Gravity Fx Fitness

A recent study at Truman State had participants doing as many kettlebell swings as possible in 12 minutes, resting when they wanted.

The average heart rate was 86% of maximum for this session.  The researchers concluded that “KB’s provide a useful tool with which coaches may improve the cardiorespiratory fitness of their athletes.”

Kettlebell swings use lots of muscles to complete the lift.  When done with little rest in between, they will get your HR up in a hurry and can definitely give you a cardiovascular training effect.

KB lifters like to promote the fat burning that occurs with their use.  They can be used to increase strength or increase muscle endurance, depending on how you use them.

I have played around with them a little bit but am far from an expert at using them or teaching others how to use them.  Like any other “hot trend” you have people looking to jump on board simply because something is popular.

The first time I used them was at a one day seminar in Atlanta, where I was living at the time.  The instructor was one of the graduates of the first Russian Kettlebell Certification program and there was about 16 or 17 of us out in a large urban park.

Many people were out walking, biking or running and we drew a lot of interested looks, as this was something “new” and different in 2003.  A homeless man in particular was dumbfounded as to what we were doing, lifting these strange looking objects in the park.

While they are much more common today than they were then, there are people that are promoting them without understanding their proper use – when you see an adult using a 4 pound KB, that’s a pretty good indication they don’t know what the objective is.  This is similar to someone lifting pink dumbbells and think that they are “toning” their muscles with high reps, when the amount of resistance is not adequate to challenge the muscles.

If you are looking to get optimal fat burning results in minimal time, then doing cardio resistance training is a great way to get the best of both worlds – building lean muscle tissue at the same time you challenge your cardiovascular system.

Using tools like sandbags, TRX, bands, ropes, and dumbbells with little rest in between exercises is a great way to burn fat and challenge your muscles.  You can get a good cardio effect without doing steady state work on a treadmill or elliptical machine and you might reduce some of the pounding on your joints.

KB’s are a great training tool but you can get great results with other tools, as well.  Using them with poor technique may put you at increased risk for injury, so if you decide to give them a try, make sure your instructor knows what they are doing.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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The short and simple reason is that it can help you lose fat while spending less time exercising!

When you do various movements with the ropes for 20-30 seconds you elevate your heart rate significantly.  It is a very simple way to do interval training, which is great for fat loss.  Many of my clients are breathing heavy at the end of their set, often letting out a big “Whoo” because of the hard effort involved.

When you realize that intense effort and increased oxygen intake are vital to your results, there are many different ways to accomplish this.  I like to do cardio strength training because it is a time efficient method for increasing fitness and fat loss.

I have my clients do various resistance exercises to build lean muscle tissue and rope training accompanies these exercises quite nicely.  This way you can increase your metabolism and burn calories after you have stopped training.

Typically in an aerobics class or during a treadmill session you are working at 60-75% of your max HR, which is low to moderate intensity.  After you are done your metabolism returns to where it was previously, in as little as 10 or 15 minutes.

An elite endurance athlete who works at a higher intensity will have a greater “afterburn effect,” but the average healthclub member usually doesn’t work as intensely.  So when you understand that burning more calories is about intensity, you seek exercises that will really get your heart racing.

Obviously, this is assuming you are healthy, injury free and accustomed to exercise.  There are numerous patterns that can be done with the ropes and variety is important for keeping your body from getting stale, but also your MIND from getting stale.

Let’s face it.  There’s a reason that health clubs have all those TV’s in front of the treadmills and ellipticals – to keep your mind off of all the endless repetition going on.  Ropes on the other hand require you to focus on what you are doing and that is elevating your heart rate.

If you’re a busy person like most of us, than training with ropes and doing resistance training in the same session will allow you to lose weight without spending two hours at the gym.  Sounds like a winner for both me and my clients!

Ropes also allow you to get a cardiovascular effect without the pounding on your joints.

Many people seem to forget that you can get cardio training from doing interval work, where you exercise for 20-30 seconds, rest and then repeat, keeping your HR up in the process.

For example, last Saturday I did my workout after the clients had left.  I decided to get my HR monitor out to see how many calories I would burn.  I used the sandbags, TRX suspension trainer and a barbell, going from an upper body exercise to a lower body movement or opposing upper body movement, keeping my rest periods very short.

I used the ropes a few times to finish off the workout and stopped the monitor at 40 minutes.  In forty minutes I burned 552 calories and had an average HR of 77%, which qualifies as cardio activity, with a peak heart rate of 95%, which is pretty intense!

Now, I obviously am used to this type of training and wouldn’t start someone with that much intensity, but I think you get the point – I definitely got my cardio and strength training done in a single session, leaving my metabolism elevated for several hours afterwards.

I spent the next 20 minutes stretching, cleaning and getting the studio ready for Monday’s clients, while re-starting the HR monitor to see what was going on.  I burned an additional 216 calories, with my heart rate at an average of 68%, still qualifying as cardio.

