What I Would Do If I Suddenly Woke Up 20 Pounds Overweight?

👉6-day a week

👉4-day a week

👉And if I was going to use a single KB program, I’d use either the 3-day or 6-day version of this one here.

This is what I’d do, step-by-step.

[1] OWN IT:

About 6-7 years ago, one of my colleagues “suddenly” dropped about 80 pounds. He was a powerlifter chasing a BIG squat—800lbs if I recall correctly—but could never get below 260. When he lost that 80 pounds, I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years, so I asked him how he did it.

“It was pretty simple,” he said. “I talked to [a mutual friend] and he said, ‘Dude, you gotta own your sh*t.’ And that was it.”

In other words, if you struggle to lose weight, you have to identify your excuses—those stories and lies you tell yourself—and get rid of them. Change your stories.

[2] GET JUNK FOOD OUT OF THE HOUSE:

I’d go through the pantry and get rid of all cookies, chips, crackers, and soda. Then I’d hit the freezer and get rid of pizza, ice cream—any high-calorie “binge-y” food. If it’s not there, I can’t eat it, especially not on impulse when I’m under stress.

[3] I'D EAT A "PROTEIN-FIRST" DIET:

The first thing in my mouth each meal is protein. Every meal is built around it, then comes other stuff: carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice) and, of course, veggies.
Protein:
Stops hunger

Stops cravings for sugary and fatty foods

Speeds up your metabolism

Speeds up your recovery between workouts
In fact, 2015 research by Dr. Jose Antonio, PhD, et al, stated[1]:
“A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training program improves body composition in healthy trained men and women.”

[4] I'D LIFT HEAVY (HIGH FORCE):

I’d use a 4-6RM for my most important lifts, especially if I’d been doing a lot of KB ballistics. Many people who do “lots of Swings” are shocked when they add heavy lifts. Their heart rates skyrocket more than during Swings or Snatches, increasing the body’s calorie demands for recovery.

[5] I'D LIFT EXPLOSIVELY (HIGH POWER):

I’d make each rep as powerful as possible—no more “phoning it in” or just “surviving” my sets. If I’d already been doing “a bunch of Swings,” I’d probably double my usual rep ranges (or increase them by 50%). For example, sets of 5 become sets of 10; sets of 10 become sets of 20.

[6] I'D "BIAS" MY TRAINING:

Most people do only what they like. But to strip fat off your body like turpentine on an antique chest of drawers, you have to do the thing you suck at most—because it forces you to use more energy.

I love low-rep strength work—that’s my bias. The opposite would be higher-rep KB ballistic work, like sets of 10+. That would gas me, requiring more energy. For someone who does “a lot of Swings,” it’d be the opposite: a lot of heavy strength work. Again, more energy than normal required.

[7] I'D SLEEP MORE:

Sleeping more burns fat; sleeping less increases fat storage[2]. Hard to believe, but true. Lack of sleep increases hunger and makes you lose muscle (“fat-free mass”). I’d make sure I got 7-8 hours every night.

[8] I'D BREATH MORE:

Breathing—specifically diaphragmatic breathing—is a stress reliever. Less stress → less circulating cortisol → less belly fat. Diaphragmatic breathing turns on the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) system and counters the sympathetic (“fight, flight, or freeze”) system.

High cortisol also suppresses anabolic (muscle-building & fat-burning) hormones like testosterone (T) and growth hormone (GH). So, breathing reduces cortisol and rebalances T and GH levels.

[9] I'D TRAIN 4-6X WEEK:

Making your body burn fat is no mean feat. It’s like Scrooge McDuck hoarding his treasure: your body wants to hold on to fat. So you have to force it to burn without caring—by making it work more. How you organize your training is up to you. I like contrasting training:

Hard sessions followed by easy sessions

Heavy sessions followed by light sessions

That style makes the body work without burning it out. I’d keep sessions focused but short—20 to 30 minutes.

[10] I'D PRIORITIZE RECOVERY:

I’d ensure I stayed injury-free by emphasizing restoration/mobility work, knowing my body would tighten from extra use. If you’ve ever had an injury from overuse, you know it’s no fun. Better to head that off at the pass.

So, 5 to 15 minutes of restoration work each session. “Yeah, but won’t that take total workout time up to 45 minutes?” Possibly. Or I could alternate hard training days with easy restoration days and do more restoration work then.
So How Long Would It Take?
As long as it took.
But probably, no more than 12 weeks. Maybe as long as 16, depending on my recovery.

RESEARCH.

[1] Antonio J, Ellerbroek A, Silver T, et al. A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training program improves body composition in healthy trained men and women

[2] https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-7-201010050-00006 (Si apre in una nuova finestra)