Blast: Metabolic Interval Training

You know what's really cool about powerlifters and strongman competitors? Their necks are wider than their heads. You just gotta love that.

But I'm talking about something else cool about them: They do what works. No bullshit, no endless study-flinging — they just try stuff. If it works, they keep it. If it doesn't, they dump it. It's like survival of the fittest for training methodologies.

That's why I was intrigued when I heard about Chad Coy, a dude who's both a powerlifting champ, a strongman athlete, and a trainer and gym owner. When guys like Chad say something works, they mean it. They've tested it in the real world, and they wouldn't use it if it didn't get them fast results.

This is Chad's method for stripping body fat off in record time. He calls it "Blast." I just call it one hard-ass workout.


Beg, Borrow, and Steal to Get Ripped Fast
Metabolic interval training, or "Blast" as I call my version of it, is an exercise protocol that utilizes the latest science of endocrinology and performance training to totally tax the body's major energy systems. The main focus of Blast is to maximize the use of stored adipose tissue (fat) as a fuel source, both during and after exercise.

Blast is a "beg, borrow, and steal" type of training, taking ideas from every aspect of exercise to make a superior training session that incinerates fat at an incredible rate. In a given session, you could experience a combination of standard resistance training, calisthenics, body-weight training, gymnastics, reactive training — that's plyos for you old-schoolers — Olympic movements, kettlebell training, and strongman events in one integrated interval training session.

These sessions are fast paced, involving intervals of hard work and short rest periods to produce maximum fat loss in the shortest period of time. And don't just think gymrats are the only ones who thinks this works — it's backed up by science.

In a 2008 study presented in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, metabolic interval-type training had a ten-fold greater fat loss when compared to either aerobic exercise or weight training individually. Numerous other studies found in The Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport, The European Journal of Physiology, The Journal of Sports Nutrition, and The European Journal of Applied Physiology over the last eight years have supported this.

Some research showed that metabolic interval training actually had as much as a 50 percent increase in the use of fat as a fuel source during exercise. One research study showed that this type of training produced EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) that lasted 16 to 48 hours.

As a personal trainer and performance coach, I have to produce results fast or I'll find myself without a job. As an athlete myself, I've trained about every way known to man in the last 30 years, but I'm always looking for more productive ways of doing things. After reading the research, I began working on how to incorporate this type of training into what we do at my gym.

Over the last twelve months I've been working on the Blast training protocols with all my clients: professional and college athletes, bodybuilders, strongmen, MMA fighters, police officers, firefighters, powerlifters, and MILF's (Moms in Love with Fitness — get your mind out of the gutter). Through the use of Polar heart rate monitors and the BodyBugg by APEX, we found that the average client burned 11kcal per minute during exercise and had an elevated metabolism post exercise.

I haven't seen the 16 to 48 hours of EPOCH that some of the science has reported, but my clients have maintained a metabolic "afterburn" of four hours on the average.

One thing that I didn't expect was that this type of training helps aid recovery. Like "feeder" sets, Blast does a great job of flushing out the metabolic garbage from muscles by pumping tons of blood through them. GPP (general physical preparedness) is most assuredly improved by doing metabolic interval training.

Enough science. Time to show you how to do it!

You can work this in as a stand-alone session or build it into your body part splits. I'll give you some loose guidelines of how we do it for a stand-alone session.

Work and Rest
We start with a split of 30 seconds of work to 20 seconds of rest. We'll work up to 45 seconds of work and as little rest as 15 seconds.

Week 1: 30 seconds work / 20 seconds rest / 120 seconds between rounds
Week 2: 35 seconds work / 15 seconds rest / 110 seconds between rounds
Week 3: 40 seconds work / 20 seconds rest / 100 seconds between rounds
Week 4: 45 seconds work / 15 seconds rest / 90 seconds between rounds

Exercise Selection and Load
The bigger the movement the better, but the load doesn't need to be super high. I personally prefer compound movements across as many joints as possible and a load that allows 15 or more reps to be completed in the interval.

Stations and Rounds
Twelve stations and three rounds is what seems to work best. Much more than that and my clients — regardless of their conditioning — seem to just shut down. Our typical session lasts about 45 minutes.

