Triple Power, Strength & Endurance Circuit Training

Circuit training is one of the most versatile weight training systems. I have elaborated this popular fitness training method in my earlier article. Many effective and efficient circuit training routines are provided.

You can essentially design a circuit training routine with all sorts of exercise combinations: total-body, upper body, lower body, core, muscle-specific, opposing muscle groups, superset, etc.

For the beginners, start with bodyweight circuit workout. As you get better conditioned, progress to add external resistance or weight as a tool. You can use resistance band, strength machines, dumbells, barbells, kettlebells, sandbags, etc.

I've designed the following triple circuit training routine that incorporate power, strength, quickness in a "timed" endurance total-body workout.

It's an excellent physical and "mental" conditioning workout, particularly for athletes/fighters who are engaged in both explosive movements and endurance conditioning such as mixed martial arts (MMA) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Believe me when I double-quote the "mental" word. After a few reps or into the second or third exercise/set, you'll start to break sweat and breathe hard. You'll know or perhaps don't know how to tough out the circuit. You gotta be physcially and mentally strong to get through the workout.

Remember the Spartan 300 warrior training. These actors didn't go through the typical bodybuilding-type weight training. They did a similar strength and cardio circuit training routine that combine power, strength, quickness and endurance in a series of exercises.

If you have tried my earlier power circuit training routine based on modified Olympic Weightlifting, this triple circuit training is a perfect complimentary workout.

Triple Attack Circuit:A. Jumping Pullup x 1 minute or 12-20 reps
B. Dumbbell Thruster x 1 minute or 12-15 reps
C. Burpee x 1 minute or 12-15 reps
Do all three exercises back to back with no rest. Rest only after you finish the burpees for 90 seconds to two minutes. Then repeat for a total of 3 to 5 circuit sets. I also include the suggested repetitions for each exercise. That's the approximate number of reps you should try to achieve depending on your fitness level.

How to set up
Bring a pair of dumbbells for your normal do 10-rep set for your shoulder presses by the pullup bar area. Reduce the weight by 20 to 30 percent because you won't be able to press as heavy in this workout.

Jumping Pullup
I know it's tough to do pullups for the whole minute or 12 reps for most people. The trick here is do just one pullup at a time, i.e., one-rep set.

So jump half-way up to grab to pullup bar, then finish the pullup by completely pulling youself upward and squeezing your lat muscles hard at the top position. Lower your body and down.
Repeat for one minute for as many as you can do.

Dumbbell Thruster
As soon as you finish the pullup in one minute, pick up the pair of dumbbells and start the thruster exercise.

Thruster is a combination of front squat and shoulder push/press in a smooth continuous action. It's the best total-body and core strength conditioning workout. You can do thruster with barbells, dumbbells or kettlebells.

Watch a demo video for "dumbbell thruster" >>





Burpees
When you finish the unbelievably gruelling dumbbell thruster and cannot quite catch your breath, leave the dumbbells aside and get down onto the floor in pushup position.

Quickly hop and pull legs in toward your body to the knee-down position. Jump explosively upward with both feet (squat jump) and land back onto the floor. Knee down or squat down as you put your hands down on the floor in front of you. Then quickly kick your legs straight back and land on the floor to a plank/pushup position. That's one rep.

Watch a demo video for "burpees" >>

Do as many and as fast as you can for one minute. This is a bodyweight killer exercise that strengthen your whole body and core. There are other variations for different levels of difficulty. You can do "tuck jump" with your knees drawn in towards your body when you jump upward. In the double-leg kickback to plank/pushup position, you can do it like "sprawl" in grappling, submission or MMA to counter a take-down.

Progression
As always, start the training program slowly when you deal with new exercises. Record the repetitions and weight in each training session. Adjust your rest intervals to complete the circuit. Add the level of difficulty or intensity gradually.

That's a three-minute round. Do as many rounds as you can. There's no shortcut to success in the ring - only hardcore workout and top conditioning to be the best MMA fighter.

Enjoy the sweat!

Copyright 2007 www.careyforfitness.com by C. Carey Yang and Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC.
All rights reserved.

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Run Better with Pain-Free Knees and Heels

Running is one of the most popular exercises for improving your heart health, cardiovasular fitness, burning calories, losing weight and relieving stress. Its popularity also implies that you could suffer from overuse injuries.

If you're an avid runner, you've probably trained and competed in distance running (full or half marathons) or triathlon events. You could easily log in 20 to 50 miles a week on the treadmill or on the road. That's a lot of pounding, pouncing and stresses on your legs and joints.

If you've done H.I.I.T. (high intensity inteval training) type running routine, you know the demand and you can feel the soreness on your leg muscles. Sooner than later, you'll be caught up with joint pains if you do H.I.I.T. too much too often. That's why it's recommend not to do more than three H.I.I.T. cardio sessions a week and no longer than 30 minutes each time.

Recovery is an important yet often neglected part of any training program. Many runners know how to push themselves to run harder, longer and faster. If your recovery is not sufficient, you'll break down than build up. You're prone to injuries.

As a result, many running-related injuries have occured on the knees, shins, ankles and heels. The two most common injuries are "runner's knee" and plantar fasciitis.

There are many ways of preventing and rehabiliating the injuries. Running shouldn't be a pain if you run with correct body mechanics and proper training plan.


Runner's Knee
It's called "chondromalacia" technically. It's a condition where the articular cartilage underneath the kneecap (patella) starts to soften and break down. You feel pain under or around your kneecap that worsens when walking downstairs, running hills, squatting or jumping.

Overuse is the major cause of runner's knee. Other causes are being overweight, poor running or foot mechanics, overdoing activities that involve a lot of running, jumping or change of direction.

