Max Workouts

[dianatron]

Right I am completely confused now!! Whilst trying to log on to Fitbit .com I got all these ads. about the new devises that F.B. have brought out, and in amoungst the information, a video of Shin Ohtake and his max workouts. Needless to say, I have never heard of him, so did some investigations. Turns out that all we have been told about low fat diets is rubbish, and most of us spend far too much time doing the wrong exercises, we tend to burn calories from muscle not 'flab', which we cant really afford to do. I do put myself through a 30min. program each week(DVD) but that is wrong too as the muscles memorize the movements, and it becomes ineffective.(I have heard that before) So has anybody got anything to add to this, endorse or reject, it doesn't really matter, I dont know what to make of it all, as I said I am completely 'stumped'

[VivisFitbit]

Hello @dianatron! This is interesting information, thank you for taking your time to investigate and share it with us. I moved your post to this board where more people will see and comment about your post! 

Keep participating in the Community! 

[SunsetRunner]

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@dianatron wrote:

Right I am completely confused now!! Whilst trying to log on to Fitbit .com I got all these ads. about the new devises that F.B. have brought out, and in amoungst the information, a video of Shin Ohtake and his max workouts. Needless to say, I have never heard of him, so did some investigations. Turns out that all we have been told about low fat diets is rubbish, and most of us spend far too much time doing the wrong exercises, we tend to burn calories from muscle not 'flab', which we cant really afford to do. I do put myself through a 30min. program each week(DVD) but that is wrong too as the muscles memorize the movements, and it becomes ineffective.(I have heard that before) So has anybody got anything to add to this, endorse or reject, it doesn't really matter, I dont know what to make of it all, as I said I am completely 'stumped'

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The source of your information is dubious, and the advise is wrong.

If you are really looking for success, get and read a book called "The Pritikin Promise".

It's a few dollars (in softcover) on Amazon, and will provide the information and the science

of sound nutrition and appropriate exercise. If you follow it, you will live a healthy life.

[dianatron]

Further to the last post, I have been investigation more diets and exercises. (all from USA) and this is what I have come up with. The low fat idea is not wrong, insofar as we all need the 'good' fat, but in lowering and marketing low fat products, the manufacturer s have increased the sugar and salt, otherwise the product would taste of nothing. The amount of sugar I have discovered in most products is alarming! and we will see a huge increase in type 2 diabetes if this is not investigated! As to the exercises that I have looked at, it would appear that short bursts of intensive exercise is more beneficial, than stomping for hours running on roads,and putting our joints at risk of injury. This is only part of the story, and I am just throwing it in for further discussion. A great deal that I have read makes sense, on the other hand there are certain things I would question. Over to you!

[Heybales]

Your point about muscle memory depends on the purpose of your workouts. (and what is meant by muscle memory exactly)

To make muscle stronger, it must be overloaded by weight. To do that the muscle must be fully engaged by the nervous system.

Guess what allows that to happen - muscle memory you might say - whatever that means really.

If you are doing something with complex movements like Zumba and are inefficient at the start, then you burn slightly more calories.

If you get more efficient, you burn slightly less.

In that case, move slightly faster or harder.

But that difference in calories is really minor, compared to say the big difference as you weigh less doing the movements.

And in many types of exercise, you can only move so fast to the beat, so you can't really increase the intensity to compensate.

It would be like walking 3 mph at the start of your weight loss, and it's hard. It gets a tad easier in say 2 weeks, but if you weighed the same - you actually burn the same number of calories, even if the heart and breathing rate isn't as high.

But 6 months down the road, if still walking 3 mph and weighing 50 lbs less, you are burning a whole lot less calories. You need to move faster to compensate.

But if strength training - you want that muscle memory if that means total nervous system involvement. That allows you to move more weight without even having more muscle yet. So now you just increase the weight so it's still hard, eventually the body does need to build more muscle (if diet allows) to keep handling the heavy load it's getting while using all the existing muscle.

If you go changing the lifts before that happens, you never are truly overloading the muscle the way you could to increase strength in the same way.

And long slow steady and intervals both have a place in cardio. While pounding for hours at slow pace may be stressful (or just ride a bike), you'll be sadly surprised if you don't think some intense sessions of even harder pounding doesn't cause stress too during intervals. In fact if you don't do some slow steady first as build up to and even warmup for, those intervals could really knock you out with injuries.

They both have their place depending on your goals. If merely calorie burn but limited on time, intense as much as you can get is best. But you may not be able to do that day after day. If close to resistance training but short on time is desire, than intervals can be good, again not day after day.

