Fitness and Health Podcast – Exercise and diet have a sweet spot that is just right. Too much isn’t good, and too little is also a problem, but how do you find the right amount?…

Health Podcast – Exercise and diet have a sweet spot that is just right. Too much isn’t good, and too little is also a problem, but how do you find the right amount?…

One day a few years back I thought, hey, could I possibly NOT work out 6 days a week and still see the same results? Not long after I got into powerlifting and stopped caring about size (in the muscular sense. Once you’ve lost 100 lbs, it doesn’t matter if fat helps in powerlifiting, you’re NOT going to put it back on if you have anything to say about it. I’m just fine in the lighter weight classes, thank you very much). Anyhow. I went from 6 days a week to 4 and have progressed over time to what I have now; 2-4 days depending on my schedule and recovery.

For the first time in 2 years, I measured myself recently and found that I was as much as 2 inches larger in some spots (which the difficultly in finding jeans that fit had already indicated to me), haven’t lost size anywhere, and I am the same scale weight I was when I changed my training to powerlifting.

Despite that and other discussions, I still couldn’t convince a friend that he would NOT immediately lose size if he missed a day in the gym every now and again.

Glad that you’ve found something that is working for you. As far as exercise goes, most people are used to getting the bare minimum and used to being pitched products that advocate getting more done in less time. This however is somewhat of a fallacy…there is a time factor involved in training. You cannot simply increase the intensity and get 3 hours of exercise done in 10 minutes (as long as you push really hard).

The amount of exercise you’re doing is probably fine, and if you’re happy with your results and how it fits into your life then there is no need for you to increase it.

JB

I found your podcast and blogs a little while ago, and I’m fascinated by your ideas. I’ve been overweight for all of my life, and have developed an almost obsession with diet and fitness in the last few years. I was a strict vegan for about 2 years, and for that period was actually in a healthy weight, bmi, and body fat range. Looking back (and considering your ideas) it was probably just calorie restriction that helped me maintain my weight.

I quit the diet, after I realized I was extremely depressed, and I did not feel healthy, despite being at a ‘healthy weight’. I resented dieting and pretty much let myself go. I went right back to my heaviest, about 40 pounds overweight for my height. I did not reignite my interest in nutrition until a few months ago when I stumbled upon the paleo/’low carb’ diet.

I went complete low carb, and bought into the hype of ketosis and ‘metabolic advantage’. After I stalled out for several weeks, only losing an initial 10 pounds, I stumbled upon Brad Pilon’s youtube videos. When I first saw him talking about calories I was angry, calories don’t matter…that’s the idea that I was mentally invested into at the time. But, my weight loss had stalled and I had tried IF back in my vegan days (warrior diet style idea), so I decided to throw in 2-3 fasted days a week combined with my previous low carb diet. I also started taking creatine after seeing one of John Barban’s videos. All of my lifts have gone up since I started, and I have been losing a steady 2 pounds each week through calorie restriction.

I am so sold on your theories right now. I have actually gotten STRONGER, while my scale weight and waist measurement goes down. The fasting can be brutal at times, especially when im doing it every other day, and I have to live with being hungry most of the time…but it works. I am getting leaner and not getting weaker.

Sorry to be long winded, but I have one gripe/question that I hope John could address. You talk about how ‘cardio’ is B.S., but the amount of exercise you advocate seems ridiculous to me. In your blog, you talk about the amount of exercise someone should get , in terms of several hours a week. In ESE, you acknowledge that you need to diet to lose fat, and weight train to ensure preservation of muscle mass. In my experience, the most effective weight training is brief, intense, and infrequent.

Ive found that a few that training twice a week, with compound exercises, training to failure, and training progressively (improving each session), is the way to go. I do not spend more than 40 minutes per week in the gym, I do a full body exercise with basic compound movements, and I only do 5-10 reps to absolute muscle failure. What is your attitude on this H.I.T. type mentality? Would I be better off working out more (3x a week or more?), if I’m cutting calories as much as I am?