The Difference Between Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

For bodybuilding, having low body fat levels is essential if you want to display the muscles that you have worked so hard for. A big mistake however that many bodybuilders make is that when they want to get ripped, they focus too much on losing weight instead of just focusing on losing fat.

You see, weight loss and fat loss are not necessarily the same thing. Weight loss is very easy to accomplish actually. All you have to do is take in less calories than what your body burns on any given day. So if your body burns 2,500 calories, and you just take in 2,000 calories, weight loss will occur. The problem is that if those calories that you take in do not have the right amount of nutrients, the weight loss may come in the form of muscle tissue loss, water weight, and perhaps even some bone mass! With that being said, let's consider the three examples below:

Bodybuilding Diet Example #1

An example of a diet that can have a negative impact of this nature is a fad diet like eating just chocolate for example (let's call this "The Miraculous Chocolate Diet". In a case like this, because you are taking in less calories than what your body burns, you will lose weight. However, at least 50% of the weight loss will not come from fat. It will come instead from muscle tissue and bone tissue as a diet like this does not provide enough good nutrition to maintain (or slightly increase) muscle mass. The end results will be a smaller but still flabby version of yourself. Furthermore, your metabolism will be crippled by the fact that you have lost lean muscle which is one of the tissues that serves to maintain a high metabolism!

Bodybuilding Diet Example #2

In this example, the bodybuilder is a hardcore athlete who wants to work hard for his/her goals. This bodybuilder is willing to pay the price in order to achieve the bodybuilding goals. However because of his over-enthusiasm, logic is thrown out of the window and a bodybuilding diet consisting of 1500 calories, mostly coming from proteins and some good fats is implemented, in conjunction with an aggressive cardiovascular workout of twice a day 45 minute sessions and killer bodybuilding workouts.

While initially the body will respond well for about ten days, because the calories are so low and the stress on the body so high, cortisol levels will skyrocket, halt fat loss and start cannibalizing muscle tissue in order to cover the energy demand. In addition thyroid levels begin to shut down as well in order to lower the body's metabolism and halt weight loss.

So even though tons of weight will be lost from a program like this, again, the best you can hope for is a 50% split between muscle loss and fat loss (so if you lose 20 pounds, 10 pounds are from fat/water and 10 pounds are from muscle; not good). Thus, the end result will be a more defined but much smaller version of you with a crippled metabolism.

Bodybuilding Diet Example #3

Now imagine that you follow a diet that creates a slight caloric deficit. So if you burn 2500 calories every day, your diet will consist of 2300 (a 200 calorie deficit). Also, imagine that you are following a good nutrition program consisting of 40% good carbs, 40% proteins and 20% fats, and that once a week you consume slightly more calories than the other day (around 2700) in order to prevent a metabolic slowdown. Furthermore, you create an even bigger caloric deficit through your 45-60 minute bodybuilding routines and a cardiovascular program consisting of 30 minutes or so every day. In this case, bone and muscle tissue are preserved (or even improved upon) while fat loss and the release of extra water retention are maximized. This is obviously what we are trying to accomplish.

Conclusion

While any calorie restriction will bring about weight loss it is very important to distinguish between weight loss and fat loss. Regardless of whether a person is interested in bodybuilding competition or simply looking fit, this principle applies to everyone. So always remember, train and diet hard but also be smart. 

Women's Bodybuilding Training - Bodybuilding Fat Loss Tips for Women

Everyone knows what to do to lose fat, right? Then how come so few reach their goals and achieve that lean look if it's so damn easy to get ripped?

I could tell you the very same things as everybody else does, but I definitely won't. It's not only about the perfect diet plan and the right amount of exercise, the best supplements and so on; the most important part of a fat-loss strategy is your mental approach to it.

That's what I'm going to tell you about. Basically, what you've got to do is stick to your plan. Period.

First, let's suppose you do the following things already:

    You do at least 6 cardio workouts of 40-60 minutes per week, preferably pre-breakfast.

    You eat 5-8 small meals per day, emphasizing proteins, healthy fats and vegetables.

    You don't skip on the carbs post-workout. (Take in 0.5 gram per pound of bodyweight)

    You get at least 6 hours of sleep almost every night.

If those are in order, you can get better results using the following tips:

Fat Loss Tip #1: Getting Through The Hardest Of Times
Some days are tougher than others, especially when it's about dieting. I'm talking about those annoying moments when you ask yourself over and over again why you're doing all the cardio and for what?! You feel so sorry for yourself, thinking everyone else is better off, you're watching all 'normal' people eating ice cream every other hour, and you wish so much you were one of those lucky souls. What you must do is to motivate yourself to stick to your plan with whatever means you can use. The photo at the right is what motivates me.

Most chicks would kill for a gorgeous, fit body like this, but they believe a walk in the park will do the trick. Even if you told them it's a bit harder, they wouldn't believe you, since they don't want to face the truth.

Fat Loss Tip #2: You Never Diet, You Follow A Perfect Diet Plan
When I need to drop a couple of pounds, I never say I'm dieting; the mere word 'dieting' gives me the worst cravings imaginable! I just want to run to the supermarket, buying chocolate, fish sticks and other fattening stuff. I tell myself that I'm allowed to eat whatever I like, including ice cream and candy. And lots of it too. But, I must stand the consequences if I'm going to eat like a starving horse. I know that by falling for the temptation will make me fat and puts me farther away from my dream body. Then, I also take into account how satisfied I will be after eating the chocolate and fish sticks. I know it won't be for long, maybe only for a couple of hours before I start to regret it. And then it's already too late; I have just annihilated ten hours of cardio for what; a bit of chocolate?