How to fix & rehab

1. R.I.C.E. Ice your knees for 10 to 15 minutes after running to relieve the pain.
2. Warm up and stretch properly before running or any sports, especially quadriceps and hamstrings.
3. Cut your milesage. Avoid running downhill until the pain subsides.
4. Run on softer surfaces such as treadmill, dirt trail, grass or soft track.
5. Cross train with different activities or sports. Replace a few runs with lower impact activities such as walking or using an elliptical trainer.
6. Pick a pair of suitable running shoes that keep your knees stable, provide adequate cushioning and support. Replace for every 500 miles.
7. Strengthen the muscles around your knees. Quad sets (quadriceps isometic exercises), short-arc extensions, straight-leg raises are a few helpful exercises. Slowly progress to full-arc extensions, knee extension machine and closed kinetic chain exercises such as leg presses, squats and lunges.
8. Stretch your calf muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, iliotibial band, hip adductors (inner thigh), hip abductors (outer thigh), hip flexors and glutes.
9. Perform balance and stabilizing exercises that challenge your "proprioception", your body's ability to know where its limbs are at any time.
10. Always consult with your doctor or physical therapist for your specific conditions. Check for any muscle imbalance, tight muscles or foot mechanics.

Plantar Fasciitis
This is another common injury of foot in runners or any athlete involving intensive use of feet. It referred to an inflammtion of the plantar fascia running along the sole of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is a chronic symptom occurring over time with repetitive overuse stresses on the plantar fascia.

People with high arch, uneven leg length or poor running biomechanics are more prone to this injury.

You feel pain on the bottom of your foot towards your heel. The heel pain is usually the worst when you just get out of bed in the morning or at the beginning of a run. The pain typically subsides after you warm up and stretch.

How to fix & rehab

1. Rest your affected foot.
2. Warm up and stretch properly before running or any sports.
3. Cross train with different activities or sports. Replace running with no or low impact activities such as swimming or cycling until the pain eases.
4. Massage the bottom (arch and hill) of your foot for five minutes several times a day with a tennis ball, a tin can or a water-filled bottle.
5. Before getting out of bed in the morning, warm up and massage the bottom of your foot to loosen up the plantar fascia.
6. During night time sleep, your feet are in plantar flexion position that shortens the plantar fascia. This would aggravate the pain even more due an extended period of inactivity. A night splint may be used in order to hold the ankle joint in a neutral position.
7. Pick a pair of shoes that provide good arch support.
8. Stretch your calf muscles and around your feet and ankle.
9. Perform strengthenging exercises such as hill raises and toe walking.
10. Always consult with a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or fitness trainer/specialist for your specific conditions.

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Strategies to Excuse-Proof Your Workout

No More Excuses. Period.

If you've recently started an exercise program, research tells us that most likely 50% of you have bailed on your goals!

One study from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania showed that a quarter of people who resolve to lose weight and change their eating habits on January 1 will go back to their old ways within a week. The following shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:

- Past the first week: 75%
- Past 2 weeks: 71%
- After one month: 64%
- After 6 months: 46%

You've probably experienced some challenges on your journey to your goal. How have your dealt with them? Perhaps it's time to recheck your motivation and inspiration.

If you're one of those who's already hung up your sneakers, let me get you back on track.

Here's a list of common excuses NOT to exercise and the combat strategies to overcome them:

I don't have time to work out!

This is the #1 excuse to never starting or quitting an exercise program. When life gets tough, exercise is usually the first thing to go which should be the last. Exercise is one of the best ways of boosting your mental sanity when you want to get the tough going. Research demonstrates that exercisers are more productive; i.e., exercise saves time rather than consumes it.

Exercise also doesn't have to be a huge time commitment. According to the updated Physical Activity Guidelines from ACSM and AHA, exercise done in as short as 10 minutes for 3 times a day can count towards the daily activity recommendation and still reap health and fitness benefits.

I have offered many efficient circuit training routines that combine strength training and cardio circuit exercise into a total-body balanced workout. In addition, I provide a wide variety of effective weight training routines. All these training programs are designed to help busy people to get their workout done in 45 minutes. Superset workout is one of the most effective weight training systems.

You can also exercise first thing in the morning so that it's scratched off from your "To Do" List. Morning exercisers tend to stick to their routines better than people who exercise later in the day.

I have no energy!

"I'm too tired to work out!" is another perpetual excuse. Long time exercisers know from their experience that exercise actually refuels and revitalizes leaving you with more energy.

If you feel too tired to run, you can go for a walk. Walking in fast pace and moderate intensity can be a good exercise for your brain and heart health. Once you start to get going, you'll feel great and may want to run again because more blood and oxygen are pumped to your brain and muscles. When you get into the grooves, try the high intensity interval training H.I.I.T. cardio to rev up your metabolism, melt away unwanted body fat and reveal your six pack abs.

I'm too old to exercise!

You're never too old to exercise! You simply cannot afford NOT to exercise.

A 30-year old sedentary individual will suffer from a 10% decrease in muscle mass, aerobic capacity and flexibility. Their bone density will deteriorate. By the age of 68, an 80% decrease in strength will be noted. By the age of 80, an individual would have lost one half of their muscle mass. If you incorporate exercise, particularly weight-bearing activities, this rate decreases dramatically. The positive benefits of exercise have been displayed in 90-year-old subjects.

So it's never too late to get started! You can still stay fit even if you're over 40! Mary Stroebe is 89 years old and has been placed first in her age group for the fifth year in a row in the Life Time Fitness Triathlon. The majority of 89 year olds are either debilitated or barely capable of moving, not to mention to do a triathlon that includes swimming, cycling and running. She is an inspiration to everyone who knows her story. She's strong and still running.

