Men’s Health came out with a “Big Black Book of Secrets.” Here is a break down of one of the articles that will help many shed that extra fat around one’s waist and belly.
The closer you are to achieving legendary leanness, the more stubborn your fat stores become. Its actually your body doing what it is designed to naturally, known as self-preservation. Everyone’s body is designed to keep some fat which it uses as fuel just in case food becomes hard to come by. Time to start igniting your metabolism!
No matter what workout or exercise you do, there is only so much fat that you can burn during each one. The more your train your body, the more your body’s “exercise efficiency” improves. This means that the same amount of activity burns fewer calories as time goes by. So let us go beyond the time you are actually doing cardio and focus on the other parts of the day. While you’re at your desk, or watching your favorite TV Show, think of creating a workout that will not only burn as many calories as a 4-mile jog but, unlike that jog, also unleashes a flood of fat-burning hormones that stoke your metabolism for hours after you are finished. This creates a furnace inside your body where it just keeps burning the fat even if you are sitting at home watching TV.
STEPS
- Do 8 to 15 reps of each set
This number of reps stimulates the greatest increase in fat-burning hormones, compared with doing a greater or lesser number of repetitions. You have to use an adequate weight that will provide a challenge. By your last repetition during each set, your should start to struggle and barely make the last rep. This will mean that you are doing it correctly.
- Perform 2 to 4 sets of each exercise
Ball State University researchers have discovered that fat-burning hormones increase when you complete just one set of an exercise. At the same time, Greek scientists determined that there was no difference between doing 4 to 6 sets of each exercise. So keep them between 2 to 4 and push your max.
- Don’t rest too long between sets
75 seconds is all you need. NO LONGER!! If working out with a partner, save the chit-chat till the end of the session. This is the gym, not a coffee shop. Doing 8-15 reps results in the accumulation of a chemical called lactate in your bloodstream. And high lactate levels are associated with an increase in the release of fat-burning hormones. If you rest too long, the oxygen you breathe helps clear the lactate from your bloodstream.
- Work your ENTIRE body
Start working your entire body every day. Many will work out 1-2 muscle groups per day. Many still build muscle doing this as well (I still do). The only problem is that the fat-burning furnace won’t be turned up as high after you are done with your work-out. Don’t use every muscle though. Break it down to one muscle in your arm, a small group in your back and legs, then switch it up and keep rotating it. By switching it up, your body will not adapt as easily and your metabolism will spike. University of Wisconsin did a study which found that wen men performed a full-body workout involving just three big-muscle exercises (bench press, power clean, squat) their metabolisms were elevated for 39 hours afterward. Do three of these intense workouts 3 days a week with a rest day in between rather than working out every day.
- Alternate between two exercises
I know that we all have things to do and people to see. So why spend more time in the gym than you need to? To cut down on the 75 second time frame in between sets, work two muscle groups at a time. Do one set that uses upper body, than another set right after with a lower body. The lactate in your bloodstream will stay at a high level of almost constant lifting. Between sets of these two combined, before you move onto the next dual set, you can take a nice 2 minute break and then crush it out again.
- Monitor your lifting tempo
This is very simple. Do not bounce weights, or create a “bouncing” motion during squats or any other exercise. This also cuts down on the momentum created which then will make each exercise push your true potential. Plus its hurts your tendons to do lifts improperly
- Skip the long runs
Yes, running burns calories. If you’re already eating healthy (which you should be if you want abs) studies show that distance running does little to further enhance fat loss. Doing long runs, does not boost your metabolism like most would think. HIIT does. This stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Such as short sprints, no longer than 30 seconds with a slow jog in between. By doing this on the days that you do not lift weights, you can spike your metabolism even higher.
KJ Banach
-Much of this information was found in Men’s Health Big Black Book of Secrets.
