Torch The Fat

All Rights Reserved 2012- Mike Strobel
MaximumAfterburn.com

Ultimate
Fat-‐loss
is
Within
Your
Grasp

Hi there. My name is Mike Strobel.

You are about to be empowered with
information that will forever change how
you think about fat-loss and health for the
rest of your life.

There is so much of conflicting and
misguided information in the fitness
industry that it’s no wonder over 65% of
people in industrialized nations are obese.

I believe we are intentionally kept in a
perpetual state of confusion by an industry
that profits by selling us the latest pill,
potions and ridiculous equipment. A recent photo of me and my wife at the beach

But this guide will change all of that.

I’m about to share with you the secrets to losing fat and finally getting in the best
shape of your life. Some things you may have heard of before and some may go
against everything you ever thought you knew about fitness.

But to be completely honest with you, none of what I am about to tell you is really
a secret. Most of the information is out there if you know where to look. The
problem is that it’s been buried so deep under a mountain of confusing and
conflicting information that it may as well be a secret.

Now, before I reveal the truth about how to finally torch fat and get a lean body,
let me tell you a little bit about why you should pay close attention to what I say
when it comes to fat loss and fitness.

I am just your typical 42 year old guy who used to spend 5-6 hours per week in the
gym getting frustrated over my lack of results. Looking back now, I realize I
should have been grateful that I even had the time to work out.

But all that changed in 2009 when the recession hit and I was forced to downsize
my business. This meant I had to cut my staff in half including management. This
left me as “the guy” who had to do everything at the business.

2
http://MaximumAfterburn.com

I began leaving the house before 6am, commuting an hour to the office and then
returning home in the dark after a stressed out day of dealing with employees who
didn’t show up for work and a dwindling customer base.

When I returned home in the dark, I was totally drained both mentally and
physically. The last thing I wanted to think about was going to the gym. To make
matter worse, my diet was horrendous.

I usually ended up skipping meals during the day and then sitting down to a
carbohydrate- rich meal at night which left me feeling overly full and actually
prevented me from getting a good night’s sleep which I desperately needed.

I knew I was on the road to disaster but I felt powerless to stop it. It wasn’t long
before I could see the effects taking its toll on my body. I was getting soft and
pudgy and my energy levels were less than zero. And for the first time in my life,
my joints began to ache.

To be honest, I’m not even sure where I was finding the energy just to get through
my day.

But as much as I knew that I needed to get back to working out and eating right, I
just couldn’t seem to find the time. I even bought the P90x program thinking that
it would save me time but the routines were 45 minutes long and even that was
more time than I had to spare.

I knew I needed a workout program that could work my entire body but was short
and efficient enough that I could complete the entire program before work.

So like a madman, I began researching and testing all types of training programs
any chance I got, looking for the most efficient methods to get the best results in
the least amount of time.

I poured myself into books on nutrition and training methods and how they
affected the body’s hormones and chemical balances.

I became my own guinea pig as I began applying what I learned to my body while
meticulously tracking my energy and fitness levels. The results I was getting were
beyond amazing!

I was actually able to cut my workout time in half while losing fat and building
lean muscle. This went against everything I had ever heard or read in fitness
magazines.

3

It is these specific techniques that helped me get in the best shape of my life at the
age of 42. I was able to drop my fat to an unheard of 9-10% body fat while
building lean muscle, strength, and endurance.

And while I've finally attained the build that I always wanted, much more
importantly, I've been able to maintain it easily and still eat the foods I love in
moderation but without having to live my life in the gym or even going to a gym
for that matter.

There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that you too can have a lean, strong,
healthy body, even if you work long hours, or sometimes lack motivation by
following the same simple strategies I’ve outlined in this guide.

I want to show you that getting fit and staying lean doesn’t mean you have to
sacrifice your happiness. You just have to follow the right strategies for the right
goal.

With the right mindset and approach, I know you will succeed.

