Burpee Variations Xtreme Fat Burning Exercises
The Burpee or as you may remember it from high school the Squat Thrust in my opinion might be the best all around bodyweight conditioning and fat burning exercise there is. But as good of an exercise as the burpee is there are ways to up the ante (and conditioning and fat burning effects).
In case you are not familiar with the Burpee here is how you do the basic 6 – count Burpee.
From the standing position:
1) Perform a full, ass-to-the-floor SQUAT w/ arms between the knees, palms and heels flat
2) JUMP back to an upper Push-Up positon, arms straight, abs and core engaged
3) LOWER down smoothly until the sternum grazes the floor between the hands
4) PUSH back up into the plank position, with arms locked, abs and core tight, elbows tucked into the ribs
5) JUMP back to a full Squat, butt to the floor, knees completely bent w/ knee caps tracked over toes, arms between knees and heels flat
6) from the low Squat, explode and LEAP high into the air, landing softly upon the feet
Immediately go into the next rep.
When performed like this, the 6-Count Burpee will increase mobility in the hips and work the abs and hip flexors extremely hard. Thanks to Steve Maxwell for the instruction and video.
Now let’s up the intensity and fat burning with some Burpee variations. These variations include the use of a barbell and a medicine ball.
Those are some serious fat burning exercises give them a try. But go slow and light to start with. I would like to thank Scott Bird of Straight to the Bar for this video.
And This Is Just Sick. This Guy Is A Total Beast.
Great video. So the moral of the story start doing some burpees in your workouts. You can also do them with kettlebells, dumbbells and sandbags. But like I said ease into them at the start.
Till next time.
Showing posts with label cardio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cardio. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
7 Minutes For Fat Loss And Better Health?
Today I have an article for you from well known fitness and health author Jon Benson.
7 Minute Science The science behind brevity training by Jon Benson, Author of 7 Minute Muscle
A few months ago I released a book whose title was more reminiscent of a line out of "There's Something About Mary" than a serious work on fitness. "7 Minute Muscle" -- yep, it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish fact from parody.
Here's the real irony: Of the 27 testimonials I've received so far that I deem worthy of publishing on the web, over a dozen were from fitness professionals. I'm not talking about "doctors" with a gut as large as their paycheck. I'm speaking of men and women with both academic and real-world experience in the fitness and bodybuilding world.
There were exceptions of course. My friend John Berardi, while saying some nice things about the work, couldn't endorse it due to the emphasis on shorter training sessions. That's cool. Everyone has a different approach. But the overwhelming number of folks with consonants behind their names -- those who read the book and applied the principles -- had wonderful things to say.
There's a reason for that: The workout protocol is based on the science of hypertrophy as well as psychophysiology, the study of the mind/body connection.
I will delve into the mental aspects of the protocols in a later article. For now, since most of you are experienced, educated and (dare I say it) hard-core, let's delve into the meat.
7 Minute Muscle is primarily a density-based training system. It demands varying rep ranges done within specific time periods. The protocol factors six of the primary variables of hypertrophy, or muscle growth: Intensity, Load, Volume, Density, Time and Force. (Time includes rest intervals as well as the time required to perform a given task.)
A layman's take on one of the basic laws of physics states that time and energy are interrelated. Doing the same amount of work in less time demands more energy, which translates into more power. While power is a factor in training, our interest is focused on forcing muscle growth and adaptation. This is also an element of time and energy. More energy expended in less time = more power.
If you break down the typical 3-4 set bench press routine, with reps starting at 12 and ending in the 4-6 range, with longer rest intervals between heavier sets, you'll find that the aggregate weight lifted is "less" than a protocol like 7 Minute Muscle, which uses 'less' weight (easier on the joints) but demands more work in less time. In other words, X amount of repetitions done with Y amount of weight in just 5 minutes (phase 1 of our two-phase protocol) ends up being greater than your typical 3-4 set protocol, despite the fact that more weight is used in the latter.
Other routines, of course, utilize this factor of density. Vince Gironda's infamous 8 sets of 8, EDT and so-forth. 7 Minute Muscle goes a bit further by varying rest, load factors and repetition range. Reps will vary from as low as one rep to as much as ten, and all of this is at the trainee's discretion. They have only one objective: Increase the aggregate repetition count from one training session to the next.
Since time is limited (broken down into two phases: A Power Phase of no more than 5 repetitions and a Mass Phase of no more than 10 repetitions) the trainee is given a system that more accurately measure the seventh and most crucial factor of hypertrophy: Progression.
More work in less time. Variable repetition ranges. Variable rest intervals. And all in seven minutes (for beginners.) Intermediate and advanced-level trainees are given 14 and 21-minute protocols if they wish to implement them. I myself rarely go beyond 14 minutes, as that is all that's required to stimulate muscle growth.
I will cover health factors, cardiovascular work, ab training, and the science of mind and body in future articles. For now, give 7 Minute Muscle a shot. There's nothing funny about it, except for the fact that you'll be laughing all the way home from the gym as you finished your killer workout while your buddies were still warming up.
7 Minute Science The science behind brevity training by Jon Benson, Author of 7 Minute Muscle
A few months ago I released a book whose title was more reminiscent of a line out of "There's Something About Mary" than a serious work on fitness. "7 Minute Muscle" -- yep, it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish fact from parody.
Here's the real irony: Of the 27 testimonials I've received so far that I deem worthy of publishing on the web, over a dozen were from fitness professionals. I'm not talking about "doctors" with a gut as large as their paycheck. I'm speaking of men and women with both academic and real-world experience in the fitness and bodybuilding world.
There were exceptions of course. My friend John Berardi, while saying some nice things about the work, couldn't endorse it due to the emphasis on shorter training sessions. That's cool. Everyone has a different approach. But the overwhelming number of folks with consonants behind their names -- those who read the book and applied the principles -- had wonderful things to say.
There's a reason for that: The workout protocol is based on the science of hypertrophy as well as psychophysiology, the study of the mind/body connection.
I will delve into the mental aspects of the protocols in a later article. For now, since most of you are experienced, educated and (dare I say it) hard-core, let's delve into the meat.
7 Minute Muscle is primarily a density-based training system. It demands varying rep ranges done within specific time periods. The protocol factors six of the primary variables of hypertrophy, or muscle growth: Intensity, Load, Volume, Density, Time and Force. (Time includes rest intervals as well as the time required to perform a given task.)
A layman's take on one of the basic laws of physics states that time and energy are interrelated. Doing the same amount of work in less time demands more energy, which translates into more power. While power is a factor in training, our interest is focused on forcing muscle growth and adaptation. This is also an element of time and energy. More energy expended in less time = more power.
If you break down the typical 3-4 set bench press routine, with reps starting at 12 and ending in the 4-6 range, with longer rest intervals between heavier sets, you'll find that the aggregate weight lifted is "less" than a protocol like 7 Minute Muscle, which uses 'less' weight (easier on the joints) but demands more work in less time. In other words, X amount of repetitions done with Y amount of weight in just 5 minutes (phase 1 of our two-phase protocol) ends up being greater than your typical 3-4 set protocol, despite the fact that more weight is used in the latter.
Other routines, of course, utilize this factor of density. Vince Gironda's infamous 8 sets of 8, EDT and so-forth. 7 Minute Muscle goes a bit further by varying rest, load factors and repetition range. Reps will vary from as low as one rep to as much as ten, and all of this is at the trainee's discretion. They have only one objective: Increase the aggregate repetition count from one training session to the next.
Since time is limited (broken down into two phases: A Power Phase of no more than 5 repetitions and a Mass Phase of no more than 10 repetitions) the trainee is given a system that more accurately measure the seventh and most crucial factor of hypertrophy: Progression.