[backlash79]

Long story short:

• Everything works
• Everything works, but only for so long

- Dan John - author, strength coach and I'm sure I'm leaving a lot off here.

Honestly to the original post, the reasoning behind what the person says may be for the wrong reasons but that isn't to deny that his system may work. I would suggest figuring out a goal and breaking that goal into a series of micro-goals. Then picking the training/diet to help you get there. Switching it up all the time is fine for the average person but terrible for a powerlifter or olympic weightlifter or other strength athlete as they are trying to get good at specific things. 

Diet wise discussion - Having tried so many different protocols and meals and macros ...etc I'm not sure there is a holy grail here, see what I first said. Try to pick something that is sustainable for you for now that furthers your goals after a few months reevaulate it and continue or try something different.

One of the biggest problems is just the vast amount of information being throw out there on TV/print/internet it can be very easy to be thrown into an paralysis by analysis mode. ( I know I've been there.)

[bgreenwood2000]

The most effective exercise is the one you actually do.

Different types of exercise - strength, endurance cardio, HIIT - all have different benefits, and a balanced programme will contain some of each.

A change of routine every so often is beneficial - both to maintain the interest so you don't get bored, and to because every exercise challenges muscles in slightly different ways. If you keep on doing exactly the same routine, you will stop progressing.

[SuperStephSteph]

I agree with bgreenwood in that the most effective work out you can do is the one you actually do, same goes with dieting. Anything that is considered a "diet" will work but only so long as you're strict with it, and often times only for a short amount of time. I'm sure some of the diets mentioned here would work, but in the real world the only thing that works for long term health and weight loss is moderation. All things in moderation is key. When I was younger I got stuck in the dieting cycle that I could never keep, now I'm aiming for health instead of weight loss and I'm getting both because as I live a healthier lifestyle I lose weight. I like to follow the 90/10 rule, as long as you're eating well 90% of the time if you indulge (within reason obviously) 10% of the time you're going to do just fine. 

You're right that eating "low fat" foods is complete crap. In order for them to make most foods "low fat" and still have them taste good they end up raising the sugar, salt, or carbs...or all three. Carbs have been getting a bad rep since the late 90s and the Atkins craze. The thing with carbs is that they're food for your brain and can help give you a big energy boost. As long as you're sticking to complex carbohydrates like whole grains, starchy veggies, adn beans, and eating them in moderation you're doing your body a favor. 

IMO the thing that kills most people's diets is processed foods. If you eat 2 of those 100 calorie packs of crackers or cookies or some other sort of "healthy snack" you're really not getting much food and won't stay full for long. If you instead have a cup of greek yogurt and a handfull of berries you're taking in the same amount of calories but you're also going to be full for a lot longer thanks to the high protein, plus you'll get an instant energy boost from the sugar in the berries, and you get antioxidents for long term health. 

When it comes down to it, eat as much clean food as you can, and cook at home as much as you can and you'll probably be just fine. Big batch and freeze foods that are nutritious and eating well will be a lot easier too. At the end of the day anything that is supposed to be a "miracle diet" or similar is going to work short term but won't do you any favors in the long term. 

[DominicJ]

"Turns out that all we have been told about low fat diets is rubbish,"

Sort of

The problem with Fat is that it contains loads of calories.

A gram of carb of protein contains less than 3 calories

A gram over fat almost 9.

The butter I cooked my vegetables in last night was more calories than my vegetables.

A "low Fat" greek yoghurt is considerably fewer calories than a normal one, and thats a good thing.

However

A "fat free" marshmallow fluff spread is not healthy, its barely even food, and eating it will make you fat. 

" and most of us spend far too much time doing the wrong exercises, we tend to burn calories from muscle not 'flab', which we cant really afford to do"

Nar, its a common myth but theres not much backing it.

As you lose weight, you will lose muscle, both because fatty tissue has a fairly high muscle content (IE above 0) and because as you lose weight your body needs less muscle to carry itself.

The only way you are going to strip muscle by over excercising is if you are *literally* starving.

"I do put myself through a 30min. program each week(DVD) but that is wrong too as the muscles memorize the movements, and it becomes ineffective.(I have heard that before)"

Your body builds the muscles you need.

If you do a 30minute excercise, it will build muscle to cope with that.

If you bench 300lbs, it will build musle to cope with that too.

But it wont go past what you do, so if your workout never changes, your body never will

[VivisFitbit]

This is intereting information, I think that looking for profesional guidance is always the best option to have good results. 

Good luck guys and keep sharing your ideas!