Burn Fat and Shape Your Body Faster--With Power

If you want to burn fat faster and shape your body faster (and better), don't overlook power exercises during your workouts.



Power is the ability to exert maximum muscle force in the shortest amount of time (rate-of-force production). Because power exercises are so intense and done full speed, they are great for burning body fat.

1. Among other benefits, power exercises recruit more muscle fibers (mainly fast-twitch fibers) more frequently which helps the fat-burning process. Recruiting your fast-twitch muscle fibers during your workouts will give you a more lean, toned looking body.

A good power exercise is squat jumps (with or without dumbbells). Before doing an exercise like this at full speed, you need to learn correct jumping and landing techniques! If you don't master these mechanics, injuries are coming your way sooner rather than later!

Another not-so-obvious benefit of power exercises: you will never get bored doing them! They happen so fast that you don't have a chance to get bored.

2. For those of you who like to combine your weight training and cardio workouts, the use of power exercises would work well. Its pretty simple, but a very tough way to do your workout.

Remember that cardio exercise doesn't have to be aerobic. Aerobic exercise is an activity that is done continuously for more than 2 straight minutes (like running on a treadmill). Research has proven that the heart health and fat burning benefits of anaerobic exercise (short bursts like jumps or sprinting) is superior to aerobic exercise.

Between each weight training exercise set, do 30-45 seconds of jump rope, mountain climbers or squat jumps full speed. It's just that simple and that tough!

Try to do the whole 30 minute workout without any rest between exercises. Rest 2-3 minutes after completing the circuit and repeat the circuit 1 or 2 more times. This is an advanced workout technique and is guaranteed to give you maximum fat burn and heart health.

3. A common problem that exercisers run into all the time is---"I have hit a wall (plateau)!" All of the early success associated with starting an exercise program can send you into a tailspin when you reach a plateau. You become frustrated and wonder "what am I doing wrong?" You probably just need to change up your exercise routine and you'll be okay.

There are many ways to change up an exercise routine----do new exercises, adjust the intensity, adjust the amount of weight, adjust the repetitions/sets, etc.

One of the best ways to get you "out of your exercise funk" is to add some power exercises to your workout routine! Shorter, more intense workouts (weight training or cardio) will give you more fat loss gains.

Here's an example: instead of doing cardio on the elliptical machine, do your cardio with a pair of power exercises. It can go something like this:

--Full speed medicine ball chops, 1 minute
--Slow jog for 2 minutes
--Full speed butt kickers, 1 minute
--Slow jog for 2 minutes

Just do this rotation for 20 minutes and you have a very intense cardio workout. And, on your weight training days, you could mix in some power exercises. Before you know it, you will have broken through your plateau! Try it! From personal experience, I know it works.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Her Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Body Transformation Improves Health and Beauty

You can't transform your body without significant fat loss. Fat loss will make your body more healthy and beautiful (lean). Fat loss will also lead to lasting weight loss.

What if the bathroom scale only showed you your body fat percentage and not your weight? That wouldn't be a bad thing. A woman or man with 10-15% body fat is never a bad thing. A body composition change (less fat, more lean mass) is the key to permanent weight loss.

In a study led by Eric J. Jacobs, PhD, American Cancer Society strategic director, Pharmacoepidemiology, researchers examined the association between waist circumference and the risk of death among 48,500 men and 56,343 women age 50 and older who had taken part in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a subset of the larger Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II).

“We were interested in looking at waist size because it’s strongly correlated to fat tissue in the abdomen, which is the most dangerous kind of fat issue,” said Jacobs.

Jacobs and his colleagues found that people with very large waists (47 inches or larger in men, 42 inches or larger in women) had approximately twice the risk of death compared to those with the smallest waists (35 inches in men, 30 inches in women) during the study period.

And, this is the interesting part about the study: it didn't matter if the person was normal weight, overweight or obese (according to body mass index).

“We found a pattern showing that expanding waist size was linked to a greater risk of dying regardless of body weight,” said Jacobs. “Similarly, people with the smallest waist sizes had the lowest risk. The take home message here is watch your waist size regardless of your weight.”

Give yourself the best chance to live a long, healthy life! Transform your body to lean.

If you lose 20 pounds in 10 days using severe calorie restriction with no exercise (you probably won't have the energy to exercise), just about all of that weight loss will be lost muscle mass.

Increase your muscle mass (with regular strength training) to permanently speed up your metabolism. Your body has to work harder to maintain muscle mass. You need to build a lean body that will give you good health and one that will last through the years of your life. If you rush the fitness process, it won't work.

Here are some tips to help you transform your body:

1. Make the commitment to a lifetime of fitness and not just to a 4-week or 8-week exercise plan.

And, you can't just go to the gym and "haphazard" your way to fat loss and weight loss success! Becoming fit is not "rocket science" but its much more than "gym science."

