What the heck am I talking about, right?

I had a little incident awhile back where I almost sliced my thumb in half on a tuna can lid.

Blood was gushing everywhere.

I now know how much we use our thumbs every day.

What a pain!

Are you wondering what the heck this has to do with getting in great shape?

Next time you hit the gym, take a look around.

What kind of exercises are being done?

I bet you see a lot of machine work, isolation exercises, lots of “core” work, long, boring aerobic where people barely break a sweat,while watching television or reading a magazine. All that sort of thing.

You don’t see a lot of people doing the exercises that count:

Barbell Squats

Heavy Lunges

Military Press

Chin Ups

Deadlifts

Stiff Legged Deadlifts

High Intensity Interval Training for cardio

Kettlebell work, etc.

Squat Thrusts

Burpees

Jump Squats

All kinds of Push Ups

Mountain Climbers

Jump Rope

Bear Crawls

Hill Sprints

And plenty more!

And I bet you NEVER see anyone do all out sets of 20 reps on squats or deadlifts,. That is, if you see squats or deadlifts performed at all.

What do those exercises have in common?

Two things.

They are extremely effective for helping you get the body you want, whether it’s building muscle, burning fat or both (yes, for both men AND women).

And they FREAKIN’ hurt big time!

When I talk about pain, I don’t mean doing something to hurt yourself (like those idiots that bench by dropping heavy weights on their chest, bouncing it up, getting on their toes and arching their backs so much you think they’ll snap in half).

I’m talking about the pain of lactate build up, the exhaustion of doing a 20 rep set of squats or deadlifts, or a killer interval training program such as running hill sprints, or some serious metabolic conditioning.

I mean the good kind of pain from a great workout that results in the killer body you deserve.

And that’s what you want, right?

I’m talking about the kind of pain that requires mental toughness.

Only you really know if you worked hard enough on a set or during a workout.

For most people, on the truly productive sets and exercises, their mind quits long before their muscles do.

Don’t let that be you!

If you want results, you have to pay for it. But don’t look at it as paying the price or making sacrifices.

As Zig Ziglar says, you don’t pay the price, you enjoy the benefits. And that is VERY true! You enjoy the benefits of being healthy and fit by living a more enjoyable, high quality life, doing the things you want to do and actually being able to do them! That is awesome!

Put some real work into real exercises.

Let everyone else in your gym look exactly the same next year. Not you. You’ll be the one turning heads everywhere you go!

Look, I don’t BS you. You don’t have to eat crappy food, you don’t have to starve yourself and you sure as heck don’t have to workout two hours a day.

But you DO have to work when you workout, despite what all the freakin’ infomercials tell you!

Oh, if you know the movie reference of the first line in this email, write it in the comments below. I’ll pick some winners at random and hook you up with something cool, k? Sweet!

And if you enjoyed this, please give it a Tweet, Facebook like or Google +1 on the left hand side. Thanks! This site means nothing without you!

Doubt Your Limits!

My new Flat Belly Blueprint, includes specific nutrition and exercise strategies that are needed to lose belly fat, get fit and feel great!

It’s now available for the Amazon Kindle for only $2.99. Inside the book you’ll also find how to get videos of all the exercises for free, as well as a new monthly workout every month for a year!

Some of my favorite techniques, whether your goal is fat loss, muscle mass, or both, include density training, rest-pause/drop sets and antagonistic supersets.

There are a lot of different ways to incorporate these techniques into your workout routine
.
Density training has been popularized by people like Vince Gironda and Charles Staley (with his Escalating Density Training).

There is a lot that goes into EDT but the basic technique works like this. You work in what Charles refers to as PR Zones that last 15 minutes (depending on exercises). You perform a superset workout and you use your 10 rep weight for each exercise.

You then proceed to perform sets of no more than 5 reps each. There are no set rest periods and you don’t go to failure, except possibly on the last few sets.

Your goal is to complete as many reps as possible within the given time period and try to improve upon your results the next workout.

Here’s how one superset workout might look.

Bench Press 150 lbs x 5 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1
Bent Over Row 125 lbs x 5 x 5 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 3 x 3 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1

You’ve completed 38 reps on the bench press and 40 reps on the bent over row. Next workout, you want to try and complete more reps.

Eventually, you’ll find that completing more reps is very, very difficult. At that point, you’ll want to increase the weight, which will decrease the reps the next workout. So you’ll work once again on increasing the reps.

As you gain experience with density training, you’ll find a sweet spot in the rep numbers that work best for you.

For example, you might find on an exercise that 45 reps is the top end so when you achieve that number, next workout will be time to increase the resistance.

Your rest periods will vary and you don’t take early sets to failure. This also allows you to tweak the workout to fit your personality. You may like to take slightly longer rest periods to get more reps per set.

Or, toward the end, maybe you take shorter rest periods and crank out as many 1 rep or 2 rep sets as you can, instead of resting longer to get as many 3 or 4 rep sets as possible.

