Swap Steady Cardio for Circuit-Style Training

If you’re not a fan of slow and steady-paced cardio, there are alternative ways to burn calories and melt fat. Ed McNeely’s "5 Ways to Burn More Fat" in Muscle & Fitness offers five tips for those of you wanting to ditch the treadmill:

First, McNeely suggests using compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses and bent-over rows, since moving bigger muscles burns more calories.

Also making the list is circuit-style training. McNeely advises performing 6-8 exercises for 10 reps each using a controlled tempo, alternating upper and lower body exercises. Each circuit should last 2-5 minutes. Aim for 20-30 minutes of circuit-style training to reap cardiovascular benefits.

Another suggestion is performing higher reps with lighter reps in the weight room. McNeely recommends choosing a weight that will leave you 2-3 reps short of failure, which will allow you to gain strength and size.

But McNeely emphasizes getting 'your priorities straight." Remember, if your goal is to develop strength and size, this style of training doesn’t compare to straight sets.

I use a three-day weight training split for strength and size, and use bodyweight circuit-style training as cardio on my non-lifting days. The important thing to remember if doing this, however, is to follow an upper body-focused day with a lower body-focused one so trained body parts get a chance to recover properly.

Are Post-Workout Carbs Counterproductive?

In a recent article for BodyBuilding.com, nutrition and sports medicine expert Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale questions the widespread belief that consuming carbohydrates following a workout optimizes the immediate anabolic effects of exercise.

"The usual advice is that carbs, with some protein thrown in, are a necessary part of post exercise nutrition regardless of diet that you're following, including a low carb diet. However, that's not true. In fact the use of carbs post training can be counter productive and eliminating post training carbs can have added anabolic and fat burning effects."

Di Pasquale claims the intake of carbs after exercise actually blunts post exercise insulin sensitivity. So once muscle has loaded up on glycogen--something it does pretty quickly on carbs--insulin sensitivity drops.

Following a workout, Di Pasquale suggests keeping carbs low and taking in more protein along with some fat instead. This way, body fat is broken down and used as fuel rather than amino acids and glycogen.

Read more

The Calorie "Window" for Women

Power Eating author Susan M. Kleiner, who pens the Ask An Expert column on OxygenMag.com, talks about the caloric balance needed to lose fat AND maintain lean muscle.

Q: I have a question regarding the paradox of fat loss and metabolism. It is my understanding that not eating slows your metabolism and puts your body into “starvation mode,” making it difficult to lose weight. But we need to eat fewer calories to lose weight. Where is the balance? When do you start losing fat?

A: Research by Dan Benardot, Ph.D., at Georgia State University has shown there is a 300-calorie “window” for women below their energy needs where they maintain metabolic rate and lose fat efficiently. As you go below that window, your metabolic rate will begin to slow down and despite eating fewer calories you will lose less weight. In his research study, Benardot showed that gymnasts eating 500 calories below their estimated requirement lost less weight and fat compared to gymnasts on the same team doing the same exercise who ate only 300 calories below their needs. So eating less does not get you greater weight loss. I have found with my clients that staying within the 300 calorie “window” is a very efficient and effective way to lose body fat and maintain the lean muscle that keeps your metabolic rate high.

Shrug Off Bad Influences

What is the hardest part of training to stay in shape?

It’s not the clean eating, since I prefer to eat healthfully all the time. And it’s certainly not the exercise; that’s the fun part. It’s you’re your family, friends and coworkers who accuse you of being obsessed with diet and exercise!

If you train hard and eat clean, you’ve been there: They tell you should take time off from the gym because you’re working too hard, or to have a slice of pizza already because life’s too short not to enjoy eating. Or the classic, “You’re so skinny, what are you worried about?” And I think I get more pressure now about having a drink now than I did from my peers in high school.

Putting up with criticism about diet and fitness from the most well-meaning people is harder to swallow than junk food. But it comes with the territory. That’s when it’s great to have a few supportive folks in your corner.

