty good improvement.

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My goal by the end of 2011 is to see that number closer to 60,000 visitors per month or more.  Lofty perhaps, but it is still my goal.  I should note here that I want to thank each and every one of you for helping me to grow my readership thus far by sharing posts and articles with your friends.  I couldn’t have done it without you!

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4.  Triple the size of my newsletter list

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Although this might seem a little incongruent with the doubling of site traffic, I think it is fair to say that not everyone who reads my site is on my newsletter list.  If you’re not already on the list I’d urge you to get on board not only because of the Free Core Interviews, but also because in 2011 I’m going to be focusing at least once or twice a month at some badass “subscriber only” content (more on that below).

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5.  Monthly TMuscle Submission

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I have to admit that although I’ve done a few TMuscle articles in the past (and enjoyed writing them), I often don’t make time to do these as they take away from the time I could spend reading stuff, watching stuff, or blogging for you guys.  However, in 2011 I’m going to deliberately set aside time to submit at least one article per month to TMuscle.  I feel that this could greatly accelerate my ability to achieve goals 3 and 4 above.

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6.  Product Reviews

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Honestly, I have to admit that it has been a long while since I have had to purchase a fitness product, but back when I was buying stuff all the time I think it would have been helpful to have solid reviews of what is actually worth shelling out money for.  I know I probably would’ve saved myself thousands of dollars…or at least spent it where it was worthwhile.

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In the past I’ve been really leery about promoting products on my blog for fear of being seen as some kind of product pimp or something, but the reality is that there ARE good products out there and when I find one I feel it is only fair to tell you about it.  I get sent a lot of stuff so I can easily act like a filter on your behalf to screen out all of the crap.

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I think most of my regular readers will know that I’m quite critical in my reviews of research and other fitness trends I see.  If you see me recommending a product, you can be damn sure I’m holding it to the same standard.

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7.  Post at least 2 blogs per week

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Sometimes when I get busy I put blogging on hold and that needs to stop.  In 2011 my goal is to hit at least 2 blogs per week each and every week so you can expect a steady stream of content every week for the rest of the year.  Heck, even if I’m on vacation my goal is to have the blogs written in advance so they’ll post automatically on certain days.

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As I’m already a week in to the New Year and this is my first blog this week I’m starting out behind the 8 ball.  I need to turn this ship around!

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8.  Send out a newsletter at least once per week

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If blogging gets pushed aside when I’m busy then this tends to be even worse.  My goal for 2011 is to really step it up and give my newsletter subscribers a little extra attention.  My plan is to deliver at least 1 update per week and 1-2 times per month there will be subscriber only content that will only be accesible to you if you’re on my list.  If you’re following my RSS Feed, Facebook, or Twitter that is awesome, but don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter (look on the left hand side of the page) so you don’t miss out.

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9.  Release 2-3 Fitness Products

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I have two products already mapped out in my head and one that I’m thinking about putting together (more on all this next week).  However, my goal isn’t just to crank out low quality products so I’ll only release something I think would be worth the money spent.  Next week I’ll be asking you what you want to see from me so keep your eyes open for that.

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10.  Be ruthless with time management

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This will definitely be my most difficult goal as I’m aiming to restrict my email usage and cut my Facebook time down to minutes per day.  Anyone who is on my Facebook probably knows that I’m a little bit of a junkie (read: hard core user – like heroin) and if I’m to achieve all of the goals above, I need to focus my time on what is important instead of sharing really funny videos about people falling on their faces. (Don’t worry Facebook friends…there will still be funny stuff…just not as much).

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With that said, I should note that since my email time will be reduced I will do my best to get back to you if you decide to get in touch, but it may take a while.  Please be patient.

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And that’s it for me

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I think I’ve set some pretty concrete goals in 2011 (and I obviously need to refine the last one so I know exactly how much time I’m allowed to spend on Facebook and email per day), but I’m really excited about what is to come.

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What are your goals in 2011?