I think you get the point that intense training can create an “afterburn effect” that is due partly to the increased oxygen consumption.  Heavy breathing is definitely acceptable in your workouts.

Training with ropes is also a great stress reliever – after beating the floor intensely for 20 seconds or more, you tend to forget what you were stressed about.  The alternating upper-cut pattern is also a healthy way to “punch” your particular individual stressor, if you wish.

Besides, with about two thirds of adults being overweight, can it really hurt to take some different approaches?

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Two recent fat loss studies looked at the value of doing high intensity circuit workouts. Typically, this might have you alternating from one exercise to another with a short rest period and then repeating, as opposed to doing a resistance exercise like a lat pulldown, resting and then completing 3 sets before moving on to the next exercise.

Study 1 had one group doing this standard 3 sets of an exercise with rest in between, while the second group switched back and forth between exercises.  The second group burned more calories per minute.  The researchers concluded that if your workout time is limited, this superset training may be superior.

Study 2 looked at 3 groups:  a low intensity circuit, an endurance (cardio) training only, and a high intensity circuit training group involving strength training.  The high intensity group had the greatest reduction in weight, bodyfat, and waistline, while increasing their strength levels at the same time.

If you are trying to lose fat then your weight room workouts should include plenty of circuits instead of doing one body part at a time before moving to the next exercise.  If you have limited time to exercise than you would be better off doing some type of intense interval or circuit training to burn more fat and elevate your metabolism.

This is the type of training we do at my studio and it definitely works!  One client this morning talked about not knowing what exactly the workout is going to be that day.  Changing things up keeps the body guessing and keeps both your body and mind fresh – constantly moving forward.

If you have the time, than do some walking, biking, hiking or whatever you enjoy.  Make sure to do some intense interval strength training two or three days a week and reduce the processed foods in your diet.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Tornadoes, snakes and beatdowns are descriptions of some of the rope training we do.  Ropes are a part of the cardio strength training I do with my clients.  Besides getting your heart rate up in a hurry, its a “fun” way to do your workout.

Monday is cardio day at the studio and I have them move from one exercise to the next with little rest in between.  This form of interval workout trains your cardio and muscular systems at the same time for maximum efficiency.

Total body workouts are a great way to build a lean, athletic physique in sessions lasting 40 minutes.  What’s that old Army commercial about getting more done before 7a.m.?  Same type of principle – we get more work done in less time.

Studies show that this type of training can elevate your metabolism for 24 hours or more after the workout.  Work harder and work smarter if you’re not getting the results you want.

These joint friendly workouts are also done by my clients in their 50’s – all but the agility ladder, though some can do this as well.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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According to an Australian researcher, increasing adrenaline is the key to losing belly fat! Professor Steve Boutcher was one of the researchers involved in a study that compared intense interval training vs. long cardio for fat loss.

The study (published in 2007) separated 45 obese women into 2 training groups -

Group A did three 20 minute interval training sessions a week.  They pedaled intensely for 8 seconds, followed by 12 seconds of light pedaling on a stationary bike, repeating this for the 20 minute session.

Group B did 40 minutes of slow, steady pace cardio for 3 sessions per week, exercising for twice as much time as the first group.

No changes were made to the diet of either group.  Its been said that you can’t make up for bad eating habits with exercise, so the results of this study are very interesting.

Group A saw significant fat loss, with one participant losing 17.6 pounds in 15 weeks.  Group B didn’t lose fat and one woman actually gained two pounds!

Professor Boutcher believes the results from the interval group was due to the adrenaline increase that occurs with that type of training – the release of these hormones speeds up fat burning.

Adrenaline is also known as epinephrine in the science world and is released into the blood in response to stress – your “fight or flight” hormones.

The 8 seconds of sprinting came about after different studies determined that 20 seconds was too difficult for most people and 2 to 3 seconds wasn’t enough.  He advises to gradually build up to the 20 minutes exercise time and recommends a spinning bike, rower, or cross trainer (Airdyne bike).

He has found that most anyone can exercise in this manner when taking the gradual approach.  Obviously, you should check with your doctor first if you have any health concerns in regards to exercise.

Once again, the lack of time excuse is busted!  This information was borrowed from Turbulence Training.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Hollywood trainer Gunnar Peterson is using rope training with his celebrity clients to increase the intensity and variety of their workouts.

Ropes Gone Wild are a new tool for high intensity cardio training developed by innovative trainer Anthony DiLuglio.  The ropes are 1 1/2 or 2 inch diameter and typically are 50 foot in length.

Two recent articles in Muscle and Fitness and Muscle and Fitness Hers feature Peterson putting a couple of his clients through some grueling workouts.

He calls this type of training “beatdowns”, as he tells clients to beat the floor with the ropes.  The ropes create undulating patterns (waves) as you go through many different movements – vertical, diagonal, and circular.

Besides adding much needed variety to your typical cardio routine, it jacks your heart rate up in a short amount of time.  So if you’re like me and find treadmills and stationary bikes boring, this is a “fun” alternative.

