Can workouts like Zumba really get you Fit?

Now go workout today. And start eating Kale once a week. See you soon,

I got muscle with Zumba...

… said no person ever

Before the weekend hits, I want to set something straight:

For real results, you need to build muscle..

And to build muscle, you need to damage it during your workout, so that it can ‘regrow’ afterwards.

Yup, ‘damage’.. stay with me

During this ‘regrow’ after your workout.. it’s the intention to have your muscle grow back stronger and bigger.

That’s one of the main purposes of working out, aside from burning calories during the workout.

DURING your workout you’re tearing it down. When you eat & sleep you rebuild.

But you will only ‘regrow’ and rebuild your muscle if you:

-> Take a protein shake within 5 minutes from finishing your workout
-> Push heavy weight in the first place (with proper form)
-> Have a complete meal within 60 min after finishing your workout (go sweet potato & Kale, both available at TJ. Tijuana. I mean Trader Joes.)
-> Be nice to others. Don’t be like Justin Timberlake, only inviting 2 of the N-Sync members for his wedding with Jessica Biel, that’s just mean
-> Drink at least half a gallon water (aim for a gallon and fail forward)
-> Get at least 7 hours sleep. No more Jay Leno. Go to bed. Live like a European in America, it’s a beautiful thing.
-> Reduce stress to a minimum. Have a 7 month emergency fund set up. And cut out all vampires from your life. Especially if they get drunk more than once per month.
-> Eat clean. No more drive-throughs, except for maybe Waba Grill if you go for the all-white meat and brown rice before 3pm.
-> Stop saying dumb things like “I want arms like that” or “I want legs like hers”. Be grateful, happy with what you have. I can guarantee you that your absolute WORST day is someone
else’s dream come true (think paraplegics).

If you do all this properly, you will gain muscle.

Gaining muscle is GOOD.

When you gain muscle, you increase your metabolism for throughout the day, so that your Calories OUT goes up not only during your workout, but also afterwards..

This is why I’m big-time anti-marathons.

Unless you’re on a bouncy treadmill, running long-distance breaks muscle down like no other.

Yeah you’ll burn calories while running, but you’ll lose muscle as well – the OPPOSITE of what you want.

Big time risk of getting ‘skinny’ instead of ‘Warrior-like’

And to all guys -> when a fire breaks out, most brunettes choose the warriors over the skinny’s to carry them to safety. Blondes too I think.

To girls -> skinny is extinct. Come 2012 it’s about c-shapes, strength, and legs that have ‘content’. SUF client Vicky Rodriguez comes to mind.

So you break down muscle while you workout. That’s why every workout should be 45 min max – you don’t want to damage your muscle for too long

Muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle.. muscle

To all ladies: I want you to read that sentence a couple times – or as many times you need to become comfortable with the term.

Muscle is good, it’s your friend. And this email serves as my retirement from telling you that muscle does not make you bulky..

In other words, this is the last time I’m saying it:

Excess bodyfat makes you look bulky. And excess calories gives you excess bodyfat.

Therefore, CALORIES make you bulky

Calories IN vs Calories OUT

Nutrition 101. If you have meatball marinara’s for lunch, you’re giving yourself too little ‘wiggle room’ for all other 5 meals you should be eating throughout the day..

.. and you’re very likely to overeat throughout the day.

‘Overeating’ here means that your Calories IN from waking up to bedtime exceeds your Calories OUT.

One more time:

IN more than OUT – you gain weight

IN equals OUT – you stay the same

IN less than OUT – you lose weight (provided your deficit is reasonable and not all week long, avoiding the starvation response)

See, I’m slightly fired up here – because after my last post  where I told about Zumba being ineffective for fat loss, I get this reply from a girl:

“Zumba is a great workout because people sweat and one of my friends lost 30 lbs while doing it”

To debunk this nonsense:

-1- Sweat is not an indication of a good workout, it is your body’s way of ‘cooling you down’ when you get hot. Some people sweat more than others, and it has little to do with whether your workout is effective.
-2- Anyone can lose 30 lbs by reducing their calories IN.. i.e. going on a diet. If you’re disciplined and eating 500+ calories less than what you burn off 6 days a week, you’ll lose 1 pound per week.

REGARDLESS of what exercise program you do. Your exercise program serves to increase your Calories OUT.

Therefore, weight loss is not an indication of a good workout either. It’s your definition, inches, sizes, strength, energy, and butt that defines your workout.

Look, I must write this.

Because I want to save your day, literally.

I want to save you TIME

Let me explain why I don’t like Zumba..

The #1 thing that separates the successful from everyone else is.. how.. they .. manage.. their.. time

Everyone has the same 24 hours in the day.

Warren Buffet has 24 hours. Jay Leno has 24 hours. And even Kanye West has 24 hours, 10 of which he spends with Kim and 10 of which he brags about how much money he has.

What puts you ahead or holds you back, is how you spend your time. Time management is huge

Huge as in Kim’s butt huge.

Now if you look at the Zumba workout versus a Real workout..

.. Zumba being aerobics & dancing, versus resistance training explosive movements, resisted/uphill running, plyometrics, anaerobics, and INTENSE cardio

Then you’re better off spending time doing a real workout.

Zumba is like Spanks. It feels good at first, but in the end you’re just as flabby.

Resistance makes you stronger. You can’t expect to see results from Zumba, there is no resistance involved.

It’s aerobics.

And “trying to lose fat with aerobics is like emptying the ocean one shot glass at a time”

Your body grows when you are uncomfortable, Your body grows when you put it through resistance, and Zumba does not provide ample resistance.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Zumba for their place on the fitness ladder. Zumba is an awesome way of ‘getting started’ for girls that:

- have not worked out in 12+ years
- have one leg

In all seriousness, “something” is always better than “nothing”. And true success is not for everyone.

And one of the worst phenomena in the world is when fit people make fun of the unfit for ‘trying’

It just hurts to me to see these unfit people ‘trying’ and truly believing they are going to see real results.

It just won’t happen with aerobics. Richard Simmons never had a 6-pack.

As another awesome gym owner in Canada, Rob King says:

“Anyone wanting to improve their body is a bodybuilder. And I’ll lift weights till the day I die”

So as a group, let’s start being bodybuilders. Or Warriors.

In the good sense of the word.

Not meatheads, but renegades that keep their eyes on the prize and live, eat, and breathe fat loss.

You can do it – I believe in you, and if there is anything you need just let me know

DAVID KNAPP- NCSF-MCPT,CNS

DEKFITNESS2015@GMAIL.COM
princetonbootcamps@yahoo.com