The Z-Factor: The Missing Link Between You and the Body of Your Dreams Page 2

  Sustainability

  For a program to be maximally sustainable, it must be accessible and simple. Movements must be simple enough to mimic safely, by just about anyone, of any fitness level. The system needs to be easy to memorize in case you forget to bring your plan with you wherever you go. Breaks, rest, and recovery must all be accounted for.

  If you are looking to lose weight, why not live off of 500 calories and 2 hours of exercise each day? Well because it would be difficult to last even one day. And even if you found a way to last a month, you would probably spend the next month in the hospital. But let’s say your fitness plan was to exercise for just an hour a day. Do you always have one hour to spare? What about days you are swamped with work? What about days you are traveling? Does your hotel have a gym? Do you even feel like exercising that long on vacation? Did you bring/own all the proper equipment?

  For a fitness plan to be sustainable, it must account for all these variables while still maintaining its effectiveness. A reoccurring theme in all 3 Dimensions of Z-Fanatical Fitness is accessibility and simplicity- both contributors to Sustainability.

  Z-Fanatical exercises are accessible to all fitness levels thanks to a progression system and modifications for all exercises. The nutrition plan gives guidelines, not specific meals, to allow variety and freedom of choice.

  Z-Fanatical is simple because exercises require no equipment and very little space. Each workout or cardio bout is 10 minutes or less. Workouts and cardio bouts are easy to memorize. There are 2-3 total workouts/cardio bouts are prescribed daily, so you never exercise more than a ½ hour a day. You can even perform each of these workouts/cardio bouts at different times if you never have a ½ hour block of time to exercise.

  5 Getting Started

  Now that you have read the theory, it is time to move on to application. We have talked the talk, now it is time to walk the walk. Before our program is begun, we must address a critical mindset task- goal setting. Goal setting has a few more steps than most people realize.

  When most people think of goal setting, they think of outcome goals: I want to lose 100lbs or make 1 million dollars or win an Olympics championship. This is goal setting 101, but there are higher levels of goal setting you must realize and apply to achieve success.

  There are two types of goals- Outcome Goals and Process Goals. Outcome goals can be broken down into (1) Long-term Goals and (2) Short-Term Goals. Long-term goals address desires for the distant future, while short-term goals address desires for the near future. Long-term goals can be anything your heart desires. As Donald Trump says, “If you are going to think anyway, you might as well think BIG, really big.” For short-term goals, you can think of the acronym C.A.R.S. Challenging, Attainable, Realistic, and Specific. There are no exact numerical intervals for where a short-term goal ends and a long-term goal begins. YOU must choose what short-term and long-term mean to you. Outcome goals give you a direction you are looking to move in. They are a reminder of your objective and your priorities. No matter what, they should be specific. Our unconscious mind responds best when you take dead aim at your target. You should name an exact timeline, numerical value, and vehicle you will use to get to your goals. As an example, I want to lose 50lbs in 6 months OR I want to make 1 million dollars in 5 years. Specific goals give your mind clarity.

  Of equal, if not greater importance are your Process Goals. Process goals include your Action Plan- the exact steps you will be taking to get from point A (you now) to point B (your long-term goal). A-Fanatical Fitness provides a detailed Action Plan for you to follow, thus eliminating this step from your to-do list.

  A major point to be made here is something not well understood by society- you do not control your outcome goals directly. You have heard it said, “Give me the courage to change the things I can change, the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference. “Here is the wisdom needed to help you decipher the difference: The only thing you have direct control over is your Process Goals- Your Action Plan (in this case- the Z-Fanatical Fitness Program).

  You control your outcome goals by controlling your process goals. The word BEHAVE is a constant reminder of real goal setting. BEHAVE can be broken down into two words: BE and HAVE. An effective person focuses first on the person they must BE (process goals) to achieve their goals. An ineffective person focuses first on what they would like to HAVE (outcome goals). You must BE the person who takes daily action. Focus on doing the things you need to do each day. Only then, will you HAVE the goal that you desire.