If you're still in doubt, check out Kelly and Colleen - national fitness champion mother/daughter duo. They look so lean and ripped. Guess how old they are? Kelly (mother) on the left is 75 and Colleen (daughter) on the right is 46 years old! WOW!! Aren't they amazing. Kelly didn't start weight training until she was 53 years old. So says who that you're too old to exercise. You should feel ashamed to use this lame excuse not to exercise.

I hate exercise!
In the beginning, exercise may feel like a chore. Eventually exercise will become a need for both your physical and mental health. It's important to find activities that you actually enjoy doing so that you'll participate regularly, see the results and get hooked. Use music, try lifestyle activities like hiking or walking, and add variety by cross training to your program to make it more fun. You can also choose many physical activities, sports and workouts by your personality.

Some studies have also shown that people who exercise with friends tend to achieve better results. So find a workout buddy, join a running club or take a group exercise class. Form your own "circle of fitness" with like-minded friends. The support system or mastermind group may make it difficult to skip workouts. Having other people there may make the journey a lot more enjoyable.

An alternative is to find a good cause for running other than for yourself. Train and enter a fund-raising event that help cancer patients and family. A very popular one is Team in Training organzied through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

When you want to stay in shape, be aware of who you're associated with. Research shows that your close friends can be very powerful in a good or bad way, even the long distance ones. Your friends can make you fat !?

There's also no evidence to suggest that exercise needs to be painful. If it hurts that much, you may be doing too much too soon. That's the #1 cause of injury. Watch out for signs of overtraining and potential injuries.

I'm too out of shape to exercise!

Some people are self-conscious about themselves. They feel intimated when going to gym to exercise in front of mirror and other muscle buffs. A survey found the #1 reason why people choose not to join a gym is because they want to get into better shape or lose weight first. This backwards approach may never get you to your goals.

Find a facility that is non-intimidating where you feel comfortable to go and work out there. In fact, people tend to focus on themselves in the gym than on others. So just focus on your own workout and don't compare with other people.

If the gym scene is not your thing, don't make that an excuse. There are literally hundreds of things you can do from the privacy of your own home to get in shape. Go to your local book store and pick up a book on designing your own program. Rent some fitness videos. Hire a personal trainer to come to your house and design a customized in-home training program for you. On-line training and coaching is available as well.

I have a back problem! My knees hurt! I've got arthritis!

The health benefits of exercise often outweigh the risks. Certain orthopedic or medical conditions may make exercise more difficult but you can work around most problems. Consult with a fitness professional who can design a program that addresses your specific concerns.

I don't see any results!
One of the biggest stumbling blocks new exercisers experience is that the effort often doesn't match the reward. They've been exercising religiously for 4 weeks and jump up on the scale. Ugh, no change! They feel the program must not be working and give up. Unrealistic expectations can be a real downer!

Instead of measuring your progress by the scale, measure your energy levels. Monitor how many more repetitions you can perform of any exercise. Assess how many more minutes you can perform of any given activity. You may be making more progress than you think! If you can get through the first three months, you've put the most difficult part behind you. Soon, you won't believe that quitting was ever an option!

I always forget something!

Set up your gym bag the night before and do a quick inventory of everything you'll need. Keep an extra pair of socks and shoes and spare workout shirt and short/ pant in the gym bag. Plan ahead and always keep a set of gym outfits in your car.

Going to the gym is such a hassle!

Bypass the waiting line to the cardio machine and workout out at home. You can do your cardio training by running or biking outside. Keep simple training equipment at home such as several pairs of dumbbells, a stability ball, mat, Pilates ring, resistance tubing or bands and jump rope. If your home space and budget allow, you can build a home gym by adding an adjustable weight bench, squat rack, barbell weight set, a treadmill or an elliptical trainer, etc.

Remember, bodyweight strength circuit training can be just as challenging and gruelling if you do them right!

Follow these real-world strategies to help you overcome those daily hurdles that keep you from reaching your exercise goals. Ultimately, your lifestyle change is the secret to lifelong health and weight management.

Learn top 20 ways to stick to your workout. >>

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Walking for Your Health

The newly updated ACSM physical activity guidelines now recommend that all adults (both under and over age 65) accumulate moderately intense cardio for minimum 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

It may sound overwhelming at first. In modern lifestyle people are so busy at work, taking less vacation days, and spending more time and money eating out. It seems that people are crunched in time doing the exercise required to manage their weight and health.

How do you find the time to do the five 30-miniute cardio sessions and two muscle strength training sessions every week?

Remember, these are just basic recommendations and guidelines to maintain health and reduce risk of chronic disease. If you're overweight or obese, you may need 60 to 90 minutes of physical activities to lose weight (or fat).

Walking is the most popular form of aerobic exercise for adults. Walking at a normal-to-brisk pace constitutes moderate-intensity exercise. Walking has several advantages over other exercises:

- Walking can be performed by a majority of people.
- Walking does not require special equipment or other people.
- Walking has a low rate of injury.
- Walking is easier to work into one's daily schedule.

Walking is also an activity that many people can fit into their daily schedules. The ACSM guidelines specify that short bouts of moderate-intensity activities of 10 minute or longer can be counted towards the 30-minute recommendation. For example, if a person finds it difficult to block out 30 consecutive minutes for walking, it might be easier to take three 10-minute walks.

Although walking does not provide the same boost to fitness as a more vigorous activity such as running or high intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.) cardio, it is clearly a type of exercise with important health benefits. Walking can be equally beneficial to many people who cannot engage in more vigorous intensity activities due to medical or orthopedic problems.

