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To My Clients (and future clients), Here's The Foundation of Project Bates Training Methodology

Writer's picture: Chris BatesChris Bates

Updated: Apr 6, 2022

Everyone has their own style of training. This is mine. This is based on the science of the body, muscle building, metabolism, preconceived notions of exercise, habits, progressive overload, Richard Simmons, nutrition, and periodization. Ok, enough of the fun words. Let's get into it.



Here's the super short version: My focus is on helping people to create an environment within their body that builds and preserves lean muscle, which, in turn, increases metabolism and burns more fat.


(I want to reiterate that before we dive into this article. This is based on the best method for lean muscle building, increased metabolism and fat burning. If that is not your main goal, this particular article is not for you. I am not anti cardio, but a cardio based workout is proven to be one of the worst methods for long term fat burning. I know this goes against everything we have been told since the 90s, but please read on to see where I'm going with this, and as always, do your own research and let me know in the comments what your beliefs, questions or concerns are, and let's test this out!!!)


There are a few optimal ways to do this. My workouts all focus on resistance training. There is nothing better than resistance training for the purpose of increasing metabolism, building lean muscle, and burning fat.


Here's why...


Fat Burning Machine!!!


I know that might sound like an infomercial from 2003, but it's relevant.


When we practice resistance training (weight lifting), we send a very strong signal to the body saying "we are using these muscles deeply, and we need them to be stronger." Your body will then prioritize the building and preservation of the muscles by feeding them more nutrients, and never burning muscle tissue as fuel.


And that leaves only one source of fuel...Fat. This is where the increase in metabolism comes in. Muscle tissue is very "expensive" to maintain. The more muscle tissue we have, the more calories it takes to maintain it. This is a major factor in resting metabolism. The more lean muscle mass, the higher the resting metabolism. This is why a 5'2" female weightlifter who weighs 145lbs and looks tiny, can eat 3500 calories on her day off, and not put on any fat. Her body is literally a fat burning machine, even when she's sitting on the couch eating.


Once the body begins to enter this fat burning state, more food becomes necessary. More calories are needed to maintain the muscle, and protein, specifically, becomes even more important.


This is the state that resistance training (weight lifting) puts your body into. Now let's look at the science of cardio based workouts.


Cardio Based Workouts


When someone first starts an exercise routine that is based on cardio, they get great initial results. The body is shocked at the amount of output it requires, and it burns a lot of calories to fuel the energy that is exerted.


With large amounts of cardio on a regular basis, the signal that it sends the body is not a deep, muscle strengthening and preserving signal, like with resistance training. Instead, it is a signal that tells the body "we need to get better at cardio". This causes the body to adapt to that type of exercise, and get more efficient at cardio. This is fantastic if your goal is to get better at steady state cardio (competitive running, cycling, swimming, etc). But if your goal is to burn fat and build lean muscle, not so much. Why?


Because getting more efficient at cardio means your body learns to do the same work using less energy. Another word for a unit of energy in the body is ... calorie. The body learns to do the same work by burning less calories. This also plays into resting metabolism. When our body gets accustomed to extensive amounts of cardio, it gets very good at conserving energy (calories) in our day to day life. The process of our body burning less calories at a resting level means that our resting metabolism has slowed down. AKA we have taught our body to get proficient at NOT burning calories.


Because cardio does not send a strong, deep muscle building, muscle preserving signal to the body, and since muscle tissue "costs more calories" to maintain, the body chooses to sacrifice more muscle tissue, which causes a slight lowering of resting metabolism, because the body no longer has to burn extra calories to maintain that muscle.


So, in conclusion, the body that does a lot of steady state cardio gets efficient at it, and burns less calories. We then realize that, if we want to lose weight, we need to consume less calories. When we consume less calories, our body says, "Now we need to become more efficient, because we are getting less calories, so let's sacrifice some more muscle tissue and burn fewer calories". Metabolism slows down even more. This becomes an unsustainable race to the bottom, and fat loss becomes all but nonexistent.


The Principle of Adaptation


Adaptation occurs when the body starts to get used to a certain workout. With resistance training, we can progressively overload, meaning when the workouts get easy, we can raise the weight. This causes new muscle stimulation, and demands more calorie/fat burn. We can also use periodization, meaning we can change up the workouts. We can work different body parts, work the same body parts with different movements, different types of resistance, and change up the weight, intensity and rest times. All these variations can be set up (by your favorite personal trainer who is writing this) and will force new adaptations, new progress, and new fat burn.


With cardio based workouts, once your body has adapted to a certain workout, the only change you can make is to extend the workout. Run or swim or bike for a longer period of time.


Please, Don't Get Me Wrong


I AM PRO CARDIO. Some cardio is very healthy and beneficial. If you are an athlete in training, or you just enjoy doing your cardio workout, then keep it up! You should always do what you enjoy. This article is strictly referring to the systems involved in lean muscle building, resting metabolic development, and fat burning. If excess fat burning is your goal, I would love to help you get on a good resistance training plan, and see some real changes!


Benefits of Weightlifting


- Increased resting metabolism

- Increased fat/calorie burn

- Increased bone density

- Increased strength

- Increased heart health

- Joint pain relief and increased joint mobility

- Lower stress/anxiety/depression

- Build a more aesthetic body

- Build confidence and coordination

- Improve cardio ability

- Hormone regulation

- Healthier body composition (higher lean muscle mass/lower body fat)

- Resist the aging process

- Improved libido

- Improved overall mental health

- Improved sleep

- Improved mood (endorphin release)

- Fights against osteoporosis and heart disease

- Reduced risk of diabetes

- And more!!!


Summing This Up


Your success is my success. I want to see all my clients (and all you future clients) get the best results possible. I want you to meet your goals, and surprise yourselves with the progress you make. This science is proven. It's a long term, sustainable solution to end the fight that so many people have struggled with for years. That is why I am so dedicated to it. I have seen it work, and I continue to see it work. It's not a fad, it's not a restrictive diet plan, it's a real life application of creating the proper environment within our own body so our body does what it is able to naturally do.


And it all starts in our mind. If we can control our thoughts, we can conquer our bodies. When you look in the mirror, you don't see a number. You don't see calories. You see a person. That person is the result of the processes they have built in their mind and their body.


I would be honored to be a part of your process.


If you made it this far, and you're still wondering, "where does Richard Simmons come into the picture?", he doesn't. However, to read more about these principles, I would highly recommend the Audio book The Resistance Training Revolution by Sal Di Stefano. I am reading through this book ... again, and it is gripping. This article references a lot of the stuff that he talks about. Click on my affiliate link below, and get a free download of audible, and a free audio book to start you off! I would recommend that book, but this link is good for any book. And if you're anything like me, you will sign up, and be listening to some good books nonstop.


Comment below, and send me an email to get the ball rolling!


grow@project-bates.com


- Chris

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