Off-Topic January "shred"

[Nightfly]

Hope it's not too soon to plan a month of fat loss and conditioning; and seek recommendations.

I've fallen into pure strength work and I like it. One lift a day for 5x5 - 5 days a week. It will be nearly 4 months by Christmas. Because the sessions are short and it fits my schedule I have been consistent and feel good but the waist could do with losing 1-2 inches already (before Xmas and the inevitable feasting).

I will control my diet - Tim Ferris slow carb has worked in the past.

So what might be MOST effective for 1 month of training when motivation is high (the new year resolution)
Was planning on no strength work at all (restart Feb)
4-6 days a week of runs/ ballistics to shock the system.
Or 3 days a week of kettlebell complexes.
Or Hiit sessions
Or Walking an hour a day.
Male 50s by the way.

 

[John K]

Hope it's not too soon to plan a month of fat loss and conditioning; and seek recommendations.

I've fallen into pure strength work and I like it. One lift a day for 5x5 - 5 days a week. It will be nearly 4 months by Christmas. Because the sessions are short and it fits my schedule I have been consistent and feel good but the waist could do with losing 1-2 inches already (before Xmas and the inevitable feasting).

I will control my diet - Tim Ferris slow carb has worked in the past.

So what might be MOST effective for 1 month of training when motivation is high (the new year resolution)
Was planning on no strength work at all (restart Feb)
4-6 days a week of runs/ ballistics to shock the system.
Or 3 days a week of kettlebell complexes.
Or Hiit sessions
Or Walking an hour a day.
Male 50s by the way.

I would keep strength work in. Drop back to a single heavy set and then do ballistics or complexes or whatever. But keep the strength work in.

 

[AJL]

Carnivore diet for a month.

Trust me.

You’re welcome. lol

 

[Luis T. Gonzalez]

Speed metal has a lot of good programming for snatching. Snatching is great for melting fat.

 

[Steve Freides]

So what might be MOST effective for 1 month of training when motivation is high (the new year resolution)

Strength 3x/week plus AXE or S&S or Q&D 2-3x/week.

-S-

 

[Inky]

As above, I believe snatching is good for fat loss. Keep the strength training, combined with cardio - Brett's Iron Cardio along with Q&D 044

 

[Nightfly]

Thanks to all. Why keep the strength training just out of interest. Surely 1 month without is ok to use the energy for other purposes.
Thx

 

[John K]

Thanks to all. Why keep the strength training just out of interest. Surely 1 month without is ok to use the energy for other purposes.
Thx

Preservation of muscle tissue.

Strength and muscle and harder to build and take longer to build than fat is lose.

Why be less fat but weak when you could be less fat and strong?

 

[watchnerd]

Doesn't really matter what program you pick as long as it has some resistance training.

90% will be driven by diet.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

Thanks to all. Why keep the strength training just out of interest. Surely 1 month without is ok to use the energy for other purposes.
Thx

Keeping the strength training targets maintaining and/or building muscle.. you need that as well while you melt the fat to get that athletic, dense, rugged look most seek

 

[watchnerd]

Preservation of muscle tissue.

Strength and muscle and harder to build and take longer to build than fat is lose.

Why be less fat but weak when you could be less fat and strong?

 

[Nightfly]

Ok got it.
Focus on diet foremost.
Keep some strength training in to preserve the muscle I have.

Is there any evidence one type of supplementary cardio/ conditioning is better than another for my type of goals.
-Swings snatches cleans till sweaty 3x week. Emom let's say.
Liss
-P90x??

As I haven't done much at all for months, anything might work I surmise. As long as I don't get too big or turn into Arnie overnight.

 

[Steve Freides]

Thanks to all. Why keep the strength training just out of interest. Surely 1 month without is ok to use the energy for other purposes.
Thx

For me, the answer is simple - strength training makes me feel better.

TL;DR

4-6 days a week of runs/ ballistics to shock the system.

Runs for me would be a No, kettlebell or barbell ballistics would be a Yes. I take a kettlebell when I travel overnight and by car. I do swings in the hotel room, or in the parking lot if the weather permits.

Or 3 days a week of kettlebell complexes.

Gets a Yes from me.

Or Hiit sessions

Gets a No.

Or Walking an hour a day.

Always a good thing regardless of what else you're doing.

Male 50s by the way.

Male, now looking at a year and a few months from turning 70, God willing and the creeks don't rise.

For me, the important takeaway and the difference between some of the choices you gave is that strength and muscle tend to wane more the older you get. Put another way, maintenance requirements in the area of strength and muscle increase as you age. I don't think that message truly hit home with me until my early 60's, but it happens to everyone sooner or later.

Really TL;DR

My Dad was an optometrist. For those who don't know, that's an "eye doctor" but different than a medical doctor with an eye specialty - the latter are ophthamologists. So my Dad spent his days mostly having people read an eye chart and figuring out what prescription they needed for their glasses. As I neared age 40, my Dad warned me that, soon, I'd need reading glasses. As I reached and passed 40 and didn't need them, I crowed about how I could still read just fine without reading glasses. As I went through my early 40's, time proved my Dad right, and I began to need reading glasses. It didn't happen at 40 for me, but by 43 or so the need was pretty clear, and over the next few years my reading glasses needed to get stronger and stronger.

There are some things about aging you can fight to keep from changing, and there are some things you have to acknowledge and adapt your life to. If I didn't have access to weights, I think I'd do pushups and bodyweight squats.

-S-

 

[John K]

Is there any evidence one type of supplementary cardio/ conditioning is better than another for my type of goals

No not really. Pick one you enjoy the most so you’ll have fun doing it, or do multiple forms.

 

[Steve Freides]

Is there any evidence one type of supplementary cardio/ conditioning is better than another for my type of goals.

You can look at the body types various athletes have, e.g., marathon runners, middle distance runners, olympic weightlifters.

-S-

 

[renegadenate]

Strength 3x/week plus AXE or S&S or Q&D 2-3x/week.

-S-

This is the way.

 

[Nightfly]

You can look at the body types various athletes have, e.g., marathon runners, middle distance runners, olympic weightlifters.

-S-

Ah, but the rebuttal Steve... Perhaps they only took up those sports as athletes *because* they look like that and are bodily suited to it.

Does form follow function or? etc. Plus my athlete days are long gone!

 

[Nightfly]

This is the way.

Ok thanks. I can take that advice. The people here have walked the walk. And that would fit my schedule well.

I guess I can't kettlebell-melt-fat away in one month, a good reality check. Unless I was willing to do kettlebell burn extreme again (14 lbs in a month if I remember correctly, Geoff is genius. But the tiredness and fasting hunger - nope!)

 

[silveraw]

Does form follow function or?

I recently posted this video and the thumbnail should tell you what you are wondering.

 

[Steve Freides]

Ah, but the rebuttal Steve... Perhaps they only took up those sports as athletes *because* they look like that and are bodily suited to it.

Does form follow function or? etc. Plus my athlete days are long gone!

I don’t buy that explanation. Form will follow function.

-S-