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I’d like to introduce my friend and colleague, John Alvino.  I’ve known John for a long time, and I think he’s one of the most innovative guys in the business.  John has been in the trenches for years, honing and perfecting his fat loss techniques.  His approach is unique in that it burns fat at a crazy rate without causing any muscle loss or damage to the metabolism.  This is extremely difficult to achieve, and John’s got it down to a science.
I had the opportunity to sit down and pick his brain the other day, and I took full advantage of it.  John has always been the go-to guy for getting absolutely ripped in record time, so make sure to check this interview out.  It’s sure to be filled with fat-loss gems that will make a huge and immediate difference in your body transformation results!

Here is a transcript of our exact interview:

AC: First of all, thanks for taking the time to do this interview today.

JA: Thank you for having me, Alwyn!

AC: So we all know that you are the go-to-guy when it comes to helping people get ripped.  Can you explain to my readers how you developed your techniques?

JA: Absolutely.  For close to 20 years I’ve been obsessing (at times at the expense of my mental health and a normal social life!) about how to truly transform your body as fast as possible.
This goes beyond traditional fat loss methods and muscle building techniques.  After countless hours in my training center (my laboratory) with my countless clients (my unwitting guinea pigs), I’ve dealt with every conceivable problem that someone might encounter as they embark on the journey towards an awesome physique.

I took these problems and applied my God-given curse of obsessing about something until I either figure it out or I die.  Hey, I haven't died yet!  Anyway, I fussed and fiddled for years with different approaches and creative protocols until I came up with a solution for every single situation I faced.  Admittedly, some of my solutions failed at first (I can even remember you laughing at some of my theories Alwyn; thanks for the support!).

AC: Anytime pal!  Those were some good laughs haha.  For me, anyway.

JA: Yes they were...for you.  For me, it was just more sleepless nights wracking my brain!  But hey, buddy, as long as you got a laugh out it, I'm happy.  Alright, back to business.  A lot of the problems people face, and especially beginners, would be obvious to anyone who has trained and dieted in the past.  For example, if you want to eat Oreos every morning and now I tell you that you can’t, you may feel a little deprived.  Or if you hate to sweat and now I’m encouraging you to sweat, you may get a tad upset.

Now don’t get me wrong, although these issues may seem silly to many people, they do need to be addressed, because these are big issues for some people.  Dealing with people who had these issues actually forced me to make my programs more enjoyable, both from a nutritional and an exercise point of view.  So I'm glad I had to deal with it.  BUT...most of your readership is far beyond this stage of commitment.  So right now, I'm going to focus on the difficult (once thought impossible to solve) problems associated with serious body transformation.

AC: Great!  My readers are going to love this.  Now, what are the biggest problems (and their solutions) when it comes to shredding fat and getting ripped?  Come on Alvino, spill the beans!

JA: Alright, here we go!  At the end of the day, the #1 problem is achieving the body that you truly want.  Yea sure, there are plenty of people out there who drop some fat from time to time.  The question is, “Did they really transform into their ideal body type?”

Most people never do.  There are several reasons for this, but the one that I want to address in this interview is the fact that most programs are deeply flawed in that they cause losses in actual lean muscle tissue and energy substrates.

This results in the following devastating side effects:
1) Lower metabolic rate
2) Decreased energy levels
3) Less strength
4) Worse body shape and muscle fullness.
5) Negative hormonal fluctuations

These side effects lead to frustrating plateaus, which puts most people on the path to find the "next greatest program” to follow.  And they always find that next program.  And it has all the same problems again.  And the cycle of frustration continues.

AC: Wow, dude, that's pretty deep.  You're like the Socrates of fat loss.

JA: Kneel before Alvino.

AC: I think I’ll keep my distance, thanks!  Alright, so most fat loss protocols cause all of these terrible side effects that totally derail people's fat loss efforts.  What specifically makes your protocol so different?  What are the main things you do to prevent the side effects that plagues and ultimately undermines most of the folks out there who want to get lean and ripped?

JA: There are many little tricks I employ with my clients.  I could probably write an entire book on that list of tricks and techniques. 