A good fitness plan is based on basic science, research and evidence. A good fitness plan is also unique for every person. Two people following the same program will get different results because of individual differences.

Don't underestimate the value of a personal trainer. Besides helping you visualize your fitness and health goals, a personal trainer will give you expert guidance and feedback. A personal trainer will also be your accountability partner.

2. Be honest with yourself (like why your fat loss efforts failed in the past) and set realistic fitness goals.

3. Improve your eating habits day by day based on a sound nutrition plan. You may need to make small changes at first. An example would be to cut out processed foods and replace them with whole, natural foods. You may need a pantry makeover!

Don't starve yourself (severe calorie restriction). This will only encourage your body to store fat because it thinks you are starving. Eat small meals every 3-4 hours to keep your body energized and to keep your metabolism humming.

Forget the quick weight loss gimmicks (they lead to yo-yo weight loss and even more weight gain)! There are no quick solutions to permanent fat loss and weight loss.

4. Adjust your lifestyle to "fit in" exercise. That doesn't mean you need a gym membership. You need to be intentional about staying active (like walking every day) and exercising regularly. A home workout will do the trick.

Eat These 3 Foods to Burn More Belly Fat

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Her Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Control Weight Gain Better--Limit Sugary Foods and Drinks

The primary cause of weight gain for most of us is that we love food too much. Don't blame your weight gain on your "slow metabolism." A slow or sluggish metabolism is not the major cause of weight gain.

Absent some medical reason, a caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain (consuming more calories than you burn in a day). You cannot consistently maintain caloric surpluses day to day and lose weight/burn fat.

Even though you don't need to strictly count calories, you need to have a good idea of how much and what you are eating.

If you want to speed up your metabolism and burn more calories and fat, exercise regularly (strength training and interval cardio exercise) and move more during the day (like walking). Also, eat right and often. Eating small meals every 3-4 hours will keep your metabolism humming and will keep your body from shifting to "starvation mode" (storing fat).

Looking for ways to improve your diet? Here's a quick and not so easy way to do it--cut out sugary foods and drinks. You will be much healthier and leaner.



The biggest culprit is probably sodas. Face it, sodas taste great or they wouldn't sell. Nutritionists believe sodas (and sugary drinks) are like liquid poison. They are right! The double jeopardy is that soda adds calories without making you feel full (empty calories).

According to government data, sweetened soft drinks add about 10 percent of the calories in the typical American's diet.

Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard endocrinologist, who is widely cited by obesity researchers, says that sweetened drinks are the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain. "Highly concentrated starches and sugars promote overeating, and the granddaddy of them all is sugar-sweetened beverages," said Ludwig, who runs the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital in Boston.

The increase in soda consumption mirrors this nation's obesity epidemic. At the midpoint of the 20th century, Americans drank four times as much milk as sodas. Today, this trend is almost totally reversed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In the past 30 years, the national obesity rate has more than doubled, and among teenagers, more than tripled, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On a gut level, we already knew this information about sweetened drinks. But, it helps for us to read it and "digest it." Start today by replacing sugary foods and drinks with water and unsweetened drinks, like tea.

Some people drink as many as 6 sodas a day! Imagine the calories that could be cut and the relief your kidneys will feel when you cut out the sugary drinks!

Eat These 3 Foods to Burn More Belly Fat

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Thanksgiving--What to Eat after Workouts

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! I have a free book download to help you know when and how to eat.

Did you know you need to eat within 45 minutes to feed your muscles after a tough weight training workout? Do you know what you should eat before and after your workout?

Post-workout nutrition is important to help your body recover from intense exercise (especially weight training). You don't need to eat immediately after your workout but there is a 45-minute window where replenishing your body's fuel will optimize your tissue's repair and growth. And, it will help you recover and get ready for your next workout.

You have to eat enough of the right foods (all the time) for your body to work properly---whether exercising, working, walking or just plain living.

In the Free Report, "What to Never Eat After You Workout," you will learn:

--Why your workouts just might be a complete waste of your time.

--A research proven ratio of nutrients your body craves as soon as you stop exercising.

--How your body is literally being robbed of the results you are working so hard to attain.

--The stone-cold truth about the consequences your body suffers through by fueling it incorrectly.

--And, of course, exactly what to NEVER eat after you workout.

Eat to build muscle and burn fat! Train hard and smart!

Download your Free Report, "What to Never Eat After You Workout!" Fuel your body all day to give you better results during and after workouts.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Is Rapid Fat Loss Easier to Achieve?

If you think rapid fat loss is easy, think again. Name one thing in life worth achieving that didn't take hard, smart work. You can't do it.

