Getting Lean (Doug's interview with Billy Hofacker)

Billy: Thanks for the kind words Doug. I have managed to show my clients the simplicity of body transformation. Notice I said simple and not easy. Most people are so confused as to what it takes to achieve a body transformation. Many have been misguided by unscrupulous marketers. When they realize that their dreams can become a reality, the results seem to snowball. If I had to answer your question with one sentence I would say that the secret lies in education.

Doug: There seem to be many different styles of strength training program design floating around today. How would you describe your own strength training program design?

Billy: There are many different styles of strength training program design. Fortunately, I have been training clients for over seven years and I have found out which ones work best most of the time. There usually is some trial and error involved so you should be skeptical of any fitness “guru” promoting some sort of magical program. I have all of my clients follow a training program in a cyclic or phase format. My programs can get pretty specialized but I will mention some of the elements that are included.

Generally, I like to start with or at least incorporate body weight training. It’s fun, effective, and a great way to improve functional strength. Secondly, I believe a strength training program should be tweaked every two weeks or so. It’s important to keep in mind that the body is very adaptive so it constantly needs a new stimulus. Some areas that can be manipulated are sets, reps, exercises, grips, rest time, tempo, and frequency.

Finally, it is important for everyone to work their fast twitch muscle fibers. These are the muscle fibers that make up about 50% of total muscle mass and are worked using compound (more than one muscle and movement from more than one joint) lifts. Heavier weight is used and fewer repetitions are performed. Of course the lifter should have experience before going through a fast-twitch phase. It is a great way to build muscle and strength and should be done about four times per year.

Doug: What style of cardiovascular training do you recommend? Does being male or female affect a person's cardiovascular program? How does a person's age affect their cardiovascular program?

Billy: I personally recommend short intense cardio for the most part. It revs the metabolism and it doesn’t bore you to death. I do find that females need to perform slightly more cardio to achieve the same fat loss as men. As far as a person’s age, it depends. Sometimes a person’s training age matters more than their biological age. I may have a 60 year old client who has been training for a long time perform more intense cardio than a 30 year old newbie.

Doug: How important is nutrition in the amazing results you are helping your clients achieve? What special steps are you recommending that are getting your client's the ripped look?

Billy: I would say that nutrition is at least 50% responsible for getting my clients the ripped look. The first step for my clients is to achieve a great foundation. Their diet would consist of mostly natural foods. These are foods that will help speed metabolism through digestion, absorption, and storage. Generally they would eat five or six evenly spaced out meals consisting of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and fibrous vegetables. An example would be a lean buffalo burger on a whole wheat English muffin and a salad on the side.

Once the client has mastered the foundation we can make some macronutrient manipulations to help with some stubborn body fat. These are techniques I learned from professional fighters and body builders over the years.

Doug: What do you think is the #1 obstacle that people face in getting or staying fit? How do you deal with that obstacle when working with clients?

Billy: The #1 obstacle is absolutely motivation. Anybody can work out and do great when they are motivated. The problem arises when they are unmotivated. I deal with this frustrating situation by trying my best to tap into their true needs (not just losing weight) and then pointing out even small achievements.

Another problem is when people perceive fitness to be a 12 week program. I counter this by teaching permanent lifestyle changes.

Doug: How can my readers who are not in the Long Island area continue to benefit from your expertise? Do you offer phone or email coaching?

Billy: The best way would be through e-mail or telephone consulting. I also supplement that with online training at www.fitnessgenerator.com. They can e-mail me at billy@howtogetlean.com and/or check my site, www.howtogetlean.com for details.

Doug's note: I would encourage you to sign up for Billy's newsletter Get Lean! at www.howtogetlean.com. Billy's newsletter is one of a handful that I always read. He does a great job connecting with his readers about issues they face everyday.

Billy Hofacker, NSCA-CPT is owner of Hofe-Man Fitness Systems based out of Lindenhurst, NY. As a personal fitness trainer he guarantees a reduction in body fat for his clients. Sign up for his free fitness and fat-loss secrets newsletter Get Lean! by visiting www.howtogetlean.com. Billy is also competitive in the sport of brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Get Our Industry-Leading Fitness Empowerment Newsletter

(Plus three more gifts valued at $77) Now!

Gift #1: Our success-oriented "10 Strategies to having Your Best Year Ever" mini-course.

Gift #2: Our "Advanced Fat Loss" Case Study (lots of golden nuggets in this!)

Gift #3: Our revealing "Truth about how to Lose Weight" Special Report