21-Day Challenge Guidebook
The WoW 21-Day Challenge Guidebook Welcome! Your goal for the next 21 days is to not only increase the amount of body fat you burn, but to DOUBLE it! We all know that the best results come from the right combination of fitness and nutrition. This guidebook is designed to give you 6 building blocks (3 fitness and 3 nutrition) to help you maximize your fat burn and get you moving over the next 21 days towards your best body ever.
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Fitness 01
The Not-So-Boring Cardio Workout
Everyone knows that cardio burns calories. But did you know that cardio-only workout programs have actually been shown to SLOW your metabolism and cause your body to burn muscle instead of fat? Whoa! During these next 21 days you want to burn calories and fat while increasing your lean muscle (more on
lean muscle next) and you don’t want your cardio workout to undermine your body’s ability to efficiently add lean muscle. That’s why adding the right cardio as part of your workout routine is so important. So add in 2-3 days per week of interval cardio training and keep your total cardio time to 30 minutes or less per day.
Here is an example of how you can integrate cardio interval training into your 21 day workout routine. The following can be done on any cardiovascular piece of equipment (or even outdoors) with the most popular being the treadmill, bike, elliptical and step machine. Tip: Track your heart rate using the built-in sensors on the equipment or by wearing a heart rate monitor. Find your maximum heart rate See your trainer or use this formula for an approximation: 220 – Age = Max Heart Rate
Recovery Phase 60+ seconds: lower your workout intensity to 60-65% of your max heart rate
Warm-up IMPORTANT: recover as long as you 5 minutes: workout at an intensity equal need to get to 60-65% of your max to 60% of your max heart rate heart rate Interval Phase 30 seconds: workout at an intensity equal to 80-85% of your max heart rate
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Repeat these intervals 4-8 times Start with 4 and work your way up to 8 intervals in a cardio workout
Cool-down: 5 minutes: 5 minutes: lower your workout intensity to 50%-60% of your max heart rate
With the right kind of cardio training – yes intervals, you’ll burn a bunch of calories, and when you combine it with strength training (that’s next) you won’t undermine your body’s ability to add some of that allimportant lean muscle.
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Fitness 02 I’ll take lean muscle for 3500 please For every pound of lean muscle you add to your body, your body will burn a whopping 50 extra calories per day. Add 10 pounds and burn an extra 3500 calories per week. Guess how many calories are in one pound of body fat? You got it, 3500! A simple way to connect the dots on this one is to look at the lean muscle on your body like it’s your body’s fat burning factory. More lean muscle = more fat burning. It’s that simple.
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And that’s the real secret to burning a ton of body fat. We’re not saying you need to bulk-up like a bodybuilder, but in order to really burn fat, you need to add some lean muscle. So over these 21 days we want you to add-in 3 high quality and efficient strength training workout sessions per week. This is where your personal trainer comes in. They will show you
exactly how to work hard AND smart – in your pursuit of adding to your fat burning factory. Tip: Add in active rest periods during your workouts to activate more muscles and burn even more fat. In between your sets, skip the small talk or the stroll to the water fountain and throw in a set of crunches or a one-legged balance movement.
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Fitness 03 You recover and grow when you get proper rest OK, so we are back on the importance of gaining lean muscle (did we ever really leave this topic?) Your body has to go through a complicated process of repairing itself after each and every workout, and this only happens when you are resting.
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Related specifically to your muscles, rest time is the primetime for repair and growth. And if you don’t rest properly, you could fall victim to lack of recovery and ultimately overtraining. Resting can be defined as any time you are not working out. Have you ever wondered why most top personal trainers prefer to stick to 30 minute sessions with their clients? By keeping your workouts short but focused and intense, it does two important things. With shorter workout duration, intensity can be higher and recovery can be longer. Both lead to better fat burning results.
Workouts more than 60 minutes in length have been shown to increase the risk of overtraining. When this happens your results can slow and even plateau. Slower metabolism, poor sleep and constant soreness are telltale signs that you are not getting enough rest. So keep your workouts to 30-60 minutes per day, and make sure to take off at least one full day per week from exercise entirely. If you still feel run-down and tired the next week, take 2 days off. Remember, you only recover and grow when you get proper rest.
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Nutrition 01 Be Careful Cutting Calories A huge mistake people make when beginning a new fitness and nutrition program is they cut back too much on the amount of calories they eat each day. We’re not saying that you should start chugging protein or meal replacement shakes every 30 minutes. Instead, start off by simply substituting healthier choices for not-so-healthy ones. Swap fatty burgers for lean meat or chicken. Choose broiled fish over fried fish. Have a salad with grilled chicken (but watch out for those creamy dressings) instead of that basket of chicken fingers.
flavored seltzer water. Add in more fiber-based foods, like black beans, raspberries, or oatmeal. And of course, increase your veggies! There is an old saying that if it’s green… you’re eating clean.
With some simple adjustments to your food choices, you can give your body the calories it needs from sources that will make a big difference in your fat burning.
Another key area… cut back on foods higher in sugar. If you drink soda, cut it out entirely and try naturally
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Nutrition 02 Hit your pre and post-workout recovery window The saying that you only get one chance to make a great first impression is true in life and in strength training. Burning fat has a lot to do with adding lean muscle. Remember, more lean muscle = more fat burning. And building lean muscle, from a nutrition standpoint, requires getting the right balance of nutrients before and after your workouts.
this 45 minute window your body has a unique need (because your muscles need to repair from your workout) to soak-up valuable nutrients. So supply your body with good quality protein and you will give your muscles a fighting chance to repair and grow, and remember the key to increasing your metabolism (and burning more fat) is to add lean muscle to your body.
A good rule of thumb is to eat a high protein meal about 60 minutes prior to your workout, made-up of roughly 50% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 10% fat. A protein shake could be a great option here. This will help your muscles get the valuable energy and amino acids they need for your upcoming workout. To maximize your recovery, eat (or drink) a meal within 45 minutes of your workout. This post-exercise meal should contain 20-30 grams of protein and 30-60 grams of carbohydrates. During
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Nutrition 03 Break the fast Ask any fitness enthusiast – the toughest time to cut back on eating is post-dinner. Yes, those dreaded 3-4 hours after you eat your last meal and before you go to bed. Most people who are looking to get lean opt for nothing during these hours. This is the exact opposite of what you should do – because you have an upcoming fast! Don’t think you are on a fast? Guess again. The time between your dinner and breakfast the next morning can be 12 hours or longer. Why do you think breakfast is called breakfast… break the fast… get it? Going long periods without nutrients, especially protein, can starve your body and increase the chance that your system will actually cannibalize your own muscles in pursuit of the protein it needs to perform workout repair and recovery. Avoid this mistake by eating a small high protein snack about 1-2 hours before bedtime. Cottage cheese (4%) is a favorite. The protein and extra fat content will slow digestion and trickle feed your muscles throughout most of the night (when your real repair and growth occurs).
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In Summary These next 21 days can be life changing. You have the resources in this guidebook, and you have some one-on-one time with a professional personal trainer. All the ingredients for success are in place. Remember, throughout this whole process that your personal trainer is here for you – to answer your questions, guide you and coach you. We’re excited for you to take the 21 Day Challenge at Work Out World.
DISCLAIMER: Information contained in this guidebook is provided for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. Always seek guidance from your own physician or other medical professional before engaging in any physical activity program. Information contained in this guidebook is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
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