Fat Loss Tip #3: Show It Off
There's nothing as pleasant as watching your muscles pump up during a workout session, so don't always wear your whole wardrobe at the same time; let yourself see the pay off in the gym's mirrors and you'll feel so much stronger.

Don't care about jealous people who blame you for just showing off. If they cannot stand perceiving a great physique, they probably have some major psychological problems to solve. You must get used to those pessimistic people who hate everybody who more resembles their ideal physique than they do themselves.

Fat Loss Tip #4: How To Get Through The Boring Cardio
Ok, there you go again...Sick and tired of the stairmaster already? Hey, you've only done it 40 times this month! Do a list on topics you can think about when working out. This is my list:

    First, I repeat to myself why I'm doing this boring chore. I mean, it's not always a lot of fun, mounting the step machine at 4:30 a.m., and I must not forget why it's of such great importance that I do it anyway.

    I tell myself this is the very last workout I have to do for my whole life. If I get this one done, I will always look good, always be fit and happy. (Yes, I know it's a lie, but my psyche is so easily duped!)

    I promise myself that I can eat a whole chocolate bar (the biggest one of course!) for breakfast if I only do the cardio. This is a big lie once again, but it doesn't matter since when I'm done, it would be so unnecessary eating something that makes my efforts meaningless.

    I visualize my ripped physique, every comments on my lines and how impressed people will be once I enter the stage.

    Listen to the very best cardio music; Irish folk music! I promise you will get totally energized!

    Visualize what the perfect feature of you in a major muscle mag like Flex or MuscleMag would be like. What questions would they ask you? What kind of pictures? What would the article lead to concerning sponsors, feedback, and model contracts?


Why Is It Critical To Visualize Your Success?
Well, as you're the one who's in charge of your goals and dreams, you cannot let yourself wonder about whether you've got what it takes or not. Who's to judge that? Well, you and you only.

Don't listen to those telling you it's impossible. They don't know, they just think they do. Of course, hear people out, but be careful about what they tell you, and what you tell yourself. Remember, you are what you believe you are! 

Myths of Women's Weight Training and Female Bodybuilding

The myths about women's weight training and female bodybuilding do not ever seem to go away. With this article, I'd like to share the facts regarding weight training and female bodybuilding.

Women's Weight Training Myth #1 -Weight training makes you bulky and masculine.
Due to the fact that women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass by merely touching some weights. Unfortunately, the image that may come to your mind is that of professional female bodybuilders. Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity. In addition, most also have good genetics coupled with an unbelievable work ethic that enable them to gain muscle quickly when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights. Believe me when I say that they do not look like that by accident. Women who conduct weight training without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness/figure shows these days.

Women's Weight Training Myth #2 - Exercise increases your chest size.
Sorry girls. Women’s breasts are composed mostly of fatty tissue. Therefore, it is impossible to increase breast size through weight training. As a matter of fact, if you go below 12 percent body fat, your breast size will decrease. Weight training does increase the size of the back, so this misconception probably comes from confusing an increase in back size with an increase in cup size. The only way to increase your breast size is by gaining fat or getting breast implants.

Women's Weight Training Myth #3 - Weight training makes you stiff and musclebound.
If you perform all exercises through their full range of motion, flexibility will increase. Exercises like flyes, stiff-legged deadlifts, dumbbell presses, and chin-ups stretch the muscle in the bottom range of the movement. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase.

Women's Weight Training Myth #4 - If you stop weight training your muscles turn into fat.
This is like saying that gold can turn into brass. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. What happens many times is that when people decide to go off their weight training programs they start losing muscle due to inactivity (use it or lose it) and they also usually drop the diet as well. Therefore bad eating habits combined with the fact that their metabolism is lower due to inactivity, and lower degrees of muscle mass, give the impression that the subject’s muscle is being turned into fat while in reality what is happening is that muscle is being lost and fat is being accumulated.

Women's Weight Training Myth #5 - Weight training turns fat into muscle.
More alchemy. This is the equivalent of saying that you can turn any metal into gold; don't we wish! The way a body transformation occurs is by gaining muscle through weight training and losing fat through aerobics and diet simultaneously. Again, muscle and fat are very different types of tissue. We cannot turn one into the other.

Women's Weight Training Myth #6 - As long as you exercise you can eat anything that you want.
How I wish this were true also! However, this could not be further from the truth. Our individual metabolism determines how many calories we burn at rest and while we exercise. If we eat more calories than we burn on a consistent basis, our bodies will accumulate these extra calories as fat regardless of the amount of exercise that we do. This myth may have been created by people with such high metabolic rates (hardgainers) that no matter how much they eat or what they eat, they rarely meet or exceed the amount of calories that they burn in one day unless they put their mind to doing so. Therefore, their weight either remains stable or goes down. If you are confused about nutrition, please read Nutrition Basics.

Women's Weight Training Myth #7 - Women only need to do cardio and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light.
First of all, if you only did cardio then muscle and fat would be burned for fuel. One needs to do weights in order to get the muscle building machine going and thus prevent any loss of muscle tissue. Women that only concentrate on cardio will have a very hard time achieving the look that they want. As far as the lifting of very light weights, this is just more nonsense. Muscle responds to resistance and if the resistance is too light, then there will be no reason for the body to change.

Women Should Train Hard
I have trained with girls that train as hard as I do and they look nothing but feminine. If you want to look great, don't be afraid to pick up the weights and lift hard!