More work in less time. Variable repetition ranges. Variable rest intervals. And all in seven minutes (for beginners.) Intermediate and advanced-level trainees are given 14 and 21-minute protocols if they wish to implement them. I myself rarely go beyond 14 minutes, as that is all that's required to stimulate muscle growth.
I will cover health factors, cardiovascular work, ab training, and the science of mind and body in future articles. For now, give 7 Minute Muscle a shot. There's nothing funny about it, except for the fact that you'll be laughing all the way home from the gym as you finished your killer workout while your buddies were still warming up.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Fast Fat Burning Workout To Do At Home
If you want to lose belly fat, then you want to adopt a fat burning workout into your exercise program. Weight training, kettlebell exercises, bodyweight workouts should all be part of your fat burning workouts.
You can't just do a thousand sit ups or crunches and expect to lose stomach fat. Spot reduction is one of the great myths of fat loss, using light weights and doing countless ab specific exercises will not burn off your belly fat like many people would have you believe.
A good cardio routine will help burn calories all over. If it takes 3,500 calories to burn one pound, then you can try cutting back on about 500 calories of food consumption and doing a form of fat burning exercises that burns another 500 calories a day.
Here is a good circuit training fat burning workout to lose your stomach fat.
1a) Deadlifts
1b) Push-ups
2a) Clean And Press
2b) Mountain Climbers
Set a timer for 10 - 20 minutes (the time you chose is based on your conditioning level). Pick a weight (for the weight training exercises that you can do for 10 reps), start with exercise 1A do 5 reps, without resting (or as little rest as you need) do 5 reps of exercise 2b. Keep going back and forth this way till your time is up. Rest for 3-5 minutes do your other 2 exercises.
In a little over a week, you will have burned a pound – which is a safe amount of weight to lose per week.
Cardio attacks the fat cells right where they live – and you will soon see the effect in how your clothes fit. If that belly fat you are carrying bothers you, then just get moving!
When belly fat is the big problem in your life, it's crucial that you begin as soon as possible to get it off. Belly fat hinders the functionality of many of your organs – it's the most dangerous type of weight gain you can have. Not only being ugly to look at many studies have shown the health risks of having too much stomach fat.
Make sure you flush your system by drinking lots of water. If you drink a minimum of eight glasses of water per day, you will stay hydrated and help the body do its work that much more efficiently. Eat a clean diet stay away from processed foods, spread out your meals (5-6) throughout the day. You'll experience fat loss (specifically the loss of belly fat) and enjoy a more energetic lifestyle, too!
Now I have only just touched on the subject of healthy eating here. Make no mistake all the fat burning exercises and workouts in the world will not get rid of your belly fat without a diet of eating healthy. Doing extra workouts while continuing to eat all the processed junk food that is all too prevalent today will not help you lose belly fat.
When we talk about stomach fat we are not just talking about looks here. There are very serious health issues that go along with too much stomach fat. We too often get hung up on how it looks, but what we don't think enough about is how having too much fat affects our overall health. Doing some fat burning exercise daily will take you along way to reaching your fat loss goals.
You can't just do a thousand sit ups or crunches and expect to lose stomach fat. Spot reduction is one of the great myths of fat loss, using light weights and doing countless ab specific exercises will not burn off your belly fat like many people would have you believe.
A good cardio routine will help burn calories all over. If it takes 3,500 calories to burn one pound, then you can try cutting back on about 500 calories of food consumption and doing a form of fat burning exercises that burns another 500 calories a day.
Here is a good circuit training fat burning workout to lose your stomach fat.
1a) Deadlifts
1b) Push-ups
2a) Clean And Press
2b) Mountain Climbers
Set a timer for 10 - 20 minutes (the time you chose is based on your conditioning level). Pick a weight (for the weight training exercises that you can do for 10 reps), start with exercise 1A do 5 reps, without resting (or as little rest as you need) do 5 reps of exercise 2b. Keep going back and forth this way till your time is up. Rest for 3-5 minutes do your other 2 exercises.
In a little over a week, you will have burned a pound – which is a safe amount of weight to lose per week.
Cardio attacks the fat cells right where they live – and you will soon see the effect in how your clothes fit. If that belly fat you are carrying bothers you, then just get moving!
When belly fat is the big problem in your life, it's crucial that you begin as soon as possible to get it off. Belly fat hinders the functionality of many of your organs – it's the most dangerous type of weight gain you can have. Not only being ugly to look at many studies have shown the health risks of having too much stomach fat.
Make sure you flush your system by drinking lots of water. If you drink a minimum of eight glasses of water per day, you will stay hydrated and help the body do its work that much more efficiently. Eat a clean diet stay away from processed foods, spread out your meals (5-6) throughout the day. You'll experience fat loss (specifically the loss of belly fat) and enjoy a more energetic lifestyle, too!
Now I have only just touched on the subject of healthy eating here. Make no mistake all the fat burning exercises and workouts in the world will not get rid of your belly fat without a diet of eating healthy. Doing extra workouts while continuing to eat all the processed junk food that is all too prevalent today will not help you lose belly fat.
When we talk about stomach fat we are not just talking about looks here. There are very serious health issues that go along with too much stomach fat. We too often get hung up on how it looks, but what we don't think enough about is how having too much fat affects our overall health. Doing some fat burning exercise daily will take you along way to reaching your fat loss goals.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Strength And Conditioning Cardio Conditioning What Cardio Really Is
I have another post today from Eric Wong of Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioining. The more I talk about training the more impressed I am with his ideas and what this type of training can mean to anyone in developing lean muscle gains, fat loss, cardio conditioning, energy levels and general health benefits.
As I mentioned in a previous post you don't have to be (or want to be) a fighter to benefit from these workouts. Anyone and everyone will benefit greatly from them.
Okay Eric take it away.
Cardio as it’s popularly referred to by Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg every UFC is what will keep you from looking like the Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights.
Man it’s so frustrating seeing dudes on TV who can’t hold their hands up… in the first round!!
Anyway, the term cardio doesn’t include just one aspect of fitness, like the name implies, and if you don’t understand how cardio is developed, you’ll never be in great shape.
Luckily, I’m going to tell you what you need to do.
So here’s how developing your cardio is more than just running, or intervals, or 5 minute circuits, or CrossFit:
Now let me tell you that these things are in no particular order, because the order in which it’s best to develop these aspects is different for each individual.
The first key is General Strength.
If you’re weak, then you’ll be working closer to 100% of max strength than a guy who is strong. You can only last a short period of time working at 100% max strength (like 20 seconds) so then you’ll gas out quickly.
If you don’t quite get it, let’s make it even easier to understand.
Let’s say you can Bench press 100 lbs for 1 rep (you monster, you).
If a guy is laying on top of you, and you need to bench press him off (because your technique sucks) , and he weighs 170 lbs, you’re using 100% of your strength to try to do this.
You’ll be able to push with all your force ONCE, then every attempt after, your level of force will go down, until your energy supply runs out and you can no longer lift your arms, unless you rest them.
Now let’s say you can Bench press 250 lbs for 1 rep and the same guy is on top of you.
Now, his bodyweight of 170 lbs is about 70% of your bench, meaning that you’ll be able to bench him up and down for at least 15 reps before starting to lose strength and tire out.
Make sense now? Good.
Now let’s say you’re strong, but you’ve never trained or don’t know how to train your cardiovascular system (pay attention, TUF Heavyweights).
What do muscles need to recover after they’ve been spent?
If you guessed OXYGEN, you win
The second key: is to get blood to the muscles. This is where your cardiovascular system comes in.
Your heart has to be fit enough to pump blood quickly to the muscles that need it.
To develop your heart to do this you need to increase the amount of blood it pumps with each beat in 2 ways: increasing the volume of blood the heart can hold and increasing the % of blood the heart pumps out with each beat (heart strength).
Dreaded traditional steady-state cardio training improves the volume of blood, while strength training and hard interval training improves the strength of the heart.
