Josh Hillis' Fat Loss and Fitness

Stop Paying Rent... To Your Fat

About Fat

I've got good news and bad news.

The good news is - you don't own your fat.

Truth is, all of your fat is rented.

The bad news is, you really enjoy paying the rent on it.

You fat has rent.  You pay the rent with calories.  You pay the rent with crap food.

If you stop paying rent, then your fat gets evicted.

About Muscle

Muscle also needs rent.

You pay the rent with food and smart work.

The biggest benefit to having muscle is it gives you can eat more food - You can pay rent on muscle instead of paying rent on fat.

The next biggest benefit of muscle is that it's more expensive than fat. 

That means that if you have more muscle you can eat more, and you'll be smaller and leaner.

5lbs of fat is way bigger, and way jigglier, than 5lbs of muscle.

The (kinda) bad news about muscle - you may get to pay more rent, but it has to be higher quality.

The reason I say "kinda" bad news, is because if you aren't eating good food now, you'll be amazed at how much better you feel, how much more energy you have, and how much hotter you look when you switch to good food.  So it's actually good news.

You can eat way more food, but it has to be better food. 

This is ALL Good News

A lot of people have a story that fat is stubborn.

Trust me, I know.  Helping clients get rid of stubborn fat is my specialty.

The truth is, there's nothing stubborn about it.

You don't own your fat.  If you've ever made payments on a car, it's just like that. 

If you stop making your payments, they come and take your car away.

Stop making payments on your fat, and you won't be allowed to keep it either.

If you're making payments on your house, guess what happens if you skip a few payments?

How Often Do You Make Payments on Your Fat?

I grade my clients' food logs.

I add up the number of meals they eat in a week.

I check how many meals include protein and are made up of good whole foods like fruit, vegetables, or brown rice.

Then I check how many "crap" meals they ate.  How many meals included sugar, alcohol, processed food, soda, fast food, ect.  These are the payments you are making on your fat.

Notice I don't use the word "free" anymore.  I don't say "free meals!"  There's nothing free about Taco Bell.  It's crap food, I call it as I see it.

So we find out the percentage of "crap" meals in a week.  How many payments.

If 90% of the meals were rockstar fuel -  lean proteins and good whole foods like fruits and vegetables...  They get an A.

If 80% of the meals were rockstar fuel -  lean proteins and good whole foods like fruits and vegetables...  They get a B.

If 70% of the meals were rockstar fuel -  lean proteins and good whole foods like fruits and vegetables...  They get a C.

If 90% of your meals are rockstar fuel, and 10% of your meals are crap - you're doing awesome!  You're not making enough payments on your fat to keep much around.  In fact, you probably look like a rockstar.

It's about that simple.

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Josh News:

I got promoted to Master Trainer!

I train at 24 Hour Fitness in Denver Colorado.  Actually, I train out of the busiest gym in all of Colorado.  I love the energy.

A lot of people are surprised that I don't own my own studio, or run a full blown gym.  Truth is, I don't want to deal with any of that.  I like to show up, train my clients, and go home.

And that leaves me time to work on other projects - like writing about fitness.  New books.  Seminars.  Studying fitness.  Everything that's fun for me.

So I train with 24 Hour Fitness.  In the time I've been here I've gone from Trainer Fit Pro 1 to Trainer Fit Pro 3, and then Trainer Fit Pro Elite.  And now, Master Trainer.

So I'm really, really stoked.  Master Trainer is the highest level of trainer in the organization.

I'm really proud to be acknowledgment of my education and experience.  I already was Master Trainer.  It's awesome now to be recognized.

I think that's how most everything works.  You have to be it first for a time.  You have to produce consistent results.   

Then, formal recognition catches up with who you've already been being and the results you've already produced.

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By Josh Hillis
Author of How To Lose The Stubborn Seven Pounds

Josh is currently finishing up his second book Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss

Josh is a fat loss expert, a kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in Denver, Colorado.  Josh helps women and men lose stubborn fat.

© Joshua Hillis 2008

Ketherine Heigl and Kettlebell Workouts

Katherine Heigl now does her workouts with kettlebells.   Some other celebrities that use kettlebells include Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Kim Cattrall, Kim Basinger. 

Yes it's true, kettlebells have been stolen from the Russian Special Forces, and are now being used to make hot women even hotter.

Mathew McConaughey works out with kettlebells, and the dude is solid muscle. 

He's proof that kettlebells aren't only for girls.

Have Fun Working Out Again

Katherine Heigl said: "I was probably in the best shape of my life for Knocked Up but I hated going to the gym...   I've now found a woman who teaches kettlebell classes. It's a mix of cardio and weight training but I only do it for 20 minutes twice a week and it's changed my body shape."

Many of my clients are amazed at how powerfully you can get results with kettlebell training, in a very small amount of workout time. 

The workouts don't look like much, but when you do them, it almost feels like too much.  The stimulus is very, very powerful.