  Is it okay to ever focus on your process goals? Yes, the time for this is when you feel lazy, tired, tempted, or want to quit. This is when you need to think of what you would like to achieve. “Eyes on the Prize” should be referred to when despair or laziness sets in. Other than that, you should constantly be focusing on your Z-Schedule in the back of this book- your action plan- the thing you must do TODAY.

  Another important part of goal setting is accountability. Ultimately, you want personal accountability. In the beginning, this may be difficult due to a present lapse in self-discipline in this area. We can use other people to help us in this area.

  The person we are most likely to lie to is ourselves. We are excellent at self-deception. We are so effective at this, we begin to believe our own bull. We tell ourselves we will start Monday and that we are doing a good job so far. Self-deception is bound to keep us trapped in the jail of our own mind. To counter this tendency, you should make your goal public. We do this so we now feel accountable to other people. We tend to think, “I will feel bad if someone asks me how I am doing on my goals, and I have not been following through.” Not all peer pressure is bad, as you may have been taught. Social media gives us a simple venue for making our goals and daily action plan public. Facebook, twitter, youtube, and the like can do more than let others know what you are doing. They can help you with personal accountability by keeping your goals on the record. The more you keep up with this, the better chances you will have of compliance, especially in the beginning. Follow the steps below for advanced goal setting.

  Goal Setting Steps

  Daily: On facebook/twitter: “Finished Z-Fanatical Killer QuadZ on Bronze today and followed the Nutrition Plan to the T. “

  Weekly: On facebook/twitter: “Finished Z-Fanatical Week 3: Workouts Fanatical Level, Cardio Silver Level, Nutrition Bronze, and Mindset Fanatical Level. Looking to improve next week.”

  After completing the 6-week plan: On facebook/twitter: Finished my first cycle of Z-Fanatical Fitness. Getting ready to start cycle #2 this week!

  6 Exercise Plan

  A) Foundation

  My brothers and I were fortunate enough to participate in the oldest and arguably toughest sport in the world- wrestling. Wrestling, now an Olympic sport, originated as a necessity for a man to defend his land and his woman. It is considered the holiest sport because it is the only one to be mentioned in the Bible, Torah, and Koran. Wrestling is described in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and stories about Henry VIII and Abraham Lincoln. Socrates once swore upon Zeus that the elite runner could not equal the average wrestler. What is so special about this sport, and what does this have to do with you?

  Wrestling requires a unique balance of all fitness attributes. Figure 8 illustrates the unique fitness demands of a wrestler compared to a distance athlete and weight lifter.

  Bomba, T. O. (1999). Periodization training for sports: Programs For Peak Strength 35 Sports. Human Kinetics. Champaign, IL.

  Notice the combination of fitness requirements (strength, speed, and endurance) compared to other sports. Wrestlers are also in a unique situation that requires them to compete within a weight class. An extremely low body fat percentage is more of a necessity than it is desire for a wrestler. A wrestler must also strive to get stronger and build endurance. Are these not America’s mainstream fitness goals- burn fat, get stronger, build endurance?

  A wrestling match is under 1
0 minutes of high intensity. Throughout the duration of the match, the wrestler is exerting full effort the entire time. To prepare for this grind, wrestlers quickly learn the exercise formula to getting into peak physical conditioning. That formula is known as Threshold Training, and it is the basis for the entire Z-Fanatical Fitness program. Threshold Training is the best bang for your buck. In other words, you get results in the shortest amount of time exercising. Is this not what you are looking for?

  Threshold training requires an all-out effort for a short period of time. To quantify our terms, all-out effort means training at 90-100% effort; and short period of time means 10 minutes or less. Threshold training is comprised of circuit training and interval training. The Z-Fanatical workouts, which are a combination of strength and cardio are based on circuit training. The cardio bouts, exclusively made for cardio, are based on interval training. Circuit training is performing several different exercises in a succession with limited breaks for a prescribed amount of time or number of repetitions. Interval training is cardiovascular exercise based on longer periods of moderate energy expenditure cycled back and forth with short periods of maximum energy expenditure.