Your Friend,

4

Disclaimers
You must get your physician’s approval before beginning this
exercise/nutrition program.

These
recommendations
are
not
medical
guidelines
but
are
for
educational
purposes

only.
You
must
consult
your
physician
prior
to
starting
this
program
or
if
you
have
any

medical
condition
or
injury
that
contraindicates
physical
activity.
This
program
is

designed
for
healthy
individuals
18
years
and
older
only.

The
information
in
this
report
is
meant
to
supplement,
not
replace,
proper

nutrition/exercise
training.
All
forms
of
exercise
pose
some
inherent
risks.
The
editors

and
publishers
advise
readers
to
take
full
responsibility
for
their
safety
and
know
their

limits.
Before
practicing
the
exercises
in
this
book,
be
sure
that
your
equipment
is
well-‐
maintained,
and
do
not
take
risks
beyond
your
level
of
experience,
aptitude,
training

and
fitness.

The
exercises
and
dietary
programs
in
this
book
are
not
intended
as
a
substitute
for
any

exercise
routine
or
treatment
or
dietary
regimen
that
may
have
been
prescribed
by
your

physician.

Don’t
lift
heavy
weights
if
you
are
alone,
inexperienced,
injured,
or
fatigued.
Don’t

perform
any
exercise
unless
you
have
been
shown
the
proper
technique
by
a
certified

personal
trainer
or
certified
strength
and
conditioning
specialist.

Always
ask
for
instruction
and
assistance
when
lifting.
Don’t
perform
any
exercise

without
proper
instruction.
Always
do
a
warm-‐up
prior
to
resistance
training
and

interval
training.

See
your
physician
before
starting
any
exercise
or
nutrition
program.
If
you
are
taking

any
medications,
you
must
talk
to
your
physician
before
starting
any
exercise
program,

including
any
training
in
this
guide.
If
you
experience
any
lightheadedness,
dizziness,
or

shortness
of
breath
while
exercising,
stop
the
movement
and
consult
a
physician.

You
must
have
a
complete
physical
examination
if
you
are
sedentary,
if
you
have
high

cholesterol,
high
blood
pressure,
or
diabetes,
if
you
are
overweight,
or
if
you
are
over
30

years
old.
Please
discuss
all
nutritional
changes
with
your
physician
or
a
registered

dietician.
If
your
physician
recommends
that
you
don’t
use
this
No-‐Excuse
Fat
Guide,

please
follow
your
Doctor’s
orders.

5

D rop The Cardio

I know shocking right? Everyone has a hard time digesting this piece of advice
because main stream media has been brainwashing us since the Richard Simmons
days.

But the truth speaks for itself.

Gyms everywhere are full of overweight people huffing and puffing on treadmills
and elyptical machines. If doing long steady cardio worked then why does their
body composition rarely seem to change?

The truth is that the “Fat Burning
Zone” of 60%-65% of max heart
rate is just a myth and is not really
optimal for burning fat.

It may work initially but your
body will easily adapt to your
cardio sessions within a short
couple weeks of starting by
lowering your metabolism.

That’s why you hear so many
people complain about gaining weight even though their doing tons of cardio on a
restricted diet.

And to make matters worse, your appetite will increase with all the extra activity
making it almost impossible to stay on your diet.

There is a better solution to fat loss then slow boring cardio which I will go into
specifics a little later on.

Why Cardio is not Optimal for Burning Fat

1. Our bodies are incredibly efficient. After 2-3 weeks you will reach a fat
loss plateau no matter how much cardio you do. Results will be slow
to nonexistent.

6

2. Excess Cardio will eat up your hard earned muscle mass especially when
combined with dieting (ultimately leading to a slower metabolism)

3. Excess cardio can decrease fat-burning hormones and enzymes making it harder
for the body to burn fat (we’ll get into that later)

4. Excess cardio increases the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a major culprit of belly
fat.

L ift Heavy

Ok, so this isn’t groundbreaking news but I think it’s overlooked as a way to lose
fat. When we think of lifting heavy weights, we naturally think of building size but
we often forget that muscles, and increased muscle tone, burn more calories even
at rest.