One often-missed yet important element in walking for your health is that the "intensity" has to be at least on the "moderate" level.

The ACSM guidelines specify moderate-intensity physical activity as "working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation." So causal walking a few minutes in the office or around the block at a slow pace do not count towards the recommendation.

So how fast or how hard should you walk to meet the ACSM recommendations for your health?

At a walking pace of 3.5 miles per hour, a person could walk two miles in about 35 minutes. This would be one way to meet the ACSM recommendation for aerobic exercise.

How do you know that you've just walked two miles in 35 minutes?

Pedometers are useful tools for helping people track their walking particularly when they distribute the walking throughout the day. Although the exact number of steps needed for health benefits has not been documented for all ages, an average of 10,000 steps per day has been linked with lower blood pressure, improved blood glucose control, a healthier body weight, and less abdominal obesity.

Each person's fitness level is different. Walking pace of 3.5 miles per hour could be easy for one, but challenging for the other. For cardiovascular health beyond the ACSM recommendation, you should walk fast enough that you feel your heart rate goes up, breathe a little heavier and cannot complete a sentence without a break. If you wear a heart-rate monitor, you should walk fast ennough that your heart rate stays above the minimum recommended range by your physician or trainer.

Another way of measuring your aerobic intensity is the rate of perceived exertion (RPE). It's also called the "talk test" to gauge how you feel during the exercise. The moderate intensity would be at least 5 to 6 out of the RPE scale of 1 to 10 range.

When beginning a walking routine, start slowly and progress gradually. Also keep in mind that consistency is the real key to gaining health benefits through walking. The choice to be an active person requires a lifetime commitment.

As always, consult your physician before starting an exercise program especially if you have medical or orthopedic problems. Hire a qualified personal trainer to design a custom and individualized program for you.

With patience and consistency, you can walk your way for improving your health and losing fat.

Learn how to walk off your weight. >>

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Muscle Up! The Updated Physical Activity Guidelines

Muscle up and pump iron!

Muscle strengthening or strength training is now officially recommended in the updated physical activity guidelines released by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and American Heart Association (AHA).

Research shows that regular physical activities reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, some types of cancer (colon, breast, prostate, lung), anxiety, depression and a host of other health problems.

These guidelines outline exercise recommendations for healthy adults and older adults and are an update from the 1995 guidelines.

Read the full updated guidelines here >>

Learn more about weight training and workout routines to gain strength and build muscle >>

Learn more about effective high intensity cardio interval training (H.I.I.T.) to lose fat faster >>

Summary

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Guidelines for healthy adults under age 65

Basic recommendations from ACSM and AHA:

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week

Or

Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week

And

Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation. It should be noted that to lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic disease.

Guidelines for adults over age 65
(or adults 50-64 with chronic conditions, such as arthritis)
Basic recommendations from ACSM and AHA:

Do moderately intense aerobic exercise 30 minutes a day, five days a week

Or

Do vigorously intense aerobic exercise 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week

And

Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, 10-15 repetitions of each exercise twice to three times per week

And

If you are at risk of falling, perform balance exercises

And

Have a physical activity plan.

Both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity is critical for healthy aging. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise means working hard at about a level-six intensity on a scale of 10. You should still be able to carry on a conversation during exercise.

Older adults or adults with chronic conditions should develop an activity plan with a health professional to manage risks and take therapeutic needs into account. This will maximize the benefits of physical activity and ensure your safety.

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Comments

The document also provides useful information and tips as to how to meet the exercise recommendations and how to start an exercise program.

Eight improvements over 1995 guidelines were made and clarifed in details.

One updated guideline also spells out that "more is better." It emphasizes the importanct fact that physical activity above the recommended minimum amount provides even greater health benefits. To prevent unhealthy weight gain, attain or maintain weight loss, some adults will need to do more than 30 minutes a day.

In addition, the updated guidelines specified the so called "moderate" or "vigorous" intensity physical activities and 10-minute short bouts of exercise.

Short bouts of "low" intensity activity, such as grocery shopping, taking out the trash or casual walking a few minutes in the office or parking lot, DO NOT count.

However, certain daily activities of moderate to vigorous intensity nature, such as brisk walking to work, yardwork/gardening, performed in bouts of 10 minutes or longer can be counted towards the recommendations.

The key is that the intensity of activitiy has to be at a minimum RPE level of 4 to 5 to keep your heart rate up at a sustained duration of 10 minutes or longer.

So after-dinner walking around your neighborhood by youself or with your family is a great idea to wind down for the day and to get some family time. To reap health benefit, the walking pace has to be at least at 3.5 miles per hour or two miles in about 35 minutes to meet the recommendation for aerobic exercise.

You don't have to go the gym to get the daily recommended physical activities. There are many different physical activities and exercises you can do in the gym and outdoors. My earlier article on cross training provides a variety of fitness program, sports and activities you can do all year round.

You can also choose your physical activities, exercise or workout by your personality. Exercise program compliance and consistency is the #1 challege to health and fitness success. You want to pick the activities that you're motivated to do and love to do without being told.

For variety and effectiveness, you can mix up the intensity of cardiovascular exercise in the same session or in different workouts. I have elaborated the high intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.) method as an effective and efficient cardiovascular training protocol for losing fat and preserving muscle.

You don't necessary have to go to gym or have a home gym to perform muscle strength training. For many beginners or seniors, bodyweight-based exercise or functional training are more than sufficient. As you get stronger, you may want to join a gym or build a home gym so that you can have more equipment options. There are so many weight training systems and workout routines available. It's wise to hire a personal trainer to show you how to lift weights properly and custom-design a training program for you.