[One note - heavyweights have more trouble with cardio because they have more muscle mass to get blood to, and their hearts aren't proportionally bigger compared to smaller guys, but that's no excuse for what we've been seeing on TUF]
The third key: in the process is that your muscles need to be efficient at extracting the oxygen from the blood and getting rid of the waste products developed from contracting.
This is where specific local muscular endurance training comes into play, where the muscles are forced to recover faster through progressively longer sets and shorter rest periods.
The fourth key: is that your lungs need to be able to efficiently take oxygen from the air and they have to be trained well enough to avoid fatiguing.
This is a relatively new concept but there is some good research that shows that specific respiratory muscle training can improve endurance. I just make sure to incorporate different lengths of hard intervals to get the lungs working at high levels, but I’m looking into trying respiratory muscle training myself to see if it’s really beneficial. I’ll let you know the results.
So now you understand that cardio requires general muscular strength, and it also requires a 3-pronged attack to make sure you’ve got all your bases covered from a cardiovascular point of view.
Make sure you’re not leaving yourself exposed by neglecting any of these important aspects of your physical fitness, and you’ll be sure to keep going if the fight goes the distance.
Thanks Eric. When you go to Eric's site he has a couple of freebie downloads for you. Go check it out it could take your fat loss, conditioning, strength and health to new levels.
Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Talk to you soon Jag252
As I mentioned in a previous post you don't have to be (or want to be) a fighter to benefit from these workouts. Anyone and everyone will benefit greatly from them.
Okay Eric take it away.
Cardio as it’s popularly referred to by Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg every UFC is what will keep you from looking like the Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights.
Man it’s so frustrating seeing dudes on TV who can’t hold their hands up… in the first round!!
Anyway, the term cardio doesn’t include just one aspect of fitness, like the name implies, and if you don’t understand how cardio is developed, you’ll never be in great shape.
Luckily, I’m going to tell you what you need to do.
So here’s how developing your cardio is more than just running, or intervals, or 5 minute circuits, or CrossFit:
Now let me tell you that these things are in no particular order, because the order in which it’s best to develop these aspects is different for each individual.
The first key is General Strength.
If you’re weak, then you’ll be working closer to 100% of max strength than a guy who is strong. You can only last a short period of time working at 100% max strength (like 20 seconds) so then you’ll gas out quickly.
If you don’t quite get it, let’s make it even easier to understand.
Let’s say you can Bench press 100 lbs for 1 rep (you monster, you).
If a guy is laying on top of you, and you need to bench press him off (because your technique sucks) , and he weighs 170 lbs, you’re using 100% of your strength to try to do this.
You’ll be able to push with all your force ONCE, then every attempt after, your level of force will go down, until your energy supply runs out and you can no longer lift your arms, unless you rest them.
Now let’s say you can Bench press 250 lbs for 1 rep and the same guy is on top of you.
Now, his bodyweight of 170 lbs is about 70% of your bench, meaning that you’ll be able to bench him up and down for at least 15 reps before starting to lose strength and tire out.
Make sense now? Good.
Now let’s say you’re strong, but you’ve never trained or don’t know how to train your cardiovascular system (pay attention, TUF Heavyweights).
What do muscles need to recover after they’ve been spent?
If you guessed OXYGEN, you win
The second key: is to get blood to the muscles. This is where your cardiovascular system comes in.
Your heart has to be fit enough to pump blood quickly to the muscles that need it.
To develop your heart to do this you need to increase the amount of blood it pumps with each beat in 2 ways: increasing the volume of blood the heart can hold and increasing the % of blood the heart pumps out with each beat (heart strength).
Dreaded traditional steady-state cardio training improves the volume of blood, while strength training and hard interval training improves the strength of the heart.
[One note - heavyweights have more trouble with cardio because they have more muscle mass to get blood to, and their hearts aren't proportionally bigger compared to smaller guys, but that's no excuse for what we've been seeing on TUF]
The third key: in the process is that your muscles need to be efficient at extracting the oxygen from the blood and getting rid of the waste products developed from contracting.
This is where specific local muscular endurance training comes into play, where the muscles are forced to recover faster through progressively longer sets and shorter rest periods.
The fourth key: is that your lungs need to be able to efficiently take oxygen from the air and they have to be trained well enough to avoid fatiguing.
This is a relatively new concept but there is some good research that shows that specific respiratory muscle training can improve endurance. I just make sure to incorporate different lengths of hard intervals to get the lungs working at high levels, but I’m looking into trying respiratory muscle training myself to see if it’s really beneficial. I’ll let you know the results.Make sure you’re not leaving yourself exposed by neglecting any of these important aspects of your physical fitness, and you’ll be sure to keep going if the fight goes the distance.
Thanks Eric. When you go to Eric's site he has a couple of freebie downloads for you. Go check it out it could take your fat loss, conditioning, strength and health to new levels.
Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Talk to you soon Jag252
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Strength and Conditioning Circuit Training Workout With Complexes
Good Morning,
Last time I told you about Eric Wong the MMA trainer and creator of Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning. Some of the comments I've got from you are, But Joe I don't want to be a fighter and I get that it's not about being a fighter.
Just take into consideration the strength, cardio capacity and the low body fat levels of the fighters. Now I don't know about you but wouldn't most of us want to have that kind of body and conditioning? And yes ladies I'm talking to you too.
The results of following these type's of workouts are low body fat percentage, incredible energy and strength. and I think we could all agree that is something we are all striving for here. Go into it with an open mind and give the workouts a try I think you will be very happy with the results.
With that let me hand it over to Eric check out the workout and video and see if this workout won't give you peak conditioning.
Complex workouts blow any other conditioning circuits out of the water, because they properly train the energy systems for peak power endurance while including important movement patterns for MMA.
So if you haven’t tried one yet, give this one a shot…
I created this circuit for Joe, a fighter who’s getting ready for his first fight on April 23rd…
His fights are only one 3 minute round, so he doesn’t need a ton of gas in the tank but he’s gotta be able to maintain a super high pace for those 3 minutes…
Enough talk, watch the workout jump in and try it out…
Here are the workout details…
1.MB back toss, breakfall, flat body roll, retrieve x 2
2.Alternating inverted row x 6
3.Clap pushups x 6 - repeat the above for 2 TOTAL sets then…
4.MB side toss, lateral shuffle retrieve x 2
5.KB swings w/toss x 6
6.Kick pushups x 4 - repeat the above for 2 TOTAL sets, then…
7.1 set of Squat jumps x 6
8.1 set of high MB catch, front slam, sprawl x 4
And that’s all she wrote!!!
The key to making this work for you is knowing when to do it, how to progress it, how many times to do it per week and how to integrate it with strength training… You’ll learn all of this and more in my Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Program:
Strength And Conditioning <---- go to Eric's sight and check it out he has a couple of freebies you can download.
Last time I told you about Eric Wong the MMA trainer and creator of Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning. Some of the comments I've got from you are, But Joe I don't want to be a fighter and I get that it's not about being a fighter.
Just take into consideration the strength, cardio capacity and the low body fat levels of the fighters. Now I don't know about you but wouldn't most of us want to have that kind of body and conditioning? And yes ladies I'm talking to you too.
The results of following these type's of workouts are low body fat percentage, incredible energy and strength. and I think we could all agree that is something we are all striving for here. Go into it with an open mind and give the workouts a try I think you will be very happy with the results.
With that let me hand it over to Eric check out the workout and video and see if this workout won't give you peak conditioning.
Complex workouts blow any other conditioning circuits out of the water, because they properly train the energy systems for peak power endurance while including important movement patterns for MMA.
