Gravity Fx Fitness

Saturday I used only sandbags in my workout and burned 641 calories according to my HR monitor. In one exercise I used a slight assist from a TRX, but the workout took 45 minutes and worked every muscle in my body.

The TRX suspension trainers are supposed to be “all core all the time” because your core is activated to some degree in every exercise.  Same thing with sandbags – you’re always working your abs, low back and hips during an exercise.

Cardio strength training (interval training) is a great way to build lean muscle tissue and burn fat at the same time.  For example, my average heart rate for this workout was 78% of my max, with the peak HR reaching 98%  (pretty intense).

So a 45 minute workout at 78% will obviously burn some calories.  By doing more intense interval training you go into oxygen debt, where you are breathing heavily.  Research has shown that this can elevate your metabolism for 24 hours or more AFTER you have stopped exercising!

That’s one of the things I like about sandbags – improved fat burning efficiency while improving your coordination in different movement patterns.  The exercises train multiple muscles to work together at the same time.

I did step ups, overhead presses, high pulls, partial rotation deadlifts and an overhead rotational lift that is often done with a medicine ball.  I kept the rest periods between exercises minimal which keeps your heart rate up and stimulates your fat burning hormones.

One of the reasons you’re metabolism stays elevated after this workout is because of the fast twitch muscles that are worked with the exercises that focus on either strength or power.  More muscles used equals more calories burned but you also have the “afterburn” effect going on as these muscles are being repaired after the workout.

These workouts can take a lot out of you and need to be progressed gradually.  I have my baby boomer clients doing most of these same exercises and it allows them to get in a fast, efficient workout – letting them spend more time with family and friends.

I really could feel it in deep in my abs the next day, particularly from the overhead rotational lift with the sandbag.  I have taught those 15 minute ab workouts before at a healthclub and would never feel it in my abs like I do with the sandbags, or even the TRX.

Here is a video from coach Josh Henkin that shows a few examples of sandbag training.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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If you have limited time for exercise you can still get good results if you use the right methods!

The right methods include total body training that elevates your heart rate and challenges your muscles at the same time.  To get results in minimal time you have to work hard and keep your rest periods short.  This will elevate your levels of growth hormone and help you burn more fat.

If you don’t have 90 minutes or more to go to the gym you no longer have an excuse.  Using tools like suspension trainers (TRX), sandbags, dumbbells or bodyweight exercises require you to use multiple muscles with each movement.

For example, exercises like pushups involve not just your upper body but your abs and low back, also.  Do your exercises standing or kneeling to get more bang for your buck.  The more muscles used with an exercise the greater the calorie burn.

If short on time don’t try to isolate different muscles – get your heart rate and metabolism up by doing more work in less time.  You can gradually increase the number of reps and/or decrease the amount of rest as your body adapts to the stimulus.

This can also ignite the “afterburn” effect.  For example, one study had lifters do 3 exercises for 30 minutes where they completed them in a circuit – going from one to the other and then repeating these three exercises.

Their metabolism was still elevated 30 some hours later!  Now these were experienced lifters but they worked every muscle in their body in this 30 minute circuit.  So the take home lesson is to use as much of your muscle fibers as possible if you are doing a short workout.  Then do some lighter intensity activity in between to help recover or just take it easy until your next workout if you have limited time.

An example of this would be the flex band squat/row alternated with some pushups.  Keep your rest periods short and get your HR elevated for as little as 15 minutes.  Push/pull exercises for the upper body and squat/lunge patterns for the lower body are a great way to do it.

Check out my previous post on a busy restaurant owner who lost 20 pounds of fat while exercising 2 hours a week.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Is it more important to burn fat during your workout or after?  Alwyn Cosgrove recently wrote an article on EPOC and the “afterburn” effect – where your metabolism stays elevated after the workout.

A research study published in 2002 looked at the effect of a 31 minute circuit training workout on post workout metabolism.  This study showed an increased metabolic period lasting 38 hours after the workout.

Meaning, 38 hours later, their bodies were burning more calories than before the workout session!  The workout involved three multi-joint exercises (bench press, squat, and power clean) done in a circuit, 4 times in 31 minutes.

This should say a lot about the role of high-intensity resistance training and the ability to burn fat – also, the use of compound movements (multi-joint) for maximal efficiency.

One of the things this study does, is highlight the fact that the number of calories burned during the workout isn’t necessarily as important as the number of calories burned after.

This routine broke down a lot of muscle tissue and the rebuilding phase obviously burns quite a few calories.  Combine this interval resistance training with a cardio and nutrition program and you should see even greater fat burning.

This is the basis for Cosgrove’s Warp Speed Fat Loss system that I completed earlier this Summer.  I lost 13 pounds in a month and wasn’t quite perfect in following the low carb diet.

Training is important, but so is the eating.  These workouts were all under an hour in length.

Get moving!

Brian

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