Also, kettlebell training is fun.  And if it's fun, you'll do it more often and you'll bring a different intensity to it.

Katherine Heigl takes her kettlebell classes at the beach.  With summertime coming, it's great to be able to take a kettlebell to the beach or the park, and do a full body workout outside. 

If You Need To Take Your Clothes Off, Train With Kettlebells

UK's Red Magazine Asked Katherine about the last time she worked out: "Three days ago, I did kettlebells - I think everyone should do them. They are a great Russian secret. Normally, on Grey's, I'm in scrubs, so I don't have to worry about working out, because they hide everything. That leads you into some kind of false laziness, so then, when I have scenes where I have to take my clothes off, I'm like, 'Oh crap, I've got to get in shape!"'

I have all of my clients start off with the kettlebell swing.  We do the kettlebell swing with anything we can get are hands on - ideally kettlebells, but gripper plates or dumbbells work just fine.

Here is the "swing tools" video again, in case you missed it the first time.

I would go so far as to say that the kettlebell swing is the most powerful fat loss movement there is.

Once you get a good feel for the swing, you can move on to cleans and snatches and all kinds of fun stuff.  Eventually even kettlebell juggling.

Try doing that with your BowFlex.

All of the different kettlebell moves - swings, snatches, all of the different juggling moves - the swing is the foundation of them all.  The more advanced moves aren't more effective than swings.  The advanced moves are just more fun.  And fun makes a big difference.

Katherine Heigl said that she was in the best shape of her life before Knocked Up and she hated going to the gym.  Now, with kettlebells, she's in even better shape, and she loves working out with them.

By Josh Hillis
Author of How To Lose The Stubborn Seven Pounds and currently finishing up his second book Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss.

Josh is a fat loss expert, a kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in Denver, Colorado.  Josh helps women and men lose stubborn fat.

Besides being a level 2 certified kettlebell instructor (RKC2), Josh is an assistant coach at the RKC Instructor Certification in October.

"When we say Hillis...we mean awesome.  And when we say awesome...we mean Hillis!!!" - David Whitley, Senior RKC

© Joshua Hillis 2008

The Biggest Mistake That "Bootcamp" Fitness Programs Make

The biggest mistake that I see "bootcamp" fitness programs make is that that's the only thing that they do.

They only do high intensity circuits.  Nothing else.

Your Workout Program Has To Change

If your TV only had one channel, you'd be bored to tears.

If you only had day time, it would be hard to sleep.  If you only had night time, it would be hard to snowboard.

Your workout program has to change.  It has to change like seasons.

The technical term that most trainers use is "periodization".  A fat loss program is more effective when it has the proper periodization.  I prefer the analogy of seasons.

You can't argue with the seasons.  Likewise, you can't argue with how your workout program has to change.

Your sets and reps have to change every 3-6 weeks. 

If you're doing high intensity circuits, you should cycle off of that every 3-6 weeks.  High intensity circuits should be a phase, not what you do forever.

The Stubborn Seven Pounds has two phases.  They aren't "beginning" and "advanced", it's more like "winter" and "summer".  And, much like winter and summer, you could repeat them as a cycle.

My next book, Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss, has eight phases.  It's a more sophisticated cycle.  It's more fun. It's also coming very, very soon.  I know, people keep asking "When?" All I can say is that it will be very soon.  It will come with 24 videos, and right now I'm filming 3 videos per week to try and get it complete.

All Great Workout Programs...

All great fitness programs have phases or cycles.  All great trainers take their clients through different cycles or phases.  That's what makes great workout programs instead of just great workouts.

In fact, the way I know a trainer is good or not - are they talking about "workouts" or are they talking about "programs"?

It's one of the reasons that people with trainers get better results than people who don't have trainers.  All great trainers take their clients through different phases, whether it's Harley Pasternak, Alwyn Cosgrove, Gunnar Peterson, P90X, Holly Rigsby, Craig Ballantyne, Valerie Waters...  or of course Josh Hillis.

Just remember these 2.5 rules about workout programs:

1.) Intelligently changing your workouts will get you better results from your workouts.

2.) Planning to push your workouts hard sometimes and then back off other times will get you better results from your workouts.

2.5) You just can't push the same way, the same sets and reps, the same intensity all the time.  If you want the highest level of results possible, it's gotta change.

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Josh News:

I have a problem with over committing myself.  I'm taking too many courses and certifications this year. 

I'm addicted to learning about fitness.  When I found this whole Z-Health thing, I found an entire course of study I'd never even considered before.  I felt like - "I need to know EVERYTHING yesterday!"

And I'm addicted to writing books.  I'm finishing up one book, and I have three more already outlined.  I feel guilty for not having all of them written already.

But there's a cost to that.  People ask me, "What did you do this weekend?"  And I'm like "Ummmm...  worked on my book."  I've gotten so caught up in needed to learn everything now, and create everything now, that I'm missing out on normal chill time and hanging out.  I'm out of balance.  And I'm frustrated.