Breaks Between Rounds
We range between 90 and 120 seconds of rest between rounds. That's generally enough time to wipe your face off and get a sip of water.

Note: The rest between rounds can be adjusted depending on condition of those in a training session. Some of our high school teams have gone up to 60 seconds work and 15 seconds rest.

Frequency
Training sessions per week should be limited to no more than four. Most of my clients lift weights two times per week and then add one to two Blast sessions.

Effort
How much effort should you put into each set and every round? I guess that depends on what you want to get out of the training? More effort = better results!

A "Regular Gym" Example
At my facility we have all kinds of specialized equipment. Your gym probably doesn't. Sorry about that. But here's a session example you can do with common equipment that'll leave you sucking gas and dripping sweat.

1. Body weight squats
2. Pulldown with reverse grip
3. Push-up
4. Dumbbell high pulls
5. Stationary speed skaters
6. Dumbbell bent-over rows
7. Jump dip. You'll need something to absorb your jump, such as an aerobic step.
8. Hanging leg raise (hold chin bar)
9. Lunge walk while holding plate locked out over your head
10. Ab roll-out
11. Dumbbell stiff-leg deadlifts
12. Standing broad jumps

Bonus Round
Fifteen to twenty minutes of good old low- to moderate-intensity cardio. The calories burned during this time period are almost exclusively fat because of the hormonal cascade you set up during the metabolic interval training.

Same Session Blast
Like the idea but aren't super keen on doing an entire separate session? Then just toss it in at the end of your workout.

Start out with no more than three exercises and three rounds at the end of your main training session. I've done the same body parts that I just trained, and I've just worked feeder sets for what I hit the day or two before. Both ways produce great results.

Give this session a shot and let me know what you think!

The Football Strength, Speed and Endurance Program

With the current football season drawing to a close, most players will do very little exercise during the break until the dreaded pre-season training sessions take place.

Some may go for a run a couple of times a week and others may opt for a kick-around with their mates.

Why not take advantage of the break and get yourself stronger, quicker and fitter.

Get the upper-hand on your competitors and start next season at the top of your game.

During the break, 1-2-1 Fitness will be offering routines specifically designed to increase your strength, speed and endurance.

These are all vital components to make you a better player.

1-2-1 Fitness is also offering to train 2 people for the price of 1, so why not train with a friend / team mate and split the costs?

If you want to start next season fitter than the rest, then contact me for further details.

Tea Benefits. Not drinking it ? You should be !

Energy drinks, fat burners, green tea capsules, why not just go to the source? It's convenient and cheaper! Green tea offers a ton of health benefits including disease-fighting antioxidants, assists in burning fat, and even protects your pearly whites, keeping you energized and looking your best.

More Tea, Please
The next time you're in line at Starbucks you may want to think about ordering tea instead of your usual coffee. With only 1/3 the amount of caffeine it may not be enough to perk up the avid coffee drinker, but tea offers numerous health benefits that will keep you going in the long run.

Tea has been popular for thousands of years all over the world. It is the second most consumed beverage behind water. Teas such as black, green, white, and oolong are made from the leaves of the evergreen tree camellia sinensis, which contains polyphenol antioxidants.

Antioxidants are important in a person's diet, because they rid the body of molecules called free radicals, which are a by-product of cellular activity, pollution, and the natural aging process.

Free radicals are destructive within the body, because they harm DNA molecules and pave the way for illness and disease. High amounts of antioxidants can be found in fruits and vegetables and other plant based foods such as the dried leaves used to make brewed tea.


Green Tea Benefits
One of the most studied teas for its amazing health benefits is green tea. Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is an antioxidant with cancer fighting powers.

Studies have shown it can aid in protection against various forms of cancer including esophageal, gastric, skin, ovarian, lung, and colon cancer. Studies have also shown that drinking 2-3 cups per day can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and decrease the risk of heart attack.

Not only does green tea contain immune boosting antioxidants, but it can also protect your teeth. Tea has bacteria killing properties to fight plaque, gum disease, and bad breath. Tea contains fluoride, which can protect against cavities.