  Threshold training is a common system used by elite athletes, especially wrestlers. Unfortunately, its physical and mental demands make it far less common outside of sports. Perhaps, it is because most people do not know how to modify these workouts to fit their current fitness level. This is exactly what Z-Fanatical will demonstrate. Few people who utilize circuit training and/or interval training deny the results threshold training brings them. I have provided research and the sources so you can view the evidence for yourself.

  Imagine yourself as a dot in the center of a circle. The circle represents your comfort zone. The walls of the circle represents your personal threshold- your personal limit. In the middle, you are well within your comfort zone. This is where most people choose to remain- never pushing the envelop or risking failure or embarrassment. Their circle remains the same size. Your circle right now is only so big, but it has the potential for unlimited growth. The only way your circle expands is if your dot repeatedly presses hard against the walls. With regular exposure to your threshold, you too will expand and break through previous limitations- and achieve the impossible. Threshold training is far more than our approach to exercise, but extends to every aspect of our life.

  Before you begin to view the research results, some “wise consumerism of information 101”- Rule #1: Always consider the source. Different sources have different levels of credibility. You will note that each piece of information is a scholarly work. In other words, it is peer reviewed by experts. Magazine articles are subject to review from editors. Journal articles (those below) are subject to review from other scholars and academics who decide if the source is accurate and trustworthy. When looking at evidence. Scholarly articles, journals, and academic textbooks are excellent sources of accuracy.

  Threshold Training (High Intensity/Interval Training)

  Exercise Benefits:

  10 minute duration workouts can produce significant improvements in endurance, fat loss, muscle mass, coordination, and strength.

  Hawley, J. A. (2008). Specificity of training adaptation: time for a rethink? Journal of Physiology.

  High intensity exercise training lowers abdominal fat – subcutaneous, visceral, and total.

  Irving, B. A., Davis, C. K., Brock, D. W., Weltman, J. Y., Swift, D., Barrett E. J., Gaesserr, G. A., Weltman, A. (2008). Effect of exercise training intensity on abdominal visceral fat and body composition. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 40(11):1863-72.

  High intensity exercise lowers total body mass, fat mass in trunk and legs, and insulin resistance in young women.

  Trapp, E.G., Chisholm, D. J., Freund, J., Boutcher, S. H. (2008). The effects of high-intensity intermittent training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels in young women. International Journal of Obesity, 1-8.

  Training above your threshold conserves your muscle as you lose weight.

  Weltman A., Weltman J. Y., Schurrer R., Evans W. S., Veldhuis J. D., Rogol A. D. (1992) Endurance training amplifies the pulsatile release of growth hormone: effects of training intensity. Journal of Applied Physiology. 72, 2188–2196.

  Compared to low/moderate intensity:

  Short, high intensity workouts, increases the size and number of mitochondria in muscle cells which can have a greater impact on endurance performance compared to exercising within one’s target heart rate range.

  Gibala, M. J. (2007). High-intensity Interval Training: A Time-efficient Strategy for Health Promotion. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 6:211-213.

  Short high intensity workouts burns more calories and fat and improves resting metabolism better than moderate intensity exercise.

  Tremblay, A., Simoneau, J. A., & Bouchard, C. (1994). Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle. Metabolism, 43(7) 814-818.

  Medium-intensity improves aerobic but not anaerobic capacity, while high intensity interval type training improves both systems: aerobic and anaerobic.

  Tabata, I., Nishimura, K., Kouzaki, M., Hirai, Y., Ogita, F., Miyachi, M., & Yamamoto, K. (1996). Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 28(10):1327-30.

  6 weeks of low-duration, high intensity sprint workouts causes similar changes in adaptations in muscles as high-duration, low-intensity endurance workouts performed for the same time period.