Take-away Message

The message is loud and clear: do as much as you can do to prevent yourself from becoming disabled!

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Strength Circuit Training - Upper Body on Cable Pulley Stations

Fast Workout. Effective Results.

Circuit training is one of the training systems that you perform at least 5 exercises back to back with no or little rest in between. You take the prescribed rest after finishing all exercises in a circuit or as a long set.

Circuit training has many benefits and advantages: saving workout time, reducing risk of injuries and breaking training plateau by cross training and changing up training routines. It can be used in the mesocycle as part of the whole periodization training program.

If organized and performed properly, circuit training can be effective in any programs for building muscles, losing fat and really shaping up your body. It is one of the most efficient training systems to help you tone up muscles, fire up your fat burning furnace, and reveal your six-pack abs.

In an earlier article, I have covered the concept of circuit training and explained what it is, what it's not for and how to do it. I also provide the guidelines for designing a circuit training program.
Several circuit training sample routines are demonstrated using bodyweight, strength machines, barbells and dumbbells. "Timed" strength machine and Smith-machine based circuit workout routines are also given.

In the following, I'll demonstrate a upper-body strength circuit training routine based on Cybex cable stations. There are many other fitness equipment manufacturers that market similar machines and systems. This strength circuit training routine can be used to complement other weight training or circuit training routines using other types of resistance.

It's a great principle of fitness training by mixing up mult-joint compound exercises with single-joint isolation exercises. Another tip is to work the full range of motion, all three planes (vertical, horizontal and rotational) and push/pull joint actions.

The Cybex Crossover Station has two vertical towers on two independent pulley systems. The pulleys are adjustable between high and low positions. One can perform various unilateral or bilateral exercises by pulling the cable(s) against the weight stacks. It normally has handles or grips on the top beam running across the two towers where you can do pullups, chinups or hanging leg/knee raises.

Cybex Modular System has several exercise stations centered around a tower or column. It may have a unit for weight-assisted pullup, chinup or dip, a unit for pressdown or pulldown exercises, a cable seated rowing unit, an adjustable bench for situp or reverse situp and a unit for back extension.


Cable Station Based Circuit Training Routine -
Upper Body Push/Pull
Cable Chest Press to Fly x 8 - 12 reps
Cable Overhead Shoulder Press x 8 -12 reps
Kneeling Cable Crunch x 15 - 20 reps
Dip (bodyweight) x 8 -15 reps
Triceps Pressdown x 8 - 12 reps
Biceps Curl x 8 -12 reps
Lat Pulldown x 8 -12 reps
Seated Low Row x 8 -12 reps

Rest for 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
Repeat for a total of 2 to 4 circuits.

You can also change the order of the exercises or vary the repetitions in subsequent circuits. The accumulated training effect is different. You'll feel different intensity of tension on your muscles.

Remember that circuit training is not meant for replacing your regular weight training program. This is not a complete upper-body weight training routine. The idea is to group the exercises and workout stations so that you can effectively train most upper-body muscles.

In addition, go to gym at a less crowded time when you're able to use different exercise units in a circuit fashion. If you're interrupted, it defeats the benefits of circuit training: time and efficiency.

At the end of your circuit training, you should feel racing heart beat and breathe heavier. You know your metabolism is firing up and your fat burning furnace is cranking hard.

This is the best time to finish up your workout by doing 15 minutes of high intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.) cardio exercise on any cardio machine to burn off your body fat!


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Super 4-minute Interval Workout for Fat Loss

Can you work out just 4 minutes a day to lose fat?

Yes, you can - but not by doing 4 minutes of crunches.
Here is how ...

Tabata is the name of a Japanese researcher who found a "magical" training protocol to increase both anaerobic and aerobic pathways at the same time. It's one of those strange training programs that seems to fit across disciplines, whether you're an athlete looking to improve your performance or just looking to lose fat quickly.

The Tabata training method is so simple, yet so incredibly difficult and effective.

What is it? It's very simple.


How To Do It

Just pick one exercise and perform it in the following manner:

For twenty seconds, do as many repetitions as possible.

Rest for ten seconds.

Repeat seven more times for a total of 8 sets.

That's it! You're done in four minutes!

It's simple and effective. In a way, it's similar to the high intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.) protocol where the work-to-recovery ratio is 20 seconds vs. 10 seconds (2:1) by time with a total of 8 intervals. The work phase is a full-out intensity of any weight training exercise. The recovery phase is a very brief period of resting for just catching your breath.

You can also compare the Tabata method to strength and cardio circuit training where the time intervals to work and rest are specified with a total of 8 sets.

To reap the maximum benefits of anaerobic conditioning and fat loss, you should pick an exercise that work a number of (large) muscles.

The best exercise options for the Tabata method are front squat and thruster. Dumbbell swing or Kettlebell Swing are also very good conditioning exercise.

Front squat engages your whole body, your core and central nervous system. You typically do front squat with a barbell bell or on a Smith Machine.

Watch a "front squat" demo video. >>

Thruster is a combination of front squat and shoulder overhead press in a continous moving fashion. You can do thruster with barbells, dumbbells or kettlebells.
Dumbbell Thruster >>





Dumbbell Swing >>





Why Should You Try Tabata Workout?

The Tabata method may be the single best fat burning workout. It's only four minutes. But the long 240 seconds seem to keep you sweating and breathing hard for a long, long time afterwards. Your metabolism is fired up! The Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) or after-burn effect in this anaerobic interval training will keep you in a fat burning mode for 24 to 48 hours.


Fat Loss in 4 Minutes

So yes, you can lose fat by doing 4 minutes of exercise a day by following the Tabata training method.

