The Truth About Fat Burners

Having assisted many fitness models and bodybuilders with their physiques, and maintaining a low body fat year round for my own sport, I am quizzed on a daily basis regarding diet and exercise. One recurring subject is fat burners.

Fat burners....mmmm....where to start with this subject. First off, if you’ve come across this article, the likelihood is that you have (or are) considering using a fat burner of some sort. Unfortunately though, the associated marketing blurb and hype can make the subject of fat burning supplements somewhat exaggerated and at best deliberately misleading. Because of this, I may be annoying throughout the remainder of the article body and enclose the term “fat burner” in inverted commas each time.

Due to misleading advertising, I am often asked for, or about, fat burners that “melt away fat”, “stop fat building up”, “strongest at burning fat” etc. You get the idea!

The majority of “fat burners” offer a supplement stack of ingredients – appetite suppressants, thermogens, fat binders, fat blockers and carb blockers. “Fat burners” are described as something that will either burn more fat when introduced, or inhibit (stop or reduce) fat from being created.

Well, is any of this true? Sort of, but it is, again, misleading at best. First, we should consider that fat is stored energy. The only way to utilize stored energy is to cause an energy (calorie) deficit i.e. burn more energy than we consume / consume less energy than we burn. In short, doing what we should be doing – eating less and being more active. To this end, the appetite suppressing qualities of a “fat burner” will aid us to eat less, whilst a stimulant ingredient should give a “buzz” to be more active. So, far removed from “melt away fat”. Often, “fat burners” are referred to by people as being “stronger” if the stimulant hit is greater, thereby often increasing their activity levels further.

With the above in mind, the following statement is also given in relation to thermogenic aids/ metabolic optimizers.... 

“Fat burners increase your metabolism thus converting the stored body fat into energy that will be used by your body”

Again, this is slightly misleading. A stimulant will increase metabolic rate for a duration, however, the change is fairly insignificant to consuming food more often and exercise on metabolic rate. Note: We’ll cover “optimal eating” and types of exercise on our metabolism (body functions) amongst other training articles. 

In my view, "fat burners" are best used once you reach a plateaux during weight loss - when you just need a little extra push in the right direction in order to eat a bit less or train a little bit harder. A stimulant product (like the many you’ll see advertised) can help to achieve this. To this end, the more popular products tend to be those with a higher stimulant dose. However, a stronger supplement doesn't necessary mean better, as you may find that a weaker dose supplement proves more advantageous (i.e. achieving enough of a "buzz" without any adverse side effects).

As with your eating and exercise regime, you should consider what is realistically sustainable. I am only able to keep to a low body fat percentage by being consistent with my eating and exercise habits. A “fat burner” should never be considered as a long-term solution, it’s not! It may present a short-term aid though to help improve your eating and exercise habits.

I hope you have found this article useful. 

All the best,

GP

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Great Gym Workout Gadget

Hello all, I hope you've been enjoying your training this week! I've recovered from my charity jaunt last weekend & was back in the gym as usual come Monday (although I did take things easy). Special thanks to those that have emailed about performing their gym workouts from our new paperback book - glad you like it! If you haven't ordered yours already, the discount code (YEA86YW4) is still valid :) .

Anyway, on to this week's newsletter. It's not too often I'll afford space on a newsletter to a product, but I've been asked about one particular product a few times this week - the Manta Ray. I'm sure only a minority of you would've heard of this excellent device, but it's been around for well over a decade and is a great weapon to add to your training arsenal. So, what is it? Read on....

The Manta Ray squat aid has long been one of those products which I just can't help but think "Damn, I wish I came up with that!", regardless, I'm glad someone did! It's simplicity, and that Advanced Fitness patented the product, are the Manta Ray's overwhelming reasons that it's stood the test of time and kept many weight training enthusiasts squatting (or lunging etc.) happily for so many years.

Very well made from highly-resilient polyurethane polymer (PU), a Manta Ray will outlast you, which makes the Manta Ray price tag ($39.95 direct) an absolute bargain! The only reason I've known weight trainers re-purchase the Manta Ray is through theft or having lost it. They've re-purchased because the Manta Ray works!

Unlike using a barbell pad or towel, which serves only to cushion the load, the Manta Ray distributes the load across your Trapezius muscles, hence it being the shape of a Manta Ray. Personally, as someone who's squat in excess of 3 times their bodyweight (this is not intended to be "dick measuring"), discomfort through the resting point of the bar has never been an issue, although this is the primary reason that most of you will buy it. Instead, for me, the most positive attribute is to avoid rolling of the bar and stress on the shoulder complex, which can be interrelated and can lead to serious injury! Both issues are solved when squatting with the Manta Ray, which, despite your hands still being positioned in the conventional manner to squat, feels very much like a Top Squat or Safety Squat Bar to use, but a lot cheaper & portable (fits in your gym bag!).

