With summer upon us, everyone is looking to get into beach shape fast. Treadmills, ellipticals and steppers have a long waiting line and you can never seem to get your cardio in. Believe it or not, this is a very good thing. What if I told you there was a way to burn fat faster, get the lean fit look you’ve always wanted and increase your metabolism for hours after you leave the gym?
Simply by replacing your long boring ├óΓé¼┼ôcardio├óΓé¼┬¥ training with strength training conditioning, also known as circuits, your results are going to go to a new level. Circuits are 6-8 resistance training exercises (typically for 8 repetitions each exercise) linked together with little to no rest between each exercise. After you complete the ├óΓé¼┼ôrun├óΓé¼┬¥ through the entire circuit, you can repeat it 1 2 more times depending upon your level of conditioning. Lower intensity training, like the long distance walking on the treadmill, only burns calories while you’re in the gym. The great part about strength training circuits is that they build lean muscle and studies have shown your resting metabolism is significantly increased for many hours after you leave the gym. This means you continue to burn calories while you’re at home.
If you just started working out, a circuit utilizing only machines will be a great way to build a solid foundation. But as you progress, you’ll want to keep your body adapting by slowly incorporating more demanding exercises. This means transitioning to bodyweight movements such as bodyweight rows, push-ups, lunges and bodyweight squats. The next step would be to introduce exercises using free weights like dumbbells or barbells. The key with these short duration, highly efficient workouts is to keep the intensity high and the rest periods short.
By Jim Smith, CSCS | dieselsc.com