So if you haven’t tried one yet, give this one a shot…
I created this circuit for Joe, a fighter who’s getting ready for his first fight on April 23rd…
His fights are only one 3 minute round, so he doesn’t need a ton of gas in the tank but he’s gotta be able to maintain a super high pace for those 3 minutes…
Enough talk, watch the workout jump in and try it out…
Here are the workout details…
1.MB back toss, breakfall, flat body roll, retrieve x 2
2.Alternating inverted row x 6
3.Clap pushups x 6 - repeat the above for 2 TOTAL sets then…
4.MB side toss, lateral shuffle retrieve x 2
5.KB swings w/toss x 6
6.Kick pushups x 4 - repeat the above for 2 TOTAL sets, then…
7.1 set of Squat jumps x 6
8.1 set of high MB catch, front slam, sprawl x 4
And that’s all she wrote!!!
The key to making this work for you is knowing when to do it, how to progress it, how many times to do it per week and how to integrate it with strength training… You’ll learn all of this and more in my Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Program:
Strength And Conditioning <---- go to Eric's sight and check it out he has a couple of freebies you can download.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Strength and Conditioning A Cardio Circuit Training Workout
I have something a little different for you today. I met a guy named Eric Wong recently. Eric is a trainer for MMA fighters. I know your not a fighter but stick with me here. If you have ever watched an mma fight you probably have seen the strength, conditioning and physique of the fighters (ladies this IS for you too).
In talking to Eric I decided to pick his brain a little about the workouts and training fighters do. So he gave me a copy of a workout he uses and I figured you could benefit from it.
If you're training consistently, then sometimes, the concrete walls of the gym can be a little boring. Especially when the sun is shining and the weather is perfect. When this is the case, knowing a few simple bodyweight exercises and the location of the nearest park can re-energize your workouts. Try the following circuit but I'll warn you, it may be simple, but it's far from easy.
This circuit is great because you combine core work, pushing, pulling, and sprinting, which gives you complete development. I consider this an Anaerobic Endurance workout, and would schedule it 6 weeks or farther out from a fight or competition for one of my MMA athletes.
The first thing you need to do is find a park with monkey bars or a swing set. Use a pyramid scheme, meaning that for each set, I start at 8 reps, then drop a rep until you get to 1 rep. If you're a beginner, you might want to start at 5 reps.
This circuit consists of the following exercises:
Chin-ups
Hanging leg raises
Sprinting
Clap push-ups
So do 8 chin-ups, followed by 8 hanging leg raises, sprint a distance that lasts about 20 seconds, then do 8 clap push-ups (or regular push-ups if you can't clap). Keep your rest times at a minute or less, and go hard! When I'm training fighters, I monitor everything. So if you take more rest, write it down. The next time you do this circuit, do the same number of reps, and decrease the rest time. This is how you make progress, and is a missing link in many people's workout routines.
Go to Eric's site Ultimate Strength and Conditioning and get your Free report Crazy 8's bodyweight circuit training workouts
In talking to Eric I decided to pick his brain a little about the workouts and training fighters do. So he gave me a copy of a workout he uses and I figured you could benefit from it.
If you're training consistently, then sometimes, the concrete walls of the gym can be a little boring. Especially when the sun is shining and the weather is perfect. When this is the case, knowing a few simple bodyweight exercises and the location of the nearest park can re-energize your workouts. Try the following circuit but I'll warn you, it may be simple, but it's far from easy.
This circuit is great because you combine core work, pushing, pulling, and sprinting, which gives you complete development. I consider this an Anaerobic Endurance workout, and would schedule it 6 weeks or farther out from a fight or competition for one of my MMA athletes.
The first thing you need to do is find a park with monkey bars or a swing set. Use a pyramid scheme, meaning that for each set, I start at 8 reps, then drop a rep until you get to 1 rep. If you're a beginner, you might want to start at 5 reps.
This circuit consists of the following exercises:
Chin-ups
Hanging leg raises
Sprinting
Clap push-ups
So do 8 chin-ups, followed by 8 hanging leg raises, sprint a distance that lasts about 20 seconds, then do 8 clap push-ups (or regular push-ups if you can't clap). Keep your rest times at a minute or less, and go hard! When I'm training fighters, I monitor everything. So if you take more rest, write it down. The next time you do this circuit, do the same number of reps, and decrease the rest time. This is how you make progress, and is a missing link in many people's workout routines.
Go to Eric's site Ultimate Strength and Conditioning and get your Free report Crazy 8's bodyweight circuit training workouts
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Try This Circuit Training Fat Loss Workout
Fast and Effective Dumbbell Conditioning Fat Loss Circuit
Most people feel that they don’t have time to perform conditioning workouts or fit fat loss sessions on top of their normal strength training.
This is definitely not the case. High intensity, resistance training circuits are designed to get the most impact in the shortest amount of time.
" Benefits of Resistance Training Circuits "
■ high lactic acid => natural GH response
■ rapid fat loss
■ increased metabolism
■ muscular strength endurance
■ mental toughness
* How Do You Design a Fat Loss Circuit Training Workout? *
Pick an implement and get to work. It is that simple. It could be your own bodyweight, kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, sandbag, medicine ball, thick ropes, Olympic plates or even a combination of any of these. The idea is to move quickly between exercises and complete the circuit. As you become better conditioned you can perform the circuits for multiple runs, ie. hit the circuit, rest briefly and then hit it again.
* How Do You Increase the Intensity of the Circuit? *
■ perform more runs through the circuit
■ perform more reps for each exercise in the circuit
■ increase the weight of the sandbag
■ decrease the rest time between runs
■ increase the tempo (duration of concentric or eccentric phases)
* Here Is The Dumbbell Fat Loss Circuit Training Workout *
1a) DB Front Racked Squats
1b) DB Front Racked Backward Lunges
1c) DB Hammer Curls
1d) DB RDL’s
1e) DB Military Press
1f) DB Laterals
I would like to thank Jim Smith for this great fat loss circuit training workout and Jim is a strength coach, lecturer and author of numerous innovative strength manuals.
Why should you listen to him? Jim has trained athletes from many sports and at various levels.He is an expert author for Men’s Fitness magazine and a member of the Elite Fitness Q/A staff. Jim is also certified as a strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Go to Accelerated Muscular Development for more on Jim's Fat Loss and muscle building programs.
Most people feel that they don’t have time to perform conditioning workouts or fit fat loss sessions on top of their normal strength training.
This is definitely not the case. High intensity, resistance training circuits are designed to get the most impact in the shortest amount of time.
" Benefits of Resistance Training Circuits "
■ high lactic acid => natural GH response
■ rapid fat loss
■ increased metabolism
■ muscular strength endurance
■ mental toughness
* How Do You Design a Fat Loss Circuit Training Workout? *
Pick an implement and get to work. It is that simple. It could be your own bodyweight, kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, sandbag, medicine ball, thick ropes, Olympic plates or even a combination of any of these. The idea is to move quickly between exercises and complete the circuit. As you become better conditioned you can perform the circuits for multiple runs, ie. hit the circuit, rest briefly and then hit it again.
* How Do You Increase the Intensity of the Circuit? *
■ perform more runs through the circuit
■ perform more reps for each exercise in the circuit
■ increase the weight of the sandbag
■ decrease the rest time between runs
■ increase the tempo (duration of concentric or eccentric phases)
* Here Is The Dumbbell Fat Loss Circuit Training Workout *
1a) DB Front Racked Squats
1b) DB Front Racked Backward Lunges
1c) DB Hammer Curls
1d) DB RDL’s
1e) DB Military Press
1f) DB Laterals
I would like to thank Jim Smith for this great fat loss circuit training workout and Jim is a strength coach, lecturer and author of numerous innovative strength manuals.
Why should you listen to him? Jim has trained athletes from many sports and at various levels.He is an expert author for Men’s Fitness magazine and a member of the Elite Fitness Q/A staff. Jim is also certified as a strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Go to Accelerated Muscular Development for more on Jim's Fat Loss and muscle building programs.