If anything, rapid fat loss will be very difficult to attain. You are burning fat at a faster rate. That means tough workouts and healthy, managed nutrition.

And, rapid fat loss is just the beginning kickstart to your long-term exercise program. You will continue to workout, burn fat and lose weight after the rapid fat loss period (usually about 10-14 days).

I heard yet another advertisement for a quick weight loss pill. It promised results "the easy way!" After 100 years of weight loss history, doctors and fitness professionals agree that the best solution for fat loss and weight loss is healthy, managed nutrition and regular exercise.

Until you get good at knowing what and when to eat, keep a food journal to learn how to manage your eating. Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your nutrition plan and fat loss if you keep a food journal.

By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will be forced to plan your meals better. It will also help protect you from binge eating and emotional eating if you write down why you eat what you eat.

There are no quick fixes for building your lean and toned body! Forget the commercials that say "Lose 20 pounds in 10 days." You will put that weight back on (and more) when you begin to eat enough food again.

And, the weight you lose that quickly is mainly lost muscle and not lost fat. You need to build a body that will give you good health and one that will last through the years of your life.

Fortunately, muscle mass can be maintained/increased (and body fat decreased) throughout your life with regular weight training (including bodyweight exercises) and interval cardio exercise. Weight training also helps to keep your bones strong (preventing osteoporosis).

When was the last time you had your body fat percentage checked? Make a habit of doing this once a week to check your progress. If your body is shrinking (lost fat and inches), you are on the way to building your lean body.

There are no shortcuts to building the healthy, lean and toned body you need!

Be sure and download your FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program from My Fitness Hut!



Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

3 Tips to Burn More Fat with Interval Cardio

Use your interval cardio sessions to burn fat and not waste away your muscle mass. Throw your 60-minute cardio sessions out and replace them with efficient, fat-burning sprint interval cardio workouts.

Build your lean body with less hard work. Be a smart exerciser and you will lean out your body faster.

So, here are 3 Tips to Burn More Fat with Interval Cardio:

1. Make your warm up count as a significant calorie burner. I can't tell you how many times I have seen people "goofing off" during their warmup before the workout.

One to 2 minutes for a warmup is not enough to get your body ready for the workout and if you only do static stretches for your warmup, that is not enough.

Burn more calories by using a dynamic warmup. It is better to warmup your body with a dynamic exercise such as running or jumping rope to warm your muscles and get the blood flowing. Do your static stretches after the workout to bring your muscles back to normal length.

2. When it comes to burning fat and losing weight, there is a very effective cardio workout that you can do regularly.

Here it is:

Run sprints for 20 minutes! That's it! Running outside is even better because you fight against gravity, ground forces and the elements (usually wind) with no help from a cardio machine. Here is how it works:

Run a sprint for at least 50 yards, walk back and do it again. Do this for 20 minutes. You can probably get in 8-10 sprints. And then you're done!

This workout burns fat and sculpts your body. Its that simple....try it! If it get too easy, start doing your workout on a hill incline.

3. Good running mechanics will help you do your cardio with better efficiency. If your running mechanics are bad, you make a tough workout even tougher.

Read my post about running mechanics to see a full discussion on the topic.

You are headed for many injuries of the foot, ankle, knee and hip with bad running mechanics. Shin splints is a common running injury caused by over-striding. You are also slowing yourself down (braking) when you land heel-first.

Two of the most common arm position running mistakes are these:

a) You have little or no use of the arm swing while running. You should use your arms to help you run faster. Pumping your arms fast will help you run faster and more efficient. Also, when you get fatigued, a fast arm pump can help propel you to the finish.

b) Your arms are swinging across the body (flailing side to side). If you are running straight ahead, you will definitely be slowed down by swinging your arms across your body (fighting against yourself)!

Use the shoulders (and not the elbows) to pump the arms as fast as possible. The hands should be relaxed in unballed fists with the front hand rising up to about nose level and the back hand passing the buttocks. Move each arm as one piece (straight up and down) with the elbow bent at 90 degrees.

Remember these tips the next time you're doing your interval cardio.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!


Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

3 Tips to Grow Under-Developed Muscles

Under-developed muscles on parts of your body leaves you frustrated as you seek your "dream lean-body machine!"

Many times, you are trying to "get into shape" and you just start lifting weights and running. You have no set program to achieve fat loss, weight loss and fitness goals. Well, this often leads to little or no results and a host of injuries.

Look at this client question:

Client Q: Some muscle areas on my body are more developed than others. How can I correct this problem?

Mark's A: You start with a body type due to heredity. Lifestyle choices further shape your body, for better or worse. A fitness assessment is important because the personal trainer identifies your postural weaknesses and muscle imbalances.