Another fantastic variation on density training is Nick Nilsson’s time volume training. Instead of randomly reducing the number of reps you perform with varying rest periods, Nick’s time-volume training gives you very specific rules on this.

As Nick explains,

The formula for my regular version of Time-Volume Training is simple…and you’ll be able to see exactly why I say “zero brains required”…

Select a weight you can do 10 reps with in a normal set (you’re going to be doing this for a 15 minute block of time). Now do 3 reps. Rest 10 seconds. Do 3 more reps. Rest 10 seconds…and repeat until you can’t get 3 reps in a set.

Now switch your rest to 20 seconds and keep going with more 3 rep sets. Repeat these with 20 seconds rest until you can’t get 3 reps again and then go to 30 seconds rest…and so on, to 40 seconds rest. Repeat until your 15 minute block of time is done.

If you make it 1/3 of the way through (e.g. 5 minutes on a 15 minute block) still doing 10 seconds rest, then you increase the weight on that exercise in your next workout.

It’s just that simple! Basically, the idea here is not to go to failure on any of your reps but to manage your fatigue so that you can maximize your training volume (i.e. more reps and sets).

A slightly different version of density training that I really like and is slightly more traditional is utilizing drop sets and rest/pause sets together for a specific exercise.

With this technique you use a weight that allows you get get 10 to 15 reps before hitting momentary failure.

When you do so, rest briefly (10 to 20 seconds), go to failure, rest briefly again and try to crank out another set with the same weight. Quickly reduce the weight, rest briefly and crank out another set.

If you’re up for it, you may be able to do one more weight reduction and set.

The drop set and rest/pause technique could look like this.

Bench Press 150 lbs x 11 reps
Rest 20 seconds
150 lbs x 7 reps
Rest 20 seconds
150 lbs x 4 reps
Rest 20 seconds
120 lbs x 3 reps

That’s it!

If you’re a regular reader, you know I love supersets, especially antagonistic supersets (working opposing muscle groups like back/chest and quads/hamstrings). Escalating Density Training is based on antagonistic superset workouts.

Time/Volume Training can also be adapted to use antagonistic supersets. As Nick says,

Activating the antagonist muscles can actually INCREASE strength in the original bodypart, i.e. you can actually be a bit stronger in bench for the chest when you work a back exercise right before.

So this type of training allows you to stay stronger on both exercises and get a lot of good training volume in with very little rest (making it GREAT for fat-loss and preserving muscle while training for fat loss).

It also keeps you away from muscular failure so that you’re not crushing your recovery systems, which is also VERY important on a reduced-calorie diet where reduced recovery levels can be a big problem.

So when you’re doing the training, take 10 seconds rest between each set. Do 3 reps of bench, rest 10 seconds, then 3 reps of chins, rest 10 seconds, then 3 reps of bench, etc. Keep going like this for as long as you can.

Now here’s the thing…most likely, one exercise is going to start fading first. For me, it was the bench press. So what I did was kept the rest to 10 seconds going from bench to chins, but increased the rest to 20 seconds going from chins to bench. This worked quite well and allowed me to keep going while still minimizing rest in between sets.

You can perform this type of training with just about any antagonistic exercises and body part pairings, e.g. biceps and triceps (curls and push downs), quads and hamstrings (squats and stiff-leg deadlifts), abs and lower back, front delts or rear delts (front raises and bent-over raises). For the smaller parts like arms and shoulders, I would suggest a 10 minute block of time.

You can use Time-Volume Training as a technique to insert into your training once in awhile or work it as the basis of an entire program.

You can read more about Nick’s Nick Nilsson’s time volume training

You can also use the same strategy when using the Drop Set Rest/Pause Technique.

What do all these techniques (density training, time-volume training, supersets, drop set rest/pause) have in common?

They allow you to get more work done in less time! This is crucial whether your goal is building muscle, burning fat, both, or just improving your overall conditioning and fitness levels!

If you’ve been doing traditional straight set resistance training in your workout routines, I highly recommend adding some of the techniques in this article. It’s a great change of pace and can easily bring on new gains (and losses)!

These are also great techniques for bodyweight exercises and we’ll discuss that in a future article.

My new Flat Belly Blueprint, includes specific nutrition and exercise strategies that are needed to lose belly fat, get fit and feel great!

It’s now available for the Amazon Kindle for only $2.99. Inside the book you’ll also find how to get videos of all the exercises for free, as well as a new monthly workout every month for a year!

A proper metabolic training plan will boost your metabolism (above and beyond the calories you burn during the workout) and help you to reach your fat loss and fitness goals faster than traditional cardio or aerobics.

Here are four very important components of a proper workout plan.

1. Warm Up (Properly)

When I say warm up, I don’t mean a few minutes on the stationary bike before hitting the weights. You need a targeted, active warm up before your training session.