Let’s start with my nutritional approach.  It’s certainly no big secret that lower carb dieting will burn fat faster that a higher carb approach. 

This is because your body prefers to burn carbs for fuel.  But in the absence of carbs, your body is forced to shift gears a bit and start burning fat as a primary fuel source. 

Additionally, a lower carb approach controls insulin levels, and having stable insulin levels is the key to releasing, mobilizing and burning fat.

So you should lower your carbohydrate consumption.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, unfortunately, it’s not so easy.  Although low carb dieting may a burn more fat, it also leads to a host of nasty side effects that can stop your fat loss efforts dead in their tracks.

For instance, consistent low carb dieting can lower energy levels, thus making any intense type of training almost impossible.  On a physical level, low carb diets lead to glycogen depletion in the muscle, leaving the muscle with less strength.  Again, this clearly affects intense workouts adversely.

Low carb diets can even lead to straight up muscle loss.  Losses in lean muscle mass always result in a lower metabolic rate, which immediately make losing fat much more difficult.  Also, people tend to “flatten out” on a low carb diet; their physiques look a little flabbier, less toned and less healthy.  This is certainly not the look anyone is striving for.

AC: I sure hope not, unless they are auditioning to be a body double in the next Will Ferrell movie!  So what can people do to avoid the problems associated with low carb dieting?  Obviously, high carb dieting isn’t the answer.

JA: Of course not.  High carb dieting is definitely not the answer.  Actually, the answer is to blend the two approaches in a very specific way.

AC: I’m all ears.

JA: I recommend 3 different diets, each with a different purpose.  Diet 1 is for rapid glycogen depletion.  Diet 2 is for total glycogen replenishment.  And Diet 3 is for glycogen maintenance.  Now, the key to this approach is to coordinate these three diets on different days on the week, depending on your specific training routine for that particular day.

How many days per week a trainee will utilize a particular diet is dictated by many variables, including the trainee’s current level of body fat, ability to train intensely, and metabolic rate.

AC: Wow, that’s really interesting.  It sounds a little complicated.

JA: Not at all.  I’ve got it down to a science, and I know to make it really easy for people implement.  Not only that, but people actually enjoy eating diverse diets.  I’ve found that this type of nutritional protocol is much more fun for my clients, which means they have a much better chance of sticking with the program.  People get bored eating the same thing every day.

AC: Good point.  Now, talk to me about the training aspect of things.

JA: Sure.  For maximal fat loss, we have to address both resistance training and cardio.

AC: Let’s hit resistance training first.

JA: Fine.  Most resistance training programs out there that are “designed specifically for fat loss” actually burn muscle.  This makes it harder for people to burn their fat, and impossible for them to achieve the look they want.

The keys to successful resistance training for fat loss are:
1)    You have to target the nervous system during your training protocol.  This is an often overlooked yet crucial component of successful long term fat loss.  To a significant degree, your physical strength is a function of the efficiency of your nervous system.  This is due to the fact that the nervous system is responsible for activating your muscle fibers in a synchronized and coordinated way.  Increased nervous system efficiency basically means that you can use more muscle fibers per muscle contraction.  This clearly leads to greater strength and muscle maintenance, two critical aspects of any great fat loss program.  Now, there are two ways to successfully train the nervous system: either use maximal resistance in your workouts (this would be over 85% of a 1 rep max for 1-5 repetitions), or use maximal speed with lighter resistance.

2)    Make sure to utilize hypertrophy training in your workouts.  This is best done using a weight that allows you to perform 6-8 repetitions.  There are two keys here: keep the volume low, and always end your sets when you have 1 repetition left in the tank.  If either of these rules is violated, you risk overtraining and muscle loss, which must be avoided at all costs.

AC: Great point about the nervous system, John.  And I really like that you are telling people to leave 1 rep left in the tank.  People think maximal effort every single set is the way to go, and it’s not.

JA: Definitely not.  You have to be very scientific about this, or you’ll end up in a fat loss rut.  I learned this the hard way myself many years ago.

AC: Alright, now talk to me about cardio.  There seems to be a lot of confusion out there.  What are your thoughts?