Friday, March 12, 2010
A 20 Minute Fat Burning Workout
I have a pretty intense cardio and fat burning workout for you today. This workout comes courtesy of Mike Geary of The Truth About Abs program. Let me tell you this is a pretty intense workout. If you are in good condition give it a shot, if your conditioning isn't quite up there yet just increase your rest time.
Again pretty intense but very effective. The most interesting part is you are only doing 2 count them 2 fat burning exercises for the entire 20 minutes.
Before I show you my 20-minute "simple insanity" workout... make sure you grab your copy of the brand new Truth About Abs Online Video VIP Access before the 70%-off deal expires on Saturday March 13th:
Ok, so I had a workout this week where I only had about 20 minutes at the gym because I had to get out of there to make sure I had time to meet an appointment after my fat burning workout.
Since I only had 20 minutes, I knew this had to be a super-focused high-intensity fat burning workout.
You'll never believe the SIMPLICITY of this workout, while at the same time, being one of the most intense workouts you could imagine.
No cardio. No sissies for this one!
Here's what I did for 20-minutes straight:
--Alternated Dumbbell squat & presses with pullups.
That's it... plain and simple!
So I would do a set of HEAVY dumbbell squat & presses, followed immediately by a set of pullups... then back to the squat & presses, and so on... for 20 minutes... with very little rest in between sets!
This combo works great because you're working the entire opposite muscle groups for one exercise while you're resting the muscle groups worked on the opposing exercise.
And you don't even need a pullup bar to do this super-effective fat burning combination. You could alternate the dumbbell squat & presses with bent over dumbbell rows if you don't have access to pullups, or can't do pullups.
As simple as this fat burning workout sounds -- just 2 compound fat burning exercises supersetted with each other for 20 minutes straight... it is pretty damn intense if you do it right!
Sometimes, when you have a time restriction on your workout, this helps to assure that you make your work the maximum possible intensity since you know you have a time limit. Although I don't do this style of workout all of the time, it is a nice challenging variation to keep the workouts fresh and keep the results coming.
Give it a try sometime if you're strapped for time and need a good idea for high intensity fat burning!
Wow that's some intense fat burning workout! Thanks again to Mike Geary.
Did you try it yet? Well what are you waiting for?
Go ahead and make sure to grab your access to the new Truth About Abs Online VIP Access Videos (70%-off deal expires on saturday March 13th)...
Enjoy!
Again pretty intense but very effective. The most interesting part is you are only doing 2 count them 2 fat burning exercises for the entire 20 minutes.
Before I show you my 20-minute "simple insanity" workout... make sure you grab your copy of the brand new Truth About Abs Online Video VIP Access before the 70%-off deal expires on Saturday March 13th:
Ok, so I had a workout this week where I only had about 20 minutes at the gym because I had to get out of there to make sure I had time to meet an appointment after my fat burning workout.
Since I only had 20 minutes, I knew this had to be a super-focused high-intensity fat burning workout.
You'll never believe the SIMPLICITY of this workout, while at the same time, being one of the most intense workouts you could imagine.
No cardio. No sissies for this one!
Here's what I did for 20-minutes straight:
--Alternated Dumbbell squat & presses with pullups.
That's it... plain and simple!
So I would do a set of HEAVY dumbbell squat & presses, followed immediately by a set of pullups... then back to the squat & presses, and so on... for 20 minutes... with very little rest in between sets!
This combo works great because you're working the entire opposite muscle groups for one exercise while you're resting the muscle groups worked on the opposing exercise.
And you don't even need a pullup bar to do this super-effective fat burning combination. You could alternate the dumbbell squat & presses with bent over dumbbell rows if you don't have access to pullups, or can't do pullups.
As simple as this fat burning workout sounds -- just 2 compound fat burning exercises supersetted with each other for 20 minutes straight... it is pretty damn intense if you do it right!
Sometimes, when you have a time restriction on your workout, this helps to assure that you make your work the maximum possible intensity since you know you have a time limit. Although I don't do this style of workout all of the time, it is a nice challenging variation to keep the workouts fresh and keep the results coming.
Give it a try sometime if you're strapped for time and need a good idea for high intensity fat burning!
Wow that's some intense fat burning workout! Thanks again to Mike Geary.
Did you try it yet? Well what are you waiting for?
Go ahead and make sure to grab your access to the new Truth About Abs Online VIP Access Videos (70%-off deal expires on saturday March 13th)...
Enjoy!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Cardio Workouts Do Your Cardio Workouts Measure Up?
Do You Really Need "Cardio" Workouts?
Are cardio workouts or weight training more effective for losing fat...
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
In this article, I have an intriguing discussion about cardio workouts, which will hopefully get you thinking differently, and trying new things.
You may know I've been called the anti-cardio guy before, but this week I'm back posing the question to you... Do you really need cardio training to get lean and in great shape? By the way, you'll see in a minute that I'm not really "anti-cardio", just "anti traditional cardio".
Most fitness buffs, weekend warriors, or anyone trying to get in shape or lose body fat, consider it a fact that they need "cardio" exercise to accomplish these goals. They would never even question it.
However, I'm not only questioning it, I'm going to refute it! In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the leanest and meanest people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional cardio. And I've spent over 15 years working out in various gyms, and hanging out with athletes of all sorts, so I've seen it all.
I will say that there can be a place for low-moderate level cardio for really overweight or deconditioned people, but even in those cases, there can be more effective methods.
But what exactly is "cardio"?
Most people would consider cardio to be pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym. This is what I call "traditional cardio". Hmmm, no wonder the majority of people get bored with their workouts and give up after a couple months without seeing results.
But if you look closer, "cardio" exercise can be considered any type of exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular system. I'm not going to get into anything technical like increasing your VO2 max or anything like that. To keep it simple, if it gets your heart pumpin, and gets you huffin and puffin, it's cardio. I don't care if you're holding dumbbells or a barbell and everyone calls it a weight training exercise...it's still conditioning your heart.
Let's take a look at a couple examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell, or kettlebell) clean & press for example, which involves lifting a barbell from the floor up to shoulders, then push pressing overhead. And listen up ladies, because even though this is usually seen as a manly exercise, it doesn't matter if you're not lifting 250 lbs; if 45 lbs is challenging to you, then you will still benefit just as much.
At first glance, most people think of the barbell C&P only as a weight training exercise or strength exercise. However, I challenge you to do a hard set of around 10-15 reps on the C&P. If you used a challenging enough weight, what you'll find is that your heart rate is probably up to about 80-90% of your recommended max, and you are huffing and puffing like you just ran a 100-meter sprint (which by the way, sprinting kicks the crap out of jogging any day if you want the easiest way to lose the flab).
Try the same thing for a set of 20 reps of one-arm snatches or swings with each arm with a kettlebell or dumbbell, and tell me your legs aren't burning, heart racing, and you're gasping for breath. How about trying 5 minutes straight of bodyweight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest. Again, notice your heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths!
Try and tell me you're not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are fullfilling your cardio workout needs as well (saving you time!).
Not only do you save time, but you strengthen and condition almost every muscle in your entire body with these full body exercises if you do them with enough intensity...something that can't be said for that boring stationary bike ride or treadmill jaunt while reading or watching TV.
Reading or watching TV while you workout is a joke!
Seriously, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise, you're not concentrating enough on what you're doing, plus you're probably not working out hard enough to see any real results.
Are cardio workouts or weight training more effective for losing fat...
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
In this article, I have an intriguing discussion about cardio workouts, which will hopefully get you thinking differently, and trying new things.
You may know I've been called the anti-cardio guy before, but this week I'm back posing the question to you... Do you really need cardio training to get lean and in great shape? By the way, you'll see in a minute that I'm not really "anti-cardio", just "anti traditional cardio".