Want more challenges? Do 2 to 4 Tabata exercises in a workout session. The question is whether you'll be able to recover fully to doing another Tabata session on a second day.


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Can You Eat More and Still Lose Fat?

The simple quick answer is "Yes."

Don't get too excited yet!

You'll need to expend more energy than from your food intake so that there is a calorie deficit. It's all about energy balance.


How to expend more energy and burn more calories?

You know the answers --- just by increasing activities through high intensity weight training, cardio exercises and all sorts of activities, leisure activites, playing sports, etc.

But most people stay away from putting in hard work and commitment. Health and fitness is not some 12-week program, although it's a good start. It's all about long-term healthy lifestyle transformation.

The get-lean-and-lose-fat strategy couldn't be simpler than by exercising more so that you can eat more while increasing metabolism, building lean muscle mass and losing body fat.

Fat-loss is simple, but not easy.

In a recent interview, fat loss expert Tom Venuto and nutrition guru Dr. John Berardi have a long discussion about calorie and energy balance.

Read the interview Part 1 here. >>

Read the interview Part 2 here. >>

Read the interview Part 3 here. >>


Two of the top fitness experts shed the light as to how to create healthy optimal calorie deficit by increasing energy G-flux.

The best part ... you get to eat more!

>>> Sign up FREE monthly e-Newsletter to receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.

The Secret to Weight Loss

Oh, no, another "secret"? You're kidding me!

I should say THE missing link to long-term weight managment and wellness.

So what is it?

You can guess:

• High intensity resistance training to build muscle and strength. No problem. I hit the gym 4 times a week.
• High intensity interval training H.I.I.T. cardio exercise to fire up metabolism. Got that. I "H.I.I.T." the treadmill 5 times a week.
• Balanced nutrition, 5 to 6 meals a day to refuel your body and keep your blood sugar level steady. I'm pretty good at eating well although sometimes I cheat and eat junk foods.
• Commitment to your health, be accountable for yourself. Yes, I resolved to lose weight 60 pounds this year.
• Mastermind group and support team to cheer you up. Yeah, I try to stay away from those negative people who think I cannot lose weight.
• Coach or mentor to guide you. Yup, I also have a tough personal trainer who kicks my butt and keeps me motivated.

What if you have tried all of above and are still struggling to achieve your goals?

Feeling frustrated? Tired? Depressed? Burnout? I feel for you. Learn the 7 keys to avoid burnout from an Intensive Self-care Coach.

Ask yourself again. Be honest to youself.

• Perhaps weight training 4 times a week is too much for you. Are you training at the "high" intensity you're thinking?
• On top of weigh training, H.I.I.T. cardio 5 times a week? Are you sure it's really "high" intensity? Are you overtrained?
• Is your nutrition really balanced to meet your training demand and goals? Good mix of complex carbohydrates, protein and fat? Are you counting calories and still eating junk?
• Do you really follow your plan? Skipping workout? Binge-eating? Is losing 60 pounds in a year realistic?
• Is your circle of support getting smaller and smaller. Is your energy draining, not charged?
• After the personal training sessions, do you follow the individualized workout plan designed by your trainer? Your trainer always know.

Then what is missing?

You may do good in some of these areas. But you may lose focus and balance in some other areas. Losing inch and pound is not a healthy goal. That's not a healthy, meaningful, enjoyable life to just worry about losing 10 pounds or dropping 6 dress sizes.

What's it?

What's THE secret to weight loss?

Isn't it obvious? It's

your lifestyle and overall wellness.

Weight loss is simple, but not easy. It's not even a secret.

Your lifestyle is the foundation to put all the above elements together. It's the key to your sucess for your health and fitness. Healthy lifestyle changes are foremost important in your overall wellness.

You build all these elements by doing these healthy behaviors and activities to achieve your desired lifestyle and wellness. Otherwise, you're like traveling without a destination and roadmap.

How do you go about healthy life changes without quitting on the yard line?

One of the best ways is to join a group coaching and intensive training for performance lifestyle. This type of coaching and mentoring program has many benefits:

• Learn how to get active again; the active lifestyle model for year round consistency.
• Clarify your goals, objectives and your vision.
• Bring it all together to accomplish what you really want, to look, feel and perform better.
• Go through each step with a qualified coach and develop a plan of action.
• Coordinate all aspects of your lifestyle so you can achieve your goals with the best use of your energy.
• Focus on personal energy management and achiever mindset in health, nutrition, weight loss and fitness. Learn how to effectively recharge your energy, eat for success by eating Nutrient Rich whole foods that are optimal for health and natual weight loss.
• Small mastermind group puts you with a group of like-minded achievement-oriented people to become your accountability partners.

>>> Sign up FREE monthly e-Newsletter to receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.

Fire Up Your Metabolism to Burn off the Last 10 Pounds of Body Fat

The Forever Last 10 pounds, huh?

Many people have this question as to how to get rid of the perpetually stubborn 5 or 10 pounds of body fat. It's the most difficult and challenging 5 to 10 pounds to lose since your body wants to store fat for emergency use.

People all want to blame their genes, declining metabolism due to natural aging when they cannot lose weight.

These are just excuses.

You can still stay fit even if you're over 40!

I have a few strategies to help you boost your metabolism, kick-start your fat-burning furnace and move beyond your plateau. Follow these simple steps, you may be able to melt away the last pound of body fat and reveal your six pack abs in no time!


What Is Metabolism?

Metabolism is a scientific term that describes the rate of energy conversion - how your body process the foods and metabolize them into nutrients to fuel your body. This comes with a price at caloric expenditure. Although it's true that our metabolic rate drops by an average of 10% for every decade after age 25 to 30, it doesn't have to be this way. The decline is mostly due to reduced physical activities, poor diet and nutrition, bad habits and unhealthy lifestyle.