The fitness program is then tailored to fit your needs and goals. Without this assessment, you are "shooting in the dark."

Achieving optimal muscular fitness requires flexibility, strength, endurance, power, and speed. These components should be included in your integrated training program.

Because of lifestyle habits, the dominant side of your body develops more than the non-dominant side. And, if certain patterns or muscular actions are performed repeatedly, your muscles develop more in either the front of the body, back of the body, upper body or lower body. As a result, some muscles become tight, lengthened or weak.

An integrated training program focuses on 3-dimensional muscular balance. This will help your overall strength, prevent injuries and enhance everyday living.

Opposing muscle groups should be in balance. For example, the quadriceps group/hamstrings group should be in balance (or the quads should not be significantly stronger than the hamstrings).

Research has proven that inadequate hamstring strength contributes to knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

Here are 3 Tips to Grow Under-Developed Muscles:

1) Have a postural assessment performed by a fitness professional. This assessment will indicate where your muscles are tight, weak or lengthened.

It will also indicate patterns of postural dysfunction called postural distortion patterns. Distortion patterns occur because the structural integrity of the kinetic chain (human movement system) is compromised due to the misalignment of one or more of its components.

2) Put into practice a comprehensive flexibility routine. Improving your range of motion is important to avoid injuries. This program would include static and dynamic flexibility exercises at a minimum.

3) Weight training should focus on the total body to avoid muscle imbalances. It is a good idea to start with bodyweight exercises so you focus on doing exercises with correct technique. Single arm, single leg and dumbbell exercises are great for correcting muscle imbalances.

Lift weights 3 days a week and rotate heavy and light lifting days.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

11 Sustainable Weight Loss Tips

Once you lose weight, you have to sustain your weight loss and the lean body you've worked so hard to build.

Hopefully, you lost weight the right way by burning fat and consistently losing weight. If so, you are already sustaining your weight loss. Keep it going!

Even those who do quick weight loss programs or fad diets (which I don't recommend) can build on the momentum and start doing things that will lean out their bodies. Its never too late to build muscle and eat right.

What about your weight loss? Can you sustain it? Or, will you weigh 40 pounds more in 2 months than you do today? Sure, you can starve yourself and lose 25 pounds in 2 weeks. But, when you begin to eat again, you will put the pounds back on.

Those who have succeeded at transforming their bodies from fat to lean have health and fitness practices that they do on most days. It becomes a sustainable lifestyle.

Here are 11 Tips to Sustain Your Weight Loss:

1. Identify your fitness goals and determine why your fat loss and weight loss efforts have failed or succeeded in the past. You also have to get your motivation right for your exercise program to work for you. This step takes you being "very honest" with yourself! Sometimes it is a painful process.

2. Its good to eat small meals every 3-4 hours to sustain your energy and keep your metabolism humming throughout the day.

3. How much do you eat? Research shows that people will underestimate the amount of calories they eat.

According to the True Results Health Honesty Survey, 46 percent of those surveyed are not honest with family members and 32 percent admit to lying to doctors. True Results is a team of leading weight loss experts based in Texas.

"Lying about your health and fitness, if even only a few times per year, can signify a fundamental issue in your ability to achieve your health goals," said Jessica Diaz, nutritionist and exercise physiologist for True Results. "Numerous studies have shown, the key to achieving any health or fitness goal is support from those around you and that cannot happen if you're not honest with yourself or others."

Its a good idea to journal your eating habits until you have a handle on what and how much to eat.

4. Have an active lifestyle. This is a critical step to help you lose and manage your weight. Keep your fat-burning enzymes working during the day by standing and walking as much as possible. All movement burns calories.

5. Don't eat empty calories. Loading up on sugary drinks or foods are not very nutritious and they leave you wanting to eat more in just a short time.

6. Drink more water to help you eat less. Drink daily about a half an ounce of water for every pound of body weight (150 pound person would drink 75 ounces). Since your muscles are comprised of about 70% water, don't dehydrate yourself. During exercise, drink about a cup of water for every 15 minutes of exercise.

Water-based foods such as fruits and vegetables count toward water consumed. When you don't drink water, try beverages such as unsweetened tea. Limit the sodas.

7. Get adequate sleep. You must get enough sleep or your body won't work properly. Researchers have found that the less sleep the test subjects got, the higher their body mass index. The shorter sleep time altered the subjects hormone levels, energy decreased and appetite increased.

8. Strength training is critical to lean out your body. Do strength training 3 days a week. Do full-body strength training to burn total body fat and build muscle mass to boost your metabolism. "Spot reduction" strength training won’t work and you must do more than cardio exercise to transform your body.

