…continued – Burning Fat
Randy’s Fat Loss Approach
Randy has been training for a few years and decides he’s ready to compete in his first bodybuilding show. The show is about 12 weeks away. The first thing he does is increase his reps. By increasing his reps he is forced to reduce the amount of weight he trains with. “No big deal”. thinks Randy, “High reps burns fat”.
The second thing Randy does is reduce his calorie intake. With this he cuts out all dairy products, sweets, and yes, he cuts out all his sodium intake – which he kept low year round anyway. Ever since he started training people told him that he should cut out all salt. He never thought to ask, but it sounded logical.
As if this isn’t enough Randy then increases the volume of cardio he’s been doing. He’s now doing 45 minutes on the stair climber after each workout and on his off days. Burning that fat. It’s tough, but he knows that’s what he has to do.
As the weeks go Randy’s clothes get looser and the weights feel heavier. So he goes lighter. (“Hey, I’m on a diet.”. he thinks. “That’s supposed to happen.”) The scale is showing he’s dropping weight. Plan’s working.
Well as the weeks continue to go by he starts checking himself out in the mirror and sure enough, he’s getting leaner. Smaller too, but hey, that’s what happens. No big deal. Bodybuilding is certainly part illusion. “I’ll look bigger when I’m shredded and have a tan”, Randy rationalizes.
Weeks continue to click off and his body weight is dropping almost as fast as the weight he’s lifting. Sure he’s getting leaner and the tan sure has helped, but he’s now looking kind of skinny, stringy, and he is probably going to be in a weight class lower than he had planned.
He can’t understand it. Did he really have that much fat on him? Did he lose muscle along with the fat? If so, why? “I’m doing everything perfectly”, Randy’s thinking.
Now it’s crunch time. 2 weeks before the show he “carb depletes” – you know, to burn that last little bit of fat. “All bodybuilders do this.” he says. He goes to near zero carbs and increases his reps even further. He’s going from exercise to exercise with little rest. And for more carb depletion he doubles his cardio. He’s dragging ass, but that’s what it takes.
