I’ll start with the most traditional approach and work my way to the most radical approach.

Traditional – The obvious strategy here is to consult with my client about their goals and determine if there is a desired goal date in mind. There will be some modifications if we are working towards a target date. If there is no target date, with a weight loss goal in hand, we develop a plan that includes regular activity (exercise of some sort) daily with a focused effort 3-4 times per week for at least 30 minutes. In addition to an increase in activity, modifications to eating will be put into place such as smaller portions and may include measuring out meals for several months. We will also set baselines to measure against as we reach benchmark days to ensure we are progressing in different areas. Keep in mind that the scale is not the only way to tell if you’re losing weight. At least once per month, we scale and take measurements and perform an activity based fitness assessment. If a target date is in the mix, we mostly follow the same plan, except we the exercise regimen and meal plan is more aggressive and restrictive while remaining safe.

Athletic – This approach is most common for the former athlete or the person who has found an interest in a sport and wants to participate. Similar to traditional, there’s a couple variations to how the program is executed. Most of the modifications are based on the age of the participant and their starting physical condition. For a younger athlete, under 25 years of age (physical prime for the average person) with no serious ailments, we aggressively work building up their endurance and flexibility before venturing into strength training. The exception is obviously power lifters as they are less likely to focus on flexibility and absolutely need to work on strength and technique early on. For an older athlete, past physical prime, a more methodical approach is required alongside considerations for the changes that are inevitable with aging. Much like the traditional approach, a structured plan that includes activity and meal changes is necessary. Here we are looking to exercise 4-5 times per week for 60-75 minutes, swinging back and forth between intense and lower tempo. 

Extreme – Disclaimer: I’m only sharing this for informational purposes and I do not recommend this method, especially without supervision.

The naked truth here is that we all encounter situations where we want to reach a certain goal by a certain date and most of the time, we’ve waited until the last minute to get started. Scenario: you have 3 weeks to lose 10 lbs and you knew about this particular event 6 months ahead of time – what do you do. You can safely lose 10 lbs in 3 weeks without driving yourself crazy or getting sick. But what if its 20 lbs? **dun dun dun** … Here’s the ‘shortcut’ that will get you there but the results will not last. Simply cycle on and off the military diet which is low carb, 1200 calories per day for 3 days, then low carb 1500 calories per day for 4 days. Workout 6 days per week on a schedule of upper, cardio, abs, cardio, lower, cardio then take the 7th day off. Most Americans have several pounds of waste unjust sitting in their bodies at any given time, so a 3-day colon cleanse can be executed starting around 5 days before the event. You should also consume 75% of your body weight in ounces of water (160 lbs = 120 oz water) daily. Honestly, the weight will melt off but because the approach is so extreme and hard to maintain, the weight will come back quickly as well.

There you have it, an oversimplified explanation of varying approaches!

Lastly, I have training programs as low as $75/month that will supplement and guide you to your goals.