Kick Start Your Fat Burning Workout with Circuit Training

In ten years of personal training, I have never had one client come to me and say “I want to look like the guy on the front of Muscle and Fitness magazine” or “please help me get big and bulky so that I cannot play tennis anymore.” What most people want is to have a strong athletic physique and avoid the inactive doldrums of aging. One of the best ways to reach this goal is to escape the boring days of bodybuilding workouts and start a circuit training routine. Bodybuilding workouts, in which you perform straight sets of one exercise for as many reps as possible, are a thing of the past. If you want a workout that helps you build a strong body and cardiovascular system, keep reading!

So, what’s the problem with a straight set bodybuilding format? Well, though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they are also an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. In most commercial gyms you’ll typically see someone perform three sets of 8-12 reps for let’s say the bench press. They pump out the reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then lollygag back to the bench area to hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). That means you’d need at least in hour to perform four different exercises! I can think of a thousand things I would rather be doing than spending a whole hour in a commercial gym.

A much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing, or antagonistic, exercise and rest for a short period of time. Alternating sets allow you to work different movement patterns when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The outcome is training efficiency and amazing results. You will accomplished more in less time and crank up your metabolism so that you are burning more fat throughout the day. Outlined below are several ways to perform alternating sets:

1.) Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges)

2.) Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges)

3.) Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises

Though supersets and trisets are excellent options, circuit training is by the far my favorite way to train. To demonstrate why, let’s examine a circuit training template using timed set intervals:

The 40-20 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:

Exercise#1- (Kettlebell Front) Squats

Exercise#2- (Kettlebell) Clean and Press

Exercise#3- Lunges

Exercise#4- Forward Roll-Outs with the Power Wheel

Exercise#5- Swings

Rest for 30 sec.-1 Minute After the Circuit

Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-25 minute total body fat burning, strength-building workout.

Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took the bodybuilder to get in three sets on the bench you have gotten in three sets of five different exercises for a staggering total of 15 work sets! How efficient! The short bursts of exercise not only helped you build strong muscle, it also put you far ahead of our bodybuilder friend on cardiovascular benefits and you are out the door in half the time.

To recap, the key to creating the optimal metabolic workout for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity and keep rest periods short. You will accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my HeadSTRONG clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:

Exercise#1- Double-Leg Exercise (such as Sandbag Deadlifts)

Exercise#2- A Pushing Exercise (such as Pushups)

Exercise#3- A Single-Leg Exercise (such as Sandbag Overhead Front Lunges)

Exercise#4- A Pulling Exercise (such as Sandbag Rows)

Exercise#5- A Core Exercise (such as Russian Twists)

Check out this video for an example of the workout:



Keep checking in for more killer circuit training workouts from the HeadSTRONG Athletics Boot Camps in the weeks to come.

Yours in Determination, Confidence and Physical Achievement,
Shawn Manning, Russian Kettlebell Instructor
http://www.headstrongathletics.com/

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.

Bare Bones and Cheap

I am all about saving money and working out with as little equipment as possible. Give me a kettlebell and a pull up bar and I will be happy. However, I have run across a product that I think is just cool and I wish I would have invented it. It is called the AIR Rope and you can get it at Power Systems. I do not have an affiliate with them but I would like to give kudos to the person who invented it. This simple product has allowed me to get my clients to jump rope without tripping up five times within an interval.

So being the cheap skate I am, I cannot bring myself to pay $30 for each pair of these. So I have come up with a different idea that doesn't cost a dime. Go into your linen closet and grab two hand towels. Grab the ends and start jump roping. The towel will create resistance and give your shoulders the workout they normally get with a jump rope. It is something you can do in your hotel room if you want to get in a quick workout. Here's a quick video:



Try this Tabata Style Workout next time you are stuck in a hotel room with no equipment.
Do at least 3 rounds with 1-2 minutes of rest in between each round, which will take you about 15 minutes.
20 sec. on/10 sec. off (Do 20 sec. of set #1, rest for10 sec., Do 20 sec. of set #2, rest for 10 sec., etc...)
1. Hindu Squats
2. Towel Jump Rope
3. Push ups
4. Towel Jump Rope
5. Side Lunges
6. Towel Jump Rope
7. Pinwheels (Side Plank rolling from side to side)
8. Towel Jump Rope

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.

