The Truth About Weight, Genetics, and Intensity

You know a guy from work lost forty pounds by swearing off carbs. Your spouse dropped four inches from their waist after walking six miles a day. Your best friend went vegan and gained tons of energy, morphing into the best shape of their life. But when you try to do what they did for the same amount of time, you don’t lose much fat, and may even feel physically sick. What gives?

It turns out that genes and body chemistry can have a significant effect on the outcome of your efforts.

Unsurprisingly, most people, about 88%, respond to higher intensity exercise versus a lucky 12% who will be able to lose fat and manage their weight with lower to moderate intensity work. On the diet spectrum, there seems to be a more even split: about half of people lose fat on a lower carb diet, while the other half responds more to low fat eating.

This explains to some degree why many people spend hours in the gym and get no tangible results. Most people cannot rely on a thirty minute, steadily paced elliptical workout to create change in their bodies beyond a week or two. It’s just not intense enough. Moreover, modes like weight training with heavy resistance and CrossFit can deliver results because they create a higher intensity that has the potential to produce those results.

The caveat, however, is that most people should not start with a high-intensity workout like this. To safely and sustainably progress in your weight loss as well as overall fitness, you need to dedicate plenty of program time to overall movement quality: soft tissue, mobility and stability work. Otherwise, you may be losing weight, but your high intensity moves are likely exacerbating existing imbalances further and pre-disposing you to sub-optimal structure and function, as well as injury.

Mindful of this, I recommend working with a knowledgeable, professional coach who can help you address your weaknesses and heal imbalances before progressing appropriately. You’ll prevent pain and injury and feel good in your body. Then, you can build your workout intensity and continue progressing in your fitness and weight management goals.

I’m happy to answer any questions you may have! Please reach out to me directly at blendablebalance@gmail.com.

For further reading on some of the genetic science, check out Rock Star Research.

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