You also need to move your body dynamically with specific movements to prepare yourself for the workout ahead.

Activation includes exercises like band walks, I,Y,T and W movements (on the floor or lying across an exercise ball, wall walks, planks, hip lifts, etc.

Also be sure to include a few foam rolling exercises as well. If you don’t have a foam roller, get one! You’ll thank me later!

This should be followed by dynamic warm up exercises like skipping, jogging, jumping rope as well as movements like:

• Toy Soldier
• Bear Crawl
• Leap Frog
• Inch Worm
• High Knee Shuffles
• and more

You can follow these with a warm up circuit like the following:

General Warm up Before All Workouts

• Jumping Jacks 30
• Push Ups 8
• Bodyweight Squats 10
• Mountain Climbers 20 (10 per side)
• Chest Expansion (Resistance Band) 5
• Shoulder Rolls With Resistance Band 10
• Arm Circles 10 – 15 per arm, backward and forward, starting with small circles and getting bigger
• Leg Swings 10 – 15 per leg, backward and forward

I’m not suggesting ALL of the above in each warm up. Your warm up should take about 5 to 10 minutes and get you warm and ready for your workout.

Keep in mind, you may need less or more warming up. You want to be warm and ready but you don’t want to start getting tired from the warm up.

If you find specific exercises that work for you (such as jumping rope for a couple of minutes) by all means do them. This is one of many warm up combinations you could do.

2. Interval Workouts (via Sprinting Workouts)

Sprinting workouts for your cardio may be the most effective fat shredder around. If fat loss or getting ripped is your goal, you must perform interval workouts utilizing sprinting. Remember, there are no fat sprinters!

As I’ve stated in this article on Sprint Workouts…

There are numerous ways to perform not only sprinting sessions, but interval training in general, from work to rest ratio, length of work and rest intervals, number of interval ‘set’s, exercises involved, etc.

Besides the variety, you can also build on your sprint workouts as you improve your overall fitness level.

Starting out, you might only be able to perform 2 or 3 sprints of 20 yards before calling it quits. But your fitness levels will quickly improve and before you know it, you’ll be doing more sprints of longer length (not necessarily for longer time as your speed will improve as well).

Even so, don’t let these training sessions expand into long, volume oriented workouts. When it comes to hiit training, a little bit goes a long way.

A great way to get started is to go to a local track. Sprint the straight away and walk or jog the curves.

Go read Sprint Workouts for Getting Ripped for more details on various sprinting workouts.

3. Include Resistance Training

Lots and lots of cardio like running or the stationary bike is not the way to drop body fat, get in shape and look good. Just take a look at a marathon runner. They may be able to run all day but they don’t look good (or healthy).

So besides, the interval workouts, you need to do some sort of resistance training, whether it’s the traditional barbells and dumbbells, or things like kettlebells, sandbags, resistance bands and even bodyweight exercises (which are fantastic ways to train).

A simple full body workout might look like the following:

Squats 2 x 10
Stiff-legged Deadlifts 2 x 10
Standing Calf Raises 2 x 10
Decline Bench Presses 2 x 10
Curl Grip Lat Pulldowns 2 x 10
One Arm DB Rows 2 x 10
Standing Dumbbell Presses 2 x 10
Tricep Pressdowns 2 x 10
Standing DB Curls 2 x 10

If you’re really focused on getting ripped you could sprint twice per week and do this workout once or twice per week. Consider alternating the squat and the stiff legged deadlift. Do only one per workout and do the other one the next workout.

To accelerate fat loss and fitness results you could utilize circuit training workouts or metabolic resistance training in place of the more traditional weight workout above.

4. Recovery and Rest

If you want results, you must get your rest.

However, this rest can be active if you have the energy and hate the idea of sitting around. This means about 30 minutes of something like walking or an activity you really enjoy like basketball or tennis.

Structure your metabolic training this way and you’re well on your way to serious fat loss and fitness results.

My new Flat Belly Blueprint, includes specific nutrition and exercise strategies that are needed to lose belly fat, get fit and feel great!

It’s now available for the Amazon Kindle for only $2.99. Inside the book you’ll also find how to get videos of all the exercises for free, as well as a new monthly workout every month for a year!

If you have no time to exercise or you’re just too tired to workout after a long day at work (or just can’t get up early enough to hit the gym) then I’ve got something for you to try.

This doesn’t only work if you have no time to exercise, it will also help you to make working out a habit if you have trouble staying consistent with your workout program.

You know what I mean, you hit the gym three or four times per week for a month and then take two months off. That won’t get you anywhere!

This is a tip straight out of Flat Belly Blueprint (available on the Amazon Kindle for $2.99).

No Time to Exercise? Try the Super Secret Amazingly Awesome Wacky Workout Tip:

If you’re one of those people that REALLY struggles with sticking to your workouts, forget the programs later in this book (for now).

