If “your expert” says in his major works that you need to work out for a minimum of an hour a day and suddenly he is pushing the newest 7 minute workout, you should be immediately suspicious.  Pushing that workout would conflict with his previous teachings. This would be fine except that the week after he pushes the 7 minute workout he comes out with the new 65 Minute Full Body Blast workout.  So what are you supposed to do?

Most people simply read too much information. They jump around from plan to plan, program to program trying to find the magic bullet.  Why don’t they realize that there is no magic bullet?  Why aren’t they considering the fact that it takes time to see results from any program?  If they don’t give something time to work how are they going to assess results?

Information overload comes from an onslaught of information on the internet and our willingness to listen to that information.  The end of information overload is completely up to you. 

My friend, Mike Groom (http://www.aussiebodybuilder.com) is currently on an 84 day mission to lose weight and body fat.  He is joined by several other “Shredders” on the Awesome 8 Group Shred.  Mike is an extremely supportive person, always leaving nice comments for others on their blogs.

Do me a favor and head over to http://www.aussiebodybuilder.com and let Mike know you support him in his mission.  Leave an encouraging comment on his blog.  People on a fat loss mission always appreciate knowing they have the support of others.   

You are tracking your results, right?  What are you doing with those results you are tracking? 

• Monitor calorie intake vs. fat loss/gain. Fat loss isn't really rocket science. In his book, The Body Fat Solution, Tom Venuto tells us that fat loss is all about taking in less calories than we expend. He tells us it really is that simple. It isn't about eating low carb. It isn't about low fat. It is all about monitoring how many calories you take in and comparing it to your fat loss/gain. If you are losing fat, stick to the calorie level you are at, but if you are gaining, start to make small adjustments to your caloric intake. Continually monitor this area of your plan and you are bound for success.
• Monitor your recovery time. If you see that you are taking longer to recover, beware of overtraining. Most people think that overtraining involves a loss of muscle, but that isn't the only indicator of overtraining. If you are not mentally up for a big lift, it might be because you are overtraining. If you have been extremely consistent with your workouts and suddenly you just don't feel like hitting the gym, you are probably overtraining. If any of these things are happening, do something about your recovery time. Get more rest. Take more time off. If you haven't had a break from training in many weeks, take a week off.
• Monitor your scale weight vs. fat loss/gain. I am not a big fan of people who focus alot of energy on their scale weight. With that said, I believe that the combination of your scale weight and your body fat percentage is a huge indicator of how you are doing. If my scale weight is staying the same, but my fat percentage is going down, I am extremely happy because it means I am growing a larger engine. That's a key to me. If, on the other hand, my fat percentage is staying the same, but my scale weight is going down, I am immediately concerned because I am clearly losing muscle. Changes would then be required.
• Monitor your mental attitude. If you are positive, you are bound to produce good results. If you are negative, you are bound to produce bad results. Watch what your mental attitude is and adjust it. Your mental attitude is a choice, so choose to have a good one.
• Monitor the intensity of your training. We need intensity to produce growth. You need to go beyond. Only when you develop the discipline to go beyond will you see consistent growth in your body. Pain is just a state of mind. You have to push through it–go beyond–in order to see the gains you wish.

• Change up your repetition scheme. If you are doing low reps and heavy weight, change things up to use higher reps and lighter weight.
• Change up the number of sets you are doing. If you are doing 3 sets, increase or decrease the sets depending upon how you are recovering.
• Decrease the frequency of your workouts. Yes, I said decrease your frequency. It works. If you are working out 3 days a week, reduce it to 2 days a week for a period of time.
• Make sure you are following the progressive overload principle. You should be adding weight and/or repetitions each workout. If you have been doing this and are stuck, try one of the other tips in this article. If you have not been doing this, what's your problem? Get with it and start progressing!
• Take a step back. If you are deadlifting 300 lbs. and just can't seem to add weight or repetitions, step back about 20%. That's right, lower the weight down to 240 lbs. and start progressing again. You will be surprised to find that you will blast right past the 300 lb. roadblock in no time at all.

While some of these tips seem counterintuitive, they all work and work well!  If you find yourself stuck at a plateau, dig out these tips and try them out. 

The Types of Cardio You Can Do

H.I.I.T. – High Intensity Interval Training

This one isn’t for wimps.  I am not talking about straight up intervals here, I am talking about intervals with extremely high intensity.  The intervals will be 9.0 MPH for the high end and 5.0 MPH for the low end. 

Steady State

Steady State cardio (SS for short) is a great way to burn fat.  You have a much lower risk of injury when you do SS cardio.  This will generally involve a low intensity, long duration session of cardio.

Max OT Cardio

This type of cardio is very specific and must be done on a machine that allows you to maintain a good pace.  The idea is to do 16 minutes of cardio and maximize the distance you travel during that time.  Each time you do it you aim to increase the distance you travel. Naturally, this adds to the intensity each time.

Crafting a Good Cardio Program

Like weight training, it is important to mix up your cardio.  It doesn’t have to be too extreme.  Lately I have been doing SS cardio and Max OT cardio.  I find that the Max OT style fits well in my afternoon cardio sessions.

Follow these guidelines to craft an excellent cardio program.

• Don't overdo the intensity.
• Be aware of your body to avoid injury
• Mix up the machines you use
• Avoid adaptation by changing up the type of cardio you do
• Be consistent with doing your cardio
• Try adding fasted cardio to your program for maximum fat loss