Undulating Periodization... Huh?

If you're looking to get stronger, studies have shown that undulating periodization--a method of structuring sets and reps in different ways--is effective for strength gains. Alwyn Cosgrove's Undulating Periodization: Variable Repition Training (VRT) describes the different types of periodization:

Linear Periodization: When the reps are decreased each successive phase and the loads are increased. E.g.: Phase one 15 reps, phase two 12 reps, phase three 10 reps, phase four 8 reps.

Alternating Periodization: When the trainee switches between higher reps and lower reps at each phase. E.g.: Phase one 15 reps, phase two 8 reps, phase three, 12 reps, phase four 6 reps etc.

Undulating Periodization: Takes the adjusting of rep protocols one step further. This system actually adjusts the rep bracket with each workout. Since the body adapts to the rep range the fastest and the exercise selection the slowest, you need to change the rep bracket more often than the exercises, which is where undulating periodization comes in.

Using an upper-lower body split using some very basic exercises, Cosgrove devised a training program based on undulating periodization. You don't need to follow this split with these exercises (it's a sampler), but you do need to stick to the sets and rep parameters for this it to work.

In his program, you train the upper body on Monday and Thursday, and the lower body on Tuesday and Friday. Move to the next workout in the program until you have repeated each workout 4-6 times.

Get the workout.

Dr. Clay Hyght's 12 Truths

Dr. Clay Hyght, a competitive bodybuilder and NPC Judge for 16 years, wrote a great article for T-Nation titled “12 Truths About Bodybuilding Training.” Here’s the rundown:

1) Big weights don't necessarily equal big muscles
2) Carving in striations? Not!
3) Strength is very lift specific
4) The bench press does not build big pecs!
5) Deadlifts do build a big back
6) Squats are king for thigh mass
7) Don't Always Train to Failure
8) Don't have Training ADD
9) Ditch Total Body Training
10) Consider Stretching Part of Training
11) Try Low-Frequency Training
12) Feeling the muscle work is of utmost importance

I have been guilty of No. 8 on the list:

8) Don't have Training ADD
I'll admit it. I have a severe case of Training Attention Deficit Disorder. How many times have you started a new program only to ditch it for yet another program after only two or three weeks? If you're like me, it's fun to just go to the gym and do whatever you feel like that day. However, there's a serious downside to that.

By switching programs and exercises all the time, you don't give your body enough time to reap the benefits of your current program or exercises. For instance, if you decide to do H.I.T. for three months, then do it for three months! Don't be an idiot and ditch it after five weeks because you're bored and wanna do Advanced German Volume Training and a unique exercise you saw Christian Thibaudeau do. Save it for when you've completed your current program.

To appease your inner ADD child, occasionally do 8 or 10 weeks of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants training. Just don't turn that eight weeks into eight months or you'll end up spinning your wheels.

It's worth reading the list in its entiriety: 12 Truths About Bodybuilding Training

Notes from the Newsstand

UFC President Dana White is on the cover of this month’s Men’s Fitness Magazine. White said he dropped more than 20 pounds in four weeks for the cover shoot by cycling his carbohydrate intake. This allowed him to build muscle while losing fat: He went from 217 pounds to 196 pounds. Check out Dana’s diet menu and exercise plan….

Meanwhile, the June 30th issue of TV Guide Magazine—dubbed “THE BOD SQUAD Ten TV Stars Share Their Fitness Secrets”—features Mario Lopez and reality flake Audrina Patridge.

Lopez, the 34-year-old host of America’s Best Dance Crew, tells TV Guide, “I never feel awake unless I’m sweating.” The self-described “fat baby” turned “hyper kid,” said he exercises for a minimum of one hour a day.

“When I’m sitting in front of the TV, I lift 5-pound weights or do squats,” The Hills’ Audrina Patridge, 23, tells TV Guide. “And I wear heels when I vacuum because it works my calves and my butt.” She does admit to working out five hours a week by doing laps in her backyard pool and hiking.