Our daily caloric intake is consumed through many pathways. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) takes up approximately 60 to 70% of daily energy consumption. That is the energy consumed while your body is at rest, sitting or sleeping, doing nothing. A good chunk of calories is consumed to support normal brain and body functions. Physical activities and exercises use up about 20 to 25%. The thermic effect of foods is about 10 to 15%.

As you can see, it's most powerful to raise your resting metabolic rate since it takes up a majority of caloric consumption. Increasing physical activies and intensive exercises help consume more calories. A good combination of food intake helps complete the last piece of metabolic puzzle.


What Can You Do to Boost Your Metabolism?
Follow these 5 simple strategies . . .
1. Perform resistance training to build lean muscle. You need to engage in some types of resistance training (free weight, strength machine, tubing/band). You know that by building lean muscle mass, your body burns off more calories even if you're just sitting around, doing nothing. The difference could be 20 to 50 more calories burned for every extra pound of lean muscle mass you build up. In addition, when repairing the damaged muscle tissues from resistance training, your body consumes extra calories to complete the repair and recovery process. So you got additional calorie expenditure. Learn how to change up your training routine when you hit the plateau.

2. Perform High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) cardio exercise. I have covered this topic about H.I.I.T. cardio exercise to effectively enhance your cardiovascular fitness and help you burn fat all day. I have also shown many sample H.I.I.T. cardio routines. You can do H.I.I.T. cardio on the treadmill, elliptical trainer, stairmaster or stationary bike by alternating fast and slow speeds for long/short durations and several repeats. The concept can be applied to other types of cardio exercise and outdoor running - jump rope, cycling, kickboxing, hill running and distance repeat. You can do H.I.I.T. for 30 minutes as a separate workout on days that you don't lift weight. Or better yet, do a quick 15-minute H.I.I.T. at the end of your resistance training session. The "after-burn" will help you keep burning fat for at least 24 to 48 hours afterwards.

3. Add variation and variety to your training program. It's a standard training practice to periodize a training program throughout the year or season. You should at least evaluate and change up a training program every 4 to 6 weeks of mesocycle for many reasons. When you do new exercises, you're in the learning mode. Your body tries to guess how you can handle it. This "inefficiency" helps you burn more calories. After a period of consistent training, your body adapts to the new load and intensity level. Your progress starts to diminish. There are many ways to change up your weight training routine. By doing so, you'll progressively overload your body to make continual strength gain and muscle growth. Adding variety to your training program as a cross training helps you to prevent overtraining burnout and overuse injuries. You can also add different activities or choose your workouts by your personality.

4. Adjust protein intake. Without going into details about specific diet, nutrition and supplements, a higher protein intake will help you burn more calories because it just takes more energy to digest protein. This is the thermic effect of foods. Always eat a balanced meal. You know that you need protein to help build muscle. The idea here is not to overload your diet with protein and accidentally eat high-fat food. A good tip is always have some sources of protein in every meal or snack.

5. Plan your next week. Reserve one hour or two each week to review what you have done this week and plan your workout and nutrition for the coming week. Note any schedule conflict with your workout so that you plan around it. Then you plan your nutrition around your workout. It also helps with damage control for unforeseen social obligations or job demands. Be proactive about your training and nutrition schedule.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!


>>> Sign up for FREE 'Jump-Start Your Body!' Workout and Nutrition Program to receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.


Copyright 2007 www.careyforfitness.com by C. Carey Yang and Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved.

Free Download - The Dark Side of Cardio and Sample Fat Burning Workout



Exercise Is Good for Your Brain and Your Heart

More New Evidences about the Benefits of Exercise

The March 26, 2007 issue of Newsweek magazine covers a special Health for Life report.

Now scientists have more evidence to show that exercise helps build muscles, prevent heart disease, boost brainpower - and perhaps delay the development of Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders. Researchers also have found more evidence as to how physical activities affect brain functions and moods. These are more evidences to support that running is good for your brain.


Exercise for Your Body, Exercise for Your Brain

Exercise can make people smarter. A strong, active body is crucial for building a strong, active mind. Exercise is long believed to have mental health benefits. The mental effects of exericse is far more complex than orignially thought. When you work out with your muscles, your body releases a protein called IGF-1 that triggers production of several chemicals, including one called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This molecule is called "Miracle-Gro for the brain" by Ratey, author of a new book "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain." BDNF might transform stem cells into full-grown, functional brain neurons that help learning.


Exercise --- The Best Anti-depressant?

Exercise is a pretty good antidepressant - biologically equivalent to medications. They both appear to spur nerve growth in the hippocampus region in the temporal lobe of the brain that is involved in regulating mood and storing memories. Through this mechanism, exercise probably relieves and likely prevents depression.


Vigorous High-Intensity Exercise Is Even Better

A recent study by Brian Duscha and his coworkers in Exercise Physiology at the Duke University School of Medicine showed that moderate exercise is fine, but a more vigorous workout added benefits. "Almost all cardiovascular rish factors respond significantly better to vigorous exercise than moderate exercise," says Brian Duscha. Vigorous exercise also has extra benefits in sense of purpose, ambition and self-confidence to Jessica Kavoulakis, a New York City lawyer and marathon runner.

Another review paper published in The American Journal of Cardiology by David Swain and Barry Franklin showed that vigorous exercise had greater improvements in aerobic capacity and glucose control and greater reductions in blood pressure for controlled total energy expenditure.