Of course, by fun I mean an incredibly intense workout that doesn’t have to take much time to elevate your HR and metabolism, burning plenty of calories in the process.

One of the reasons Peterson’s clients seek him out is because of the innovative training methods he uses.  He has a gym full of equipment that allows an endless variety of combinations.

His one hour workouts combine strength, cardio, and flexibility in one session.  You know me, I like time efficient workouts that don’t last too long, except for an occassional bike ride that goes an hour and a half or longer.

Besides being time efficient, rope training works your core and lower body without any pounding on the joints.  If you can’t run because of past or current injuries, you can still get your cardio with the ropes.

Most people can use them at home in their basement or garage, or even take them outdoors, if you wish.  I like to use them with sandbags, kettlebells, and suspension training.  For more info, go to Art of Strength.

Get Moving!

Brian Morgan

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If you are someone who travels frequently, you might have some difficulty training while on the road.  Some hotels have decent workout facilities while others have nothing, or just a treadmill or elliptical machine.

If you prefer resistance training you can always do a bodyweight circuit in your room – using pushups, lunges, planks, etc.

Or, if you want something more you could use resistance bands for a little more variety.  You could easily take these with you and not take up much room.  You can attach them to the door and do various pushing and pulling moves.

You can also use them for stretching and assisted lunges.  They can also give your pushups a little more resistance.  Since you probably have little time but still need to unwind after sitting all day in the car or in a meeting, bands are the way to go.

Just do a circuit, going from one exercise to the next with little or no rest time and you got your cardio in with a little bit of resistance, too.

You can get several different bands to handle all levels of resistance, but if you are just starting out and want to keep it simple and inexpensive I would suggest the economy package from Resistance Band Training.

Get moving!

Brian

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Exercise doesn’t have to be long and boring to get results!  Many people start an exercise program only to give up because it just takes too much time.

Boredom can also be a factor, so a little creativity is needed.  That’s one of the reasons I like resistance band workouts.  They work well for bootcamp classes and also for stretching and agility training.

In the amount of time that most people spend on the treadmill or elliptical machine, you can get a full body workout that keeps your metabolism elevated for several hours afterwards.

Plenty of studies have shown the effectiveness of interval training for fat loss.  One in 2002 studied a 31 minute circuit training routine that used multi-joint exercises.  The amount of oxygen consumed after the workout was significantly elevated for 38 hours.

Meaning, more fat burned!  You won’t see this with your casual walk on the treadmill.

Watch this video of Dave Schmitz and BJ Gaddour taking some fitness professionals through a workout…..

These resistance band workouts are a great way to get in a fast, fun workout.  If you just want general fitness and fat loss, do your resistance training and cardio at the same time.  You can also do this at home or on the road.

For more info check out Rapid Fat Loss Cardio or Resistance Band Training.

Get moving!

Brian

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The last couple weeks I’ve switched up my workouts a little.  Sometimes I combine sandbag exercises with flex band workouts where I do a total body circuit in one session.

Besides not requiring a lot of time to exercise, these interval workouts burn a lot of fat, as your metabolism stays elevated for several hours afterwards.  I’ll do a lower body exercise and then switch to an upper body exercise or two and then repeat this circuit.

My heartrate is elevated the whole time, so I get my cardio work in at the same time I do my resistance training – pretty efficient if you ask me.  All the exercises involve the “core” so that also helps with being time efficient.

But the intense workouts can add up after a while, so I’ve made some slight changes.  I’ve seperated my upper body and lower body workouts to let my body recover a little better.  It also lets me get an extra workout into my week, which should help.

I told you that I recently bought a “shoe” with individual pockets for my toes – the Vibram five fingers.  I’ve been trying to wear them a lot on my days off to help strengthen my feet and also wearing them during my training.

They seem to be working and I definitely like how much it makes my toes work, as they are spread out, providing greater stability to my feet and lower legs – good for the posture.

I did some dive bomber pushups, along with T-stability pushups, alternating with flex band one arm rows and bent-over sandbag rows.  Then I did alternating sandbag presses and some alternating sandbag curls.  It feels good to some direct work for the “guns” every once in a while.

Since I was feeling pretty good, I decided to try some overhead presses with the 120 lb. sandbag.  If that doesn’t sound that difficult then just try lifting something overhead that is constantly shifting (sand) and it turns into a little more work.

I got a couple sets of 5 and felt pretty good.  I had to use a slight bit of leg drive on the last few reps, but not too much.  If you read my recent post on shoulder injuries, you should know that I never did get surgery on my shoulder and it is doing pretty well, in my opinion.

Lots of stability work has kept it in decent condition and lets me do anything I need to.  Between the flex bands and sandbags I have an almost limitless number of exercises that can be done either at home or outdoors.

If you would like more info on sandbag training you should check out coach Josh Henkin’s Sandbag Fitness Systems.

Get moving!

Brian

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