Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

BEYOND BRAWN
Program for bodyfat loss
20.162 You will find gaining strength and muscle very difficult while losing bodyfat.
But you can hold onto almost all of your muscular size (though gross size
will be reduced), and nearly all of your strength, if you set about it properly.
If, however, you are returning to training after a long layoff, or are a beginner,
you may be able to increase muscular size and strength while simultaneously
dropping bodyfat.
20.163 To hold onto your muscle, train as you would when gaining it in the first
place—intensively, briefly and while focusing on the big exercises. If you
switch to overtraining by increasing your training days, exercises, reps and
sets, you will encourage your body to drop both muscle and fat, and perhaps
more muscle than fat. To hold onto your muscle you have to impose the
demands upon your body that will force it to keep what it has already developed.
Train hard and briefly, and then get out of the gym and rest, recuperate
fully, and then come back for another dose of hard and brief training. Before
you start to lose bodyfat it is best that you have had the actual experience of
gaining a substantial amount of muscle. en you will know first hand what
to apply to at least maintain your muscle mass.
20.164 Do not start a fat-loss program during the initial part of a training cycle.
Wait until you have picked up the poundages and thus are training hard and
providing the stimulus to retain all your muscle. Intensive weight training is
an essential part of a fat-loss program. It is not merely optional.
20.165 Use a weight-training program from this book. If you are not quite at your
previous strength best, then strive to get there week by week. Once there,
strive to get stronger still, but if the bodyweight loss causes you to lose some
strength, then focus on holding as much of your strength as you can. You do
not need lots of sets and reps to do this strength maintenance work, just as
you do not need them to get strong in the first place. One or two warmup
sets per exercise followed by 1–3 hard work sets will do the job, if the work
sets are intensive.
20.166 Because you are not going to feel at your strongest on a fat-loss program,
select your training program accordingly. Do not get involved in 20-rep
squats or deadlifts. ese are brutal even when you are at your strongest in
a gaining cycle. Also, avoid very low rep work because a little loss of strength
will be very noticeable there. Stick to medium reps where you are more in
control if or when your strength drops a little as you shed fat.
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