Most fitness buffs, weekend warriors, or anyone trying to get in shape or lose body fat, consider it a fact that they need "cardio" exercise to accomplish these goals. They would never even question it.
However, I'm not only questioning it, I'm going to refute it! In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the leanest and meanest people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional cardio. And I've spent over 15 years working out in various gyms, and hanging out with athletes of all sorts, so I've seen it all.
I will say that there can be a place for low-moderate level cardio for really overweight or deconditioned people, but even in those cases, there can be more effective methods.
But what exactly is "cardio"?
Most people would consider cardio to be pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym. This is what I call "traditional cardio". Hmmm, no wonder the majority of people get bored with their workouts and give up after a couple months without seeing results.
But if you look closer, "cardio" exercise can be considered any type of exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular system. I'm not going to get into anything technical like increasing your VO2 max or anything like that. To keep it simple, if it gets your heart pumpin, and gets you huffin and puffin, it's cardio. I don't care if you're holding dumbbells or a barbell and everyone calls it a weight training exercise...it's still conditioning your heart.
Let's take a look at a couple examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell, or kettlebell) clean & press for example, which involves lifting a barbell from the floor up to shoulders, then push pressing overhead. And listen up ladies, because even though this is usually seen as a manly exercise, it doesn't matter if you're not lifting 250 lbs; if 45 lbs is challenging to you, then you will still benefit just as much.
At first glance, most people think of the barbell C&P only as a weight training exercise or strength exercise. However, I challenge you to do a hard set of around 10-15 reps on the C&P. If you used a challenging enough weight, what you'll find is that your heart rate is probably up to about 80-90% of your recommended max, and you are huffing and puffing like you just ran a 100-meter sprint (which by the way, sprinting kicks the crap out of jogging any day if you want the easiest way to lose the flab).
Try the same thing for a set of 20 reps of one-arm snatches or swings with each arm with a kettlebell or dumbbell, and tell me your legs aren't burning, heart racing, and you're gasping for breath. How about trying 5 minutes straight of bodyweight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest. Again, notice your heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths!
Try and tell me you're not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are fullfilling your cardio workout needs as well (saving you time!).
Not only do you save time, but you strengthen and condition almost every muscle in your entire body with these full body exercises if you do them with enough intensity...something that can't be said for that boring stationary bike ride or treadmill jaunt while reading or watching TV.
Reading or watching TV while you workout is a joke!
Seriously, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise, you're not concentrating enough on what you're doing, plus you're probably not working out hard enough to see any real results.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Lean Muscle Gains And Rock Hard Abs

So how many more hours this week, month and year are you going to spend on that treadmill? Is this really the best way to lose stomach fat and get rock hard abs? Gain lean muscle, be more energetic and healthier? No! You need to use total body exercises in short but intense workouts. You are spending and wasting way to much time!
The old ideas about spending countless hours week in and week out with long cardio workouts on a machine are proven to be ineffective. Do you want to add some lean muscle (remember the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism)? Do you want to lose stomach fat and get rock hard abs?
Total Body Exercises Should Be 90% of Your Workouts:
This is the most effective way to workout whether your looking to lose stomach fat, get rock hard abs or build your biceps. Let's make no mistake here hard work is required, extreme fitness demands that your workouts are intense. Total body exercises build muscle and lose fat faster.
Total body exercises work your whole body, get in workout and get done plus shorter workouts prevent burnout which is inevitable with those marathon cardio sessions.
So if you are ready to lose stomach fat, have rock hard abs, be stronger, more energetic and healthier, here is all there is to know about total body exercises:
Total body exercises saves time. The biggest plus is having to go to the gym less; 3 total body workouts a week (if your training at maximum intensity) will do the trick.
Your weight training workouts should be done in 45 minutes or less. That's just three to four hours per week. With total body workouts, it is all about the quality of exercise you do and not the quantity, or the amount of time.
Total body weight training workouts should be done three times per week. Add in 1-2 interval training workouts on your off days.
The Light Weight High Rep Myth:
In your weight training use heavy weight and low reps (4-8). Another falacy is using light weights and high reps. This type of training does not burn fat at a higher rate. You want to lose stomach fat and get rock hard abs? Use heavy weights and keep your rest periods short.
3 - 5 total body exercises are enough per workout. As an example:
1A) deadlifts
1B) Incline Dumbbell Press
2A) Clean and Press
2B) Burpees
Keep workouts short. Keep your rest between exercises short. Weight training affects the natural homones of the body connected to muscle building and fat loss.
Let me see shorter workouts that are proven more effective for muscle gains or fat loss seem's pretty much a no brainer. Marathon hour plus workouts or total body workouts of 45minutes or less that get you quicker and better results. I know what I chose how about you?
You can do this workout based on time blocks, meaning set a timer for 15-20 minutes(shorter if your a beginner) see how many reps you get in the time frame.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Turbulence Training And Kettlebell Training Extreme Cardio

Monday, September 7, 2009
Turbulence Training And Kettlebell Training Extreme Cardio
I have some really exciting news today. It is as they say a match made in heaven. Turbulence training and Kettlebell training together. If you read my posts you know I am a big believer in both Interval training (turbulence training and kettlebell training.
But what happens when you combine this revolutionary piece of fat burning exercise equipment with the world’s most powerful and popular home workout fat loss system – Turbulence Training?
The answer is rapid fat loss at any age using the Turbulence Training and Kettlebell training Revolution Workouts.
You’ll be able to workout ANYTIME, ANYWHERE with the NEW Turbulence Training Kettlebell training Revolution Fat Loss System in your favorite location wearing your favorite clothes while listening to your favorite workout tunes…and you’ll still get better results than any machine could ever give you - GUARANTEED.
As you know, Turbulence Training has been used by thousands of men and women through Craig Ballantyne’s website and online videos, plus millions of men and women who have read about Craig’s programs in Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Oxygen, and even Prevention magazine.
Well now Craig Ballantyne and Chris Lopez have brought them both together. So without further babbling from me I'll let Craig take it from here.( and check out the video of Chris and Craig at the bottom of the page)
Why a Turbulence Training Kettlebell Training Workout?
I got this question a lot last week, 53 times to be exact, but folks want to know...
"Why are you putting together a Turbulence Training and Kettlebell training workout program?"
And the answer is simple.
I just didn't like what was out there for my Turbulence Training members.
Every program seemed to be competing about how "hard-core" it couldbe...but I don't care how hard it is, I just want it to work and be appropriate for TT readers.
So all those other guys bragging about how their program will make"you sick" and "so sore you'll want to go to the hospital" can keep their programs.
Instead, I decided to certify the first Turbulence Trainer, Chris Lopez, and I went to him for Kettlebell Workouts because I know he has been using them for years with his clients.
So today, I want you to meet Chris Lopez, creator of the TurbulenceTraining Kettlebell Workout Revolution.
Check it out
=> Chris Lopez & the Kettlebell Workouts

And don't forget you'll be able to use his workouts in the 6th TT Transformation Contest that starts today!
Welcome to the Revolution,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
PS - Can you believe Chris is younger than me and...
...already has 4 kids with a 5th on the way (his first boy!).
Find out why Kettlebells are so great for busy folks like you and him:
=> http://kettlebellworkouts.com/meetchrislopez
http://kettlebellworkouts.com/meetchrislopez
Monday, August 31, 2009
Total Body Workouts: Shorter Workouts For Extreme Fitness

I just finished my sixth hour on the treadmill this week with four more hours to do. Is this really the best way to workout? No! Try doing total body workouts. You are spending way to much time! Those marathon workouts are proven to be inefficient.
Total Body Workouts for Extreme Fitness
Many people think about building muscle as having nolife outside the gym and devoting hours in the gym like a monk in a monastery. Perhaps the only way to lose unwanted body fat, chisel your body into a hot muscular physique is by spending hour after hour over the rusty iron day in, day out and year in, year out.