Heavy lifting will promote a hormonal response in your
body to increase your body’s metabolism. Many studies
conclude that adding heavier weightlifting to an exercise
routine will be more effective in burning fat than just
doing cardio.

One study from the University of Alabama in
Birmingham showed that dieters who lifted heavy
weights lost the same amount of weight as dieters who
did just cardio, but all the weight lost by the weight
lifters was fat while the cardio group lost a lot of muscle
along with some fat.

Heavy lifting really puts a ton of stress on your body
forcing it to recover for hours after your workout is over.
That means you will continue to burn fat even as you sit
on the couch later that night.

While medium reps (6-12) and high reps (12-15+) can be beneficial for fat loss, if
you really want to build muscle and strength for long term fat loss then you need
to be lifting heavy for a max of 5-8 reps.

7

E At Enough Calories
With most fat loss diets you typically lose 1-2 pounds of muscle for every
lost pound of fat. So what you end up with is looking soft and flat or worse yet..
skinny-fat.

Or metabolically obese as I like to call it.

Call it what you want, it’s unattractive in
any language. And it’s usually looks worse
on women then men due to the fact they
naturally hold less muscle.

That’s because usually in an effort to lose
weight as fast as possible most people cut
their calories too drastically and end up
losing the beautiful contours that muscle
provides.

Your muscle is extremely metabolically active. It takes a lot of calories to
maintain so it’s critical that you’re eating enough calories and getting enough
protein to maintain it.

Plus when you reduce your calories too low, for too long of a period you will can
seriously lower you metabolism which means once you go off your diet, you will
gain fat back at a faster rate.

A Simple Calorie Baseline

First you will need to find out the calories needed to maintain your current weight.
A quick way to calculate your maintenance calories is to multiply your current
weight first by 15 then by 16. Your maintenance calories will fall somewhere
between those two numbers.

Now take the estimated calorie maintenance level you got in the previous step and
multiply it by 80% to create a 20% calorie deficit. This is the ideal amount of
calories you should be eating assuming you are working out 5x a week.

Because 20% is neither too big nor too small, it will allow you to maximize fat
loss, minimize muscle loss, and do it all in a way that is easy for you to manage
and sustain your physical and mental wellbeing.

8

Sample
Menu
(2100
Calories)

The following is a sample menu designed for a man who is 180lb who wants to
lose fat and is exercising 5x a week.

Breakfast
2 Whole Eggs
plus 2 additional Egg Whites
1/2 Cup Quinoa

Mid Morning Snack-Protein Shake
Pea, Hemp or Rice Protein Powder (recommend Sun Warrior Products)
1 Tbs Flax
2 cups Spinach
½ berries
1 cup Almond Milk

Lunch
5-6 ounces of grilled chicken, or turkey breast
1/3 avocado
1/2 Yam
Large Salad or 2 cups Steamed Vegetables

Mid-Afternoon Snack
¼ cup of almonds
1 Apple

Dinner
Baked Fish
1 cup of spicy Black Beans
2 cups of steamed vegetables

Snack-Protein Shake

1 Scoop Pea, Hemp or Rice Protein Powder
1 Cup Almond milk

**Total Calories: Approx. 2100

9

D On’t Count Calories

Counting calories everyday can be very tedious and most people won’t do
it for long. Quite frankly, who has the time or patience?

I’m not saying you shouldn’t know how many calories you’re eating on a daily
basis because you definitely should. I’m just saying that you need to simplify the
process.

I’m going to give you a simple calculation that will allow you to get a baseline of
your daily calorie requirements. Once you know this, measure your portion sizes
for a week until you can eyeball the correct portion size for your daily calorie
requirements.