So I'm really taking on that there is nothing to do, and no where to get.

I don't need to know everything right this minute, I can take a leisurely amount of time to learn the things I'm committed to learning.  I don't need to be stressed out and down on myself that I don't know everything already, because I'm on track to learn it.  On top of that, there's nothing missing right now - I'm already really good at what I do.

In reality, I've hit all of the career benchmarks that I used to think would be the "end all be all ultimate for my career".  And it just made me feel like I had to do more.  So I'm going to enjoy being exactly where I'm at.

So right now I'm cutting projects, I'm keeping the certifications/seminars that I have scheduled for this year (four), but I'm committed to not adding anything new.  In terms of books, I have one more I need to write...  but it's short!  And I won't start until October.

It's opened up for me to be able to kick back and chill with my wife, and not have to think about business.

Instead of signing up for a another seminar (which I had planned to do), my wife and I just bought tickets to The Mile High Music Festival, with Tom Petty, Dave Matthews, The Flobots, and Michael Franti with Spearhead.

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By Josh Hillis
Author of How To Lose The Stubborn Seven Pounds

Josh is currently finishing up his second book Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss

Josh is a fat loss expert, a kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in Denver, Colorado.  Josh helps women and men lose stubborn fat.

"I've seen more results in 6 weeks training with Josh than I saw in the previous two years working out on my own" -Stephanie Weis

© Joshua Hillis 2008

Jessica Biel's Workout Week

Strong girls are hot

Day One: High intensity, time based circuits

Day Two: Sprints at the track

According to her trainer, Jason Walsh: "Usually sprints ranging from 200m at 75% to 100m at 100%. We do 6-8 sets depending on how she's feeling from the day before.

We'll sometimes end with some hops up stairs (single and double leg) and I'll let her recover to 120 BPM (beats per minute) to get better output during each rep."

Day 3: Regeneration and recovery work.  Lots of foam rolling.

Day 4: More high intensity, time based circuit training.

Day 5: Punching and kicking focus mitts, in rounds.

Day 6: Recreational sports

You'll notice that Jessica Biel does a lot of high intensity, time based circuits.  Does that sound familiar?

Chinups

Chinups and pullups are both pulling your chin over the bar - pullups are palms facing away from you, and chinups are palms facing you.  I have a tendency to use the term pullup for either one, but since people ask all the time, I thought I'd clear that up. 

Jessica Biel does chinups in sets of six. 

I throw this out there because typically my leanest girl clients are busting out, on average, six unassisted chinups per set. 

I wanted to highlight this for all the girls that "think they'll never be able to do an unassisted chinup".  The truth is, it's only a matter of time.  On average, my clients (girl and guy) take away about 10lbs of assistance on the assisted pullup machine every month.  That means that if you're using 70lbs of assistance right now, you're probably about seven months away from doing full, unassisted chinups.

Or there are the girls who "think they'd have enormous arms" if they did chinups.  Check out Jessica Biel's arms.  Case closed.

Jessica Biel's Movie Star Cardio

I put the full quote about the sprint day so you can see what movie star cardio really looks like:  Running 200m sprints and 100m sprints.

If you've never run at a track before, you might not be familiar with how short 200 meters is - it's half a lap around the track.  It's 1/8th of a mile.

So on one hand you've got all the people in the gym doing long... slow... mile after mile of cardio.  And you know how they look...  And then you've got Jessica Biel doing extremely short, fast sprints, and you know how fit she looks.

Also, there's a cardiovascular response to the kinds of circuits she's doing - all the squats, lunges, pullups, deadlifts, and even the punching and kicking drills.

Single leg squats and single leg deadlifts.

Well guess what?  Jessica Biel isn't doing Curves circuits.  She's doing circuits made up of really, really hard, big, intense movements like single leg squats and single leg deadlifts.  Two of my absolute favorite exercises.

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, I've beat the squat and deadlift thing into the ground.  I'll say it one more time: You will not get the body you want without learning how to correctly squat and deadlift, and then getting strong in those movements.

A lot of people don't know how to squat and deadlift, and a lot of people do it wrong.  If you're not a squatting and deadlifting pro already, find yourself a RKC (certified kettlebell instructor) or CPT (certified personal trainer) in your area to teach you how.  I'm forever grateful to my first trainer Dave Werner for teaching me to squat and deadlift.

If you get on a first name basis with squats and deadlifts, then getting the body you want is only a matter of time and consistency.

Seriously, it's worth the time and effort required to learn how to do single leg squats and single leg deadlifts.

You can also check out my other article: Jessica Biel Workout: Get the beach body

 

By Josh Hillis
Author of How To Lose The Stubborn Seven Pounds

Josh is currently finishing up his second book Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss

Josh is a fat loss expert, a kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in Denver, Colorado.  Josh helps women and men lose stubborn fat.

"I've seen more results in 6 weeks training with Josh than I saw in the previous two years working out on my own" -Stephanie Weis

© Joshua Hillis 2008