When it comes to losing body fat, the question of “what's the best form of exercise?” always comes up.

I used to have a very firm approach to this, believing that the best form of exercise was one that was supported by research.  That is, a program that progressively overloads the weights you’re lifting, coupled with low intensity aerobic activity.

With this recipe you're going to have a tremendous stimulus for muscle growth and the caloric expenditure for fat loss without the resulting accumulation of fatigue and detriments to recovery.

On the surface, this makes a ton of sense.

The issue is training like that… training like a bodybuilder… is really effing boring for most people! 

This might be something that they can do intermittently, but over time they're not going to have fun, their adherence will dwindle, and they will eventually resort to not training at all.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine recently who was trying to make the argument that CrossFit wasn't the best way to improve body composition.  I explained to him that while it's not perfect, there is no perfect.  

The best exercise for fat loss is going to be the exercise that you can do intensely and consistently for the rest of your life and while CrossFit might not be optimal based on the research, it is absolutely fun, filled with community and allows people to be in a space where they can work very hard and enjoy themselves for an hour a day.

If that's what you need to be consistent and hard working in your exercise in a sustainable way (I personally don’t believe it’s sustainable, but I digress), then it was in fact the perfect exercise for fat loss FOR THAT PERSON.

All too often we get tied into certain camps or certain dogmas about the way that we accomplish things in fitness and nutrition.  When we do that, we limit the amount of tools we have in our toolbox and if all you have is a hammer, everything becomes a nail - this is the wrong approach!

What I'd like for you to do whenever you ask yourself the question of “what's the best exercise for xyz?” or, “what's the best diet for abc?”  I want you to reflect on one simple thing:

The best diet or the best exercise is the one you will follow for the rest of your life.

Don't major in the minor and get hung up on the details - train hard, have fun, look to improve yourself every time you walk through the doors of the gym and I can guarantee that given enough time you'll be blown away by the results.

One of the best ways to figure out what form of exercise is going to suit you best is to work with a coach. If you're interested in working with one of our coaches here at Master Athletic Performance, just reply to this email with the word “FUN” and I'll reach out to you personally to book a call with the coach that suits you best.

We work with clients from all walks of life to find ways to sustainably make progress in the gym and in the kitchen, but more importantly, in the rest of their lives.

Fitness and nutrition are a vehicle for personal development - let us help you!

Stay Strong,

Paul Oneid, MS. MS. CSCS

Founder and Head Coach