We’ve already established that resistance training needs to be a part of any efficient, effective fat loss effort. Anything that provides resistance will do – dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, bands, cables…even your own bodyweight. Wherever you choose to workout, and whatever resistance mode you choose, these exercises should be staples in your fat burning routine:

Squats
Whether you are using your own bodyweight, dumbbells, or barbells, squats will give your legs and core a workout! Just remember to keep your back straight and look straight ahead.

Push-ups (or barbell bench press or dumbbell press)
There are so many varieties of push-ups I get tired just thinking of them! You can also do barbell bench presses and dumbbell presses at an incline, flat or at a decline. For the more advanced, you can do dumbbell presses on a Swiss ball (the large vinyl balls you see at the gym).

Pull-ups/chin-ups (or lat pulldowns)
Pull-ups are with your palms facing away from you, chin-ups are palms facing you. If you cannot do pull-ups or chin-ups on your own, you have several options: a spotter who holds your feet and provides a boost; an assisted pull-up machine (many gyms have these – and they are one of the few machines you should use); lat pulldowns – but always (!) pull to your chest, NEVER behind your head.

Deadlifts
Form is important on deadlifts, so do your homework or ask a trainer before attempting them. You should incorporate both variations of deadlifts (regular and stiff-leg) as well as Good Mornings and back extensions.

Lunges and step-ups
Both lunges and step-ups are unilateral exercises – moving one leg at a time. Unilateral exercises help to not only burn fat but to help you correct any strength imbalances between the two sides of your body.

This may be the most asked question that I have received since I started advising people on fat loss:  do any of those fat burning supplements that you see actually work?  Without getting into a list of specific supplements, I’ll say that most of them do not work.  However, there are a handful of supplements that you MUST add to your fat burning arsenal.

• Green Tea extract – you could drink green tea, but you’d have to drink a TON to get the effective dosage.  When choosing green tea extracts, you want one that has an equivalent of at least 90 mg of EGCG, the active ingredient in green tea responsible for the health boosting and fat burning effects.  90 mg 3 times per day is the recommendation.

• Fish oil and/or flaxseed oil – studies have shown that six grams of fish oil per day has been linked to fat loss.  Or you could go with the flaxseed oil at the dosages I recommended previously – 1 Tablespoon per 75 lbs of bodyweight (for flaxseed oil, I would stay away from the pills, as you’d have to take too many to get this dosage).  The warehouse clubs like Costco or BJs are a great source for these at a reasonable price.

• Whey protein (for after workouts) – this absorbs quickly, and is what you need for those post-workout drinks

• Casein protein (for other times in the day) – digests more slowly, and several studies have shown this to be a key component to fat loss.  Casein is the majority of the protein in milk and cheese, but is also available in powders.  Ask at your local health food or vitamin store.

• Multivitamin

The ephedrine/caffeine combination that was, unfortunately, banned by the FDA (and later reversed) is no longer widely available.  I won’t go into much detail on this one except that the studies showed that it was safe and effective for fat loss AT THE PROPER DOSAGES and that those who blindly prescribed to the “more is better” philosophy were the ones who ultimately led to its banishment.  I will say that you can still get it pretty easily, even in your local drugstore.

I would not be responsible if I did not say the following two things:

1. There is no magic bullet for fat loss – supplements are a small piece of the fat loss techniques we have discussed
2. This newsletter is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice – before taking ANY supplement, consult with your physician – some supplements can interfere and/or negate prescription drugs, people have different tolerance levels, etc.

Now we have our complete list of the most effective fat burning techniques, according to science and real world application:

1. Eating more often (shooting for 6 small meals per day)
2. Resistance training
3. Interval cardio
4. Low carbohydrate diets
5. Supplements

As Americans are tightening their budgets, something else may be loosening up – their clothing.  As discretionary income is used more and more to cover non-discretionary expenses, Americans will be choosing to eat at restaurants less and eat at home more, where they will have more control over how their food is prepared.  If they do head to a restaurant, the portion sizes will be smaller than ever, as the restaurant industry is feeling the crunch.  As peoples’ food intake changes, it could have a positive impact on their waist line.

Less discretionary income also means less money to spend on snack cakes and chips at the supermarket and calorie-laden “crap-puccinos.”  There will also be less money to waste on the ineffective weight loss scams that are being hawked at every turn – pills, potions, creams and diet books that just don’t work.  Through my free Fat Loss 101 Newsletter, I will provide the most effective and efficient ways to lose unwanted body fat without resorting to the allure of late-night infomercials.

To those considering dropping their gym membership to save some money – go for it! Using your own bodyweight to challenge yourself – pushups, squats, and uphill walking/sprinting – is much more effective at burning body fat and can be done at or near home for free.

Losing inches from the waist line can also have other unintended benefits to the bottom line, like:

• Better gas mileage – potential 5 to 7 cents per gallon savings by dropping 50 pounds of body fat
• Lower food bills – the leaner a person is, the less food required to run on a daily basis
• Lower medical costs – trimming body fat may reduce spending on doctor visits, outpatient care, inpatient care and prescription drugs
• Lower insurance premiums – life insurance companies are giving discounts to their healthier clients
• Lower clothing costs – moving back into widely available sizes means spending less money as opposed to buying clothes at specialty online or “big people” stores
• Potential raises – losing body fat leads to better self-esteem.  Better self-esteem leads to higher productivity at work. Higher productivity at work could lead to raises and/or promotions