The rule of thumb is that a
serving of lean protein should be
the size of your open palm and
for your low glycemic
carbohydrate it should be the
size of your clenched fist.

You can have unlimited
amounts of vegetables as long as
they are prepared in a low fat
manner.

I am not a big believer in measuring out all my food and I really don’t think you
need to after you have an idea of the calories per portion.

Once you have your total calorie requirements for the day, break it into 5 or 6
meals that you will eat throughout the day. I usually will have 3 main meals and
then the additional calories will come from the snacks.

So if you determine that your total calorie intake is 1500 calories, you would eat 3
main meals of 350 calories and then 3 snacks (protein smoothies can be snacks)
approximately 225 calories. You can adjust the calories and frequency of
meals/snacks to fit your schedule.

Now that you have your calories figured out, you can create different meals by
simply replacing your proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

10

You will probably find that you mainly eat the same foods over and over. I have
about 10-12 favorite foods I eat on a regular basis and I know their nutritional
makeup so I simply swap them out at different meals to create a new menu.

For instance, I will swap out 4-5 oz of white fish for 4-5oz organic chicken or 1
tbs. of olive oil for 1 tbs. of coconut oil or or 10 almonds for 1 tablespoon of
natural organic peanut butter.

Keep it simple is my motto.

D itch The Whole Wheat

This one might be a hard one to swallow since
we’ve been hammered over the head for so long
about how healthy whole wheat is for us.

Sure it provides a little bit of fiber but not nearly
as much as you may think and certainly not worth
the havoc it plays on your body’s hormones.

If you are serious about your health and want to
lose fat forever then I urge you to go into your
kitchen today and donate all your whole wheat
bread, bagels, cakes, crackers, cereal, pretzels,
cookies, and pasta to someone who doesn’t care
about their health.

These foods are the nemesis to health & fat-loss.

When these foods are consumed they cause your blood sugar (glucose) to rise
rapidly; to get this back in line your body sends out a flood of insulin to get your
blood sugar back in check, this causes your blood sugar to drop quickly.

Any extra glucose floating around in the body that was not used to refuel the
glycogen in your muscles is stored as fat.

This astronomical spike in insulin production causes chaos with our hormone
production in the body.

11

Even though insulin production is an important process for storing nutrients and
processing glucose in the bloodstream, our bodies simply can’t handle the insulin
requirements we throw at them with the kind of carb load we consume these days.

And if our carbohydrate consumption is excessive the body throws in the added
bonus of cortisol another fat storing hormone to handle the extra load.

Plus the gluten found in wheat products can cause a whole host of other hormonal
issues that will keep you sick & fat.

Suffice to say when you begin replacing wheat products with healthy high fiber
foods that don’t spike you’re your insulin like quinoa, beans, low sugar fruit and
green leafy vegetables, you will be simply AMAZED at how great you feel and
how fast your body begins to shed the fat.

S top Drinking Your Calories

This should be a no-brainer but I feel like it still
needs to be said.

In order to keep your fat burning fire going you
need to cut out all sodas (diet included), fruit
juices, and energy drinks.

These beverages are full of empty calories and
have the same effect on your insulin levels as any
other high glycemic foods.

One regular size 12oz. soda has 140 empty
calories full of high fructose corn syrup which
will skyrocket your insulin levels.

Remember all fat loss stops in the presence of
insulin.

Same goes for diet drinks.

They may have zero calories but research shows that the sweet taste and combined
with zero nutrition increases your cravings more than then if just ate real sugar.

Plus they are sweetened with artificial sweeteners which are just plain bad news.
Just stay away.
12

Other studies have suggested that artificial sweeteners can actually make you fat.

In the past, I’ve worked with people who complained they weren’t losing much fat
despite a calorie deficit. When I had them remove all artificially sweetened
beverages, the fat began melting off again.