Why Deadlifts Rule the Weight Room

A Training Tip from Don Alessi:
"For a thick, muscular back, deadlift, deadlift, deadlift, and then finish with a little deadlift! Deadlifts of all kinds strengthen the pulling chain (forearms, delts, traps, rhomboids) and allow the trainee to lift the greatest load. Remember, strength and mass are 66% correlated, so the stronger you are, the thicker the structural units that must lift the load. Also, deadlifting is one of the few exercises that develops the deep back muscles that lie under the traps, including the longissimus thoracis. When developed, these deep muscles add a third dimension of muscular thickness!"

Source

Don Alessi is a NSCA certified personal trainer and co-founder of Alessi Fitness personal training studios. He specializes in body composition transformation and corporate seminars.

If you're new to the deadlift, or have avoided the exercise because you're intimidated by it, here's a great "how-to" video. Proper form (like any exercise) is key to deadlifing--so there's no room for body English here. Capiche?

Sleep to Grow

Who doesn't love to sleep? I wake up at 4 a.m. five days a week (hey, you fit it in when you can). And even though I usually hit the pillow before 9:30 p.m. every night, I'll be the first to admit I sometimes feel slightly sleep-deprived. While seven hours is a decent amount of rest, I need eight to function maximally. Everyone's different.

But did you know a sleep debt accrues? If you fall short of a decent night's rest, it will compound. Try to eliminate your sleep debt over the following five days by turning in an hour or so earlier.

According to "Back to Basics IV: A Fresh Approach to Anti-Aging," spending longer than 8 hours in bed can repay the debt, restoring the body’s chemical balances.

Source

Like Oil and Water?

Is it OK to mix cardio and strength training in the same exercise session? I like to separate mine, so I am currently lifting three days a week and performing cardio (circuit-style body weight training, 5K runs, and walks) for the other four. This allows me to perform each exercise session optimally. That’s just me. But how do the pundits weigh in on the subject?

It depends on your intensity. If you’re jogging at a moderate pace on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then hitting the weights--moderately--for 40 minutes, it probably doesn’t matter. But according to Dr. Bill Kraemer, a professor of kinesiology, physiology and neurobiology at the University of Connecticut, “You wouldn't want to have a heavy lifting day after running 10 miles." After an intense cardio workout, your body needs to restore energy, rebuild damaged tissue.

The bottom line: "You want to be fully metabolically and neurologically capable for the big stuff. Whatever [activity] you do first will have the highest quality," Kraemer explains.

Big Breakfast, Big Benefit

We already know eating breakfast is smart: It breaks the overnight "fast,” fuels the brain and muscles, and stabilizes blood sugar. It's something so many strength and conditioning coaches agree on that it's become a mantra in the weight training world.

Now a new study, headed by Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, a clinical professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and an endocrinologist at the Hospital de Clinicas Caracas in Venezuela, indicates a big, well-balanced breakfast may actually help with weight loss. And she's talking BIG.

In the study, 47 obese, sedentary women were told to eat a big breakfast of about 1,240 calories for eight months. The big breakfast accounted for about half the participants' daily calories and included milk, 3 ounces of lean meat, two slices of cheese, two whole grain servings, one fat serving and one ounce of milk chocolate or candy.

At the end of the eight months, the women on the big breakfast diet lost nearly 40 pounds. They also reported feeling less hungry and had fewer carbohydrate cravings. So what gives?

Jakubowicz told the HealthDay Reporter the body is primed to look for food in the A.M. when metabolism is revved up and levels of cortisol and adrenaline are at their highest. If you don't eat--or eat too little--the brain activates an emergency system that pulls energy from muscle, destroying muscle tissue in the process. What’s worst, when you eat later, the body and brain are still in high-alert mode, prompting the body to store the energy from food as fat.