Total Body Workouts:
This is the most effective way to workout whether your looking to lose fat or gain muscle. Although hard work is required, extreme fitness demands one to do intense maximum effort workouts. Total body workouts can make you progress faster and it easily fits in your schedule. This is very convenient if you are looking forward to achieving extreme fitness but find it hard to hold on to a single workout routine.
Genuine total body workouts are done by athletes with the goal of developing maximum muscle contraction using heavy weights, makes room for full recovery so one can actually grow and continue to train hard plus it also prevents burnout which is inevitable due to excess training.
So if you are is ready for extreme fitness, here is all there is to know about total body workouts:
total body workouts are a time saver. The biggest plus about having the whole body trained all at once is probably having to go to the gym less frequently; perhaps around two to three times for every seven days would be enough.
Another advantage of total body workouts is that you don't need to spend two or more hours of strenuous exercise in the gym for every session; you should only spend forty-five minutes to one hour in the gym for every session. So that's just three to four hours per week in the gym right? With total body workouts, it is all about the quality of exercise you do per session and not the quantity, nor even the amount of time you allot per session.
Total body workouts boost the cardiovascular system for extreme fitness. One must allot two to four sets for every body part into the one hour session. Jam packed with exercising, each one hour session then gets the heart and the rest of the cardiovasular system pumping and up to speed in a flash.
Now feeling pumped up, next find out what rules does one have to follow when engaging in total body workouts.
Total body workouts should be done three times per week. This is so easy isn't it? What is great about this is that there is time spared during rest days so that you could also do some cardio exercise sessions instead of depending on cardio execises one normally does at the end of each work out session which after all, are not at all very effective.
Heavy lifting is strongly advised. Contrary to popular belief, especially among athletes. It is not true that it is good to get trapped on training lightly than one actually could so as to conserve energy for the other body parts that will come later in the routine. What is true is that one cannot achieve optimal progress if one is not training heavy, no matter which program that person is doing.
One exercise only per muscle group. This is very easy to follow and is also important. Doing basic exercises which are also intense means you do not have to do another different exercise for that body part.
Keep work out short. Resistance training affects the natural homones of the body connected to muscle building. Intense exercising boosts the testosterone levels and long work outs increase those of catabolic cortisol. Sixty minutes of work out allows you to get the best of both worlds.
Now with this convenient and powerful total body workout regimen, you can now experience extreme fitness.
Let me see shorter workouts that are proven more effective for muscle gains or fat loss seem's pretty much a nobrainer. Marathon hour plus workouts or total body workouts of 45 minutes or less that get you quicker and better results. I know what I chose how about you?
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Your Odd's Of Having A Heart Attack

Find Out If You Too Are At Risk
Want to know what your real odds are of having a heart attack?
How about a stroke? Diabetes?
Okay, this isn't sounding like a positive letter... but hang in there. It gets a lot better and more positive.
I was having lunch today with my CPA and my good friend Sherry Strong. Sherry's upcoming book is a must-read. I will let you know when she's ready to release it.
Since Sherry has been here visiting me in Dallas I have learned SO much about natural food preparation and what really causes disease.
Our conversation took a turn to "doctor's tests." I think most of them are worthless. Some are vital.
It's important to know the difference.
I'm going to give you the three tests you absolutely must take if you want to help ensure your future health in a moment.
But first, let me give you Sherry's argument to my third test.
Yes, we nutritionists argue sometimes. ; )
I'll let you decide. But statically it's far more accurate than any blood test... and get this:
You can do it at home for freee.
So far, are you with me? Good.
I'm going to go in reverse order, third test to last...
The third test is simply this:
Measure your waistline. Use a tape measure and do not pull it tight. Measure right below the navel.
Write down that number in inches.
Then measure your height out of shoes in inches. Write that down too.
If your waist in inches is more than twice your height you are FOUR TIMES more likely to have heart disease.
Four times. That's more predictive than cholesterol tests by far.
And a lot less expensive to boot.
Don't just read about this test -- DO IT. I'll give you something you can do ABOUT it if you fail this test in a second.
The great news is that this is one factor that is totally within your control.
Test number two: Know your SED rate. This is an inflammatory marker in the blood.
Test number one: Know your hsCRP and LP(a) levels. Both of these can be done as one test usually. Both are inflammatory markers as well as key indicators of heart health.
Go to your doctor and ask for these three blood tests. Usually they can be done all at once. Sometimes they are separate, but they are all crucial.
If you are thin and look healthy, listen to this:
You too can be Lance Armstrong or Jim Fixx....and not know it.
Lance and Jim looked like two of the healthiest men on the planet. Lance beat testicular cancer but came within an inch of his life. Jim died after a short jog of a heart attack very young in life.
Looks can be deceiving.
This is Sherry's argument -- and she's totally correct.
That's why I give you THREE (well, actually four) TESTS.
You see, it's virtually impossible to have a normal SED rate, a normal hsCRP level and a normal LP(a) level and be at imminent risk for any of these killer diseases.
Possible, perhaps -- but almost not.
So, if you look healthy and feel like a bazillion bucks, you still need to know your levels of these inflammatory markers.
If you are overweight or obese, you totally absolutely MUST do the waist/height test as well as the others.
You see, it goes both ways.
Some obese folks test out okay at the doc's office. Their cholesterol, blood pressure, and all typical readings are okay. Rarely does a doc run an hsCRP or LP(a). And rarely do they run a SED rate.
See the importance here?
Both the fit and the unfit can be at dire risk and not even know it.
Now, here's the solution:
A low-inflammatory nutrition and training plan, along with plenty of stress-free time.
I can help you with the first two things.
The third thing -- de-stressing -- is up to you. You may want to spend 30 minutes a day doing yoga, walking, meditating, praying, or whatever calms your MIND and BODY down.
Check it out:
Lance and Jim were both doing insane amounts of exercise... so much that they demanded insane amounts of high-inflammatory foods. Foods like processed carbohydrates for example.
And they both got sick. One of them died.
My good friend Dr. Steven Chase believes that 85% of cancer is preventable.
Re-read that: 85%. And he's an oncologist -- a cancer doctor.
And you know heart disease is 95% preventable... or did you?
But all of these killers, especially diabetes, demand a low-insulin, low-inflammatory nutrition and exercise plan.
Lance and Jim had sky-high inflammatory levels from all that exercise. It was literally TOO much exercise.
That's why so many marathoners die of heart attacks. They eat inflammatory foods and engage in high-stress exercise for too long of a time.
So, what's the answer?
1. Short workouts that are intense, effective, and enjoyable. Weights and cardio both, or in-home resistance workouts will work fine.
2. Longer "soft" workouts like brisk walking that helps de-stress the body and burn more bodyfat.
3. A nutrition plan that allows for your favorite foods at the RIGHT TIME of the day but also helps you burn bodyfat without activating your body's stress-producing hormones like cortisol...cool.
Most nutrition plans are stressful. Big mistake. Stress can cause you to hold on to bodyfat. Plus stress causes inflammation.
Most workout plans are either too easy or too intense for too long a period of time. My System is super-short (7-14 minutes a day, plus walks when you can.) This is enough to build all the muscle you need plus burn bodyfat when combined with the nutrition plan.
My System's nutrition plan is ideal if you are willing to "diet" for a day or two, then enjoy a day of eating "normal" foods.
Hey, no one is perfect. Anyone who has half a brain should know that not very many people (myself included) are willing to do without their favorite foods forever.
That's silly -- and it's not necessary to burn bodyfat.
In fact, my System 'demands' that you eat these foods at certain times TO BURN MORE BODYFAT!
Wild, isn't it?
It's the System I've used for years.