Green tea has gotten a couple of knocks for it's fluoride content, despite the positive attributes, since too much fluoride can be bad for you. It is recommended that a person receive no more than 10/mg of fluoride per day. Loose leaf green tea only contains about 0.3 mg of fluoride, so unless you're drinking about 30 cups per day, don't worry.

Studies suggest that the polyphenols in green tea can help reduce and prevent rheumatoid arthritis. One study found that regular tea drinkers reported to have stronger bones and were less likely to develop arthritis. Those who drank tea regularly for 10 years or more had higher bone mineral density in their spines than non-tea drinkers.


Conclusion
Green tea is currently gaining more popularity due to studies that suggest it aids in weight loss. The combination of EGCG and caffeine in green tea work together to stimulate thermogenesis, heat production in the body. It increases fat oxidation and increases energy expenditure.

Although EGCG is capable of giving metabolism a boost, drinking a cup or two of green tea is not a weight loss remedy. A Japanese study shows that 5 cups of green tea per day only burns about 70 calories through thermogenesis. Drink your tea for all the health benefits, but keep in mind that you must always exercise and eat a well balanced diet for weight management.

There are tons of teas to choose from, but high quality loose leaf teas are the best. Brew your tea for 3-5 minutes to bring out the antioxidants. Add honey, milk, lemon or sugar to sweeten. Relax, sip, and enjoy.

Interval Training and High-Intensity Weight Training for women reducing body-fat levels

For years, marathon cardio sessions were 'mandatory' for women who wanted to lower their body fat. These sessions were long and boring... nothing like 2 hours on a recumbent bike!

No one seemed to notice that athletes who trained using short duration, intense workouts (such as sprinters) were leaner and more muscular than athletes who did much higher volumes of cardio (long distance runners).


Part 1: Interval Training
Research now shows us that higher intensity training, such as interval training, can deliver the same results in much less time than traditional longer duration cardio sessions.

Many studies prove the effectiveness of high intensity training:

The first major study was conducted in 1985. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that high-intensity training increases metabolism for up to 24 hours after training.

With lower intensity training (steady-state cardio) metabolism returned to normal shortly after the exercises session ended. (It is now an accepted fact that the rate at which you burn fat depends more on how many calories you burn in the hours following your workout as opposed to the number of calories you burn during your workout).

As recently as December 2006, researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada found that two weeks of interval training done on alternate days can increase metabolism by 36% in women.

"Short term intense interval training is highly effective in altering the ratio of lean body mass to fat without compromising muscle size." -Dr. Patrick O'Shea, (Quantum Strength and Power Training, Gaining the Competitive Edge).


What Is Interval Training?
Interval training is characterized by short, intense speed/effort increases during your cardio session, followed by longer duration 'recovery' period in which you return to your usual pace on whatever piece of cardio equipment you are using.

For example, let's say you normally run at 5.0 on the treadmill for 40 minutes. To introduce intervals into your session, you would (once you are warmed up) sprint for 20-30 second 'intervals' (at a higher speed than your usual 5.0), then reduce the speed back to 5.0 (or slightly lower) for 2-3 minutes, depending on your conditioning. This would be repeated for half of your normal cardio time (20 minutes).

That's all there is to it… It seems simple but if you've never tried it, be prepared for an extremely intense workout. Research shows that proper interval training can get you the same results in half the time of steady-state/lower intensity cardio.

This can be done on any piece of cardio equipment. The spin bike is excellent for intervals because of the ease at which you can control the speed/tension.

You should be out of breath at the end of each interval segment. If you can talk comfortably, you are not pushing yourself hard enough!

Just remember to take it easy while you are a beginner.

As your conditioning improves, you can increase intensity by:
1. Increasing the length of the interval segment.
2. Decreasing the 'recovery' time (some of my competitors sprint on a track for 30 seconds and 'recover' for only 1 minute).

Training at this intensity is only for women who are in superior cardiovascular condition. The worse thing you can do is to rush the process and burn out. I've seen this happen far too many times!