Many studies have also proven that artificial sweeteners are highly toxic. So do
your body a huge favor and cut them out and your fat loss will go into overdrive
when your liver has less toxins to deal with.

H ave A Cheat Day

I know this sounds counterintuitive but having a cheat day is incredibly effective
in the fight against fat.

The idea is to trick your body into
releasing fat by convincing it that
you are not starving.

The basic premise behind cheat
days is that as the body becomes
drained of energy and mentally and
physically exhausted then a well
planned cheat day will shock the
metabolism and kick start the fat
loss process.

The science behind why it works has to do with another hormone you may not
have heard of called Leptin.

Leptin is “the anti- famine / anti starvation hormone” which is created in our fat
glands and it regulates our hunger and energy expenditure. It basically tells the
body if it is starving or not.

When your leptin levels become low after prolonged dieting your body will hang
onto fat and excessive body weight as a means of protecting itself.

When you eat more and your body feels fed, your leptin levels will increase once
again allowing your body to shed fat.

13

To me, cheat days are necessary to not only emotionally calm your cravings, but to
jump start your metabolism and provide extra energy but they have to be done in a
smart well-planned way.

CAUTION: Cheat days are not a license to eat all the junk food you can stuff into
your face. Junk food is very addictive. The more you eat, the more you want. It’s a
tough cycle to break and will test your willpower every week.

Your best bet to successful cheat days is to eat more of the healthy carbohydrates
that you’ve been avoiding. Eat until you are good and full but not overly stuffed.

H igh Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT)

HIRT is often called “fat loss” resistance training and for good reason.

HIRT are full body workouts that focus on the largest muscle groups. However,
unlike standard weight training, you are encouraged to push through the lactic acid
“burning sensation” that comes with the increased intensity.

The key to getting great results is pushing your self into your anaerobic threshold
zone. This means you want to be
working at a level that has got you
breathing heavy (7-8) on a scale
of 1-10.

This type of fast paced training
will burn a tremendous amount of
calories not only during the
workouts but after as well.

Intense training creates a bump in
your metabolism that’s often
referred to the AFTERBURN
EFFECT. That means your body
will continue burning calories up
to 24-36 hours after you have completed the workout.

HIRT workouts usually consist of compound strength movements combined with
plyometric type movements in a very fast paced workout. The concept is to do
more work in less time.

14

These workouts are not easy and take some mental as well as physical
conditioning but the results are simply phenomenal. And best of all they can be
done with very little equipment-just your body weight and some dumbbells to get
a great fat blasting, conditioning and muscle building workout.

HIRT Workout Example

DO the following exercises for 3 rounds

15 Burpees
15 Dumbbell Squat Press
15 Jumping Knee tucks
10 Alternating Plank Rows

H igh Intensity Interval Training (HITT)
I can’t say enough about the effectiveness of high intensity interval training
on fat loss.

Numerous studies in both the science
and fitness world conclude that high
intensity interval training is superior to
long slow cardio in regards to burning
fat.

HIIT is basically cardio but it’s
performed at such an intense level that
your body will spend the next 24-36
hours to recovering from the ass-kicking
you gave it.

When you do this like in a sprint or an
intense circuit, your body can’t
supply oxygen at a rate fast enough to fuel the muscle.

That’s when your body switches to an anaerobic state and your body creates
what’s called oxygen debt.

The larger the oxygen debt created by your workout the longer it will take to repay
it…with the benefit of more calories burned for a longer period of time after you
are done exercising thus raising your metabolism.

15

High intensity training is another way to create the “Afterburn Effect” or EPOC
(excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and it means that your body will be
burning up to 3X more calories then regular cardio.

Another benefit is that high intensity intervals are shorter so not only do they get
you out of the gym faster, but they can be accomplished in a greater variety of
training methods then just traditional cardio where you are mostly limited to the
treadmill, elyptical or stair-stepper.

With HITT you can add in some fun stuff like jumping rope, bodyweight exercises
or tabata training.

