Gravity Fx Fitness

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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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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