Part 2: High-Intensity Weight Training
Look in many exercise magazines for women and you will see workouts that call for 2 or 3 sets of 15 reps per set. A few sets and fifteen reps may be good for someone trying to get or stay in shape, but for someone trying to lose body fat and keep as much muscle as possible; it is not the most efficient way to train.


What Is High-Intensity Resistance Training?
Studies show that higher intensity weight training (lifting heavier weights in the 8-10 rep range) is more effective at burning calories and keeping metabolism elevated, in the hours following your workout, than higher rep training.

The key to fat loss is this continued elevation in metabolism, which continues for 16-24 hours after a high intensity workout. Lower intensity/high rep training and low intensity cardio do not keep your metabolism elevated in the hours following a workout. With lower intensity forms of training, your metabolic rate returns to normal shortly after the workout is finished.

This dispels the myth that high repetition training is the best way of getting 'cut'.

When I talk about high intensity weight training, I'm not just talking about lifting heavy weights. I'm talking about weight training in a manner that:
1. Burns the maximum amount of calories.
2. Keeps all of your hard earned muscle.

These are the two most important goals.

The best way to accomplish both of these goals is to:
1. Use weights that only allow about 8 - 10 repetitions (for most sets - but there are some higher rep exercises such as jump squats which are great for maintaining muscle size and send your heart rate through the roof).
2. Choose multi-joint exercises. These are exercises that require the use of many muscles to execute, such as plyometric pushups or walking lunges with bicep curls.
3. Group the exercises together in a circuit type fashion with minimal rest between sets - repeat these circuits multiple times. (10 minutes to 45 minutes depending on your conditioning).

This is a very demanding way to train. The heavy weights will maintain your muscle size while the choice of exercise and the circuit format keeps your heart rate high. The calorie burn is tremendous.

If you are not used to this type of training, take it easy at first. High-intensity training places great demands on your body. Proper form is very important because you will become exhausted while performing these exercises and it's easy to get sloppy and lose focus.


Conclusion
The combination of interval training and high-intensity weight training is the most effective way to decrease your body fat percentage. When performing intervals for the first time, decrease the time you normally perform cardio by 50%. Work hard and as your conditioning improves, increase the length of your cardio (interval) sessions.

The same goes for your resistance training. Reduce your normal workout time by 50% if this is your first time trying this type of circuit training. As your body becomes more conditioned, you can increase the length of your workouts. You will actually do more 'work' in these shortened sessions than you did in your longer ones.

Over-indulged at Easter ?

The Top 10 Reasons To Use FULL BODY Workouts

Choosing the appropriate muscle-building workout program is important if you are to maximize the time you spend in the gym and get clear body changing results. Some people are too quick to hop onto the first program they find without really thinking through what they are looking for in a weight lifting program.

Each type of program has its own pros and cons so getting straight in your mind what each one has to offer will make the decision of which program is right for you quite clear. The following are the top ten benefits to using full body workouts.


1. Lower Time Commitment:
The first benefit to using full body workout programs is that there is a much lower time requirement to perform them. If you're someone who has something on the go every night of the week, it can be hard to fit in a four-day-a-week gym program.

Since full body workouts can be performed over the course of just two or three days a week, this allows more time for other obligations in your life.

Depending on how you structure the full body workout program you may find they do take slightly longer in the gym to complete, but when you consider the overall weekly time commitment they require, you'll still end up much further ahead than with other programs such as the upper/lower body split.


2. Increased Muscular Recovery Rates:
The second benefit of full body workouts is the increased muscular recovery rates. One main reason why some people do not get progress on their workout program is simply because they aren't recovering from session to session.

Some people cannot handle back-to-back workouts even though they aren't working the same muscle part, so for those individuals, full body workouts are perfect. You will get at least one day off between each full body workout, so they will give your muscles maximum recovery time.


3. Greater Allowance For Additional Sports Or Activities:
Third, since full body workouts only call for you to be in the gym two to three times a week as already mentioned, this also frees more time for other activities.

If you're currently also doing cardio training either for health purposes or because you want to run a 5 or 10 km, using a full body approach will give you four or five days of the week in which you can complete those activities.

