The other day we had a workout that included 100 kipping pull ups, 100 push ups, and 200 air squats. It got me thinking. Let’s say over the holiday months I gain 2 pounds of unwanted fat. During 100 pull ups means I would lift an extra 200 pounds. In a regular push up you lift very roughly 65% of your body weight. So for 100 push ups at 2 pounds that is another 130 pounds. Air squats. I read that you can figure out how much you lift in an air squat by putting your scale on a chair and sitting on it with your feet on the ground. (Your full body weight would only be lifted if you jumped off the ground). For me that worked out to be about 85%. So 85% of 2 pounds lifted 200 times is 340 more pounds.

That means a gain of just 2 pounds of fat would be an extra 330# to lift with my arms and 340# to lift with my legs for a total of 670# extra in a 20 minute workout! That’s 75# more than my CrossFit Total! (1 rep max on squat, press, and deadlift). Imagine how an extra 5 or 10 or 20 would translate! In workouts, in sports, even just in daily life. Hours and hours of walking around, getting in and out of chairs, going up and down the stairs. Your feet and your back taking the extra beating day in and day out from carrying extra weight around that serves no purpose other than maybe to help you float.

Just something to think about when I am reaching for those cookies at Christmas.

Disclaimer: This is about gaining extra unnecessary fat above a healthy body fat percentage not about trying to cut down body fat. The amount “necessary” is a whole separate subject up for debate.