Start by focusing on making exercise a habit so that it becomes part of your life routine.

And the easiest way to do this is not just to work out first thing in the morning but to make the workout unbelievably simple!

How do you make it so simple that you never skip a workout? Easy! As soon as you roll out of bed, start exercising! This can be as simple as one exercise!

Here are some examples.

Roll out of bed and do X number of bodyweight squats (such as 50 or 100 depending on your fitness level!)

If you can’t do 50 straight take rests when you need it and keep track of the time it takes to complete all 50 and try and beat that time the next time you do it.

Or, reverse it and do bodyweight squats for 7 (or 15) minutes, resting when you need to and keeping track of how many reps you complete. Next time, try and do more in that 7 minutes.

Side Note: The rep numbers will be different for different exercises, as it’s a lot easier to do 50 jumping jacks than it is to do 50 burpees or jump lunges.

You could do a different exercise each day for a week and then repeat.

Maybe a workout plan like this:

Monday — Bodyweight Squats
Tuesday — Push Ups
Wednesday — Burpees
Thursday — Jumping Jacks
Friday — Jump Lunges
Saturday — Jump Rope
Sunday — Rest

I get asked a lot about how to do a burpee so I shot a quick video last year.

If you have a pull up bar or an apparatus like the Lifeline USA Jungle Gym XT, you can get a lot more versatile as well as hitting the important back muscles more directly.

Once you’ve got that down, you can take the next step and just add one more exercise. If you have a kettlebell or two dumbbells you can keep them by the bed and incorporate those as well.

You can also start to use hiit training workouts with these exercises, utilizing the Tabata protocol of 20 seconds of exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes (so 8 total sets).

One workout might look like this:

Burpees – 20 seconds on 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets

If you have the dumbbells or kettlebells you could do:

Squat (KB or DB in rack position) plus Push Press – 20 seconds on 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets

With two exercises it might be:

Push Ups – 20 seconds on 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets
Bodyweight Squat – 20 seconds on 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets

If that’s too easy you could make the exercises harder by doing narrow push ups, explosive push ups, staggered push ups, clap push ups, spiderman push ups, etc.

For bodyweight squats, you could do narrow stance squats, super slow squats, jump lunges, jump squats, 180 degree jump squats, etc.

The key is to MAKE THE DECISION to do a short workout like this right when you get out of bed.

Once you’ve done that for a few weeks and exercise becomes the normal thing you do in the morning, you can start doing multi-exercise routines.

You’ll no longer say “I have no time to exercise” or “I’m too tired to workout.”

Eventually you’ll be able to complete the 12 week plan in Flat Belly Blueprint and really start to see the results you want!

Flat Belly Blueprint, includes specific nutrition and exercise strategies that are needed to lose belly fat, get fit and feel great!

It’s now available for the Amazon Kindle for only $2.99. Inside the book you’ll also find how to get videos of all the exercises for free, as well as a new monthly workout every month for a year!

Ways to lose belly fat, get fit and feel better is the focus of my new book, Flat Belly Blueprint (available for the Amazon Kindle).

Many people are frustrated and fed up with all the diet and exercise programs available because they either don’t deliver the results they promise, or they are impossible to stick to for the long term.

Flat Belly Blueprint exposes important myths about nutrition and exercise and delivers real, effective ways to lose belly fat that you can stick to for a lifetime. Myths like:

MYTH 1: Ab Exercises on Silly Gadgets and Thousands of Crunches Is The Key To a Flat Stomach and Sexy, Six Pack Abs!

No! It’s proper nutrition and a specific exercise program that works the entire body and boosts the metabolism for up to 39 hours after the workout is over!

Tip #1 In order to get a flat belly or six pack abs, you need to focus on getting rid of body fat through proper nutrition and a good workout program.

This workout program should focus on total body workouts and compound exercises that get your body engaged.

Some compound exercises that really engage your abs include:

Squats
Deadlifts
Standing Presses
Kettlebell Swings
All kinds of lunges
All kinds of push ups
Burpees
Squat thrusts
And plenty more.

MYTH 2: Endless Amounts of Cardio in the “Fat Burning Zone” is the Key To Fat Loss!

Nope again. Low intensity cardio doesn’t boost your metabolism at all, except for the few calories you burn during the workout.

Tip #2 The right exercise program includes metabolism boosting techniques like circuit training workouts, interval training and metabolic resistance training.

You can read more about those at the above links.

MYTH 3: You Need To Be On An Ultra-Strict Low Calorie, Low Fat Diet If You Want the Weight to Come Off.

Extreme low calorie diets, especially over the long term, can cause the body to gain weight, as well as lower the metabolism.

Tip # 3 In order to lose fat and get a flat stomach, you need to take in enough calories (but not too many). This includes good quality protein and the good fats.

