What type of workout will help you lose weight, what should you eat to slim down, and why shouldn’t a diet last more than 21 days?
"Eat It," one of the most talked-about nutrition and fitness books in the US, provides fascinating tips and surprising answers.
Many in the United States have been eagerly waiting for the diet book by Jordan Syatt and Michael Vacanti – two fitness and nutrition coaches renowned for their success in helping clients lose weight and maintain their new weight over time. Until now, the two have guided thousands of people, many of them wealthy and famous, through this process privately. Despite their numerous successes, their method had only been partially revealed in television shows, magazines, and newspapers where they regularly appeared. This was partly because the two are very direct and tell the whole truth without sugar-coating.
For example? If you're walking briskly to lose weight, you're wasting your time. Chose running? You're wasting your energy. The same goes for HIIT or Tabata workouts, which are very popular recently. If you enjoy these physical activities, keep at them, they say, but if your goal is weight loss – it's time to change direction because you're going full throttle in neutral. "After training tens of thousands of people, including those who doubted they could lose weight, we believe our formula is a winning one," they write in their book, released about two years ago, called Eat It! The Most Sustainable Diet and Workout Ever Made: Burn Fat, Get Strong, and Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Guilt Free. The book became an instant bestseller upon release and remains one of the top-selling nutrition books in the U.S. to this day.
The method developed by the two trainers is not complicated and is based on the latest research in nutrition and fitness. Here are the main principles of their method as outlined in the book.
The most common question the two fitness trainers are asked is which sport is best for losing weight – high-intensity interval training (HIIT), running, or walking? "All forms of exercise are healthy, but if your goal is to lose weight or maintain the weight you've lost, the only truly effective activity is strength training with weights. Scientifically, there’s no doubt that strength training is the most important and effective form of exercise for weight loss and maintaining results," the two assert.
They explain that if you enjoy running or walking, you should certainly continue because any exercise is good for you. However, these activities won’t lead to significant weight loss. While they do burn calories, the amount isn’t substantial, and you’ll often feel hungrier afterward. In contrast, strength training builds muscle, which increases calorie burning even at rest. "We didn’t include cardio in our program because you don’t need aerobic exercise to burn fat and build muscle," they explain. "But we want to emphasise that cardiovascular endurance is important for overall health."
if you’re looking to tone up and have a more sculpted body, you should know that yoga and Pilates won’t help you achieve that goal, the two claim. If you want a body with substantial muscle mass, the only way to get there is through strength training with weights. And if you’re worried about ending up with the muscular physique of a weightlifter – rest assured. To achieve a bodybuilder’s physique, you would need to train intensely for a long period and follow a strict diet, which simply won’t happen by accident.
In the book, the two outline the guiding principles for effective strength training. So, what's on the menu?
Focus on Full-Body Workouts
The goal of strength training is to work all the muscle groups in the body, not just one area, even if you’re aiming for a flatter stomach. Only a workout that "covers" all muscle groups will strengthen both your bones and muscles throughout the body.
Rest Between Exercises and Sets
Many people mistakenly think that skipping rest periods between exercises and sets will make the workout quicker and more effective. However, rest periods are essential for workout efficiency. The recommended rest time is 2-4 minutes between sets.
Don’t Train Every Day
For effective results in resistance training, you don’t need to train every day for an hour. On the contrary, a 45-60 minute session, 3-4 times a week, is ideal because your body needs recovery time between workouts to build muscle effectively. This routine will yield the best results. If you can only train twice a week, that’s okay, but it’s not optimal.
Pay Attention to Duration
How long should a workout last? An effective workout should take 45-75 minutes, depending on how long your breaks are. If you finish in less than 45 minutes, you probably didn’t lift enough weight. If the session lasts more than 75 minutes, you were likely not focused or took too many long breaks.
Don’t Skip Warm-Up
Warming up is important to increase body temperature and prepare the joints for the activity. It should last 10-15 minutes (joint rotations, side steps, jumping jacks).
Increase Weights Gradually
The rule is that it’s always better to start with lighter weights rather than too much weight to avoid injuries. This means that in the beginning, you can start with just your body weight and gradually add weights. For men, starting with 10 kg dumbbells is reasonable.
How do you know when to increase the weight? The golden rule is simple: if the last few reps are challenging but you can still complete the set, you’re using the right weight. However, if you’re struggling to finish and can’t complete the set, reduce the weight. In general, the last 2-4 reps of the set should be very difficult to perform. For example, if you’re doing a set of 10 exercises with 10 kg and it feels easy to complete, you should increase the weight by 2.5-5 kg. If you’re struggling to finish, reduce the weight by 2.5-5 kg.