It is crucial that you improve your body composition (less body fat % vs. more lean mass %). Where are you fat? Excess abdominal fat has been shown to be a precursor to diseases such as cancer.

You need to know your body measurements (chest, arms, neck, hips, waist, etc.). Consistently strength training your total body will help you burn fat and shrink your body.

9. Interval cardio will burn fat and not waste away your muscle mass. Top interval cardio routines are sprints, jump exercises and running uphill. All it takes is 20 minutes per session, 2-3 days a week.

10. Eat a balanced diet based on the macronutrients (healthy fats, carbohydrates, protein) before progressing to more advanced eating strategies like carb cycling. Eat enough to burn fat and build muscle. This will eliminate starvation diets.

For instance, you should eat protein with every meal. Protein is critical for rebuilding muscle tissues after workouts. Protein also helps you control calorie intake because you stay fuller for longer.

11. Get the help you need from other people. Get an accountability partner such as a spouse, friend or personal trainer. You can challenge each other to exercise and make good food choices.

Consistency is the key to sustaining your weight loss and lean, healthy body.


Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!


Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Full Body Movement Strength Training Burns More Fat

Strength train your movements and not just your muscles. You will burn more fat because you will be training all muscle groups. Some call this functional strength training.

If you are "strong as an ox" but rigid in your movements, you are headed for injuries. You can't burn fat if you're injured. Bodyweight exercises are good for improving your strength and range of motion in all planes.

Functional training is basically training your body for how you want to live and play. For example, a recreational athlete will train differently from someone who just wants to maintain general fitness.

What does it mean to strength train your body in all three planes of motion? It is important to remember that although an activity might be one-plane dominant (running straight ahead is sagittal plane dominate), the other two planes of motion must be stable in order to perform the activity efficiently. Also, no motion occurs in one plane only.

The three planes are explained below:



1. Frontal Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into equal front and back halves. The motions primarily involve abduction and adduction (side-to-side motions). Abduction takes a limb away from the midline of the body and adduction takes the limb closer to the midline of the body.

Below is a good strength and fat burning frontal plane exercise: side lunge

Other frontal plane strength movements would be hip abductor/adductor exercises, dumbbell lateral shoulder raises, lateral step ups, side squats and lateral spinal flexion.

Quickness and agility movements that require adequate frontal plane stability, strength, power, flexibility and balance are lateral shuffles, lateral bounding and side-to-side hops.

2. Sagittal Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into left and right halves. The motions involve forward-backward and up-down movements relative to the body and/or joint. Examples would be walking, running, bicep curls, leg curls and seated back rows.

Traditional training techniques (such as training with machine weights) have focused on the sagittal plane of motion. This is not an effective training technique if the other planes of motion are ignored during training.

3. Transverse Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into top and bottom halves. The motions are primarily rotational. Obviously, this will be a dominate plane of motion for many athletes and everyone in general.

Turning, pivoting, rotating and swinging your body are all movements that we do every day. If you play a sport such as baseball or softball, this will be a dominant plane of motion for you.

Below is a good exercise that incorporates the transverse plane of motion: medicine ball rotational throw

Other good transverse plane dominant exercises are: hip rotations, hip turns, transverse lunges.

Walking lunges with medicine ball rotation use both the sagittal and transverse planes of motion (pictured below):

Be strong, lean and flexible by using more movement strength training.

Download your FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program, start burning max fat and start building your lean, hard body!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Fat Loss and Weight Gain at the Same Time?

You will sometimes gain a little weight when you burn fat and build muscle--especially at the beginning of your program.

Don't get discouraged. Check your body fat percentage every week. If you are losing inches and burning body fat, you are on the right track. Your body is changing for the long-term. You will also lose weight in time.

Here is a question from Robin:

Okay -- I'm way frustrated and a little confused. Help! I'm 45 and started at the gym (5 days a week) about four weeks ago. I've been eating way healthier for about 6 weeks now, and have lost about 23 pounds.

BUT here's my dilemma. When I go to the gym and really work out (1 hour+ on weights, really pushing myself, and often an hour of cardio via intense raquetball) I DO NOT lose a pound and often gain a little. So -- I stay home and don't exercise and I lose about a half pound a day or I go to the gym, work my butt off and gain a half pound a day.

What gives? My diet is totally under control (that's easy for me), and the mysterious factor here seems to be hitting the gym so hard and gaining weight. Can you help enlighten me?? Anyone???

Mark's Response To Robin:

Robin there could be several reasons for your slower decrease in weight loss:

1) Your body might have reached a plateau. Weight often comes off easily at the beginning of a workout program. But, then your body adapts to your workouts. When this happens, you need to vary your workout routines and intensity. Do different lifts for the different body parts, such as substituting bench presses with stability ball dumbbell presses or doing step-ups and lunges instead of leg presses and squats.