Eating a high protein, carbohydrate mix gives the body the initial energy boost it needs in the morning. Jakubowicz suggests eating meals made up of protein and vegetables throughout the rest of the day. Because protein is digested slowly, you won't feel hungry.

And if you're wondering what role the chocolate plays in the big breakfast scheme, Jakubowicz explained that having a small piece of candy with breakfast doesn't taste as good when serotonin levels are high, so the brain won't feel the same serotonin boost. This will eventually help cut down on cravings.

Strength and conditioning coach Chad Waterbury suggests a carb/protein/fat balance of 60/30/10 for breakfast, or 40/30/30 for those who don't handle carbs well.

Source

Carbohydrate Tolerance and Shedding Fat

Are you still trying to lose those last 10lbs? Or drop your body fat by a couple of percentage points? Join the club… I waged a battle against my vanity pounds a couple of weeks ago, and it’s not exactly a war of attrition.

In his article “Carbohydrate Tolerance: Frontline Fat Loss,” strength coach and scientist David Barr explains how to lose weight as efficiently as possible by exploring the concept of carbohydrate tolerance. There’s nothing magical about his advice: You lose fat through 1) Diet and 2) Exercise. But there are some enlightening tips on what you should be eating (protein), what you should be avoiding (carbs), and why.

The carbohydrate tolerance concept is best explained by treating our muscle as a sponge that's responsive to carbs. “For the optimal fat loss we want it relatively ‘dry,’ so that when the time comes, it can suck up as many carbs as possible,” Barr explains. So if the muscle is “dry,” it will be able to absorb carbs without affecting the rest of the body.

But according to Barr, once muscle reaches its saturation point once and has absorbed enough carbs, the carbs will begin to “spill over.”

Barr also advocates separating your weight training sessions from your cardio sessions, but that’s something you should already know (tsk tsk if you don’t).

According to Barr, “By splitting cardio and weights into two separate workouts, you're preserving muscle mass! This not only helps to maintain an elevated, fat burning, metabolism, but it also ensures that you'll look better when you're all done!” Who can argue with that?

Source

Cheating, Scapjacks, Overhead Squats and More

In June's Question of Strength, coaching legend Charles Poliquin answers questions about cheat reps, creatine and scapjacks. He also talks about the overhead barbell squats, which I suck at. The good news is, I will no longer obssess about mastering it!

Q: The overhead squat: good exercise or fad movement of the moment? And is it good for hypertrophy?



A: The only reason people find them challenging is if they're not flexible. It's one of those exercises that looks cool but it's a total waste of time unless you're a novice Olympic lifter learning the ropes. It's like taking a guy who can bench 400 pounds and making him do decline bench with the pink dumbbells with a Bodyblade acting as rectal probe. The question is, why?

Read more...

Source: T-Nation

06/20/08: Sweat Friday for the Beach Sunday Workout

We'll perform each circuit twice, with no rest between exercises within circuits. This circuit will probably take about 45 minutes. I end it with chin-ups and 15 minutes of cardio.

Circuit 1
High knees for length of gym, high kick back
10 Push-Ups
Air Squats (perform 50 fast)
Jump rope for 1 minute
Rest 30 seconds and repeat

Circuit 2
Plank (hold for 30 seconds)
10 close-grip push-ups
Side plank with 10 leg raises
Plank (hold for 30 seconds)
10 close-grip push-ups
Side plank with 10 leg raises
Plank (hold for 30 seconds)
20 Burpees
20 lateral squats
5x Suicide runs
Rest 30 seconds and repeat

Circuit 3
20 Frog push-ups
20 Straight leg squat thrusts
Crabwalk length of gym
Jump rope for 1 minute
Rest 30 seconds and repeat

Circuit 4
15 plyo push-ups
Walking lunges length of gym
Mountain climbers for 1 minute
Boat pose (hold for 30 seconds)
Rest 30 seconds and repeat

Circuit 5
Jump rope for 1 minute
50 Bicycle crunches
Extended plank (hold for up to 1 minute)
50 reverse crunches
5x Suicide runs
Rest 30 seconds and repeat

Leg Training Myths Exposed

Alwyn Cosgrove debunks pervasive gym myths in his article, "Leg Training Myths Exposed: Quick Answers to Common Idiocy." I am tempted to make copies of it and hand it out to the know-it-alls at the gym who come and criticize me mid-set (no, really, I don’t mind my concentration being blown) because I am committing the cardinal sin of performing full squats; i.e., butt to the floor.

