Feel Good Personal Training - Fat Loss and glycogen depletion

Feel Good Personal Training

Fat Loss and glycogen depletion 

In todays newsletter I would like to share some thoughts with you about glycogen depletion, fat loss and the ability to train.

In most training circles it is most commonly agreed that glycogen should be maximized at all times during the workout. In a nut shell the theory goes something like this. Intense exercise is required to stimulate muscle growth, increase fitness and improve performance. To fuel this intense workout you need glycogen in order to push yourself. Especially after exercise where there is a unique window of refueling where carbohydrates will be stored as glycogen instead of fat. I agree with this theory. However, I believe that in today’s world of energy drinks and bars it as been over applied to a detrimental affect. 

Firstly let me start by saying that there is a big difference between fuelling yourself to maximise the ability to perform to fuelling yourself to maximise weight and fat loss. Sure, you can argue that you need to be glycogen loaded in order to train hard therefore building lean muscle and burning calories during your workout, hence maximising fat loss. However, I don’t agree that being carb loaded during a workout is the best method for optimising fat loss. The vast majority of people being participating in exercise with myself and in gyms are doing it for fat loss and the health benefits and not to become body builders, bigger, stronger, faster or compete in an event. Therefore the question should be raised why is there such a strong culture amongst gym-goers to be carb loaded during there workout. We’ve all been to spin classes in January and seen the newbies in their sparkling clean shoes and new gym clothes whilst their drinking energy drinks like there going out of fashion. This glycogen loading philosophy that gyms and society seem to be centred around is stopping many hard working gym- goers from reaching their weight and fat loss goals.

We should be very careful when recommending working out in a carb-loaded state for weight and fat loss clients. There is a big difference between fueling yourself to optimize and improve performance compared to optimizing yourself for weight and fat loss. Studies clearly show that glycogen loaded athletes will perform better. However, glycogen loaded athletes will burn less body fat.

At Feel Good Personal Training by recommend to clients that they eat their last meal between 6 and 8pm. We then ask you exercise when you wake up in the morning before eating any food (between 6 and 8am).  We then ask you to eat breakfast within 2 hours of your workout. I realize some personal trainers, bodybuilders, and conditioning specialist will frown on this technique because of the “glycogen dogma”.  However, I have found this technique to be highly effective for weight and fat loss. It is true however that 90% of my clients are interested in weight loss and fat loss and I rarely have more than 2 to 5 athletes or bodybuilding clients I am training at one time. This is NOT a technique I recommend for these types, you’ll need to fuel yourself completely different in order to reach your goals however it will work brilliant for clients with weight or fat loss goals.  

I hope you find this article interesting and helpful to reaching your weight and fat loss goals. For more information on personal training or online training packages please get in touch.   

Dominic Burns

Director 

www.feelgoodpt.co.uk

www.onlinetransformation.co.uk

07757 345 764