A shorter, more intense 30 minute full-body circuit weight workout will work better than a 1 hour weight workout when you are trying to lose body fat and weight. A circuit workout is one in which you do one exercise after the other with little or no rest between exercises. Also, change up your cardio routines such as rotating sprinting on grass (the best option), treadmill, bike, stair-stepper and swimming.

2) It is more important to lose body fat and lose inches than it is to lose weight. Have your body fat percentage checked and your circumference measurements done by a trainer to see how much fat and inches you have lost. Muscle weighs more than fat, so your body could be shrinking. Don't worry, the weight loss will take care of itself.

3) Longer workouts are not always better. You could be over-training. Actually, shorter more intense workouts burn more fat. An intense 20-minute interval cardio session will give you better heart health and cardio benefits than a 1-hour cardio, muscle-wasting session.

4) You need to know your basal metabolic rate-BMR (how many calories your body would burn each day if you did nothing). Base your daily caloric intake on your BMR, activity level and goals. You will gain weight even on the days you work out really hard if you take in more calories than you burn.

The important thing here is that it appears you have made a lifestyle change----which means you have committed to exercise and eat nutritiously for the rest of your life. When you do that, you will win the fitness war even if you lose a few battles along the way. Keep exercising and eating healthy and your heart, mind and body will thank you!

Be sure and download your FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program from My Fitness Hut and start burning fat and building your lean body!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Four Natural Body Fat Burners

If you use natural body fat burners, and continue to use them, you don't have to ever worry about too much body fat again! Believe it.

You don't have to buy any fat burner supplements that either won't work or will only give you a short-term boost.

Here are 4 Natural Body Fat Burners that will always work:

1. Make frequent changes to your workout program. Here are some examples:

---vary the workout intensity, repetitions and rest periods
---change the duration of your workouts
---change your exercise routine (try new exercises) every 1-2 weeks
---use different methods such as supersets, circuits and blasts
---use very little machine weight exercises and cardio machine routines (machines do too much work for you)

You don't have to workout for 2 hours to get huge fat loss results! Shorten your weight training workouts to 50 minutes or less and ramp up the intensity! Shorten your interval cardio workouts to 20 minutes. Research has proven that short bursts are very effective fat burners.

Do as many compound strength exercises (with weights or bodyweight) standing up as possible. These types of exercises work major muscle groups and many times are full-body strength exercises. Squats, deadlift, lunges, standing bentover rows, squat-to curl-to press and bench press are great examples. Full-body core exercises like planks and side planks work well also. Spend less time posing on "mirror exercises" like bicep curls, calf raises and tricep extensions.

2. Shorten and intensify your interval cardio workout! Too many long, slow cardio sessions wastes time and eats away at your muscle mass. Short, intense interval cardio sessions also burn more fat and calories during and after your workout!

Research has proven that short bursts are very effective fat burners. Interval cardio sessions of 20 minutes will burn plenty of fat. I recommend sprint and incline intervals on grass.

3. Make needed changes to your eating habits! Its possible to have layers of fat on top of your muscles. Eat whole, natural foods. And, track your calories in a journal until you have a good idea of how you need to eat to burn fat.

Don't ruin great workouts by eating bad food with a million calories!

It will be easier to eat right if you plan your meals for the week. And, instead of eating out during the day, pack your food. This will protect you from binge eating and haphazard eating (i.e. grazing).

4. Take your fat loss to a higher level with jump (plyometric) exercises and workouts.

If you're having trouble sculpting your butt, hips and thighs, try more plyometric training. Plyometric workouts are advanced workouts. You need to perfect jumping and landing techniques or you will injure yourself. And, if you have knee and low back problems, high-speed plyometric training is not for you.

Effective fat burners are jump rope, squat jumps, lunge jumps, depth jumps, jumping jacks, tuck jumps, side-to-side hops and front-to-back hops.

Use these natural fat burners to lean out your body and keep the weight off!

Be sure and download your FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program from My Fitness Hut and start burning fat and building muscle!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Her Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

3 Ways Alcohol Consumption Slows Fat Burn

Yes, too much alcohol consumption can slow down your fat loss efforts. If you drink alcohol, read on......

You should roughly account for all calories you eat during the day. If you're trying to burn fat and lose weight, you can't have calorie surpluses (eat more calories than you burn) day after day.

First, one gram of alcohol provides 7 calories. Only fat (9 cal/g) provides more calories than alcohol. So, when you are planning your food and drink consumption, don't forget the calories from alcohol. You also need to know how your body responds to alcohol when you do drink.