I am, however, guilty of perpetuating the "Don't let your knee pass your foot during lunges" myth. But after reading this article, I will never utter that phrase again. It's a must read for all gymgoers.

Source: AlwynCosgrove.com

Abs: One Man's (Charles Poliquin) Opinion

Q: Many coaches put plank exercises for "core work" into almost every program they write. Is this a good exercise?

A: It's a good exercise if you're an 11-year-old stamp collector and you don't have a good work station... Seriously, the plank is something that you do in first grade phys ed. Maybe the side plank is okay for someone who's clinically obese and can't even get out of bed, but I never put it in my programs. It certainly doesn't have value for the elite training population.

The plank is just too basic. It's like power snatching with a broomstick. How long would you have to do that before it made you strong?

Q: Is there a best overall abdominal exercise? Is there ever a need for an athlete to specialize in ab training?

A: The best ab exercise? Squatting. Next is deadlifting.

Abdominal specialization for athletes? It could happen, but the abs actually have very little potential for strength increases when compared to other muscles like calves. Along with the grip, the abdominals are the least likely to improve with training. Some of these guys can claim all these poundages used in ab training, but it's actually the psoas doing the work.

If you truly isolate the abs, after six to eight weeks an athlete will plateau the rest of his life. Research has shown that the most coordinated athletes master the most difficult abdominal exercises in six to eight weeks. The only things that increase abdominal improvement are squatting and deadlifting.

Q: How low does your body fat percentage generally need to be in order to start seeing abs?

A: The magic number is 9.8 percent. Now, there are a lot of people who see imaginary abs, but one row doesn't count. The upper row of the abdominals can show up at 15 percent.

Source: Question of Strength by Charles Poliquin

Any Takers for This Workout?

Deadlifts, handstand push-ups and jumps. Sounds easy enough? You tell me...



15-12-9-6 and 3 rep rounds for total time of:
185 pound deadlifts
Handstand push-ups
Vertical leap, 1 foot above reach

Source: CrossFit

4 Best Moves for Strength

When it comes to building strength, there are two rules: lift heavy and use multijoint lifts with great technique. There are hundreds of exercises that can help you get bigger or stronger, but when you are limited on time or equipment, there are four monster lifts that will make your whole body stronger.

To get wicked strong, you need to have a variety of lifts in your repertoire—so long as you start with these four:

Exercise Sets/Reps
Squat 5/6
Deadlift 4/6
Barbell row 5/6
Bench press 5/6
Triceps pressdown 3/8
Barbell curl 3/8
Calf raise 3/8

Source: Muscle & Fitness

Tim Henriques' Five Ah-Ha! Moments

Tim Henriques is the Director of the National Personal Training Institute of Virginia. He describes "ah-has!" as: "Moments of clarity when you have a deeper insight into an aspect of training and the info just falls from the lifting heavens into the right place."

Here's the rundown:

1. Supersets Are Always Better than Combination Exercises
2. Train Abs First
3. 500 Meter Rows Are an Underutilized Predictor of Performance
4. How to Gain Weight (for hard gainers only!)
5. Stability Exercises Use Fewer Muscles, Not More

Click here for the full story...

Why Not Try a Heavy-Resistance Circuit?

