Learn the 4 Keys to Designing a Killer Fat Loss Workout.
Monday, January 25th, 2010Losing body fat and extra weight is a must if you want to get ripped. It’s also the hardest thing to do because it requires sticking to a very disciplined lifestyle. So the first step is to be honest with yourself and make sure you are mentally ready to do this. If you are, follow the rest of this blueprint to shake off the extra body fat and pounds.
1. Muscle recruitment is your best friend. Muscle recruitment refers to how much muscle you use while exercising. So why is this important? If you want to lose fat and/or weight you need to burn off a lot of calories. The more muscle you use the more calories you burn, so the more fat you lose. Engaging lots of muscle is simple; it’s all about exercises you choose.
Here’s something you’ve probably seen at the gym: A guy with way too much belly spending an hour isolating his biceps and triceps. Bad choice my friend. Since biceps and triceps are small muscle groups, working them individually doesn’t recruit much muscle. Let me show you a better option. Rows (cable, dumbbell, or barbell) trigger the large muscles of the back and the biceps at the same time. Tricep pushups or dips trigger the chest and shoulders as well as the triceps. Some other good picks for arsenal are bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. Of course there are many more exercises out there that also fit the bill.
2 . You Should Use Circuit Training Workouts. I have never seen a better approach to fat loss than circuit training. Here’s how you to do it: work your way through a sequence of 4 – 6 exercises with 5 – 15 seconds of rest (based on your fitness level) between each exercise. This is anaerobic cardio and when combined with correct eating habits, it results in fat loss. For best results your goal should be to complete your circuit as many times as you can in 60 minutes. If you can’t endure for that long, workout for a shorter period of time (at least 20 minutes) and increase your time in small increments with each workout.
3. Keep a Journal to Track Your Intensity. In life if you want to move to the next level, you have to give a next level effort. Working out is no different. Your body can adapt to your workouts very quickly, which will result in a slowdown or total stop of your results. Here’s how you stop that from happening: every time you work a muscle group you need to push it a little harder than you did the last time. There are three basic things that you should track per exercise – weight or intensity used, amount of reps per set, and amount of total sets. By increasing at least one of these areas every time you exercise a muscle group, you keep your fat loss from plateauing.
4. Your Exercises and Applications Should Vary. This is also referred to as muscle confusion. Not only should you mix up your exercises, you should also use different methods (stability balls, free weights, bands, calisthenics, plyometrics). Different techniques put different demands on your muscles, which ensures your body will constantly be challenged. This also helps avoid the plateau effect.
So here’s the short – lose fat and pounds and you’ll get ripped (DUH). To get there, combine these pointers with a quality nutrition plan and you won’t be disappointed with the results. 2- 3 sessions of power cardio (brisk incline walk, swimming, or jump rope) per week , 10 – 30 minutes long should be performed on your days off from strength training. See ya next time…..
Circuit training workouts are an exellent way to lose body fat and extra pounds. Quality fat loss programs should utilize them as a means to success. Visit Vaughn Council’s site for more information on this and much more.