Getting enough good fats through foods such as eggs and certain fish like salmon, as well as a quality Omega 3 supplement, will help keep you healthy, boost your metabolism and allow your body to burn fat more efficiently.

MYTH 4: You need to workout for 2 hours every day to see any results

No! You don’t need to spend hours a day slaving away in the gym on huge, expensive machines. Flat Belly Blueprint includes a 12 Week Flat Belly Workout program you can do in the comfort of your own home with minimal equipment.

Tip #4 The right workout program is essential to getting results. This means mostly full body workouts, shorter rest periods and higher intensity. Workout smarter and harder, not longer.

MYTH 5: Doing the same workout over and over will get you the results you want!

This is more a mistake than a myth but it’s crucial to understand. Do you ever watch other people at your gym? They come in and do the same exact workout, over and over and over.

The same cardio, the same weights, sets, and reps. And they always look the same, too!

Tip #5 While you need to stick with a workout program long enough for it to be effective, it’s also important to switch things up from time to time, even if it’s slight changes like different rest periods.

My new book, Flat Belly Blueprint, includes specific nutrition and exercise strategies that are needed to lose belly fat, get fit and feel great!

It’s now available for the Amazon Kindle for only $2.99. Inside the book you’ll also find how to get videos of all the exercises for free, as well as a new monthly workout every month for a year!

Don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of the Secret Abs Manifesto below and learn how to REALLY burn fat quickly and get the body you’ve always wanted.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) are crucial, not just for our fat loss and muscle building results, but for our overall health and well being, too.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids are not made by the body but are essential for a variety of important functions, including lessened risk of cardiovascular disease, improved metabolism, better eye health and more.

Omega-3′s also help your body’s sensitivity to insulin. This helps your body store less fat. In addition, the fat you do store is more readily and easily converted into energy and burned during activity.

This keeps your blood sugar levels stable and keeps you away from those famed sugar crashes and cravings and irritable mood swings.

A big obstacle to getting enough omega 3′s from food is that very few foods have a significant amount of Omega 3′s in them. On top of that, the typical Western diet does not include many of the foods that are good sources of Omega 3.

To make the problem worse, by not getting enough Omega 3′s, we end up with an imbalance between other fatty acids, such as Omega 6 and Omega 9, which may cause a variety of health problems.

According to The Conscious Life…

It’s not hard to see why it’s so prevalent. After all, ‘heart-healthy’ vegetable oils such as soybean, safflower, sunflower, corn and cottonseed oil are found in almost every food that we eat, even those served at high-end restaurants and in our own homes. But unknown to many, the high omega-6 and low omega-3 fats profile in these oils (as much as 200:1!) is setting the stage for chronic inflammation to take place.

Even health-conscious individuals can unwittingly tip the omega fats balance against themselves. You can avoid all convenience foods, or even be a strict vegetarian, and yet still have an overwhelming levels of omega-6 fats intake.

The truth is, many healthful foods found in specialty stores are coated with a layer of cheap vegetable oil to enhance their taste and texture. You can be munching on a bag of roasted nuts, thinking that you’re supplying your body with potent proteins, minerals and vitamins.

But unwittingly, along with the nuts, you are also ingesting a high amount of omega-6 fats that are quietly derailing your best efforts to promote health.

If unchecked, the imbalance between the two omega fats can wreak havoc on our health and pave the way for life-destroying illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer and other inflammatory diseases.

1. Cold-Water Fish: Wild Salmon, Trout, Herring, and Sardines

These cold-water fish are very rich sources of EPA and DHA. Salmon and trout are best purchased wild or organically farmed.

You can make salmon patties for dinner, or add sardines to a salad. Fresh caught, jarred, or canned varieties of these fish are equally high in these special fats, so you’re free to choose the form that works best for you.

Just make sure you purchase jarred or canned items that have no added sugar or artificial flavors.

2. Seaweed, Spirulina, Chlorella

The cold-water fish listed above are rich in EPA and DHA due to their consumption of seaweed, which they convert to and store as EPA and DHA.

You can add these special green foods to smoothies, or eat them on a salad. They’re also a rich source of iodine, which supports normal thyroid function.

3. Krill oil and Fish Oil

For some people, the simplest and most cost-effective way to get EPA and DHA omega-3 fats into their diets is to take it in supplement form. The two most concentrated sources of EPA and DHA are krill and fish oils.

Ensure that you’re buying these oils from a reputable source that screens their product for mercury contamination, so that you avoid this harmful chemical at all costs.

Fish also carries the risk of mercury, but salmon, trout, herring, and sardines contain very little compared to fish like swordfish and tuna.

4. Omega-3 Eggs

These special eggs come from chickens that were fed fish or algae oils. The EPA and DHA are then stored within the bright yellow yolks, making them an ideal source of omega-3s for people that dislike eating fish directly.

Have an egg or two a day in scrambled eggs, boiled on a salad, or cooked in a quiche, to give your body the omega-3 fats it needs.