Note that you will still have to be mindful of your recovery rates because exercise is still exercise and is stressful on the body, but at least you won't be forced into doing double-day sessions as you would if you were on a higher frequency lifting schedule.


4. Larger Weekly Testosterone Boosts:
When it comes to really putting on lean muscle mass, the amount of testosterone you have flowing through your body is really going to make a significant difference. The higher the levels of testosterone you have in your body, the faster you're going to be able to build muscle-mass tissue.

When it comes to influencing testosterone release through your resistance training workouts, exercises that utilise full body movements and work as many muscle fibres as possible are going to release the greatest amount of testosterone.

Since you will be making good use of compound exercises in a full body workout in order to work every muscle group thoroughly, this fact makes them ideal for accomplishing this goal. Leg exercises especially are known for this, and in a full body workout you will have at least one leg exercise per workout.


5. Easier Manipulation:
In order to prevent training plateaus, it's important that you're constantly manipulating something about your workout program. This could be the exercises you're performing, the total number of reps you are using, the angle in which you're executing the lift, and so on.

When you're on a split body workout, you're going to be using more total exercises for each workout, making it slightly more difficult to throw in new exercises to prevent the plateau.

When you're using fully body workouts on the other hand, each muscle group is only going to get one or two exercises total, therefore you can easily swap things around either from full body workout to full body workout, or from month to month.

Additionally, if you happen to become injured in a particular muscle group, with a full body workout it tends to be easier to omit the exercise(s) that aggravate the injury and replace it with others that don't.

With a split body workout though, if one major muscle group gets injured that could throw off an entire day's workout, so that will definitely put a large kink in your program plan.


6. Decreased CNS Fatigue:
Sixth on the list of advantages of full body workouts is the lower level of central nervous system stress on a week to week basis. Whenever you lift a weight, a stress is placed on the CNS. It doesn't matter if it's a biceps curl or a squat, your CNS will be stimulated.

When you're stimulating the CNS day after day after day, eventually it too begins to fatigue and the overall amount you're able to lift on a daily basis really takes a hit.

The only way to prevent this from happening is to give the CNS a complete break from training, which is accomplished quite thoroughly on full body workouts.

That day in between sessions really goes a long way towards allowing better CNS recovery, so if you're beginning to feel fatigued all the time no matter what you do (short of taking consecutive days off), this might be an indication that you should be switching to a full body workout program instead.


7. Ideal For Home Workouts:
If you're someone who is doing their workouts at home, full body workouts make for a really good option. Often equipment choices will be limited when doing home workouts, so full body workout fit nicely since they require fewer different lifts total, making it easier to complete them just with a set of dumbbells.

Dumbbells can be used to perform walking lunges, deadlifts, lying chest presses, shoulder presses, bent over rows, lateral raises, biceps curls, and overhead triceps extensions, which, when done in combination together, will make up a complete full body workout.


8. Simple Scheduling:
If you're someone who finds life crowding out your workouts on a regular basis, if you're on an upper/lower split or another type of divided workout set-up, this can get to be quite the nuisance.

You must then make the decision of whether you'll perform the workout that was missed on the next workout opportunity, or if you'll just skip that workout entirely and go on to the next. If you repeat the lost workout you're going to be behind in your overall program plan, but if you skip it, then those muscles didn't get worked as they should.

It's quite the predicament to be in and can mess up what would otherwise be a sound plan. With full body workouts though, if you miss a workout, you simply wait until the next opportunity and you'll still be hitting the full body once again.

What's also great is that at most you'll be doing three workouts a week, even if you do miss a day; if you can make it to the gym the next day you won't throw off your weekly schedule, because you will always have some point in the week where you have two consecutive days off.

For this reason, full body workouts are the most practical approach for those who have irregular schedules.


9. Ideal For Fat Loss:
If you're looking for fat loss, then the perfect choice here is also full body workouts. When you're on a fat loss diet you're taking in fewer calories than the body would ideally like, which means a lower level of recovery reserves.

Despite this fact, you still must be stimulating the muscle tissues at least twice per week in order to prevent fat loss on a diet, so cutting back on workouts entirely is not going to be an option.