Here are 3 Ways Alcohol Consumption can Slow Your Fat Loss:

1. When you take a drink of alcohol, your body converts a small amount of it into fat and the rest is converted (by the liver) into a substance called acetate.

This acetate is then quickly released into the bloodstream and used as the body's main source of energy. So, your body is using the acetate as energy instead of the stored fat in your body. The more you drink, the more fat your body will store!

Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that fat metabolism can be reduced by as much as 73% after only two drinks of vodka and lemonade in a one hour time period. You can see how excess alcohol consumption can contribute to the dreaded "beer belly." So, this is just one more reason to drink alcohol in moderation.

2. Alcohol consumption can increase your appetite. Researchers from Denmark found that a group of men ate more when they were served beer or wine and they ate less when served a soft drink. Just think of all the high-calorie meals served with alcohol at a place like a sports bar.

3. One more thing: too much alcohol consumption can decrease your testosterone production. Decreased testosterone levels has a negative effect on muscle building.

Free Report: How to Knock 20 Years Off Your Body. You will learn the top ways to naturally increase your testosterone levels.

One way to build more muscle mass (and speed up your metabolism) is through heavy weight lifting. “Heavy” is relative to your body weight and strength.

According to the research, doing this type of weight lifting will give you exercise-induced testosterone increases. Women can lift heavy weights without fear of getting too bulky!

How much weight is heavy enough? Your repetition range for exercises should be between 3-5 (you would have a difficult time lifting these repetitions). You would typically do 4-5 sets of each exercise.

If you choose to drink alcohol, one or two drinks once a week probably won't affect your weight loss and fat loss. But, if you consume several alcoholic drinks a day, your body is storing excess body fat! You will have a tough time keeping or achieving that lean and toned body you want!

Drinking water and unsweetened drinks will help you reach your goals sooner.

Be sure and download your FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program from My Fitness Hut and start burning fat and building muscle mass.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

How Swimmers Burn Fat and Build Hard Bodies

If you love to swim for exercise, shorten your workouts to burn more fat and sculpt your body. Swim with speed and power during your workouts. You also should do regular strength training to burn fat and improve your bone density.



Too many long swim training sessions actually inhibit the development of your bulky, shapely fast twitch muscle fibers. In other words, you won't sculpt your body the way you want. The same result happens when you do too many long cardio sessions.

Short burst exercise will give you more fat burn and superior heart health.

And, if you swim for competition, physiologist Dave Costill gives this advice:

“Most competitive swimming events last less than two minutes. How can training for three to four hours a day at speeds that are markedly slower than competitive pace prepare the swimmer for the maximal efforts of competition?”

To optimize strength, power and fat burn:

1. Do full body strength training.

2. Also, do exercises out of the water that closely mimic your actions in the water (sport specific training).

Research has proven that there is no speed and power advantage gained by swimmers continuing to do high-volume swim training (long sessions).

The disadvantages of high-volume swim training are:

1. Depletion of glycogen muscle stores which hampers performance.

2. Fatigue and depletion of fast-twitch muscle fibers which reduces body toning and force production.

Here are some specific strength exercises for swimmers:

Arm pull down exercises:

--Cable rotational front and back pulls: boosts forward propulsion by training the internal rotator cuff muscles by replicating the arm ‘pull down’ through the water.

--Rear pulls: promotes balanced strength around the shoulder joint by training the external muscles. This technique avoids shoulder injuries and helps train your core stability skills.

--Medicine ball single arm overhead throw: develops the power of the latissimus and pectoral muscles to improve the rate of force production in the shoulder by accelerating the arm hard. The focus is on producing the power from the shoulder and pulling across the body as you do in the crawl.

--Swiss ball body pulls: helps to develop core and shoulder strength. A closed kinetic chain movement where the moving limbs remain in contact with a fixed object, it is regarded as functional for sports performance. Uses the stomach muscles to support the spine, using a strong pull of the shoulder muscles to raise your body back to the parallel position.

Leg kick exercises:

--Hip extension and flexion kick: each leg is worked independently to increase the specificity for swimming. Mimics the upward and downward phases of the swimmers kick action, where the glutes and hamstrings extend and the hip flexors flex the leg at the hip.

--Dive start and push-off turn: The dive start and push off turn involves dynamic ankle, knee and hip extension.

--Barbell squat jumps: improves vertical jump performance by involving dynamic extension of the ankle, knee and hip joints and trains the calf, quadriceps and gluteal muscles. Helps you generate peak power by adding weight to the squat, so when you perform the jump squat with body weight only, the jump will be very fast and high.

Swimmers can also benefit from doing sprint interval cardio sessions of 20 minutes.

Here are some other ways to use swimming as part of your exercise routine:

1. It is a great cross-training routine to mix with your treadmill, running, stepper, bike, etc. routines. You can also avoid or rehabilitate injuries with swimming exercises.