Thanksgiving Workout!!!!

I will be holding a FREE workout in the park the Friday after Thanksgiving. This will be a FAT BURNING WORKOUT to control damage done the day before. Starting November 10th, I will be starting sign ups. The first 20 people that sign up will be receiving a FREE Gift. Imagine that....signing up for a free event and getting a free gift in return. Cant beat that!

Stay tuned for details! Shawn

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.

Workout of the Week

Starting today I am going to start posting my favorite workout of the week. This will be one of our actual Tactical Athlete classes that clients enjoyed during the past week.

Z-Health Joint Mobility Warmup 10 minutes
Warm-up/Skill: Turkish Get Ups (3 Per side)

Circuit: 3 rounds with 1.5 minutes in between each round
1. 1-Arm Overhead Stationary Lunge @ 30 sec. each side
2. 1-Arm Bent Over Row @ 20 sec. each arm
3. Squat/Alternating Shoulder Press (Sandbags...can also be done with a ball or kettlebell)@ 40 sec.
4. Kettlebell Slingshots @ 1 minute
5. Swings-20 sec. R/20 sec. L/20 sec. 2 Hand (total 1 minute)
Rest

Stretched 10 minutes

Here is the 1-Arm Overhead Stationary Lunge:




Want to know more??????
Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.

Baby On the Way!

This post has been about 12 weeks coming. Many of you know by now but I am officially out of the first trimester of my second pregnancy. I have avoided writing too much about it because I got a bit frightened about spilling the beans before the vulnerable time was over. Something in the back of my mind told me that if (God for bid) I lost the baby, then it was better to not have people connecting kettlebells to a miscarriage.


We had our first appointment with the midwife and the first ultrasound on Friday 10-17-2008 (a little late). The baby was about 3 in. and had a heartbeat of 167. My midwife, Marianne, said everything looked great and to carry on.


My training has been erratic. Too many days taken off. Slow, short workouts. There has just been no rhythm to it. In a way, I have been frustrated with myself for letting it get so unorganized but, I must say, sometimes napping has been much more needed. I have to remind myself that it won't last forever and to "listen to my body." A typical workout is this:
1. Clean and Squat
2. Military Press
3. Turkish Get ups
4. Swings
or

1. Sandbag Clean and Lunge
2. Jungle Gym Rows
3. Pushups
4. Snatches
I still like to keep things simple and about 30 minutes so I do as many rounds as I feel comfortable with and go with the flow.


Unfortunately, my eating has also suffered. You know, it confuses me. If we are supposed to eat so good for the growing baby inside, then why doesn't my body crave salads and protein and everything healthy? I mean, I drive past McDonald's and it smells like the food of the God's. No lie. I want starchy carbs (not the good ones) and sweets. Forget the protein shakes (although I did force myself to have one this morning) and wholesome vegetables (that smell awful). So, I have been a little devil with my nutrition but that could change tomorrow.



Stats:
Me: Official doctor's weight: 135 (By my scales: 132.5) Gain of 1 lb.
Baby is 13 weeks due May 1st.

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.

Busy day!

HeadSTRONG Athletics had a busy day today. During the 8:30 am class, the Wilma Magazine Photographer came by to take some pics for an upcoming article in the November Issue. Class went great so I hope it shows up on the still shots. Thanks Laurie!

Then I scooted over to PPD for their Fall vendor expo. I got to meet a ton of new people and saw some good friends too. Here is a quick shot from my spot. The banner turned out great and I got some curious and energetic response (as well as funny looks) to the kettlebell.

Got a Launch workshop tomorrow with 2 spots open. Sign up and become part of the growing number of kettlebell converts! There is nothing like it!

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.

One Quote To Live By

"Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live it." -Caroline Myss

No explanation needed. Have a wonderful weekend. Shawn

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.