Full body workouts make for the ideal fat loss workout set-up because they will get you working each muscle group at least twice a week, but won't ask too much from the body in terms of recovery.
This is an important combination because the risk of muscle mass loss on a diet is high for either not working out enough or working out too much, so the two-day-a-week full body workout program is the right compromise between both these issues.


10. Lower Levels Of Boredom:
Finally, the last benefit to full body workouts is lower levels of boredom. The more often you repeat the same activity over and over again the greater the chances that you will find boredom settling in. Since full body workouts require lower levels of frequency, they already have an advantage.

Secondly, since there are so many different ways you can set up and design full body workouts, when you do become bored, it won't take much effort on your part to renew your interest in the program.


Conclusion
So, be sure you give full body workouts a fair consideration. Many people overlook them for what appear to be 'fancier' splits, which are less effective. When done properly, full body workouts can be used to build maximum amounts of muscle regardless of what your current fitness level happens to be.

Contact me if you require assistance creating your own full-body workout.

14 Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore – Full Squat Benefits !

There seems to be much confusion amongst trainers and trainees as to whether squats should be performed all the way down or just half way.

In most gyms today, a common instruction during squats, deadlifts, and lunges (as taught by many personal training organizations) is not to allow the knees to travel beyond the toes. Doing so will ultimately cause the destruction of your knees!

I do not agree. There are certain instances where partial range of motion (ROM) is indicated, but for the most part, I teach people the full squat for the following reasons.


Full Squat Benefits

1. It is the most primitive movement pattern known to man; our ancestors used to perform many daily functions (i.e. harvesting, gathering, hunting, cooking, eating, etc.) in a full squat position.

2. Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed, we spend 40 weeks in the fetal position (which is basically a full squat) prior to entering this world - do we come out with bad knees?

3. We should strive to train in full ROM for each and every exercise. The squat is no exception.

4. Every exercise produces stress around a joint - the body then adapts to this stress.

5. Contraction of the quadriceps, the hamstrings, and the gastrocnemius maintains integrity around the knee joint.

6. Sheering and compressive forces do occur around the knee joint (as opposed to only sheering forces that occur in some open kinetic chain lower body exercises, such as the leg extension); however, the large contact area of the patella with the femoral groove (as knee flexion increases during the full squat) helps to dissipate compressive forces.

7. Therefore, not only is the squat - as a closed chain exercise - considered a natural movement pattern with high functional carryover, but it is also a safe exercise if performed correctly (and that includes full ROM!)

8. Drawer tests are performed at a knee angle of 90 degrees because there is a greater amount of laxity in the knee joint at that specific angle. So, does it make sense to only go down half way where you are most vulnerable especially when greater loads can be used (because you are much stronger in this partial ROM?)

9. According to Ironman contributor, George Turner, the fulcrum moves to the knee joint in a parallel squat as opposed to the muscle belly of the quadriceps in a full squat.

10. Think about it, if you constantly trained in a limited ROM, the likelihood of injury increases if one day you happen to squat beyond your trained ROM.

11. Partial squats performed on a regular basis will decrease flexibility.

12. There is a low incidence of lower back pain and knee injury in Aboriginal and Oriental societies which perform full squats on a regular basis.

13. Even Olympic weightlifters who practice full squats have quite healthy knees compared to other athletes.

14. Although you may find some research that indicates full squats as potentially harmful to the knees, only one study has ever proved this to be true. However, it was performed on a skeleton - the same results do not hold true with surrounding connective tissue. On the other hand, numerous studies show the benefits of full squats.

Unfortunately, many personal training certification courses are teaching half squats as a safe version suitable for all individuals and this has now become written in stone.

God forbid that you deviate from this golden rule to do something that our bodies are meant to do!

Read this carefully: squatting should be performed in a full ROM where the hamstrings make contact with the calves (so that no light can be seen passing through your legs at the bottom position).

It is okay for your knees to travel beyond the toes (just do not relax the knees in the bottom position). In other words, keep the legs tight and try to stay as upright as possible throughout the exercise.

Conclusion
So, next time some fitness instructor approaches you in the gym and advises not to go deep while squatting tell him/her that they don't know squat and come and train with me instead!!!