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Complex Workouts: The BEST Way To Develop a Lean, Healthy, and Athletic Body

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Matt Posted in Cardio Training, Featured, Strength Training, Training, Uncategorized, Weight loss 14 Comments

Anyone ever get tired of endless cardio sessions? Have you tried HIIT, but want something equally as explosive and beneficial to add to your routine? Keep reading, because there’s something out there that is just starting to gain traction in mainstream fitness circles and will change the way you workout forever. That something, is complex workouts.

What are Complex Workouts and Why Should I Do Them?

Complex workouts are a form of weight training that are intense enough to replace traditional cardio sessions. Just like your body adapts to weight training, it will also adapt to repetitive cardiovascular activity as well. Using complexes in conjunction with a HIIT routine and general strength plan will help you break through this adaptation. Additionally, complex workouts are going to hit your muscles in a very intense way, helping you build lean muscle mass and break through any strength plateaus you may have hit. Been doing the same old thing for months on end? Start doing complex workouts now and you’ll wonder why you waited so long in the first place.

You know those really fit people you see at the gym, or on the street; the ones that look like they were blessed with a perfect body. Do complex workouts and you’ll start looking more and more like them; no joke, exaggeration, or over blown hype whatsoever. Complex workouts are THAT effective. Look at complex workouts as a cardio training but with weights. You’re getting the best of both worlds, minimizing your time spent working out, and hitting your body harder than almost anyone else in the gym.

How Do I Do Complex Workouts?

Contrary to their name, complex workouts aren’t all that complex. Even better, you’ll use one piece of equipment the entire time, making this something you can even do at home. Whether you’re using a barbell, dumbbell, medicine ball, etc, you’ll be keeping the weight the same for the entire complex. You move from one exercise to the next, with no rest between. A typical complex consists of 4-6 exercises, 6-10 reps per exercise. That said, there are times you will go above and beyond the 6-10 rep range, as I’ll explain below.

All Complex Workouts are Not Created Equal

In theory, it may seem like you can string together any 4-6 exercises and call it a complex. Technically, you can, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be anything more than a giant waste of your time. The best complexes have been carefully tested and refined to produce the best results. Some key points I’ve uncovered in my experience with complexes:

Exercises like the deadlift, power cleans, high pulls, etc. require a lot of technical ability. Exercises like this should come earlier in the complex. You really don’t want to lose your form on a power clean, so make sure not to do them when you’re already exhausted.
Avoid using a weight that is heavier than what you can handle on 8-10 reps of your weakest exercise. For instance, if the most you can handle is 50 pounds for 10 reps of an upright row (if this is your weakest exercise in the complex) then 50 lbs would be what you would use for the entire sequence.
Along the point above, you will naturally be stronger on certain exercises. You can no doubt squat more than you can upright row. Since you’re using the same weight throughout, feel free to add some additional reps to your squat.
Utilize active rest. Exercises need to be set in a way that allows opposing muscle groups to rest. Using a push/pull format is generally a good idea. For instance, performing bent over rows is a pulling exercise. Following that up with an overhead barbell press would be a pushing exercise. This would allow your back and bicep muscles to rest while working your shoulder and neck muscles.

Using expertly crafted complexes will make the difference between burning a few calories and making a permanent change in the physique of your body. Remember, the order, prescribed reps, and selection of exercises are what makes complexes so effective.

Using Complex Workouts

As I mentioned above, complex workouts utilize one piece of equipment. I’ve given you two complexes below; one uses a barbell, the other a set of dumbbells. Remember, you’re doing these primarily as a way to get your cardiovascular exercise, with the added benefit of hitting your muscles at the same time. Keep the intensity high, do your best to limit rests between exercises, and focus on your breathing throughout.

Barbell Complex Workout

Barbell Squat
Clean and Press
Bent Over Barbell Row
Reverse Barbell Lunges (alternate legs each rep)
Overhead Barbell Press
Barbell Squat Jumps

Key Points: Repeat this entire complex 5-7 more times, with 1 minute rest after the end of each complex. Overhead barbell press will likely be your weakest exercise, so aim to use a weight for the entire complex that you would typically use to perform 10 reps of the overhead barbell press

Dumbbell Complex Workout

Bent-Legged Deadlift
Snatch
Squat Press
Plank Rows
Push Ups
Curl Press

Key Points: Repeat this complex 5-7 times, with 1 minute rest at the end of each complex.