C ut The Alcohol
I know for some of you this is going to throw a wrench in your social life but if
you are really serious about turning your body into a fat burning machine then you
need to kick your alcohol consumption to the curb- at least while your goal is to
lose fat!

Believe it or not, the calories in alcohol aren’t the
biggest problem. It goes way beyond that. There are
three other factors to alcohol consumption that will
impede all your fat loss progress.

#1 Alcohol Makes You Insulin Resistant
There have been many of studies over the last few years
seem to link alcohol consumption to insulin sensitivity.

When you become insulin resistant, you will tend to easily gain weight,
particularly abdominal body fat when you take in processed carbs.

#2 Alcohol is a Potent Appetite Stimulant

When researchers looked at the effect of alcohol calories over an entire day, rather
than just for a few hours, they find that alcohol increased fat storage because
people ate more carbohydrates especially in the evening.

There was a study in 2005 by the European Journal of Endocrinology that showed
a clear connection to alcohol intake and ghrelin inhibition. Ghrelin is a key
hormone involved in signaling hunger. In other words, drinking gives you an
insatiable appetite!
16

#3 Any Fat Calories consumed get stored immediately as fat!

When you take a drink of alcohol, your body converts into a substance called
acetate. This acetate is then quickly released into the bloodstream and used as the
body's main source of energy. So, your body is using the acetate as energy before
it burns any other calories you consumed.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a report in 2004 that the
conversion of alcohol to acetate stops fat burning in its tracks. So in effect, when
you drink alcohol, any extra calories consumed over your maintenance level get
immediately stored as fat usually on your belly.

G et Your Mind Right
The people who tell they need to 30 pounds but can’t tell me why it’s important to
them are usually the people who fail.

Saying you just want to lose weight for a reunion or to fit into your old jeans isn’t
going to cut it.

You have to have a true driving reason
to make this change. It has to be a
burning desire or you’ll end up quitting
when times get tough.

Success starts with your WHY.

Sit down and get really clear about what
YOU want. No one else can tell you
what your motivation is. Only you can
find your motivation.

There’s no one else that lives inside you so no one else knows exactly what you
can or cannot accomplish. It’s up to you to take that journey and discover exactly
what you are capable of and who you are capable of becoming.

17

Start by asking yourself these questions:

1. What is your true burning desire behind wanting to lose weight?

2. How will you feel when you achieve your goal?

3. What do you stand to gain?

4. How will your life look when you reach your goal?

Now write out your perfect day as the new incredibly fit, healthy new
you. The trick is to imagine your day in vivid detail. You should be able
taste, smell, hear and feel what your life will look like when you reach
goals.

Then every morning before you get out of bed read your perfect day and
visualize it as if it were really happening.

Now when you hit roadblocks (and you will) and your mind starts telling
you that your weak and it can’t be done, you can dig deep into your WHY
and it will provide you with a vast reservoir of strength that will drive you
to go beyond all temporary pain and discomfort.

18

C ongratulations!

I'm so happy you made it through this guide. Now you are on your way to
attaining the lean sculpted body you always knew could be yours if only you
weren’t so confused and overwhelmed by so much poor and ineffective
information

While I understand there are many ways to lose weight and burn fat I tried to only
focus on the strategies guaranteed to give you the most bang for you buck and I
left out methods that offer only mediocre results but can really make your life
miserable.

If you benefited anyway from this guide, I would appreciate it if you would please
“Like” my Facebook Page www.facebook.com/MaximumAfterburn where you
will get the most effective fat loss, muscle building and healthy eating tips and
also be able to participate in our fun fit challenges.

Feel free to share this e-book with anyone you feel can benefit from this guide. I
sincerely hope that this information was helpful for you and wish you the best of
luck on your journey to better health and a leaner body!

Your Friend,

19

Torch The Fat

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (15)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (14)

Similar to Torch The Fat

Similar to Torch The Fat (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Torch The Fat