Besides the long list of health benefits, Omega 3 fatty acids also help to burn fat and build muscle by increasing your metabolic rate (for fat burning) and boosting your testosterone levels (for muscle building).

Our testosterone levels start to fall naturally in our twenties and getting enough essential fatty acids can help to combat the drop.

And if you workout and stay fit…

“Studies show that higher-fat diets make more sense for fit people than low-fat diets,” says Liz Applegate, Ph.D., author of Encyclopedia of Sports & Fitness Nutrition. “In one study, endurance athletes ran up to 24 percent longer before they fatigued when they ate a diet that was above 30 percent fat compared to one that was below 20 percent,” she says.

The Shocking Truth About The FISH OIL You Are Taking Now. Warning: Do NOT Take Any Fish Oil Until You Read This News

Don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of the Secret Abs Manifesto below and learn how to REALLY burn fat quickly and get the body you’ve always wanted.

I received a number of emails about interval training workouts and wanted to answer a few of them here. Here’s one from Lenore.

“I have started interval training – yesterday. I do 2 min intervals of walking/jogging on the treadmill for 20 mins. Then I do a 5 min walk for a cool down.

As this is the first time that I have jogged as exercise in my life it is quite an exhausting workout for only 20 mins.

Am I going about the interval training the right way? I assuming that it would work even at this low level for beginners….but any advice or guidance you could give would be very much appreciated.

I am a 31 yr woman with about 25 kilos to lose to get to goal weight.

Thanks for all your advice so far with your newsletter – they are helpful to keep ones motivation up.

Lenore”

First, congrats Lenore, on taking a big step in the right direction.

While interval training workouts are a great workout for losing fat, burning calories and boosting your metabolism, these workouts also extremely intense. If you haven’t been doing cardio on a regular basis and haven’t jogged before, you may want to consider developing a regular cardio base first before tackling intense intervals.

Consider the following:

Week 1

Do regular cardio (60 – 70% of your maximum heart rate) for 20 minutes three times per week

Week 2

Same as above but try 30 minutes per session

Week 3

Try 40 – 45 minutes per session and add a fourth weekly workout

Week 4

Do three 45 minute sessions and then on the fourth session do an easy interval routine.

Week 5

Do two 45 minute sessions and then two easy interval workouts

Week 6

Do one 45 minute session, one medium intensity interval session and one harder interval session

Week 7

Perform two all out interval training workouts

Now, keep in mind, everyone is different with regard to their current fitness levels. You may be able to progress faster than the above schedule. It’s also possible that you’ll need more time to work up to this schedule.

Remember, no matter how good of shape you are in, an all out interval training session is going to be hard and wipe you out.

That’s why I don’t recommend more than two such sessions a week and they should not come before or after leg training day. This is if you are doing more traditional weight training workouts as well.

For example, if you are doing two heavy leg sessions a week with squats, you don’t want to be doing interval training sprints a few times per week as well.

If your interval training is part of a metabolic resistance training plan or circuit training workouts, you can do three or four sessions per week.

One other key point is to consider altering your interval variables. Instead of doing a minute of intense running alternated with a slower minute, try 20 or 30 seconds for your interval followed by a minute or two of rest.

Over time, as you become more fit, you can change this ratio to make the workout more intense.

Here’s another good question:

“In your last newsletter you talked about power cardio and the different varieties of training it. My question to you, for how long should one session (e.g hill running) last, and how often in a week to do it, if you exercise other stuff lets say 3 times a week.

Thank you in advance,

Taavi Valgma”

I touched on some of this above. The type of interval training you do will greatly affect the length of the session. First, no interval training workout should last very long. It can’t, not if you’re doing it right.

If you’re alternating recovery with all out sprints, it will be quite a short workout, especially if you’re sprinting uphill..

When I do uphill sprints, my workout doesn’t last more than 5 to 10 minutes, not including a 5 minute warm up and cool down. My uphill sprints last about 10 – 15 seconds and then I walk down the same distance and repeat, usually 10 – 15 ‘sets.’

Now, if you are doing interval training in steps, say, on a stationary bike, treadmill or stepper, it can last longer.

For example, on a stationary bike, you may warm up, then ride 2 minutes at level 4, 2 minutes, at level 5, 2 minutes at level 6, then bump up to 1 minute at level 9, alternated with 1 or two minutes at level 4.

In a case like that, your training session can last a bit longer.

Again, these are intense workouts, especially for your lower body and you’ll want to limit the number of sessions if you are also working out with weights (and you should be).

If your focus is pure fat loss and cardio conditioning, you may want to do only 1 or 2 full body weight workouts a week and then do more interval sessions. However, if you are working out with weights three times a week, you probably shouldn’t do more than 2 HIIT training sessions a week.

It also depends greatly on the level (time) of the intervals. If you are doing high intensity training, your intervals should be all out for 10 to 30 seconds. Your total workout time would not be very long.

