Hi, I’m Nathan from the DVCC; welcome to the weekly DVCC TV show where we can inform you on things that are happening at the centres, update you with some amazing results that our clients are achieving and answer questions about health, fitness and nutrition for losing fat and building muscle tone.
If you have any questions regarding fat loss or building muscle tone which you would like us to answer for you, please leave them in the comment section below and we will answer them in the future.
Check out these new articles which have been published over the last week by the transformation experts at the DVCC:
- Could fruit be the reason you are not losing body fat?
- Andrew Jurd - or "The Jurd" as he is known by - has lost half his body fat - check his story out.
- Read up on some tips to help you lose fat over the summer months.
- And finally, subscribe to our other media channels and get connected to the DVCC so you can always have the latest information on losing fat and building muscle.
Today we have a question from Kate.
Kate asked: “How can I optimise my time in the gym and make my workouts more effective?”
Great question, Kate.
First of all, you want to limit your time training to a maximum of 60 minutes.
After 42 minutes of intense exercise, you start to produce higher levels of cortisol, your stress hormone.
Cortisol has been shown to have a negative effect on fat loss and will also break down muscle tissue when large amounts are produced.
Stick to the basics. When I say this, I mean choose a few compound exercises and stick with them.
Compound movements are exercises that move multiple joints or muscles at once - such as dead lift, squat, bench press and pull ups.
Keeping consistent with your training is key to getting results. Changing your exercises and rep ranges every day will not allow your body to make the necessary physical adaptations needed to provide you with fat loss or building muscle. Try and stick to a routine for 4-6 weeks and then move on.
Focus on using free weights rather than machines, when it’s safe to do so.
Using free weights will stimulate more muscle fibres than fixed machines, and will allow you build muscle faster, which will allow you to burn more fat in the long run.
Machines also fix you into a range of movement which is not always natural and often have unbalanced loads, due to cable mechanisms. By using free weights you will also build up your core strength and balance.
Finally, using interval training is a very effective way to burn fat and build muscle. You can do it with any exercise but it must be fast and intense. Work for short periods at a high intensity, followed by a short recovery time.
A tabbatta, done in the format of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest and repeated 8 times, has been shown to be very effective.
Our question to you this week is: “How long do you train for?”
This is Nathan at the DVCC; have a great day!