For video demos of all exercises, head over to ShareItFitness.com

The Incredible, Versatile, and Amazing Complex

The beauty of complexes lie in the fact that they are so versatile. Plyometric complexes, BOSU complexes, medicine ball complexes are examples of workouts which make great complexes that will leave you begging for mercy. You can even change-up the rep ranges by introducing pyramid schemes (adding reps to each additional exercise in the complex), reverse pyramid schemes (subtracting reps to each additional exercise in the complex), or timed schemes (lifting for time, not reps). With complex workouts there are so many ways to keep things varied, interesting, and best of all, effective.

Complex workouts will have you burning tons of calories during the workout, spike your EPOC better than just about anything else, improve endurance, improve lean muscle mass, and have you looking wonderfully toned, athletic, and fit. Even better, you can get in and out of the gym in less than 45 minutes knowing you hit your body MUCH harder than those slackers chugging along on the elliptical or the bros taking 2 minutes to stare at themselves in the mirror between each set.

Bottomline, if you want to look fit, healthy, and strong, a well-designed complex workout is the best and fastest way to get there.

Have any questions or ideas about exercises that would be well-suited for a complex? Comment below and let’s get this discussion started!

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Don’t Run From Your Problems….HIIT THEM! Part 1 of 3 HIIT Workout Series

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Matt Posted in Cardio Training, Featured, Weight loss 31 Comments

Yes, you can look like that too…

Photo courtesy of Laurent Jean Philippe

They say you can’t run from your problems. Well, I respectfully disagree. Got a problem with a little extra fat? Not as tight, toned, and defined as you’d like? Just want to be able to run a mile without getting completely winded? For these problems, a little running and/or movement is just what you need. But I’m not talking any kind of running; I’m talking HIIT. HIIT is one of the most explosive, powerful, and formidable tools you have in your arsenal. Knowing how to utilize it properly is the biggest obstacle and the one in which we’re going to instruct you on today.

What is HIIT?

HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. It is a format used with cardiovascular exercise which has you going all out (100% max effort) for a short period of time, followed by a longer and more relaxed period. The HIIT format can be used on a variety of cardio work; running, biking, swimming, jump roping, and plyometrics to name a few. An example of HIIT running would look like: 30 seconds max effort sprint/1:30 jog, repeat this 2-minute combo 15-20 more times for 30-40 minutes of HIIT running.

Why HIIT?

Because it works. Seriously, the HIIT format is the best way to do your cardio. Study after study has shown HIIT to burn more calories, result in great fat loss, and improve endurance faster than steady state cardio. You know steady state cardio…chugging along on the treadmill at a set pace for 45 minutes to an hour. HIIT will boost your post exercise caloric burn by increasing your EPOC.

How to Use HIIT Most Effectively

Going out and doing HIIT sprints, biking, etc. without a method to the madness isn’t going to be as effective as a well-designed HIIT plan. A well-designed HIIT plan takes into account opposing muscle groups, has tried-and-true interval times that have been carefully calculated, and offers the variety of a cross-training program so you continually make gains. Lucky for you, we’re going to give you exactly what you need to get started.

Photo courtesy of audiovisualjunkie

The HIIT Workout

Who’s it for? This workout is for anyone looking to burn serious fat in a hurry. HIIT is great for maximizing caloric burn and jump-starting your metabolism; two things absolutely necessary if you want to make any meaningful weight loss progress. Additionally, due to the explosive nature of this workout, it could be ideal for non-overweight individuals looking to go from ‘average’ to TONED. Quick aside; “toned” is simply less body fat covering your muscles thereby making them look more defined, pronounced, etc. That’s all “toning” is….burning body fat.

The Workout

I told you this workout would deliver fast results right? Well, that comes with a small caveat. You’ve got to put in the work required of you. Your progress will be directly correlated to the amount of effort you put in. Simple as that. This is a 5-day a week, INTENSE routine. Great thing is, many before you have attempted this workout, and I’ve been able to refine and calculate the best intervals and schedule…so rest assured, there will be rewards for all of your labor!

Day 1 – HIIT Running

In Day 1 we’re going for a pretty standard :30/1:30 split. We’re shooting for 30-40 minutes of HIIT running today, which is 15-20 repetitions of the above combo. Whether you’re running outside or on a treadmill, go HARD during your sprints and bring things down to a slow jog and really catch your breath. After 8-10 reps, you’re going to need that rest time to make it through the sprints.

Day 2 – HIIT Jump Rope

A jump rope is a great tool that will help deliver fantastic results. Even better, you can obtain one for less than $5. Make the investment. On Day 2 we’re going to be doing a boxer-esque workout. A good starter split would be 1 minute straight jumping/30 seconds rest. Your goal will eventually be 3 minutes jumping/30 second rest; just like a boxing round. Shoot for 3 minutes to start, but work with what you can until your endurance progresses. Go for 30-40 minutes total.

Day 3 – HIIT Cycling

Day 3 involves you getting on a stationary bike or road bike if you’ve got one. With cycling, we’re hitting our body in a low impact manner, which results in the ability to push the sprints a little longer. Let’s shoot for a :45/1:15 split today. You may need to bump the resistance during the sprint to fully allow you to max yourself out. Shoot for 40-50 total minutes of HIIT cycling, which is 20-25 repetitions of the above combo.

Day 4 – HIIT Plyo

Day 4 we’re going to hit our body in a completely different way than we have so far. We’re taking 2 different plyo circuits and repeating them 10 times each, for a total of 40 minutes of HIIT cardio. Move from exercise to exercise, only resting when instructed. Check out the combos below…

30 seconds Burpees/30 seconds Mountain Climbers/30 seconds Squat Jumps/30 seconds rest – repeat 10 times
30 seconds Turbo Lunges/30 seconds Line Jumps/30 seconds Boxer Kicks/30 seconds rest – repeat 10 times

Day 5 – HIIT Brick

Brick workouts are frequently performed by triathletes during their training. Working out in this format has been a tried-and-true method to increase endurance and effectively tax your muscles. We’ll be starting on the bike then transitioning to a run with little to no rest during the switch. We’re shooting for 30 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes on the run, for a total of 1 hour. On the bike, shoot for a :30/1:30 split. On the run, we’re going to go for 1 minute sprint/2 minutes slow jog. Not everyone will be able to sprint for 1 full minute. If you can’t just go as long as you can and ramp things up over time.

Looking Ahead…

Keeping things fresh is the key to making progress and avoiding burnout. Give this HIIT workout a try for 6 weeks. By then, your endurance should have noticed a nice spike. After 6 weeks, we’ll start to lengthen the times of your max effort segments of the above splits. Some things I’ve found to be very effective and what you’ll be looking forward to…

800m sprint/800m jog
1 minute “slow” sprint on full stationary bike resistance/2 minute slow pedal
30 second max effort row/30 second slow row
10 second sprint/15 second total rest

This is a three-part plan taking a total of 18 weeks. If you stick to this plan you’ll have lost a significant amount of body fat, built explosive and lean muscle mass, and exponentially increased your endurance. Subscribe to our blog so you’ll be alerted when part II is released

Like This Workout? Come Check Out ShareItFitness.com…

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Sources:

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The Greatest Ab Workout in the World

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Matt Posted in Featured, Strength Training 18 Comments

Can we be honest for a minute? When most of us are working out, what is the one area that we want to effect the most? The answer is almost always, the abdominals. After all, who doesn’t want a nice six-pack to show off? With warm weather on the way, and skimpier clothing following suit, we’ll finally get to see what everyone has been working on (or not working on) this winter. The good news is, if you’re ready to get started with this ab workout today, you’ll have more than enough time to develop a tight and toned mid-section.

Understanding Your Abs

Let me back up a second; you still have enough time if you break free from the same ab crunches and other similar core exercises you’ve been doing sporadically over the past however many years. While they have their place for sure, they need to be intermixed with more complex abdominal exercises to maximize their effects. After a while of trial and error, and seeing what works and doesn’t, I’ve developed what I believe to be the greatest abdominal workout you’ve ever attempted. Before we jump into the routine, there are a few things we need to address.

All the ab work in the world isn’t giving you a six-pack if there is a layer of fat covering your abdominal muscles. Diet + cardio work are the two most important things. Get these two things right and use this routine to develop the muscles in your core. Unlike other abdominal routines, this workout incorporates intense cardiovascular work that burns fat but also targets the core. Two birds, one stone.
Your “six pack” is actually the Rectus Abdominis muscle. It is ONE muscle. Sometimes you’ll hear people say, “Oh I need to work my lower abs because they’re really lacking”. Well, as hard as they want to try to train their lower abs, they really are still working the Rectus Abdominis muscle. A vital part of developing beautiful abdominal muscles is making sure to use compound abdominal exercises which hit larger portions of the Rectus Abdominis, rather than isolating specific parts of it.
Include this ab workout into the rest of your workout routine. There is much debate about whether or not working the abdominals every day is appropriate. It is my belief that while you can work the abdominals more often than other muscle groups since they are more accustomed to stress (keeping you upright, supporting your body weight, etc.) than say your biceps, I still feel they are a muscle and need to be given adaquate rest time. Aim to complete this routine no more than 3 days a week, with about 48 hours rest between workouts.

The Greatest Ab Workout in the World

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… lets move on to the ab workout that is going to completely change the way you look at your core forever.

As mentioned above, add days 1 and 3 to your current workout routine; try adding them to the end of a workout day. Complete day 2 on its own. If you are on a 5 day a week exercise program, either substitute day 2 of this workout for one of those days, OR (preferably) complete the day 2 workout over the weekend. If you don’t currently have a workout routine, check around the blog for some pretty killer total body workout programs.

Day 1 - Strictly maintain rest times listed after each set.

4 x 20 Decline plate sit-ups – On a decline bench, and holding a plate against your chest, sit up while slightly twisting your torso to the left. Lower yourself, then repeat, this time, slightly twisting to the right. Repeat this for the prescribed number of reps/sets. 30 seconds rest between sets.
3 x 20 Eagle sit ups - 30 seconds rest between sets
3 x 30 V-sits on bench - 30 seconds rest between sets
3 x 15 Hanging leg raises - If this is too difficult, feel free to bend your legs and bring your knees to your chest. If hanging from a pull up bar is too hard, use a dip machine, like this. 20 seconds rest between sets.
3 x 30 Russian Twists with weight – Complete a full rotation, side-to-side. Hold a dumbbell, medicine ball, plate, or other weighted object. 30 seconds rest between sets.
4 x 25 Cable crunch - 30 seconds rest between sets.

Day 2 - Day 2 of this ab workout is going to incorporate cardiovascular movements that also hit your abs, giving you a double-dose of six-pack buildling goodness. This should be a complete workout routine by itself, i.e., 45-60 minutes in length.

4 x 15 Burpees/4 x 20 crunches - Perform 1 set of burpees immediately followed by 1 set of crunches (follow this format for all exercises below). Rest 45 seconds. Repeat.
4 x 30 Mountain climbers/4 x 100 pilates hundreds - 45 second rest between sets
4 x 30 Horizontal jacks/4 x 40 Hip dips (20 per side) – 45 second rest between sets
4 x 30 Speed skaters holding a plate - If you can’t make your way up to holding a plate, no problem. Go without the plate until you feel able. 30 second rest between sets.
5 x 1 minute Running high knees in place – 30 second rest between sets.
5 x 25 Reverse crunches – 30 second rest between sets.
4 x 15 burpees/4 x 25 crunches
10 minutes HIIT sprinting (:30 sprint/1:30 jog)

Day 3 – So, in Day 1 we really used heavy weights to bring your Rectus Abdominis to complete exhaustion; you should have felt a deep after burn following this workout. In Day 2 we incorporated a cardio element and utilized compound supersets to help build your abdominal muscles while burning the layer of fat covering them. In Day 3, we are going to up our repetitions so your muscles don’t know what the heck is going on. Take a deep breath, put your seatbelt on, and get ready to go..here’s the final part of this workout…

2 x 50 bicycle crunches - 20 second rest between sets.
2 x 50 Flutter kicks – 15 second rest between sets.
2 x 40 Feet up crunch - 30 second rest between sets.
2 x 100 heel touches – 15 second rest between sets.
3 x 15 Pike ups - 30 second rest between sets.
2 x 40 Windshield wipers – 30 seconds rest between sets.
2 x 1 minute planks – 30 seconds rest between sets.
10 x 15 Crunches – 10 seconds rest between sets.

There you have it guys. To recap, we’re going to fully burn your abdominals out on Day 1 with a focus on weighted exercises. Day 2 is going to introduce cardio exercises and compound supersets to kill your core and blast fat. Day 3 utilizes high repetitions and shorter rest times to completely confuse your abdominals. The three-pronged approach to this ab workout, using the exercises above, has proven to be extremely effective for real-life clients and remote clients alike. Stick to the plan, include extra cardio if you could use it (realistically, almost all of us can), and eat a clean and well-balanced diet. Remember, 60% of the battle for that six-pack will be accomplished by your diet and burning the fat covering your stomach through the use of high-intensity cardiovascular work. As always, if you guys have any questions or need clarification, feel free to leave a comment.

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Total Body Blitz Workout Part I

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Matt Posted in Cardio Training, Featured, Strength Training, Weight loss 341 Comments

Fitness is simple..it really is. Most trainers, websites, exercise DVD makers, etc, want to make it seem like there’s some exact, and hard to comprehend, scientific formula to getting in shape. They all claim to have figured it out, and purport that THEIR method is the best, and likely, only way to get in shape. The whole game is designed to confuse you, so you become reliant on them for their advice and/or workouts. The game is up; this simply isn’t the way fitness works.

Certainly, there are some elements of any successful workout program that must be followed. We aren’t saying you can just go out, casually lift some weights, run a few miles a week, and develop a killer bod. It’s not quite that simple. Problem with so many exercise programs out there today is they take bits and pieces of the three basic elements of a great workout. P90x, for example, is great at utilizing muscle confusion techniques…but only for a limited period of time. These workouts aren’t geared for a lifelong body transformation..rather, a 90 day change, at which point, your body has gotten so used to the workout cycle, it stops making progress.

I’ve been in the exercise biz many a year now, and have created Share It Fitness to bring top quality exercise programming to the masses. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I know women don’t want to look like men, they simply want to develop that lean, mean, athletic look. Being fit and sexy isn’t about being deathly skinny and starving yourself. It’s about having a lean, toned upper body, a strong core, and a powerful and explosive lower body. Developing this is very simple. All it takes is self-discipline and a well-crafted plan. If you stick to the plan below, to a T, I guarantee you will discover the body you’ve always wanted (provided you are eating a healthy diet as well).

It’s time to stop messing around with trends and fads, and start training to change your body and life, permanently.

For each week, each bullet point corresponds to one day. It is best to do these in order (first bullet point = Monday, second bullet point = Tuesday, etc.) as the routine has been carefully designed to allow your muscles to rest effectively.

Week 1

Monday – 60 minutes HIIT cycling (30 seconds 100% intensity, 1:30 60% intensity, repeat for an hour)
Tuesday – 5 sets of 8: squats, barbell deadlifts, sumo squats, walking lunges, reverse lunges. 100 box jumps.
Wednesday – 30 minutes HIIT jump rope (we recommend this one) (45 seconds jump, 30 seconds rest. repeat for half-hour)/15 minutes row machine
Thursday – 5 sets of 8: bench press, military press, barbell curls, skull crushers, snatch, lat pulldowns. 250 ab reps ( you pick the type of exercises)
Friday – 60 minute jog

Tips: Try to complete this Mon-Fri, allowing yourself a full two days off on the weekend. On weight days, make sure the weight is heavy enough that the 7th and 8th rep are VERY tough to complete. Training heavy at the beginning of this program is key for establishing your base.

Week 2:

Monday – 5 sets of 8: deadlifts, bulgarian squats, lunges. 5 sets of 50: squat jumps, calve raises. Plank for 3 minutes, 60 reverse crunches, 60 hanging knee raises.
Tuesday – 60 minutes HIIT cycling (:30/1:30 format)
Wednesday – 5 sets of 8: incline bench press, clean and press, overhead tricep extension, bent over barbell row, concentration curls, upright row.
Thursday – 60 minutes HIIT running (sprint for 30 seconds/jog for 1:30 minutes)
Friday – 5 sets of 8: deadlifts, bulgarian squats, lunges. 50 squat jumps, 50 calve raises. Plank for 3 minutes, 60 reverse crunches, 60 hanging knee raises

Tips: When there aren’t any sets listed for squat jumps, calve raises, planks, and any ab exercises, complete the number of reps/time in as few sets as possible. i.e. 50 squats as fast as possible, before moving on to the 50 calve raises. Continue to go heavy on the weight during resistance training.

Week 3:

Monday – Super Sets: jump rope 45 seconds/12 box jumps/rest 1 minute. Repeat 20 times.
Tuesday – 5 sets of 8: close grip lat pulldowns, single arm dumbbell rows, dumbbell bench press, dumbbell flys, incline dumbbell curls, standing barbell curls, lat pulldown burnout (100 reps on light weight).
Wednesday – Super Sets: jump rope 45 seconds/12 box jumps/rest 1 minute. Repeat 20 times.
Thursday – 100 body weight squats, 60 crunches, 100 alternating lunges, 60 bicycle crunches, 100 knee tucks, 100 flutter kicks, 3 minutes plank.
Friday – 30 minutes HIIT cycling (:20/1:00 format), 30 minutes HIIT running (sprint every other .2 miles, i.e. 0-.2 jog, .2-.4 sprint, .4-.6 jog, .6-.8 sprint, .8-1 mile sprint)

Tips: Super sets involve no rest between exercises; only rest when indicated. Last week of heavy resistance, go hard and heavy. Make sure you’ve increased the weight on each exercise from Week 1, if only slightly.

Week 4

Monday – 3 sets of 20: leg press machine, squats, deadlifts, calve raises, hamstring curl machine, box jumps
Tuesday – 20 minutes HIIT cycling (:20/1 min), 20 minutes HIIT rowing (:20/1 min), 20 minutes HIIT jump rope (:30 jump/:30 rest)
Wednesday – 3 sets of 20: lat pulldowns, bench press, incline bench press, tricep pushdown, concentration curls, upright rows, bicycle crunches, decline sit ups, hanging leg raises
Thursday – 60 minutes casual jog
Friday – 3 sets of 20: leg press machine, squats, deadlifts, calve raises, hamstring curl machine, box jumps

Tips: Use light weight on resistance training days. Do these exercises slow. Count to a full 4 seconds on the lift, and a full 2 seconds on the lower.

The above routine is part one, of a 12-week total body makeover. You should already be seeing results after only 4 weeks of training. As we previewed in week 4, part 2 focuses on increasing total time under tension (TUT) resistance training, which is a departure from the high sets/low rep heavy training that made up weeks 1-3. Cardio training begins to include more cross-training principles and explosive movements to really develop your lower body while maximizing fat loss at the same time. Part 3 will introduce complex lift formats such as step sets, drop sets, etc. while combining short, intense bouts of cardio to give you a couple more extreme workouts each week.

Part II of this workout found here.

After 12-weeks, we break down how to continue to push your body over the remaining 40 weeks of the year, to ensure you are continually making progress and avoiding burnout.

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Have questions about the Total Body Blitz workout or want to connect with other people on this plan? Head over to the full Share It Fitness site and get your free premium membership HERE. We’re still offering free premium memberships which will give you access to all of our OnDemand fitness classes and other premium content…so come on over and get started today!

Why You Can’t Lose Weight (And What You Can Do About It)

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Matt Posted in Cardio Training, Featured, General Health, Strength Training 9 Comments

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End the fat cycle…

I’ve seen it countless times. Someone does their cardio exercise almost everyday, usually it’s a run, eats right, but still cannot lose their excess body fat. There really isn’t anything more frustrating in all of fitness than doing the things you think you are supposed to be doing, and STILL can’t lose weight and retain that body fat you so desperately want to see disappear.

Motivation Murder

Maybe you’re on the elliptical or other machine which tells you how many calories you’re burning. You use a food journal, do the math, and have calculated you are burning more calories than you are taking in. You SHOULD be losing weight you may think to yourself.

You may start to feel like all your efforts to run, bike, whatever it is you typically do, are in vain. You are simply maintaining and cannot lose weight or make any significant progress. This is a classic thought process, and one of the biggest contributors to burn out. What if we told you your cardio routine may be the reason why you can’t lose weight?Keep reading…

Your Body Is Smarter Than You Think

For many people, running is their form of cardio exercise. They’ll often go on 4, 5, 6+ mile runs and think they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. In reality, your body is a pretty remarkable machine. It can easily adapt to a given stimulus over a period of time. Doing primarily the same runs at the same speed over a period of time is going to slowly decrease the effectiveness of the run. Your body becomes more and more efficient at handling the same run, which leads to the workout becoming less challenging over time. After some time of doing the same basic run, your body will burn less calories for energy than it did when you first began your running regimen.

There is some research out there that suggests long, slow-to-moderate paced cardio workouts may contribute to the LOSS of lean muscle mass over time. As we should all know by now, the loss of muscle mass contributes to a decrease in your metabolic rate. The body with less lean muscle mass is burning fewer calories at rest than the same body with more lean muscle mass. Your goal is to keep your metabolism as high as possible for your body type. Combine this with the fact that your body has adapted to your cardio routine, and you have recipe for non-existent fat loss and a loss of motivation.

You may have heard the myth that you burn more fat calories by doing low-intensity cardio, while high-intensity cardio uses more carbohydrate stores for energy. Per a recent CNN Health article:

“In general, low intensity exercise has its place — it’s less stressful on joints.

The myth is that if you exercise too intensely, you end up burning carbohydrates instead of fat.

It’s the most dangerous type of myth because there’s a kernel of truth in it, Hutchinson said.

The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, but the total amount of calories burned is higher and that is the bigger picture.

When your body has burned up all the carbs, it starts burning fat.

“You can ignore zones and pay attention to how many calories you burn, which ultimately determines how much body fat you’re going to lose,” Fitzgerald said.”

Focus on how many calories you are burning during your exercise. I realize this can be hard and confusing at times, so go all out and pull back from your training when your body demands that you do so. You will no doubt be burning more calories, and ultimately, more fat, by training at an elevated pace.

If You Wanna Look Like an Athlete…

So, what does all this mean for you? My mantra is this: if you want to look like an athlete (and here too), you need to train like an athlete. How does one train like an athlete you may be wondering. For one, athletes and people with lean, athletic, healthy builds, don’t simply go on the same run everyday and expect to keep losing weight. Cross-training is the key to success, along with high-intensity interval training.

Don’t stay at one pace the entire time you do your cardio. Work short, intense bursts of energy expenditure into your run, bike ride, etc. Every few minutes, go at 90-100% for 30 seconds. Ease up, and repeat this cycle for as long as you are exercising for. This type of training keeps your body on its toes, and will never allow it to get comfortable with what you are doing, which is key to speed up fast loss.

Cross-training is just another word for training your body using various formats to achieve a higher level of success. You should always aim to incorporate various forms of fitness into your routine. Alternating your weight training program to include periods of heavy weights/low reps, and low weights/high reps, supplementing with pilates classes, cardio-based fitness classes, wind sprints, running stairs…..you get the point.

The principles of cross-training is what helped shape the Body Diversity Training method we founded here at Share It Fitness. We believe combining a variety of strength/cardio based fitness classes with an effective weight training routine is the single best way to achieve that healthy, lean, and toned body everyone should be striving for.

Above all, you need to develop the mental discipline to push yourself. Whether you are going for a run, lifting weights, or taking a bike ride. NEVER get comfortable with what you are doing. If you ever get to the point where going for that run doesn’t seem like work, it’s because it probably isn’t anymore. Always up your intensity when possible, push yourself to lift that heavier weight, and keep trying different forms of exercise. Do this, and that stubborn fat is going to start melting away in no time.

…and look more like this.

Ready to End the Fat Cycle Once and For All? Join Share It Fitness and We’ll Lead the Way.

Come on over to our full site www.ShareItFitness.com and sign up today! We’ve got hundreds of OnDemand group fitness classes and DVD-style workouts ready to be streamed to any smartphone, tablet, computer, or wifi-television. Even better, we’re still giving away free premium memberships for a little while longer, so jump on the bandwagon while it’s still free! Connect with hundreds of other people on our workout plans, contact live health/fitness professionals ready to answer your questions, and see why Share It Fitness is the most interactive and effective fitness experience on the web!

The Shocking Truth of Unhealthy Celebrity Diets

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Matt Posted in Celebrities, Featured, Nutrition 6 Comments

us weekly

It seems like all of my female friends have their faces stuffed in the latest US weekly or People Magazine on a fairly regular basis. Aside from showing celebrities tying their shoes, going out to dinner, and shopping for groceries, these magazines often glamorize celebrity diets. The funny thing is, they try to show us these diets are so healthy and work so well, yet the people writing these articles don’t know the first thing about fitness. That being said, even smart, intelligent women (and some men) buy into the diet claims these magazines and celebrities are making because it all sounds too good to be true. What they don’t realize is they are only setting themselves up for failure in the long run.

With pictures of rail-thin celebrities gracing the pages, a seed of self-doubt may already be planted in our heads. When we hear that Lindsay Lohan lost 20 pounds on her total cleanse diet (i.e. cigarettes and coke), we instantly think that these diets are healthy, and will work for us. Let’s take a look at some of the celeb diets that have been featured in various magazines over the last year:

Anthony Hopkins – “I was addicted to bread, cookies, whatnot. I love all the bad stuff,” he said. “My wife’s no dictator, but she said I must stick to a regimen. So I’m in the gym six days a week, I power walk, live on 800 calories a day. No pasta. No seconds. A sandwich occasionally.” So, Anthony Hopkins is relying on a caloric intake that is recommended to sustain a 3-year-old child. Does anyone really think he can survive on 800 calories a day for the rest of his life? Of course not. The weight is going to come right back on when he realizes this bogus diet is good for short-term weight loss but horrible for long-term health.

Kirstie Alley – Perhaps the poster child of crazy celebrity diets, Kirstie Alley has probably tried every diet under the sun. Let this be a lesson to you. Fad diets do not work. If they did, she wouldn’t be blowing up and slimming down every few months for the past decade and a half.

Jennifer Aniston - For a while, it was reported that Aniston was on a strict baby food only diet. Aside from being a little weird, this diet provides nowhere near the calories needed for an average adult. We preach lifestyle changes on here, not fad diets; are you really going to bring your two little jars of pureed sweet potatoes and stewed green beans to the next dinner party attend? I don’t think so – get real.

Beyonce Knowles - Beyonce dropped an unbelievable (and dangerous) 20 pounds in two weeks on the “Master Cleanse Diet,” (a.k.a. The Lemonade Diet). On the Master Cleanse Diet, you drink a beverage (no food) made from lemons, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for 10 days. You’ll see a dramatic weight loss… if you don’t drop dead first. Plus, too much crash dieting will trick your body into storing fat instead of burning it.

Naomi Campbell – Aside from being a raving lunatic, she is also a horrible dieter. Naomi has been known to diet on a mixture of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, water and lemon juice three times a year. She consumes this drink and this drink only for weeks at a time.

Nicole Kidman – When trying to slim down for a movie Nicole often goes on a hard-boiled egg diet. The Australian used to have an egg in the morning and 2 to 3 eggs throughout the day. I suppose when you have to look a certain way for a film, because it is your job, a crazy diet like this may be acceptable. However, the problem is the magazines purport that these diets are beneficial and give them impression that others should try to replicate them.

Mary Kate Olson – Mary Kate often employs what she calls, “The Coffee Diet”. She consumes up to 12 cups of coffee a day, which she claims helps her lose weight. She’ll often stay on this diet for weeks at a time. Coffee is an appetite suppressant which really curbs her appetite and let’s her get by on next to nothing. Give this diet a try if you want to look like you are living through a third-world famine, otherwise steer clear.

Clearly, these celebrity diets are not a long-term fix for anything. They have the potential to cause serious harm, nutrient deficiencies in your body, and potentially cause your body to store more fat in the long run. Healthy, and sustained, weight loss is the result of a lifestyle change. Forget crash diets. Sure, they work for celebrities who want to drop serious pounds before their next movie premiere, but this is the reason we are always reading about all these different diets. If there was a sure-fire diet that worked all the time, everyone would use it and that would be that. The fact there are dozens of these crazy celebrity diets clearly indicates they do not work.

Work on your portion sizes, food selections, and being in touch with your body so you don’t overeat. These are three tips all the celebrities above could use. Be smart and diet right and you will drop pounds slowly and steadily, but most importantly, keep the weight off for good.