Of note, I've also found the Manta Ray of use training taller individuals (6ft +), improving their technique significantly and reducing strain on the lower back.

So, in short, I highly recommend the purchase of the Manta Ray squat device - the Manta Ray gets our rare 5 star rating (note: the only other products to get this rating being the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells and the Gym Workouts - Maps to Success book).

Enjoy next week's training!

All the best,

GP

P.S. To purchase the Manta Ray direct from the manufacturer at the best-price, please CLICK HERE.

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PAPERBACK BOOK RELEASE – 10% OFF FOR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS

Hello,

Due to the success of the #1 bestselling ebook Gym Workouts – Maps to Success, I’m pleased to announce that an 8” x 10” paperback version has just been published – woo!

Not having read the book since it was first penned a little over 6 months ago, reading it all over again (checking the proof) made me realise what a good book it is and why I came to compile it from my personal training diaries in the first place. Starting out training all those years ago, I would have loved this book. In fact, I’m even excited about using it again now!

Likewise, the 5 proof copies I issued between students, colleagues, and sports stars, were greatly received, with many using the book for their own gym workouts the same week. Needless to say, I never got the proof copies back (I guess that’s a good sign!).

As a thank you to those that have followed and supported the Gym Professor web site, I am offering you 10% discount off the newly released paperback edition. To order, please visit the link below and enter your discount code of YEA86YW4 upon checkout to receive your 10% discount.

I’ll be away from the office for a couple of days. For some insane reason, I’m off on an ultra-endurance event in aid of charity and although a muscular physique may look good on a beach, it’s not going to help me much here :( . If you have any queries, please email them through and I’ll answer them on my return (or from my cell phone if I’m allowed a rest break :) ).

All the best,

GP

P.S. Please note: The discount code will not work if attempting to purchase the book from another store (such as Amazon).

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Basics about Steroids

Hello,

It's difficult to get away from in the gym and fitness world, so, having been asked several times a day this week basic information about steroids, I thought it appropriate to share this article with you......

There are three commonly known types of steroids - androgens (dominant male hormones), estrogens (dominant female hormones) and cortisones (often used as an anti-inflammatory drug). The most abundant androgen in men is testosterone. Increased testosterone is seen as beneficial for athletic performance because it influences our metabolism (body's processes) to increase muscle mass, strength, recovery and regulates less accumulation of body fat. Subsequently, men will typically display a greater muscle mass, strength and lower body fat percentage than women, although I know many women that would argue our ability of greater recovery.

The mention above of testosterone aptly brings me to the reason the majority of us, certainly if you're receiving a gym biased newsletter like this, will associate the name steroid with anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids (a subgroup of androgens) have primarily been designed as a synthetic copy of testosterone, albeit typically lower in androgen properties. So, encompassing all the "good" aspects that testosterone brings - muscle growth and recovery - while downplaying the "bad" aspects - oily skin, acne, baldness, body hair etc. This is not to say that users of anabolic steroids will not experience androgenic side-effects, as androgen levels will still be increased and, certainly if higher doses are taken, the risk is greater increased.

There are other potential negative side-effects, which we’ll cover in more depth in future articles. Here’s a taster... some potential side-effects are dependent upon your choice of application, such as oral steroids that are 17-aplha-alkylated (Anadrol, Dianabol etc.) and are fairly toxic on the liver, as the coating is applied in order to stop the enzymes of the liver breaking the substance down, placing the liver under stress as it keeps trying. Surprisingly, as you may warrant a greater dose of a weaker 17-aplha-alkylated steroid, a weaker steroid may increase the likelihood of toxicity side-effects.

Although drugs can enhance both performance and physique, the results are unsustainable without regular use, therefore, increasing the temptation of abuse and negative side-effects.

One of the reasons for creating the book Gym Workouts - Maps to Success is that many people will use and/ or abuse anabolic steroids to make up for the failings in both their diet and training. Before considering the temptation of anabolic steroids (or other performance enhancing drugs), I advise that you correct the aforementioned issues first in order to be the best you can be drug free, thereafter, the choice is yours. To help, the book Gym Workouts - Maps to Success provides an infinite structure to apply to your consistent and progressive training.

Resource: This article is an extract from the book Gym Workouts - Maps to Success.

Also worth mentioning: I've noticed another re-emergence over the past couple of weeks of non-commercial steroids marketed and sold as "pro-hormone supplements". These fall in to a bit of a gray area. As they've never really been commercialized, they're not yet classified as a "Steroid", but they are a steroid! Normally, these steroids have not been commercialized due to reasons such as high toxicity and there being "better" steroid choices available (which have been commercialized!).


All the best,

GP
Knowledge is Power!
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P.S. Due to the success of the ebook version (note: read reviews), I have just signed-off the publisher's proof for the paperback version of Gym Workouts - Maps to Success, so this should be printed, released and distributed over the next week. I'll send a newsletter advising when it's ready.