JA: I have found high intensity interval training (HIIT) to be more effective and efficient than lower intensity steady state cardio.  However, HIIT does have its pitfalls. 

AC: Like what?

JA: Well, first of all, too much of it can actually lead to overtraining and muscle loss.  I’ve never seen this problem in beginners, but for advanced trainees who have developed a degree of muscle mass, this is a very real concern.

So basically, everyone should do some HIIT, for sure.  Beginners and most intermediates can do it exclusively.  But advanced trainees need a combination platter that includes some HIIT and some low intensity steady state.

AC: How often should people do cardio?

JA: I suggest 3 HIIT session per week for most clients.  Again, advanced clients may perform 1-2 HIIT session and 1-2 steady state sessions with a lower intensity per week.

AC: And how long should these sessions last?

JA: This depends on the type of exercise and the trainee’s ability to generate force.  But if I were to generalize, most HIIT sessions should run 12-16 minutes, and low intensity steady state sessions should run about 30 minutes.

Actually, Alwyn, while we’re on the topic, I’ve been experimenting with something recently that has been yielding great results for me and my clients.

AC: Really?  What’s that?

JA: Well, I’ve been substituting some of the more traditional HIIT workouts with a metabolic circuit consisting of dynamic flexibility, muscle activation and total body core training.  These sessions burn fat at an amazing rate, while simultaneously improving mobility, flexibility and core strength. 

AC: Wow.  That’s crazy - we've been doing something similar at Results Fitness but never really thought of combining it as a cardio session.  I think that most people should be integrating that type of work into their routine at some point anyway.  Combining it with cardio is a creative idea.

JA: Thanks.  I’ll keep you posted on the results, but things look really good right now.

AC: Awesome.  I’ll look forward to hearing about it.  Now, one last question.  Does any of the information you’ve given us today vary depending on the gender of the trainee?

JA: The answer is yes.  Nutritionally, relative to their body weight, women will need about half the amount of carbs and 75% the amount of protein that a man needs.  Their fat intake should be about 20% less than men, relative to their body weight.

AC: How about differences in working out?

JA: There are some subtle differences in regards to their training protocol.  I have found that as a general rule, women need less rest between sets than men do.  All else being equal, I usually cut women’s rest intervals in half compared to men’s rest intervals.  This is due to the fact that most women have better cardiovascular conditioning than they do muscular strength.  With most men, it’s the other way around, so they need more rest.

AC: I totally agree.  If I ever tried to keep up with my female clients’ work to rest ratio, I’d be actively seeking the nearest garbage can and making good use of it within the first twenty minutes of the workout!

JA: Haha no kidding.  Women (when they’re fit) are machines that way.  Very few strong men can hang with a fit woman pound for pound when it comes to work to rest ratio.  Now, here’s another reason why I like to lower women’s rest intervals: even though some studies disagree with what I’m about to say, it has been my experience time and time again that women’s nervous systems generally aren’t as efficient as men’s.  This means that they aren’t activating as many motor units per contraction as men are.  Thus, they don’t need as much recovery time, because they don’t tax themselves as much on a given exercise as men do.

And finally, there is a psychological factor here as well.  Women usually want to feel that their cardiovascular system is being challenged, or they tend to get bored and think that the workout is not as effective as it could be.  Thus, for the sake of motivation alone, I find it very effective to reduce the rest interval between sets for women during a resistance training workout.

AC: Wow, this was a great interview, John.  And all these years I thought you were just another meathead!

JA: Uhh…thanks?  Haha!  Alwyn, it’s always great catching up with you and exchanging our thoughts on training.  I hope we can do it again real soon.
AC: So do I!  Now, where can people find out more about your fat loss methods?
JA: People can go to JohnAlvino.com.  I am giving away a free report on the website right now that I think your readers would find very helpful.

AC: Great.  Cheers mate!

JA: My pleasure, Alwyn.

AC: Alright guys, make sure to go to JohnAlvino.com and check out John’s free Ninja fat loss report.  It will make a quick and lasting impression on your fat loss efforts, to be sure!

Till next time,
--
AC

AlwynCosgrove.com

24420 Walnut street
Newhall, CA
91321
US



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