John and Sam are two guys moving towards the same fitness goal(s) –
They both want to lose about 20 pounds of fat, gain some lean muscle, and improve their overall health and energy levels.
They work out almost the exact same amount of time each week. Their eating habits are very similar. But John, in addition to losing weight every week, is also losing inches and fitting better into his clothes – while Sam is just becoming a “smaller version of himself” (some weight is coming off, but his shape is staying the same, and he’s still battling those pesky love handles).
Why?
Sam’s entire workout program consists of low-to-medium intensity and relatively long duration cardio sessions (typically about 45-60 minutes in length), performed three or four times per week.
John on the other hand does metabolic resistance – style training (like we do in our Sacramento personal training program). He performs high-intensity, combination resistance training/cardio circuits about three times per week, in addition to three high-intensity, shorter duration (typically 20-30 minutes in length) interval cardio sessions.
High-intensity, combination cardio and resistance – style sessions, like the ones John is doing,:
1) Burn more calories in less time
2) Give you a lengthened metabolism increase (you burn more calories not just during the workout, but many hours afterwards)
3) Help you build muscle and burn fat at the same time
See, moderate intensity cardio, like jogging, may help you burn calories … but it does little to help you build muscle. You’ll end up with the look of the marathoner pictured above instead of the sprinter.
SO … moral of the story … if you want to lose fat as fast as humanly possible … and if you want to actually change your body SHAPE in the process … is that you NEED to be doing metabolic resistance – style workouts – like this month’s challenge!!
May 2012 FVT Challenge Workout
- power jacks
- push ups
- reverse lunges
- knee-to-elbow mountain climbers
- KB swings
Do 20 reps of each exercise. Perform the workout circuit-style, moving from one exercise to the next with as little rest as possible. Do five rounds of the circuit for time.
Good luck to you! Stay tuned for the results posted later this week –
Forest
PS – Kettlebells are a big part of the metabolic resistance workouts we do at the FVT studio … and we happen to have a Kettlebells For Fat Loss Workshop coming up very soon! Stay tuned for registration details in the next few days.
PPS – Don’t forget – the FVT pro shop is now officially open! The “Yay Burpees” T’s are selling like hot cakes at 20% off regular price through May 31st, so make sure to grab one before they’re gone!