It's the combination of two books:
7 Minute Muscle + Every Other Day Diet
Get them both for one low price...
Go here:
7 minute muscle <--- Helps you pass the tests
Any of my three Upgrade Kits come with both books, a full year of support from me on the Every Other Day Diet group Forum, and so many bonuses I can't list them all.
This combo is something I am so very proud to share with you.
It's the ultimate System for lowering bodyfat, increasing lean muscle, lowering insulin, lowering inflammation, and ensuring your health.
Whether you are in shape or obese, this System is one that will work for you.
7 minute muscle <--- Helps you pass the tests
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jon benson
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tabata Training Never Say Only 4 Minutes Again
Few things in life live up to their hype . But the Tabata Training method deserves its reputation. It's a simple cardiovascular-training routine that's been proven to improve performance and fitness in a very short time 4 minutes to be exact. Sound too good to be true? It's not, and if you give it a try, you'll quickly find out why.
ONLY 4 MINUTES YOUR THINKING THIS IS BULL!
The best way for me to answer that is anyone who has done Tabata Training and done it properly never again says ONLY 4 Minutes. It's that good and that Intense.
The Tabata Protocol--named after Izumi Tabata, Ph.D., a former researcher at Japan's National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya--is an high intensity interval training workout developed by the head coach of the Japanese speed-skating team. (It's called a protocol because Tabata and his team took the speed-skating coach's workout and studied it to quantify just how effective it really was.) The workout consists of six to seven 20-second full-speed sprints interspersed with rest periods of 10 seconds.
In Tabata's study, the researchers found that guys who used the routine five days a week for six weeks improved their maximum aerobic capacity (a measure of your body's ability to consume oxygen--the more oxygen you can take in, the longer and harder you'll be able to run) by 14%. What's more, it also improved anaerobic capacity (which measures your speed endurance, or the duration you're able to sprint at full effort) by 28%. So the Tabata Protocol is the rare workout that benefits both endurance athletes and sprinters--hard to accomplish. Consider: A study of traditional aerobic training--running at 70% of aerobic capacity for 60 minutes--for the same number of weeks showed an improvement in aerobic capacity of 9.5% and no effect on anaerobic capacity.
The key to the Tabata Protocol's effectiveness appears to be the short rest intervals between sprints. Conventional interval-training guidelines suggest keeping a 1:3 work-rest ratio. That is, your rest periods should last three times as long as the duration of your sprints. But the Tabata Protocol's work-rest ratio is 2:1, which means your rest periods are only half as long as the time you're working. And according to another Tabata study, that formula isn't just more effective than traditional aerobic training, it's also more effective than typical interval training. In that other study, Tabata and his colleagues compared their original protocol to a second configuration of intervals that consisted of 30-second sprints interspersed with two-minute rest periods. Despite the fact that this required subjects to sprint for more time at a higher intensity, the original Tabata Protocol still proved more effective at boosting both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
QUICK RESULTS
On paper, Tabata Training offers a quick way to get fit in just four minutes of high-intensity work per session. But don't be misled: This regimen is grueling. It was originally developed for Olympic-caliber athletes, and Dr. Tabata reported that they were wiped out by the routine. It's worth mentioning that when testing the protocol--described as 6-7 sets--most of the subjects were exhausted after the sixth set of sprints and couldn't complete the seventh. So this style of training isn't for a beginner and should only be considered by someone who has a solid fitness base. That includes most Men's Fitness readers, but if you're just starting to work out or you're out of shape, start easy, rest three to four times as long as your sprint duration, and see "Assess Your Risk" on page 143.
TAKE THE TABATA TEST
If you think you've got what it takes, here's the drill. First, do a five-minute warm-up by running, cycling, or jumping rope for five minutes at about 40% of your full effort. For the intervals, work on a track, treadmill,Kettlebell Swings ,Barbell Front S1quats,Dumbell Thrusts , or a heavy gym bag, and alternate 20 seconds of activity at full effort with 10-second rest periods. Each sprint-rest combo counts as one interval. After the intense section, do a five-minute cool-down in the same way you warmed up. Try to do four intervals at first, then gradually work your way up to six. Repeat the workout three to four days a week.
Assess Your Risk
Get a physical exam before trying this workout if you re over 40 or have two or more of the following risk factors: a family history of heart disease, you re a smoker, you re sedentary, you re overweight, or you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
See Also
Tabata Training for an in depth look at Tabata Training and additional workouts
ONLY 4 MINUTES YOUR THINKING THIS IS BULL!
The best way for me to answer that is anyone who has done Tabata Training and done it properly never again says ONLY 4 Minutes. It's that good and that Intense.
The Tabata Protocol--named after Izumi Tabata, Ph.D., a former researcher at Japan's National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya--is an high intensity interval training workout developed by the head coach of the Japanese speed-skating team. (It's called a protocol because Tabata and his team took the speed-skating coach's workout and studied it to quantify just how effective it really was.) The workout consists of six to seven 20-second full-speed sprints interspersed with rest periods of 10 seconds.
In Tabata's study, the researchers found that guys who used the routine five days a week for six weeks improved their maximum aerobic capacity (a measure of your body's ability to consume oxygen--the more oxygen you can take in, the longer and harder you'll be able to run) by 14%. What's more, it also improved anaerobic capacity (which measures your speed endurance, or the duration you're able to sprint at full effort) by 28%. So the Tabata Protocol is the rare workout that benefits both endurance athletes and sprinters--hard to accomplish. Consider: A study of traditional aerobic training--running at 70% of aerobic capacity for 60 minutes--for the same number of weeks showed an improvement in aerobic capacity of 9.5% and no effect on anaerobic capacity.
The key to the Tabata Protocol's effectiveness appears to be the short rest intervals between sprints. Conventional interval-training guidelines suggest keeping a 1:3 work-rest ratio. That is, your rest periods should last three times as long as the duration of your sprints. But the Tabata Protocol's work-rest ratio is 2:1, which means your rest periods are only half as long as the time you're working. And according to another Tabata study, that formula isn't just more effective than traditional aerobic training, it's also more effective than typical interval training. In that other study, Tabata and his colleagues compared their original protocol to a second configuration of intervals that consisted of 30-second sprints interspersed with two-minute rest periods. Despite the fact that this required subjects to sprint for more time at a higher intensity, the original Tabata Protocol still proved more effective at boosting both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
QUICK RESULTS
On paper, Tabata Training offers a quick way to get fit in just four minutes of high-intensity work per session. But don't be misled: This regimen is grueling. It was originally developed for Olympic-caliber athletes, and Dr. Tabata reported that they were wiped out by the routine. It's worth mentioning that when testing the protocol--described as 6-7 sets--most of the subjects were exhausted after the sixth set of sprints and couldn't complete the seventh. So this style of training isn't for a beginner and should only be considered by someone who has a solid fitness base. That includes most Men's Fitness readers, but if you're just starting to work out or you're out of shape, start easy, rest three to four times as long as your sprint duration, and see "Assess Your Risk" on page 143.
TAKE THE TABATA TEST
If you think you've got what it takes, here's the drill. First, do a five-minute warm-up by running, cycling, or jumping rope for five minutes at about 40% of your full effort. For the intervals, work on a track, treadmill,Kettlebell Swings ,Barbell Front S1quats,Dumbell Thrusts , or a heavy gym bag, and alternate 20 seconds of activity at full effort with 10-second rest periods. Each sprint-rest combo counts as one interval. After the intense section, do a five-minute cool-down in the same way you warmed up. Try to do four intervals at first, then gradually work your way up to six. Repeat the workout three to four days a week.
Assess Your Risk
Get a physical exam before trying this workout if you re over 40 or have two or more of the following risk factors: a family history of heart disease, you re a smoker, you re sedentary, you re overweight, or you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
See Also
Tabata Training for an in depth look at Tabata Training and additional workouts
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