Question: Hi Chad, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. For those few readers who are yet unfamiliar with your work, tell us about yourself, your credentials, and past work.
CW: I started training people 15 years ago. I have a master’s degree in Physiology from the University of Arizona along with bachelor’s degrees in Exercise Science and Human Biology. About 10 years ago my training and nutrition methods gained national recognition. So I started writing for all the top fitness magazines and I began giving seminars where I teach other personal trainers how to train their clients for faster results.
I have hundreds of published articles, I’ve written two books, Muscle Revolution and Huge in a Hurry, and I made a DVD, the Total Body Solution. My work with celebrities has been mentioned in People, AOL Fitness and US Weekly. And my work with pro athletes has been shown on Showtime.
Question: In your Body of Fire program you place a great emphasis on full body workouts. Why is that important for someone who’s mainly interested in working on a specific body part, their abs, for instance?
CW: The biggest misconception is that working your abs will give you better abs. This is nonsense. There’s no such thing as spot reduction, but many marketers are selling that concept, even though science has shown it’s a ridiculous lie. Sure, your abs need to be strong and functional – that’s why the Body of F.I.R.E. outlines the best core exercises – but you’ll never see those abs unless you burn body fat. This is why full body workouts are essential.
You see, the more muscles you work at once, the more fat and calories you’ll burn. I’m not talking about lifting super heavy weights or anything like that. Instead, I’m talking about doing fun, full body exercises that you probably haven’t seen before.
For other exercises, you’ll just use your own body and this allows you to move quickly when exercising. Research has shown that moving fast will make your body burn more calories during and after your workouts. Jogging on a treadmill only burns calories while you’re doing it, but my workouts put your body into fat-burning mode so your metabolism stays elevated long after you stop training. That’s why people get such incredible results on the program.
Question: Can someone who doesn’t have a gym membership do Body of F.I.R.E.? What do they need?
CW: All of the workouts are designed to be performed at home. A gym isn’t required. I spent a lot of time creating workouts and exercises that require no special equipment whatsoever. But I didn’t just do this for convenience. You see, exercise machines force your body to work in unnatural ways, and this kills your results. The best way to burn fat and get in shape is with exercises that allow your body to move freely. All you need for this program is a pair of dumbbells. That’s it.
And many of the Body of F.I.R.E. exercises are performed without any weights. Body weight exercises are fun and very cool if you know how to do them correctly. That’s why there’s a vivid, full color exercise guide with plenty of tips and technique tricks to ensure that you’re doing every exercise perfectly.
(My remark: I’ve seen the exercise guide and it’s very clear and extensive)
Question: In your program you talk about Fast Lifts and switch between exercises quickly as a workout method. For years we’ve been told to exercise slowly and to focus on one body part. Why is your method better?
CW: You’re right. For decades, marketers in the fitness business tried to get you to exercise slowly. Those agonizing workouts made your muscles burn, and it was an easy sell that “burning muscles” must equate to fat burning. Guys like me knew this was nonsense, because athletes never train slowly and they have the best bodies on the planet. But the general public didn’t realize the fallacy.
Thankfully, there’s been a lot of great research over the last few years proving fast lifts burn more fat and calories than slow lifts. Also, research shows that when you alternate between two exercises, one for the upper body and one for the lower body, you’ll burn more fat than if you did each exercise separately.
So that’s why I combine fast lifts and exercise pairings in my workouts. The results my clients experience on the Body of F.I.R.E. program, and research, prove it’s the best way to get in shape.
Question: You talk about the Metabolic Cost of each workout. What does this term mean and why is it important?
CW: Metabolic cost is a measure exercise scientists use to determine how challenging a movement is for your body. The higher the metabolic cost, the faster your body will burn fat. My goal was to combine the best methods into a single workout in order to generate the highest metabolic cost.
There are four keys to maximizing the metabolic cost in your workouts. First, do full body exercises that work many different muscle groups at once. Second, perform each exercise fast so your body burns more calories. Third, keep your rest periods to a minimum so your heart rate stays elevated. So not only are your workouts quicker when your rest periods are shorter, but you’ll burn more fat. Fourth, follow a progression plan so your workouts are constantly changing. When the body gets used to a workout it won’t burn as many calories the second or third time because it’s already adapted to what you’re doing.
For the second part of the interview visit Chad Waterbury Interview Part 2.