OP Minimize

When I was in the Army operations had names, they still do, and there were also activities that the lads used to give an “operational” title to. Such as “Op Bronze”, this means getting a suntan, “Op Massive” which is hitting the weights and “Op Minimize” which is slimming down.

Op Minimize when undertaken by soldiers (usually after Christmas Leave), involves cutting down on the booze a bit, and getting some serious PT done. If we bring this into the civilian world, and use it more as a long term lifestyle choice as opposed to a quick-fix, then it is easily adapted to the general public. It involves a great deal of common sense, and what you all know already. Cutting out things that are overly fattening, eating more sensibly, and increasing the amount of exercise you do. No matter what your level of fitness this will help you lose body fat. Notice I didn’t mention weight there? Weight and BMI (Body Mass Indexing) is something I do not believe using in when it comes to training the body. When I was 16 years old I had to go to the doctors for a check up. I was 5”11, 13 stone and playing professional Rugby League. My BMI was 26.5, which is obese, according to the charts. I had a bodyfat % of 8.3%, which is very low. Under 10% is classed as “skinny”. The doctor laughed, and mentioned how useless the charts are, and since then I have never put any faith into them.

Body fat % and the mirror is now how I judge where I am at physically. Because muscle weighs more than body fat, some of the people I train see a fast weight loss followed by a plateau or possibly even a slight weight gain after 4-6 weeks. This is not because they are getting fatter, or because the training is not working. On the contrary, the rapid weight loss is down to the body burning pure fat, bye, it’s gone. The Plateau is where the body is burning up fat, but increasing muscle at the same time and the slight weight gain is down to increased musculature. Your body has adapted to the new demands of physical activity which it may not have experienced before.

My advice to you, and the purpose of this article, is do not get disheartened if this happens to you! You are not doing anything wrong, this is just how the body works. The increased physical demands require bigger and stronger muscles. Simple as that.

Use the mirror. You should be able to see the differences. I had a client gain two pounds but drop 2 inches off her waist, in two weeks! Do you think she was unhappy about “gaining” weight? Of course she wasn’t! Dramatic changes like this will not happen every time you do a workout, but continued sensible well thought out training coupled with a sensible diet, and that means actually eating to fuel the body, and you can make you body look however you want it to.

For any help with starting exercise, motivation, or if you just want someone to look over your training program. Then get in touch, I am happy to help – info@bootcampacademy.com

Thanks for reading
Stephen Howson