2. Help your flexibility by adding a swimming session after your strength or interval cardio workouts. The warm water will relax your muscles and make it easier to stretch after your workout. It will also lessen muscle soreness the next day.

3. You can build more endurance by swimming (with proper technique) because you are able to swim for longer periods than you can run or jog.

Download your fat loss workouts below!

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

6 Fat Loss and Weight Loss Success Tips

Do the things that it takes for you to burn fat, lose weight and change your body. Successful fat loss and weight loss is a process that takes time for you to do it right. Be prepared for failures and adjustments along the way. And, never stop doing the things to improve your physical appearance and health.

Here are 6 tips to help you succeed with fat loss and weight loss:

1. It has been proven that you will be more successful if you try to accomplish one major goal at a time rather than trying to accomplish two or more major goals at the same time.

Here is a great goal to start with: burn fat. That will require you to improve your eating habits and do regular strength and interval cardio training. Don't even worry about losing weight at this point. Just burn body fat (lose inches, shrink your body). Check your body fat percentage once a week to see if you need to make adjustments.

2. Build foundational body and core strength so your body will hold up under intense training to come. If you're injured, you will not reach your goals.

Weak body cores lead to back and other related trunk injuries. Others have weak opposing muscle groups. An example would be having strong triceps but weak biceps, or strong chest muscles but weak back muscles.

Do full body workouts, which will include core strength exercises and total body flexibility exercises. This way your workouts will focus on your "weak links" while training the other parts of your body.

3. Quality of movement in an exercise should come before trying to increase the amount of weight you lift in that exercise. Doing this will avoid injuries due to incorrect execution of an exercise. Bodyweight exercises work well for this purpose.

Performing a weight (or resistance) exercise incorrectly can cause pain in your joints, back or other unintended areas. For example, the squat or lunge should primarily work and strengthen the glutes,quadriceps and hamstrings. If you feel unusual pain or stress in your back or knees, this could signal injury or incorrect performance of the exercise.

4. Focus on compound or multi-joint exercises in your workouts. These exercises work major muscle groups and help you burn more fat. Exercises like squats (with or without weights), step ups, deadlift, rows, bench press, planks, squat jumps and lunges all apply here.

Top interval cardio exercises are walking or running uphill, bodyweight cardio and shuttle runs.

5. Maintain and/or improve muscle mass throughout your life to slow the effects of aging and keep your metabolism humming.

Numerous studies indicate that muscle mass may decline by 20% to 40% between age 20 and age 65. Muscle inflexibility, joint/tendon/ligament stiffness, bone loss and decreased range of motion also comes along with inactivity. You can stop a significant portion of this deterioration of muscle mass and mobility by using a regular strength and conditioning program throughout your life.

6. A slow or sluggish metabolism is not the major cause of weight gain. A caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain. If you consistently eat more calories than you burn in a day (caloric surplus), you will continue to gain weight and fat.

Regular exercise and an active lifestyle will help you burn more calories every day. I recommend that you walk at least 30 minutes every day, even on the days you workout.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Program and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Caffeine's Effect on Fat Burn and Exercise Performance

How does caffeine affect your exercise performance? First, more caffeine is not necessarily better. One or two cups of coffee will help your exercise performance. Improved exercise performance will increase calorie burn and fat burn.

Researchers from the University of Luton reviewed 39 published caffeine studies. They found that caffeine users improved endurance exercise performance and short/high intensity exercise performance by 12.4% when compared to groups using placebos.

Caffeine is a part of many people's daily diets. It is found in many foods and drinks. Research has shown that one cup of coffee has positive effects on decision-making, alertness and reaction time.

There are also several studies that report that regular coffee drinking (with or without caffeine) may help prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and liver disease. Coffee is antioxidant-rich due to the high level of polyphenols. This helps protect your body's cells from damage due to free radicals in your body.

Designer coffees loaded with sugars don't help your fat loss, weight loss and health. Keep that in mind when you go to your favorite coffee house.

The risks associated with moderate caffeine use are pretty small (about 3-4 cups a day). If caffeine is part of your diet, use it wisely. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration has stated that caffeine does not increase the risk of or contribute to heart disease, cancer, bone loss or high blood pressure. If you already have one of these conditions, you may need to consult with your doctor before drinking coffee regularly.

Of course, coffee does not work magic. You still need to consistently do things such as eat right, exercise regularly, sleep well, etc. For instance, I can drink 2 cups of coffee before a workout that helps me burn 700 calories. That's great only if I don't eat 1,200 calories two hours after my workout!

Enjoy your workout today--with or without caffeine!

Download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs