We’re going with a barbell and a bench today…

From the sounds of it, a lot of you guys and girls out there are really liking part 1 of our summer slim down workout. If you aren’t familiar with what we’ve got going on here, check it out, and maybe even give it a run through today.  The Summer Slim Down workout is designed as a four-part series of workouts which will help strip you of body fat, improve your core strength, and continue to add lean muscle mass to your body.

Part two continues with the theme of high-intensity cardio, but not the way you’re thinking.  In part one, we essentially did HIIT jump roping while supersetting compound, body weight exercises.  In part two, we’re going to keep the cardiovascular element high, but introduce a little more strength training to the mix.  Continuing this format will keep pushing your metabolism to the max, strip away even more fat, and leave you feeling amazing from head to toe.

Part two of the Summer Slim Down Workout

Perform each exercise a total of 8 repetitions.  While this may seem easy for some (bench dips) it will be balanced by the more difficult movements (clean and press).  The goal of this workout isn’t to completely kill your muscles during each set.  You want to use a weight that allows you to seamlessly move from one exercise to the next, without taking rest.  As a good gauge, use a weight for this entire workout that you’d use on your weakest exercise.  If your weakest exercise is reverse barbell curls, and you can only manage a 25 pound barbell for eight repetitions of this movement, then you should be using a 25 pound barbell for the entire circuit below.

Remember, the point of this workout is to deliver cardiovascular benefits by way of strength training.  In order to accomplish this you’ve got to move quickly between each exercise and only take that rest break at the end of each round.  Depending on your fitness ability, you may be able to perform more rounds.  A good guideline to follow would be:

Beginner: 4-5 rounds total

Intermediate: 6-7 rounds total

Advanced: 8-10 rounds total

All you’re going to need is a barbell, a bench, and a healthy dose of determination to make it through today’s workout…

• Clean and Press
• Bent Over Barbell Rows
• Lateral Bench Hops
• Inverted Push Ups
• Reverse Barbell Curls
• Bench Dips

Rest 60 seconds at the end of each round.

As it goes with all of our fitness plans, if you simply want to use this one workout and ignore the rest, feel free.  Our mantra is always, continue to push yourself to be better, lift stronger, and move faster.  Adding new workouts to your current routine will continue to help you push the envelope and evolve yourself into something better, healthier, and more fit.

If you’re committed to the summer slim down workout plan, then follow the first workout of the series with today’s workout.  Be on the look out next week as we unleash part three of this four part series designed to help you get into the best and healthiest shape of your life.

Have any questions or comments about this workout series?  Feel free to leave a comment below or connect with us on Twitter by using #summerslimdown in your tweet.

Understanding the physiology behind your workouts is the key to achieving better AND faster fat loss.

If you’re like most people, you want to maximize your fat burning potential each and every time you step foot in the gym.  Whether you’re 80 pounds overweight or already in great shape, most people are still looking for ways to ramp up their fat burning potential.  Whenever you have a fitness goal, it pays to have a plan for how you intend to achieve your goal.  But it doesn’t stop there – a great plan is designed with a scientific foundation behind its methods.  Sure, lifting weights and doing cardio will help you burn fat…but when we look at the physiological science behind things, we soon see there is a more effective way to do things. Today, I’m going to show you what that way is, and explain how you can utilize this new method to burn fat faster than ever, and achieve that lean, mean, “shredded” look that just oozes, “I’m FIT”.  If that sounds good to you, keep reading because this article may just change the way you look at exercise forever.

There’s been a lot of debate in the fitness world about the benefits of combining cardio and weight training in one single day’s workout.  Much like the chicken and egg debate, the crux of the cardio/weight training debate has centered around how best to order them.  Let’s clear things up first and foremost – to maximize you fat burning potential cardio should be completed AFTER your weight training.  Let’s take a look at the physiological reasons behind sequencing things in this manner…

The Scientific Stuff Behind Fat Loss

Lifting weights requires a lot of energy.  Picking up and putting down a heavy object, multiple times, is hard work.  In order to perform this work, your body needs a supply of energy.  Have you ever wondered what this energy is, or where it comes from?  The energy supply comes from something called glycogen, and it’s supplied by the nutrients in the foods we eat.  Your body stores glycogen which it relies on to perform physically taxing work, like weight training.

While glycogen is the preferred source of energy for your body, it isn’t the only source of energy.  When glycogen stores get depleted, your body turns next to its next favorite source of energy – fat.  When you’ve had a long and hard workout, your body taps your fat stores and converts it into energy.  This conversion (perhaps unsurprisingly) leads to massive fat loss since fat is being directly used for energy.  As an exerciser with a goal of reducing your body fat, your goal should be to increase the rate at which your body burns fat.

Additionally, we have one more ally in our fight against fat – EPOC.  EPOC stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, and in general terms, it has to do with the amount of calories it takes to get your body back to its normal, pre-exercise state.  EPOC is most directly effected by intense weight training sessions, so when you’ve really had a tough strength workout, the amount of calories required to take your body back to normal, is greater.  What’s this have to do with things?  Well, have you ever tried lifting weights after a long cardio workout?  Pretty pitiful stuff.  When you lift weights first, you’re able to go harder, heavier, and more intense – making your post exercise caloric burn potential much greater.

Bottom line, we want to bring your muscular system to the brink of exhaustion, THEN introduce short bursts of intense cardio to really burn up that fat like never before.

The Max Exhaustion Fat Loss Workout

With that knowledge in tote, let’s put together a plan to utilize these concepts and help you burn fat faster than ever before.  First, I’m going to give you a serious muscle-fatiguing workout – this workout is circuit-style, meaning you’ll perform one exercise after the next, with limited rest breaks.  Use one weight throughout the entire workout; if you’re having a hard time deciding what to use, go with a weight that you would use on your WEAKEST exercise in the circuit.  Don’t worry about not getting a good workout – the circuit-style nature of this workout will take care of that.  For this workout, we’re using a barbell and body weight only.  If you don’t have a barbell or are working out at home with limited equipment, a pair of dumbbells could easily be substituted here.

Perform eight repetitions for each exercise.

1. Barbell Squats
2. Bent Over Barbell Rows
3. Barbell Clean and Press
4. Overhead Barbell Tricep Extensions
5. Wide Grip Push Ups
6. Alternating Reverse Lunges
7. Barbell Curls

Rest 45 seconds at the end of each round.  Perform four rounds total.

Four rounds of the above seven exercises should take about 30 minutes if you’re keeping a good pace.  Once you’re finished with the weight training portion of this workout, we’re moving on to the cardio.

Since we went nice and hard (right!?) on the weights, our body should be depleted (or just about) of its glycogen stores.  This means that as soon as you start your cardio work, you’re burning straight fat.  Use that little tid bit for motivation if you start to get a little fatigued half way through.  We’re shooting for short bursts of intense cardio and have a few options to pick from.

Option 1

HIIT Sprints on the treadmill – Go for 30 seconds all out sprints, followed by 1:30 of a light jog.  Shooting for something like a 10mph sprint/4 mph jog is a good level for a beginner to intermediate.  Repeat this combo 10 times total for 20 minutes of work.

Option 2

Incline runs on the treadmill – Set your treadmill to 12% incline.  Set the speed to just about 4 mph, or whatever speed has you doing a slow run.  Every 2 minutes lower the incline by 2%, while bumping the speed by .5 mph.  Follow this trend until you’re at 0% incline, at which point the cardio portion of your workout is over.

Option 3

If running/treadmills aren’t your thing, invest a few bucks in a jump rope.  Go for 45 second bouts of straight jump roping, followed by 30 seconds of rest.  If this is too intense, cut back the time spent jump roping and/or increase the rest times.  Make it a goal though to eventually get yourself up to :45 (or more!) work and :30 rest.

How Often to Use This Workout

Most of you are already on one of our other plans, and that’s totally fine.  The great thing about our workouts is the fact almost all of them can be mixed and matched.  This workout is a total body routine, so feel free to sub it in on any full body and/or high-intensity cardio days.

If you’re brand new to Share It Fitness or just looking to make an entire plan out of this one routine, I’d suggest performing this workout 2-3 times per week, with additional cardio, yoga, and/or group fitness styled workouts as you see fit.  Just make sure you’re giving yourself enough rest as to avoid over training and/or injury.

The Max Exhaustion Workout is a sure-fire way to speed up your fat burning potential, trim down those “soft spots”, and build beautiful, lean muscle mass across your body.  Remember, simply working out isn’t enough if you ever want to be anything more than “average”.  If you’re looking to take things to the next level, it’s important that you become a fully educated exerciser.  By understanding and leveraging the exercise physiology behind your workouts, you’re going to get better results, in less time.  And THAT is what making real progress is all about.

Metabolic Circuit Training: The Key for Fast Fat Loss and Lean Body

Looking to burn fat fast, build lean muscle, and transform your body into something you’ve only dreamed about  Get familiar with metabolic conditioning training.

We’ve discussed the benefits of metabolic conditioning on Share It Fitness in the past, and based on the enthusiasm it generated, I could tell you guys were excited for something different.  After all, that’s what training is all about – finding newer and better ways of training your body.  This is the reason we create, test, and publish as many workouts on Share It Fitness as we do.  We believe in constantly pushing yourself to achieve greater things, and firmly believe the best way to do that is by continually experimenting with newer and more challenging workouts.

Since it’s been some time since we’ve come up with any sort of metabolic conditioning circuit AND based on the fact everyone seems to be concerned with fat loss at the moment (I suppose impending warm weather will do that), we created something designed to rip you up from head to toe.  We’re calling this thing a SUPER metabolic conditioning circuit, and it’s been designed for rapid fat loss and a lean, ripped, physique.

What’s so super about it?  Well, the reason we call this thing a “super” metabolic conditioning circuit, is because of the number of exercises it includes.  Our previous metcon challenge workouts were typically created with 3-4 exercise mini-circuits, which you’d cycle through.  No knock on them, they’re quite effective – we just wanted to give you something a little different, and (perhaps) a little tougher than what you’ve seen so far.  This metabolic conditioning circuit has 7 exercises in one super circuit.  You’ll move from one exercise to the next with no (or very limited) rest breaks.

The Super Metabolic Circuit

Let’s take a look at the workout, then get into all the details…

1. Deadlift x 10 (use a weight that you can comfortably use for the next exercise; bent over rows)
2. Bent Over Rows x 10
3. Burpees x 10
4. Twist Jumps x 10
5. Swinging Push Ups x 10 (feel free to do these from your knees if you don’t have the upper body strength yet)
6. Windshield Wipers x 10 (for an extra challenge, hold the barbell above your chest, arms straight, throughout)
7. Lateral Jumps over the barbell x 10

GOALS: Complete as many circuits as you can in 30 minutes.  Rest only when necessary, but long-term goal should be no rest breaks during the entire workout.

As you can see, this workout is designed to take no more than 30 minutes.  It may not seem like much now, but once you’re mid-way through round two, you’re going to understand why this thing has a time limit on it.  Prepare for massive sweating and a heart-pounding great time as you cut fat fast and build lean, shapely muscles.

Fast Fat Loss and…

Not only will this workout help you burn fat and lean up, it’s going to do wonders for your endurance.  The nature of this metabolic circuit is fast-paced, which means your heart rate is going to be in the appropriate zone where endurance gains are made.

You’re going for total rounds completed in 30 minutes…each workout is a challenge against your previous best.

If your cardio is limited to steady-state, HIIT, rowing, biking, etc. you’re in for an especially effective workout.  This metabolic circuit contrasts with the above-mentioned cardio routines in the sense that much of the work done here is weight-bearing.  There’s a huge difference between pumping your heart rate with a strenuous run and pumping your heart rate by shifting from one strength exercise to the next.  If the goal is to keep your body guessing (which it should be) then there are few things better you can do than this workout.

Along those lines; since this metabolic conditioning workout is dependent on a lot of complex lifts, you’re getting the added bonus of building lean muscle across your body.  Combining cardio and strength training into one awesome workout is one of the best and fastest ways to burn fat and generally increase the appeal of your physique.

Stick with a routine like this a couple of times a week to really make serious strides in both your cardiovascular endurance, fat loss efforts, and overall body composition.  Remember to continually push yourself and try to improve upon the number of total rounds you complete each time out.  Good luck, happy lifting, and please feel free to leave a comment with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

A tight, toned, and amazing beach body is only 8-10 weeks away.

Let’s cut to the chase – it’s April 9th, which means if you’ve been procrastinating on ”getting in shape for summer”, you’ve got only a couple of short months before the weather heats up and the clothes start coming off.

Or maybe you’ve been waiting for something to come along to help shift your training into a higher gear?

No matter where you’re starting from, what we’ve got for you today is a sure-fire way to help you build shapely, toned limbs, a tighter core, and a strong body from head to toe.  Since we’re moving into crunch mode, this workout plan is going to focus heavily on fat burn, quickly fatiguing your muscles, and improving your conditioning.  Sticking with these workouts over the next several months should do wonders for your body and get you ready to sport those board shorts or that bikini with pride.

What is “Your Best Beach Body”?

There’s certainly going to be a lot of variation here, but in general, what does this mean to you?  Strong legs?  Tight butt?  Toned arms?  Flat stomach?  Sounds about right to me.

Of course, your starting point is going to dictate exactly how much progress you make by the time it’s beach/pool season, but don’t let that discourage you.  Whatever your starting point may be, expect to be absolutely amazed by the progress you make on this workout plan.  Keep in mind, this workout plan was designed to deliver fast and steady results IF you manage to stay consistent, don’t miss training days, and continually push yourself and your workouts outside a zone of comfort.

Why This Workout will Work

The reason so many total body plans or “bikini body” plans fail, is because they simply place to large a focus on the cardiovascular aspect of your training. Workouts are traditionally total body days – meaning you’re working out the majority of your muscles in one training sessions. The problem is, you aren’t hitting these muscle groups hard enough to bring about the real change described above.

If you really want strong, curvy legs, and a pair of arms that don’t jiggle when you walk, it’s time to take a more focused approach with your training.  This workout plan is designed to be a split-schedule routine, which means you’re splitting up body parts on different days.  By splitting body parts up, you’ll be in a better position to really blast those muscles, making sure you’re fatiguing things enough on the cellular level to promote growth.

The one constant however, will be cardio.  Most days have a cardiovascular element which will tie in with the strength work you’ve been doing.  Working out in this format should help you make some fast gains, but most importantly, consistent gains.  The onus however, is on you to continue to challenge yourself.  You simply cannot carry on with the same weights/cardio intensity the entire time you’re on this plan.  Make it a personal goal to challenge yourself; bumping the weights and intensity of your cardio every week.  Doesn’t matter if you’re only increasing ever so slightly – the point is you’re increasing, which means you’re improving…whether you can see it right now, or not.

The “Look”

I know exactly what you guys are looking for.  I understand the “look”.  The “look” is simply a body with a low fat percentage and muscle in the right places, giving it an athletic appearance.  This isn’t necessarily difficult to achieve, although it does take effort on your part, both in the gym and out.  In order to build a lean, athletic physique, you’re going to have to build some muscle.  You aren’t building muscle starving yourself every day.  You also aren’t building muscle making a mid-day lettuce and balsamic vinegar salad your biggest meal of the day.

For men and women alike, one of the hardest things to let go of, is the idea that increasing caloric intake will cause fat gain.   Let go of this, forget about it, it’s not important.  If you’re training in a way this workout plan requires, your caloric needs are going to increase.  If you’re training to build muscle, your caloric needs are going to increase.  Know this; understand it.  You’ve got to fuel yourself appropriately while you’re training like this – it’s the only way you’re going to make real progress.  Grill up those chicken breasts ahead of time, make a pot of vegetarian chili, do whatever you have to do to make sure you’re getting enough protein AND calories.  Remember, muscle doesn’t establish itself out of thin air.  Your body needs to have a steady supply of the building blocks necessary to form lean muscle mass – so make sure you’re giving your body what it needs to help you grow!

I also want you to completely, 100%, forget about the scale while your on this workout plan.  Simply take measurements of your waistline, arms, and legs.  Do it once, write it down, and forget about it.  While your weight may not fluctuate much over the course of the next 8 to 12 weeks, your physique is no doubt about to get a complete makeover.  Your weight isn’t important – how you look and feel is the true indicator of your health.

Your Best Beach Body Workout

Day 1 - Today is all about pushing your muscles to the max.  We’re targeting your “pull” muscles today, i.e. back and biceps.  We’re also using the advanced training technique of reverse pyramid sets, so be sure to watch out for them.  When you come across an exercise using a decreasing rep format, be sure to increase the weight roughly 10-20% on each subsequent set.  By this token, your last set of 8 reps will be using the heaviest weight – your first set of 12 reps will be the lightest.  The pull ups at the end of today’s workout are KEY.  We’re going to completely fatigue your back and bicep muscles with this complex exercise.  If you need to use assistance, go for it, just make sure to gradually reduce the assistance as you progress.

• Lat Pulldowns 3 sets of 12/10/8
• Single Arm Barbell Row 3 sets of 8 (go HEAVY here – you want to nearly reach failure on sets 2/3)
• Close Grip Pulldowns  3 sets of 12/10/8
• Plate Curls 3 sets of 8 (go HEAVY!!)
• Dumbbell Pullovers 3 sets of 8 (you should get the idea by now)
• Plank Rows 4 sets of 8
• Farmer Walks 5 sets of 60 seconds (hold heavy dumbbells in both hands and walk in a straight line across the room and back)
• Wide Grip Pull Ups 80 repetitions in as few sets as possible.

Day 2 – Today is going to focus on hitting your “push” muscles, i.e. chest, shoulders, triceps.  On any strength training day, make sure your giving your muscles a little squeeze at peak contraction.  Put all of your energy into moving the weight, while focusing on your form and being in tune with your muscle contractions.  Making real muscle progress is more than just picking up and putting down a weight.  Feel the muscle move the weight, and work out with a clear goal of making that muscle stronger and more defined.  Take this mindset into today’s workout.

• Dumbbell Bench Press 5 sets of 8 (heavy again here, lets start today’s workout STRONG!)
• Incline Bench Press 3 sets of 12/10/8
• Flat Dumbbell Flys 3 sets of 10
• Around the Worlds 3 sets of 12
• Hang Snatch 3 sets of 10
• Over/Under Barbell Shoulder Press 3 sets of 10
• Skullcrushers 3 sets of 12/10/8
• Underhand Tricep Press down 3 sets of 15 (might want to go a little lighter here)
• 80 Push Ups in as few sets as possible (go from your knees when/if you need to)

Day 3 – Today is all about blasting some fat with a HIIT cardio routine + tightening that core with some ab work.  Go HARD on the sprints, and take deep, slow breaths on the jog/relaxed portions so you’re ready to go when it’s time to sprint again.  On the ab work, make sure you’re starting out with heavy weights on the first two exercises to really get yourself fatigued – then going slow and controlled on the body weight core work.

• 10 minutes outdoor or treadmill running (30 second sprint/30 second jog)
• 15 Breakdowns/10 Kick Outs/5 Mule Kicks/rest 30 seconds repeated 5 times total
• Decline Plate Crunch 3 sets of 15-20 (holding a plate, crunch up, twist back and forth at the top, then return to start position)
• Cable Crunch 5 sets of 15-20
• Bicycle Crunches 3 sets of 15-20
• Cross Body Crunches 3 sets of 15-20
• 10 minutes outdoor or treadmill running (30 second sprint/30 second jog)

Day 4 – Today we’re putting a major focus on continuing to keep your metabolism high and your fat burning engine rolling.  We’re getting on the bike OR row machine (your choice) for 45 minutes of HIIT cycling/rowing.  Shoot for splits of :45/1:15 as you tear through body fat and further tax your major muscle systems.

• 45 minutes HIIT cycling or rowing (:45/1:15 split)

Day 5 – Prepare for some serious soreness later in the week, we’re going after your legs hard today.  Today’s workout may look short, but trust me, it’s intense.  We’re using primarily compound exercises to achieve our goals of building lean muscle in your butt, hamstrings, and quads.  When a strength workout like this is combined with explosive plyometrics and HIIT cardio (as you’ve been doing above) the results are simply astounding.

• Barbell (or smith machine) Squats 5 sets of 8-10
• Deadlifts 3 sets of 10-12
• Quad Extension Machine 3 sets of 12/10/8
• Seated Leg Press Machine 3 sets of 8-10
• Lying Hamstring Curls 3 sets of 12/10/8
• Calf Raises w/weight 3 sets of 15-20 (use a smith machine and stack with weight)
• Cable Crunch 3 sets of 20
• Up/Down Planks 3 sets of 50
• Cross Body Crunches 5 sets of 15-20

Day 6 - We’re wrapping up this 6 day workout split with some long sprinting, which is in contrast to the shorter sprints we did on day 3.  Today, we’re looking to sprint (or run as fast as physically possible) 800 meters (1/4 mile).  The next 800 meters will be completed at a relaxed jog.  The following 800 meters will be ran at a sprint or near sprint….you get the idea.  Repeat this 800m(fast)/800m(slow) cycle 10 times for five miles of HIIT Long Sprints.  If you can’t handle that distance right now, start with something more achievable and work your way up.

• 800m fast/ 800m jog repeated 10 times total.

Final Points

You asked for something intense, you got something intense.  This six-day beach body makeover workout is designed to help you trim fat fast, build lean muscle, and completely change your physique in short order.  As always, continue to push yourself to lift heavier weights, run faster times, and generally improve your athleticism.  After all, if you want to look like a conditioned athlete, you’re going to have to start acting like one.

Remember to fuel yourself accordingly, and please, for the love of God, don’t be afraid of food.  Without food, all of your efforts in the gym are wasted.  Don’t waste your efforts – capitalize on them.

Stick with this routine for 8-10 weeks solid, and you’ll no doubt be closer to that beach body you’ve been dreaming about all winter long.  Any questions, comments, or just need some help with this workout?  Feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to get back to you.

The best total body exercise is…

To fully maximize the benefits of today’s article, I suggest you go back and do a little required reading.  Last month we highlighted the single best total body exercise and received more than just a little response from you guys.  The recurring theme was; awesome article but not enough practical info – give us a full workout using this exercise!

So I heeded this advice and went to work on a full workout centered around the wonderful, fabulous, kettlebell swing.  If you aren’t sure why many consider this the ultimate total body exercise, I kindly suggest you check the link above and read up on why the kettlebell swing can help you do everything from burn that stubborn belly fat to help improve your posture.  It really is a killer total body exercise that will work wonders for you if you consistently make it a part of your full routine.

To help you include this movement into your total fitness plan, whatever it may be, I put together the workout you’ll see below.  After several rounds of trial and error, I think we’ve got something that is very effective at pushing the muscles in both your upper and lower body, while maintaining a quick enough pace to really push your cardiovascular system.  The end result?  A killer workout that will help shred you up, improve your endurance, AND may even help increase your flexibility.  Sound too good to be true?  It’s not.  Did you really expect any less from the best total body exercise?

Three Key Elements…

This workout has two, potentially three, key elements.  First, and perhaps most obviously, we’ve got the strength side of things.  Kettlebell swings are a great way to target your lower and upper body with a functionally dependent movement.  By utilizing a variety of different weights, we’re going to really throw a curve ball at your body here and leave you feeling the (good) soreness for days.

As anyone who has tried kettlebell swings is aware, the “up and down” nature of the movement can really tax your cardiovascular system.  The fast pace and quick intervals will help keep the pressure on your heart rate, ensuring it stays elevated and helping you burn serious calories.

Of course this total body exercise in and of itself could be fashioned into a pretty killer workout.  But you guys wanted a real-deal, legit, total body transformation workout, so I took things one step further.  Instead of solely relying on kettlebell swings, we’re going to incorporate some quick plyometric movements.  While playing around with this workout, it was clear the combination of explosive plyometrics and kettlebell swings was brutal; a trail of sniffling, crying, and down right exhausted guinea pigs were left in its wake.

The Best Total Body Exercise…..The Best Total Body Workout

Proper form is vital with the kettlebell swing.

Doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps of kettlebell swings is all well and good, but we REALLY want to unlock the full benefits of this total body exercise.  For this reason, we’ve developed an entire workout surrounding this exercise.  The great part is, you only need a little bit of a room, a few different kettlebells of varying weight, and a healthy dose of mental toughness.  If you’re without kettlebells, a dumbbell turned lengthwise could be a good substitute…..or if you really want to get creative, you could always try our homemade water jug “kettlebell”.

How it Works: You’re going to alternate between combo 1 and combo 2 for 20 minutes (use a timer or be mindful of the clock).  Once you’ve finished this half, you’ll move on to combo 3 and combo 4 for the final 20 minutes.  That means 40 minutes of near non-stop work – if you’re not ready for that kind of challenge, feel free to scale things back to something more appropriate.  Do your best to only rest where indicated – this is important because maintaining an elevated heart rate is the key to maximizing your fat burning potential.

Combo 1 – Using lightest kettlebell.  Move to combo 2 after completing combo 1…

• 15 kettlebell swings/5 burpees/15 kettlebell swings/rest 30 seconds, followed by
• 12 kettlebell swings/5 tuck jumps/12 kettlbell swings/rest 30 seconds

Combo 2 – Using lightest kettlebell.  Back to combo 1 after completing combo 2…

• 15 kettlebell swings/5 hindu push ups/15 kettbell swings
• 12 kettlebell swings/8 mule kicks/12 kettlebell swings

Cycle between combo 1 and 2 for 20 minutes.  If the indicated 30 second rest breaks are too long for you, more power to you – cut them down and complete more total combos.

Combo 3 – Use middle weighted kettlebell.

• 10 kettlebell swings/10 jumping jacks/10 kettlebell swings/rest 30 seconds, followed by
• 8 kettlebell swings/5 Russian lunges/8 kettlebell swings/rest 30 seconds

Combo 4 – Use both the middle and heavy kettlebell.  Start with the heavy kettlebell and move to the light kettlebell when you can’t complete another kettlebell swing with the heavy kettlebell.  It’s important that you’re using a weight heavy enough that fatigue settles in right around the 5th or 6th rep.  If the weight is too light you defeat the purpose of this style of “strip set” training.

• 5-8 kettlebell swings with heaviest,  followed by 10-15+ kettlebell swings with lightest/5 burpees/rest 30 seconds
• 5-8 kettlebell swings with heaviest, followed by 10-15+ kettlebell swings with lightest/5 180 planks/rest 30 seconds

You’ll do the same with combo 3 and 4; repeat for 20 minutes total.  At the end, you’ll have just completed 40 minutes of one of the best and hardest workouts of your life.  By making what many consider the best total body exercise the focal point of this workout, you’ll give yourself a serious metabolism boosting, fat shredding challenge that easily assimilates with almost any workout plan.

Feel free to throw this workout into your total routine 1-2x a week for max effectiveness.  If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to get back to you.  Happy lifting!

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Improving the proportions you CAN control is the key to achieving “the look”.

Can I be real for a second?

Let’s cut the nonsense.  We all know why most of us are working out.  The primary reason I/we/most anyone works out is because they want to look better.  Forget all that scientific-y stuff for just a second.  Have you actually ever met anyone who told you they were working out so they could have a better VO2 max?  Endurance athletes not withstanding, I’m willing to bet you’ve yet to meet a person that made this their primary goal.  For the average person, i.e. not a competitive athlete, the primary goal is usually to improve one’s appearance.  Sure, the health benefits are amazing and they surely play a part in a desire to get fit, but most of us have a streak of vanity that must be fed like the savage beast that it is.

Some people will complain too much emphasis these days is placed on wanting to look good.  Personally, I don’t think it matters.  Fitness is going through something of a renaissance at the moment – more people are exercising, trying new things, and improving themselves.  Who cares if vanity is the driving factor?  The bottom line remains, more and more people are out there trying their damnedest to transform their body and health – the motivating factor is irrelevant.

But the fact remains, as human beings, we want to look better; more desirable; more attractive to the opposite sex..or the same sex, not that there’s anything wrong with that (who can pass up a classic Seinfeld reference?).

Since we’ve accepted the fact we’re working out to look better, wouldn’t it make sense to figure out what “better” means?  And secondly, wouldn’t it make sense to figure out how we’re going to workout to achieve “better”?  With that in mind, we delve into today’s post and take a look at something called the Golden Ratio and how it relates to your appearance.

The Scientists Speak…

So I lied before.  Let’s not completely forget all that scientific-y stuff just yet.  The damn scientists are back at it, and this time, they’ve developed something called the Golden Ratio.  The Golden Ratio, in mathematical terms, is the comparison between two aspects and the most “ideal”  proportion between them.  In an ideal world where we all end up looking like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, this proportion ends up being 1:1.618.  Rather than go into a lengthy discussion about the Golden Ratio and how it’s found (or closely found) all across your body, I’m going to leave it at this: studies show people find faces/bodies with more symmetry and proportions closest to 1:1.618 the most attractive.

If you want a full run down on the Golden Ratio, wikipedia will gladly assist.

Certainly, there are aspects of ourselves we cannot change.  The proportion of our eyes, lips, etc. are things we’re stuck with.  Today, we’re talking about what we can change, and what has come to be defined as “the look”.  This “look” we’re talking about is relating the width of your shoulders to that of your waist.  Doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman – those people with a shoulder to waist ratio closest to 1.618 are deemed to look the most fit and attractive.

Achieving a proportion of 1:1.618 between A and B is the epitome of “fit”…so says the scientists.

Not Just Vanity

That tapered “V” look is what many define as fit and healthy.  It shouldn’t come as a surprise that those individuals with this “V” shape are often as healthy as they are aesthetically pleasing.  Achieving a solid, muscular upper body, with a slender waist IS what you should all be shooting for.  Maintaining lean muscle mass will drive your metabolism and keep you lean and feeling great.  A slender waist is not only visually pleasing, but it’s a great indicator of overall health.

A very wise man, and roundly considered “The godfather of fitness”, Jack LaLanne once said:

Scales lie! You lose thirty pounds of muscle and you gain thirty pounds of fat and you weigh the same, right? Take that tape measure out. That won’t lie. Your waistline is your lifeline. It should be the same as it was when you were a young person.

Soak that in for a minute.  Your waistline is your lifeline.  A slim waistline is lacking in fat -  both the kind that sits just below the skin, and the more damaging variety; visceral fat, the kind that coats your internal organs.  Maintaining a flat tummy is more than just about vanity – it’s about achieving the epitome of good health.

Achieving “The Look”

For our purposes, we’ve defined “better” to mean getting closer to the Golden Ratio proportion of 1:1.618 between our shoulders and waistline.  Now, how do we actually get “better”?  Well, it’s going to take one thing right away – determination.  Changing your body (and health) is easy in theory, but difficult in practice.  Staying consistent, making the right dietary choices, and knowing when it’s time to push yourself harder is what stands between you and your dream body.  It’s hard to impart determination with a simple blog post, so I’m going to give you what I can for the time being – three workouts that will inch you closer to that Golden Ratio.

The following workouts are focused on two main elements:

• Lowering body fat
• Building AND preserving lean muscle mass

Notice I said building AND preserving lean muscle mass?  For those of you not reading between the lines, what I’m saying is this – we’re not going to put you on an endless cardio program that has you wasting away like a popsicle in summer.  Like Jack LaLanne said; “You lose thirty pounds of muscle and you gain thirty pounds of fat and you weigh the same, right?”  This isn’t about endlessly burning as many calories as possible – it’s about maximizing your lean muscle mass, reducing your body fat percentage, and slowly changing the composition of your body.

We accomplish this by performing short, intense cardio sessions, often with the simultaneous component of resistance training.  This type of training, often referred to as metabolic conditioning, is a fantastic way to increase your fat burning potential, while ensuring your muscles are being adequately stimulated.  Combine this with a well-designed power lifting workout or two a week, maybe a little HIIT training, and you’re well on your way to that Golden Ratio.

Getting that Golden Ratio body starts right here – check out these workouts that will help slim you down, tone you up, and get you into the best shape of your life.

• The MetCon Challenge – 2x per week
• The HIIT Workout Series – 1-2x per week – pick a day or two that looks most interesting to you.
• The Speed/Power Workout – 2x per week – use days 1 and 4.

This combination should lead to steady, lean muscular gains, and a healthy reduction of body fat.  By combining this program with a healthy diet, you’ll put yourself on a fast track to an amazing body, inside and out.