However, if you are doing sub-max interval training, you’ll be able to complete a longer workout session.

Good luck! I’d love to hear your results and questions.

Don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of the Secret Abs Manifesto below and learn how to REALLY burn fat quickly and get the body you’ve always wanted.

Can 5 seconds REALLY improve your fitness results?

Yes!

See you next time!

Seriously, though, 5 seconds can improve your workout results, whether you’re trying to get in better overall condition, working to get a flat stomach or even improving strength and building muscle.

Who knew 5 seconds could be so talented?

First, here’s how it can give you a serious boost when it comes to your metabolism, post-exercise calorie burn and losing fat.

Last week, I cranked out one of my circuit training workouts consisting of 5 exercises non-stop (55 total reps per circuit). I did 6 circuits with 45 seconds between circuits.

The total workout took me 20 minutes and 1 second. I hit 90% of my max heart rate and my average heart rate for the workout was 75%. I burned 226 calories or 11.3 calories per minute.

I did the same workout two days later but only rested 40 seconds between circuits. Total workout time was 19 minutes and 30 seconds.

I hit 92% of my max heart rate and my average heart rate was 79%. I burned 240 calories or 12.3 calories per minute.

With only 5 seconds less rest between circuits I burned more calories in less time. My calories burned per minute jumped 8.8%.

I didn’t leave my heart rate monitor on after the workout so I don’t have the numbers but with a more intense workout, I would also burn more calories post-workout making the differences even greater.

5 Seconds for More Muscle and Strength

Okay, so you muscle guys and girls are rolling your eyes wondering how this 5 second thing applies to you. Thanks for asking!

Once you get past the beginner stage, building muscle and strength is not nearly as easy as just adding weight to the bar every workout or every week or so.

You have to start learning and understanding how different strategies can work to “trick” your body into new muscle growth or more strength.

One great way to build more muscle is to do more work in less time. A fantastic example of this is Vince Gironda’s famous 8 x 8 workout.

Simply put, this is 8 sets of 8 reps per set for each exercise with only 15 to 30 seconds rest between sets.

It’s pretty brutal and is a great muscle maker.

If you start off with 30 seconds of rest between sets and instead of adding weight over time, just work on reducing the rest period to 15 seconds between every set, don’t you think the workout will be more intense?

You bet!

And you’ll do a lot more work in less time and ignite new muscle growth!

The same thing works for strength increases.

Let’s say you are using the 5 x 5 system with 3 minutes of rest between sets. Eventually you get stuck and can’t seem to increase the weight.

You may need a little time off to make sure you aren’t over training but lets put that aside for a second.

Instead of trying to increase the weight you can slowly working on reducing the rest time between sets 5 or 10 seconds a time until you get down to resting only 2 minutes between sets.

At this point, you can go back to 3 minute rest periods and slowly add weight to the bar, even if it’s only 1 to 2 pounds at a time.

Give these strategies a try in your workouts and feel the difference!

Don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of the Secret Abs Manifesto below and learn how to REALLY burn fat quickly and get the body you’ve always wanted.

Understanding how to increase growth hormone naturally can really help boost your results and get faster fat loss results. Growth hormone is a powerful fat burning hormone and you can alter it naturally both up and down.

As I stated in How to Lose Your Belly Fat…

You really can increase your own levels of growth hormone naturally, without drugs, by manipulating certain variables such as your nutrition (not just what, but when you eat), your sleep, and even by exercising a specific way.

You see, growth hormone levels are affected by things like: stress, sleep, age, food, body mass and exercise. Age is the only one on that list that you can’t manipulate (maybe someday, though!).

The secretion of growth hormone can be negatively affected by a poor diet, too little sleep, continuously high stress levels, etc.

Low levels of GH has real consequences, such as high body fat levels, poor health, stunted growth, decreased endurance, impaired metabolism and accelerated aging!

You see, when you overeat on a regular basis, you lower your growth hormone levels and this can cause weight gain. This is why you can quickly add 5 to 10 pounds or more in a short period of time, for example, if you overeat daily on a one or two week vacation.

A study done by University of Michigan researchers led by Andrea Cornford (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, Jan 5 2011), looked at growth hormone levels over a two week period of forced overeating (4,000 calories per day).

24 hour growth hormone levels decreased by a whopping 80%! When the two week period was over, the average weight gain was 5 pounds, body fat levels increased by 10 percent and resting insulin levels skyrocketed 400 percent.

As you can see, constant overeating is a bad idea. Not only will you gain fat because of the excess calories but it will be made even worse by a big decrease in growth hormone levels as well as a serious increase in insulin, which can also promote fat storage.

Yo-yo dieting does far more damage then just the superficial weight gain/weight loss cycle. It can also adversely affect your hormone levels, making it more difficult to lose fat and get fit, as well as potentially cause other health problems.