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research recently published the study "Physical Performance and Cardiovascular Responses to an Acute Bout of Heavy Resistance Circuit Training versus Traditional Strength Training." The study compared heavy-resistance circuit training versus traditional, passive rest strength training set and concluded that "HRC sets are quantitatively similar to traditional strength training sets, but the cardiovascular load is substantially greater. HRC may be an effective training strategy for the promotion of both strength and cardiovascular adaptations."

Many of us think of circuit training as hi-rep, low-resistance workout. But according to this study, performing a heavy-resistance circuit (HRC) benefits muscle size, strength gain and cardiovascular conditioning. What's the takeaway here? Try a circuit training session using heavy weights to burn fat AND build muscle. Subjects in the study performed a weight that allowed them to shoot for 6 reps.

Fruit's Overrated... Here's Why

There, I said it. I've always made the claim that fruit is highly overrated. OK, they're not as bad as candy (they do have fiber and vitamins), but every fruit has a vegetable counterpart that is just as healthy--if not more.

That said, I do eat fruit--after my workout, blended with whey protein isolates and water. I stick to berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries) and cherries. And that's it for another 24 hours. And if I do have them on the weekend, then it's a real treat that's better than cake… well, almost.

Check out Dr. John Berardi and Ryan Andrews' Fructose Wars: The Nectar of the Gods or the Fast Track to Fatness? On Testosteronenation.com for the full spread. If you don’t have time, here's the bottom line:

"What to Do About Fructose

After reading even just this brief fructose review, many people will likely have misgivings when it comes to fructose. And for good reason.But, it's important not to make the mistake of thinking that the small amounts of fructose in fruit will be problematic. Remember, all the problems happen at very high intakes of fructose when liver glycogen is likely to be maxed out.

It's highly unlikely that consuming whole, unprocessed, fresh fruits will promote energy imbalances and body fat gains. However, it's very likely that regular consumption of fructose-rich fruit juices and foods will cause these problems.

So, when should you eat your fruits? Well, the optimal times to consume fruit — if you don't have any absorption issues — may be first thing in the morning and around your workouts.In the end, top researchers have concluded:

"The intake of naturally occurring fructose from an unprocessed, whole food diet is low and unlikely to contribute to any negative metabolic consequences."

As we always like to remind people: Whole fruits are rarely, if ever, the cause of major body fat problems. We don't know many people who go on "pear benders" or "blueberry binges.""

06/11/08: Legs

This is one killer workout. I am looking forward to it.

6 Narrow-Stance Leg Presses
Rest 10 seconds
12 Weighted Step-Ups
Rest 10 seconds
25 Leg Extension
Rest 2 Minutes
Repeat 3 times

6 Lying Leg Curls
Rest 10 seconds
12 Romanian Dead Lifts
Rest 10 seconds
25 Butt Blasters
Rest 2 Minutes
Repeat 3 times

6 Full DB Squats
Rest 10 seconds
12 Lunges (each side)
Rest 10 seconds
25 Dumbbell Dead Lifts
Rest 2 Minutes
Repeat 3 times

12 Seated Calf Raises
Repeat 3 times

12 Standing Calf Raises
Repeat 3 times

06/17/08 Circuit Workout...

This will most likely be Tuesday's (June 17) circuit. Notice there is no designated "rest time." Prepare to be toast!

Lower, Upper & Core Circuit:

20 DB Squats
25 Push-Ups
30 V-Ups
Jump Rope for 1 Minute
20 Jump Lunges
25 Curl & Press
30 Double Crunches
Jump Rope for 1 Minute
20 Wide-Stance RDLs
20 Rear Delt Raises
30 Bicycles
Jump Rope for 1 Minute
20 Alternating DB Lunges
10 Dive Bomber Push-Ups
Plank for 1 Minute
Jump Rope for 1 Minute
20 Lateral Squats
15 6-Count Lateral Raise
100 Crunches
Jump Rope for 1 Minute
10 Jump Squats
10 Plyo Push-Ups
Side Plank: 1 minute each side
Jump Rope for 1 Minute