Circuit Training 101
October 2, 2009
Sometimes if I’m in a mood, I’ll make my spinners take turns doing 20 push-ups between songs. It may seem like I’m bullying them but there is method to my muscle madness. I know from my own experience that the odds of dropping down and doing push-ups or any other resistance training AFTER completing your cardio are slim. I say do your weight work prior to your cardio. Or better yet, insert some weight intervals into your cardio. After 15 minutes on the stairmaster, step off and do squats with heavy weights , do another 10 minutes of cardio, then do 20 push-ups, 10 more minutes of sweating, the some heavy weight bicep curls, etc. This is called circuit training and is a much more efficient way to burn fat, build muscle and gain bone strength. That way, it increases your calorie burn during your aerobic stint plus you rev up your metabolism so that you burn more fat the rest of the day even when your sitting on the couch with Oprah!
Here are some facts about how strength training can boost your health:
It boosts your metabolism for six to fifteen hours after your workout.
It increases your calorie and fat burning activity for 24 to 48 hours post-workout
And 24/7/365 your metabolism will be faster so you burn more fat.
Since five pounds of muscle fits into the space or two and a half pounds of fat, if you gain muscle and lose fat you will be twice as tight and slim!
If you are just doing cardio, good for you, BUT you are getting the smallest return on your time invested. Circuit training takes the relatively small amount of time that you have to exercise, and makes you burn more fat during the rest of your day and week! Would you rather invest seven hours a week, get seven hours of benefit or would you want to invest that same seven hours and get 138 hours of fat burning benefit?
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