So how do you keep this from happening and what about how to increase growth hormone levels naturally? Again, from my Secret Abs Manifesto report…

Most people start off by severely restricting calories. While many people can initially see results this way, it’s problematic long term, both for fat loss and health reasons.

It can completely screw up your metabolism and cause your body to desperately hold on to any body fat you may have left, as the hormonal signals tell your body it’s in trouble and needs that fat to possibly use as energy at a later day because food might not be available.

After a period of under eating the body’s hormonal response triggers hunger and a desire to overeat, what we all commonly call the dreaded binge! The good news is we can use this to our advantage to boost GH and burn body fat!

Burning fat is about more than taking in fewer calories than you burn. It’s also necessary to do the things that establish the right hormonal and metabolic conditions in the body that allow the release of fatty acids for energy.

Fat accumulates for more than stored energy, waiting to be utilized. It can also be caused by hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, toxicity levels, etc.

In Part 2 (that I’ll link to here when it’s ready) we’ll go into more detail about boosting growth hormone via nutrition and exercise to help you get even better results. In the meantime,

Don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of the Secret Abs Manifesto below and learn how to REALLY burn fat quickly and get the body you’ve always wanted.

The recommended post workout meal nutrition plan is to take in a meal of fast acting proteins and carbohdrates. After your workout your body is hungry for the important nutrients needed to make positive body transformation changes.

It’s been shown that a post workout meal or shake consisting of protein and carbs helped to boost training recovery.

Glycogen, a complex carbohydrate stored in muscle and the liver, is rapidly depleted from muscles during intense exercise, whether it’s using high intensity interval training like sprints or intense weight training.

According to Ironman Magazine….

One study found that doing only three sets of curls resulted in a 60 percent drop in glycogen stored in the biceps.

It’s been determined that by taking in a fast acting whey protein and fast acting carbs as part of a post workout shake or meal you can take advantage of the “anabolic window” after a workout and raising insulin levels to shuttle much needed nutrients to the muscles that are hungry for them.

A fast acting whey protein can boost insulin levels all on their own. Past studies have shown that adding fast acting carbs with the protein boosts insulin by 37 percent more than the protein alone.

So the question becomes, how much do we need to boost insulin levels and so do we need those simple carbs as part of your post workout meal?

Let’s take a look at a recent study (Staples, A.W., et al. (2011). Carbohydrate does nt augment exercise-induced protein accretion versus protein alone. Med Sci Sports Ecer. 43:1154-61.) that tried to answer this question.

This study included nine men with an average age of 23. They performed two workouts per week of single leg leg extensions. Their post workout shake consisted of either 25 grams of whey protein or 25 grams of whey protein and 50 grams of carbohydrates in the form of maltodextrin.

While the added carbs boosted insulin there was no difference between the two groups when it came to muscle protein synthesis or muscle protein breakdown. This would point to not needing the post workout carbs but not so fast! There are other factors at play.

If you read my Secret Abs Manifesto about how to lose your belly fat, you know that other hormones such as cortisol play a role in muscle building and fat loss, as well as growth hormone, testosterone and leptin levels, too.

Exercise raises cortisol levels. Cortisol is the body’s most catabolic (breaks down muscle) hormone. It’s necessary but limiting the spike you get from a workout can boost your progress. And the best way to control exercise induced cortisol levels is to take in carbohydrates.

As Ironman Magazine states…

The best nutrient for controlling cortisol is carbohydrate. If the cortisol remains high after training, it may interfere with testosterone release, which would significantly blunt the anabolic effects of exercise.

You can read more about the role these hormones play in your body transformation results by grabbing a copy of the Secret Abs Manifesto at the end of this article.

As I mentioned previously, intense exercise depletes muscle glycogen stores and they have to be replaced. To Ironman Magazine once again…

Carbs are the only nutrient that effectively replenishes depleted muscle glycogen stores. Taking carbs and protein after a workout boosts muscle glycogen 2.2-fold over the other nutrient alone.

The protein and carb combo also lowers free-radical production by 69 percent… and reduces muscle damage by 36 percent…

An interesting study published a few years ago found still another reason to include carbs in your post workout nutrition drink: Carbs are required for the muscle to produce a localized version of insulinlike growth factor 1… it turns out that without carbs, the muscle won’t produce IGF-1 after training. The implication is that the muscle won’t fully recover without sufficient carb intake to not only synthesize glycogen but also promote local IGF-1 release in the trained muscle.

Between this bit of information and the stud on eating carbs at night, it would seem a great strategy is to get most of your carbs before and after your workout, as well as in the evening, and not necessarily every meal or just early in the day.

And if you workout at night this makes things even simpler for you. Your pre-workout meal and post workout meal or shake can be a great time to get most of your carbs and still see great results (or even better results!)

Don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of the Secret Abs Manifesto below and learn how to REALLY burn fat quickly and get the body you’ve always wanted.