personal training st. john's
It was a hot and humid 30-degrees Celsius when we were running and all I could think about was “Don’t over heat! Don’t over heat!”

We were on a one-week vacation down in the Dominican Republic from the arctic St. John’s, Newfoundland. Apart from the 40-degree temperature difference from where we came from, the humidity was probably the worst part, as we weren’t used to it.

So just as a car that overheats and has to stop, I was trying to run as efficiently as I could so I didn’t waste energy and produce excess heat. The car-human analogy works really well actually. At the beginning of your running career, your physiological systems are like a fuel-guzzling diesel engine. Your runs burn a ton of calories and your running economy is well, lacking.

With training, your cardiovascular system adapts to the training stress and develops more capillaries, your heart pumps more blood per beat, you produce more oxygen carrying red blood cells and so on. Essentially, your body is trying to be more efficient at delivering oxygen to your working muscles and ridding these working muscles of metabolic byproducts. As this process becomes more efficient, the easier your runs feel and the fewer calories you burn at the same submaximal pace. Overtime, you turn your body into a fuel-efficient Toyota Prius, which is able to go further with less fuel.

This is why running for fat loss doesn’t work forever.

For the most part, to lose fat, you need to eater fewer calories than you expend. People commonly use exercise, weight lifting or cardiovascular activity e.g. running, ellipticaling, swimming, etc., to bump up the calories-expended part of the equation. (Note: the major method for expending calories is your basal metabolic rate, which is the energy your body and brain need to survive – digestion and non-exercise activity thermogenesis also play a role in the number of calories expended, but we’ll save that explanation for another day)

So in the beginning of a runner’s career, the amount of calories expended is quite large compared to the amount expended after the body starts to adapt. Just picture how you felt after running 20-minutes around a few blocks to how you feel now, running the same distance at the same pace – you obviously feel better after training.

To put a quantity on this, say you expended 300 calories during that 20-mintue run 6 months ago. After training, your body might only expend 100-150 calories running that same 20-minute run today.

So the bottom line here is that you need to adjust the volume or intensity of your runs to burn more calories with each run.

Lifting weights is no different.

As you learn the skills of weight lifting, your form improves over time and you can lift more weight. For example, you use less energy to perform a deadlift or a bench press (at the same submaximal weight) compared to when you first started. Essentially your body improves the neuromuscular communication between your brain and the involved and non-involved muscles, thus making your actions more precise. Your body also increases the amount of muscle you have, which increases your strength and further makes submaximal weights feel easier.

So similar to running, you will expend more calories lifting weights when you’re new versus after several months of training AKA skill practice.

Now put this in the context of fat loss. If you don’t change your diet and just attack your fat loss goals with exercise (weights and/or cardio) and don’t progress your workouts, you’ll burn less fuel and have less of an impact on the calories in/calories out equation over time.

This is why you need to incorporate a few more strategies to your fat loss plan:

1) Have a look at the quantity of food/liquid/food-like substances you consume daily. My Fitness Pal is a free app you can download to estimate how many calories you should consume per day. Eat below this estimated number and you should technically lose weight.

2) Progress your exercises (weights and cardio) overtime so you can continue to develop muscle, strength and your cardiovascular system. Approach exercise not as a calorie burner, but as a method to improve overall health and body composition – lifting weights and getting stronger will increase the amount of lean mass you have e.g. MUSCLE! Where you have the most control of your calories in/calories out equation is in the kitchen.

So were we running for fat loss in the Dominican? No, because I was trying to expend as little energy as possible AKA calories to get through that run. Exercise is a great addition to any fat loss plan, but it’s not the only strategy you should apply. In Lose it Right by James Fell, he states, “…if you’re counting on exercise as your sole or primary weight loss tool, you’ve given yourself a pretty steep challenge no matter how you attempt it.”

Your body becomes more efficient at exercising so progress wisely and adjust food consumption accordingly. Good luck!

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BUNDLE_LWF 2 GSF 2 SquareIf you’re interested in learning new workouts, my friend Jen Sinkler just released Lift Weights Faster 2 this week. Jen put a ton of work into this fantastic product that provides a resource that anyone could dive into and feel at home with. Whether you’re seeking fat loss or performance gains (or of course, both!), her workouts are designed to fit your needs, time and equipment.

I was even asked to contribute one of my favorite conditioning workouts ☺

Learn more about Lift Weights Faster 2 here: www.JKConditioning.com/liftsweightsfaster2

photo credit: Famous Health Studio via photopin (license)

I’m 43 and started at JKC just over a year ago. I started at JKC because of multiple recommendations from existing clients. There are 2 main elements that distinguish JKC for me. Firstly the sense of community. I’ve been to multiple gyms in multiple cities/countries, you just  can not manufacture the sense of community and support you get from other gym goers and the team. It’s very motivating and happy to say I’ve made some friends at JKC.

The other major distinguishing factor for JKC is the expertise and passion of the team. Jon, Thomas and Craig craft highly personalized programs based on my fitness goals and know how to push me best without being pushy. They pay close attention to ensuring my form is solid before encouraging me to take on more weight for the exercise. Plain and simple they love what they do and it shows.

Tara Rector-Whelan

Personal Strength Training by Thomas King

I started at JKC after a good friend recommended it to me. She had been coming for about a year and I was envious of her great results. I felt sluggish after failing to motivate myself with various home workout routines. I love the fun and relaxed atmosphere at JKC. It’s such a comfortable gym space and I enjoy knowing so many of the people I work out with. Jon and Thomas make an effort to introduce everyone to each other and with all the joking around,  it starts to feel like a family. Not to mention the awesome results. I’ve always liked to run on a treadmill but I’ve never had the drive to lift weights on my own. Going to JKC makes me accountable which was what I really needed. I feel so much stronger and healthier than I did 4 years ago when I started.

I recently turned 40, and I have been training at JKC since the summer of 2020. My partner Michael had already been training at JKC, so it came highly recommended. We had set up a home gym at the start of the pandemic, but needed to mix it up after the first lockdown. JKC differs from other gyms because of the personalized workouts. Jon, Thomas and Craig are great at challenging me to do more than I would on my own.

I recently visited Newfoundland for one month, and was looking for a good place to train while I was there. Jon and the team at JK conditioning really took the time to assess what I already knew, and set achievable goals for the time that I had with them. The gym was such a great place to push yourself. It had everything you needed, but more importantly it had a well organized, very knowledgeable, and really motivating group of trainers to push you at each workout. Not to mention a really nice group of other members who also motivated me to go that little bit further. I would highly recommend the gym to anyone who has a goal and wants to find a place to help them achieve it.

I have never previously seen the passion and level of care that Jon and Thomas bring to everyone who works out at JKC. Their knowledge, insight and skills are extraordinary, and they work with everyone individually to ensure the best possible results. The attention to detail and to every person’s specific requirements and goals, and the incredible, constant encouragement they provide, is, in my opinion, what truly distinguishes JKC from any other program in which I’ve participated. I am extremely pleased with the progress I’ve achieved thus far, and it’s largely attributable to Jon and Thomas and the approach they take to training and working with people.

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