  Burgomaster, K. A., Howarth, K. R., Phillips, S. M., Rakobowchuk, M., MacDonald, M. J., McGee, S. L., & Gibala, M. (2008). Similar metabolic adaptations during exercise after low volume sprint interval and traditional endurance training in humans. Journal of Physiology 586: 151-160, 2008.

  After 15 weeks, women using high intensity interval training burned 3x as much fat and lose 3x as much weight as women using aerobic exercise.

  Bahr R (1992). “Excess postexercise oxygen consumption–magnitude, mechanisms and practical implications”. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica Supplementum, 605, 1-70.

  High intensity, 10 minute workouts produces similar effects to exercising for one hour below 70% of your maximum capacity.

  -McArdle, W. D., Katch, F. I., & Katch, V. L. (2007). Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, & Human Performance, 6th Edition.

  Health benefits:

  High intensity training is more effective in treatment of depression in older populations than low intensity training.

  -Singh NA, Stavrinos TM, Scarbeck Y, Galambos G, Liber C, Singh MA. A randomized controlled trial of high versus low intensity weight training versus general practitioner care for clinical depression in older adults. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences

  High intensity workouts are safe for women and men of all fitness levels and ages.

  -Gibala, M. J. (2007). High-intensity Interval Training: A Time-efficient Strategy for Health Promotion. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 6:211-213.

  Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males.

  Babraj, J. A., Vollaard , N. B., Keast, C., Guppy, F. M., Cottrell, G., & Timmons, J. A. (2009). Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males. BMC Endocrine Disorders 9, 3.

  High intensity resistance training improves bone mineral density at the lumbar spine in postmenopausal women.

  Martyn-St. James, M., & Carroll, S. (2006). High-intensity resistance training and postmenopausal bone loss: a meta-analysis. Osteoporosis Int. 17:1225-1240.

  Testosterone is released while exercising (1) large muscle groups (2) moderate to high repetitions (3) multiple sets (4) with short breaks.

  Kraemer, W. J. (1988). Endocrine responses to resistance exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 29:S152-157.

  Threshold Training plain and simple gets results. A common misconception is th
at only high level athletes and very fit people can train at high intensity. Just because you are not a wrestler, does not mean you cannot train like one. Z-Fanatical Fitness was created for both the beginner and high level athlete.

  The Z-Fanatical progression system provides 5 options of participation for people of different fitness levels. The different levels are based on volume or number of repetitions that are performed on each exercise. Typically, though not always, the Amateur Level consists of repeating 3 repetitions of each movement throughout the entire workout. The Gold Level consists of repeating 10 repetitions of each movement throughout the entire workout. Obviously, Bronze and Silver fall in between. The idea is to begin at whatever fitness level you are currently at, and eventually Jump Levels over time. Wherever you are right now, there is a place for you to train so that you can improve. What’s more, is that as you reach the higher levels, your body will be working harder, so you can gain results even greater to when you began. Think about it, a person who is exercising on the Gold Level performing 10 repetitions of each exercise is performing double the work as someone on the Bronze Level who performs only 5 repetitions of each exercise. Although, both people are exercising at their own personal threshold, the person at the higher level will be capable of greater work, and thus greater results. It is a process, but it is an effective process. You have to start somewhere. It doesn’t matter where, just get started.

  Even with a progression system, some exercises may still be difficult to perform. This is where modifications come in. Modifications are an additional step used to make exercises more accessible to people. Past injury, age, sex, weight, and relative strength may contribute to making push-ups a difficult exercise- even at only 3 repetitions. For this reason, modifications were added. Instead of doing a full push-up on your toes, a modification may be to perform the same exercise on your knees and descend only as far down as you are capable. Similar modifications in all exercises open the door for beginners and people of different fitness levels. It may be difficult, if not impossible to do a squat into a jump. In a different program you may be out of luck, Z-Fanatical gives you options so you will not miss a beat.