The Anti-Aerobics Fat Burning Workout

Fitness

Nutrition

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The Anti-Aerobics Fat Burning Workout
by Curt Pedersen

When designing a workout to decrease bodyfat, many trainers and trainees develop a program that emphasizes aerobic exercise. The primary reason for this is due to the belief touted through one to many Jane Fonda videos that aerobics is the only way to lose fat. While aerobics do have their place in an exercise program, there may actually be a better way to train when the goal is decreasing bodyfat. Strength training, specifically with higher repetitions and short rest intervals can be more effective in the quest to shed bodyfat. Outlined in this article is a sample workout that when performed with the appropriate intensity and an effective diet, can help shed bodyfat in record time.

The Workout
The cornerstone for this training program is to never allow the body to completely recover between sets of exercises. Rest intervals throughout this program will never be more than sixty seconds long. To maximize fat loss when following an incomplete rest training protocol, it is equally important to choose the most effective exercises. The best exercises to use are movements that utilize the most muscle groups such as the barbell squat, bench press, leg curl, and bent over row. These exercises and their variants involve the largest muscle groups in the body, which will increase the amount of energy expended during the workout and produce the best results. The entire body is trained at each workout to elicit the greatest training effect. To maximize the hormonal response to each workout, the length of each workout should not exceed forty-five minutes. After six weeks of this training program, trainees can either repeat the cycle using different exercises or move onto a new training program, depending on the amount of bodyfat they wish to lose and their individual goals. Outlined below is a six-week training cycle using the parameters previously mentioned. This workout is similar to the fat loss workout developed by strength coach Charles Poliquin in his German Bodycomposition workout.

Workout Loading Parameters

Week Cycles Repetitions Tempo Rest Interval

One 3 10 202 60 sec

Two 3 10 202 30 sec

Three 4 10 202 60 sec

Four 4 10 202 30 sec

Five 5 10 202 60 sec

Six 5 10 202 30 sec

*Beginning exercisers may want to add thirty seconds to each week's rest intervals if the workouts are to demanding.

Loading Parameter Terms Defined

Cycles
A cycle represents all of the exercises performed during a given workout. For example, during the first week of training, each exercise is to be repeated three times.

Repetitions
The number of repetitions to be performed for each exercise.

Tempo
This is an often-neglected loading parameter. The tempo of each repetition refers to the amount of time spent performing a repetition. Each number represents a specific phase of a repetition. The first number represents the concentric or lifting phase of the repetition, the second number the pause phase of the exercise following the concentric phase and the third number the eccentric or lowering phase of the repetition.

Rest Interval
This is the amount of time spent between each exercise and with this workout, the amount of time spent between each cycle of exercises.

Exercises

Monday Wednesday Friday

Barbell Squat Dumbell Deadlift Dumbell Lunge

Flat DB Bench Hammer Incline Press Incline Dumbell Bench

Seat Leg Curl Lying Leg Curl Stiff Leg Deadlift

Hammer Seat. Row Hammer Pulldown Hammer Row

DB Shoulder Press(seated) Machine Shoulder Press Standing Military Press

To learn how to perform any unfamiliar exercises, enlist the help of a qualified trainer or consult a quality exercise technique book such as Bill Pearl's "Keys to the Inner Universe"

Diet/Supplements
Without proper nutrition, the effectiveness of this training program will be greatly diminished. While everyone has his or her unique nutritional requirements, it is important when following a strength-training program to consume adequate amounts of protein everyday. Research has shown this amount to be equal to 2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Below is an example of how to determine one's daily protein requirements using this formula.

1. Determine Your Bodyweight in Kilograms
This is done by dividing your bodyweight by 2.2
Example 180 lbs./2.2 = 82kg

2. Multiply this number by 2 to determine daily protein requirements.
Example 82kg * 2 = 164 grams

This total amount of protein should be divided into 5-6 meals per day to optimize nutrient absorption. Each meal should also include a moderate amount of carbohydrates and fats. Many people see excellent results when dividing each meal into a carbohydrate:protein:fat ratio of 30:40:30. This is similar to ratio made popular recently by various diet books including The Zone book series. The carbohydrates eaten consist primarily of low glycemic index fruits and vegetables. To learn what carbohydrates meet this requirement, click on the link accompanying this article which provides a chart of the glycemic index of various foods. Protein should come from a variety of sources such as lean red meats, poultry, dairy foods, and fish. Fats should be primarily from polyunsaturated sources including olive oil, fish, and flaxseed oil.

Supplements
Supplements should only be used to complement, not replace a properly designed exercise and nutrition program. Listed below are a few supplements that are recognized for their ability to improve fat loss.

Thermogenic Supplements
These supplements often contain herbs that have the same effects of ephedrine, aspirin, and caffeine, which have been shown in scientific studies to speed fat loss by increasing metabolism and decreasing one's appetite. Example thermogenic formulas are TwinLabs Metabolift, Sportpharma Thermedrene, and Cytodyne Technologies Xenadrine. Always consult with your physician before using any of these formulas since they may have negative interactions with some prescription medications.

Flax Oil/Fish Oils
Along with their many health promoting benefits, flaxseed and fish oils have been found to promote fat loss. Flax oil is most easily obtained through nutritional supplements, while fish oil can be obtained through both supplements and cold water fish such as salmon and tuna.

Branched Chain Amino Acids
Branched amino acids have been shown in scientific studies to help maintain muscle mass when dieting to lose bodyfat. Branched chain amino acids can be obtained from supplements such as Champion Nutrition Muscle Fuel or a quality whey protein shake.

Glutamine
Glutamine, the bodies most abundant amino acid, may also help to maintain muscle mass while dieting and when taken on an empty stomach, increase the secretion of growth hormone which may increase the amount of fat burned.

Conclusion
While this workout is extremely intense, the results produced should far exceed those obtained from aerobic exercise. Due to the intensity of this workout, one may choose to abstain from aerobic activity during the training cycle to allow for complete recovery between workouts. Since the trainee's heart rate will be elevated throughout the workout, their aerobic fitness will not be compromised.

This workout is also effective for athletes competing in sports that consist of brief bouts of intense activity for an extended period of time such as soccer, basketball, and hockey. Performing this workout at the appropriate time in the off-season will provide the type of conditioning required for these sports.