High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) Cardio Exercise

These studies confirm that High intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) cardio exercise is better than the long, slow, boring aerobic exercise in improving cardiovasular fitness and overall health. H.I.I.T. cardio workout is very taxing to your body. Try to limit full H.I.I.T. cardio session no longer than 30 minutes each time, no more than 3 times a week, preferably on non-strength training days.

Want to lose body fat, sculpt your lean and strong body, and reveal your six pack abs faster? Add a short 10- to 15-minute H.I.I.T. cardio at the end of your strength training session to blast your body. You'll boost your metabolism and keep your body in fat burning mode for good 24 to 48 hours. You also save your cardio time in the gym.

Learn the secrets to perform H.I.I.T. cardio and lose unwanted body fat in no time. >>


Some Cautions Remain ...

Of course, vigorous high intensity workouts are not for everyone. Always see your doctor before starting an exercise program, particularly for adults with risk factors in heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure. Hiring a qualified personal trainer is a great idea to help you get started and monitor your progress. Too much too soon is a common mistake to cause injuries for deconditioned people or beginners. Start slow and work up exercise intensity gradually to a more vigorous program. Periodization is a fitness and sports training program to keep you on track and make continual progress.

Still not convinced or motivated to jump off your couch and start exercising? Don't forget. Regular exercises and physical activites have many health benefits.


Health Benefits of Exercise and Physical Activity:

• Reduce the risk of premature death


• Reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease


• Reduce high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure


• Reduce high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol


• Reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer


• Reduce the risk of developing diabetes


• Reduce or maintain body weight or body fat


• Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints


• Reduce depression and anxiety


• Improve psychological well-being


• Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance

>>> Sign up FREE monthly e-Newsletter to receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.

Modified Olympic Style Weightlifting for Martial Arts & Explosive Power Training

Weightlifting for Your Martial Power

When you heard about Olympic Weightlifting, the first image popping out of your head could be some freaking strong athletes lifting enormous amount of weight in a split second. It's so "knee-jerking" to watch them do clean & jerk and snatch.

Olympic style weightlifting can be modified and adapted to help athletes develop explosive strength and power for all sports. If trained and done properly, modified Olympic style weightlifting can help athletes to condition themselves for explosive power, muscular endurance, strength, speed, quickness, agility and cardiovascular fitness.


Anaerobic Power and Endurance

In any martial arts training including MMA and BJJ, it requires a fairly good combination of both anaerobic and aerobic fitness. You need both types of energy to excel in sparring or fighting. You will also need to know how to generate explosive power to break boards or execute your knockout punch or kick. In a typical round of sparring, it involves a series of short bouts of anaerobic power output (punching, kicking or grappling) followed intermittently by aerobic movements (bouncing around, shuffling, checking, or faking).

Depending on the specific type of sparring or fighting, a match could be 3 to 12 rounds and lasts 3 to 5 minutes for each round. In addition to excellent technical skills, a top conditioned fighter has to have peak level of anaerobic power and endurance to be able execute his techniques repeatedly. Anaerobic conditioning and performance is achieved by training and pushing his VO2 max and lactic acid or lactate threshold.


H.I.I.T. for Ultimate Martial Fitness
For the types of energy system utilized in martial sports, moderately long distance running at slow steady pace isn't the best method to condition your aerobic fitness. High intensity interval training (H.I.I.T) is the better way of conditioning your cardiovascular fitness. In the same token, the power lifting type of weight training isn't the best way to train your explosive power either as you don't just give it your one best shot and be done with it. You'll need your sub-maximal muscular power output anaerobically for several times repeatedly. That's muscular power and endurance all together.


How do you train your exploseive power?

How do you train your energy systems for martial arts?

How do you utilize Olympic-style weightlifting to get in top combat conditioning for martial arts?

Read on . . .

World Class Olympic Power Circuit Training

Before you follow the power barbell circuit training routines below, I suggest that you master these basic but technically complicated weightlifting techniques before you attempt to put your hands on the Olympic bar. An "empty" standard Olympic bar weighs 45 pounds. Maintaining good forms when lifting weights will help you lift more weights and prevent injuires. Gayle Hatch Systems is an excellent website to get you started. You can also find coaches or personal trainers who can train you to execute these moves properly without getting injured.

Power Barbell Circuit Workout Routine #1
Deadlift x 6 reps
Bent-over Row x 6 reps
Power Clean x 6 reps
Front Squat x 6 reps
Push Press x 6 reps
Good Morning x 6 reps (body weight)

Power Barbell Circuit Workout Routine #2
Snatch-grip Deadlift x 6 reps
Snatch Pull x 6 reps
Jump Shrug x 6 reps
Reverse Lunge x 6 reps each leg
Push Split Jerk x 6 reps
Jump Squat x 6 reps (body weight)

Power Barbell Circuit Workout Routine #3
Romanian Deadlift x 6 reps
Bent-0ver Row (reverse grip) x 6 reps
Power Clean x 6 reps
Push Split Jerk x 6 reps
Overhead Squat x 6 reps
Double Jump x 6 reps (body weight)

This is not to load up the Olympic bar with your one-rep max weight. Rather, select a weight that you can typically lift 6 reps for three sets with good control for the weakest lift in the circuit (except the body weight exercise). Shoulder press (military press) is normally the weakest one. The proper weight might well be about 60% of your one-rep max.

You should perform each rep with good control (about 2 seconds per rep) and move from one exercise to the next without rest till you finish one circuit as one set. Leave your ego at the door and listen to your body. In addition, you should choose a load that feels challenging yet controllable. You can stay with one power circuit training routine to begin with. Repeat two more times for a total of three sets with 2-minute resting in between the circuits (sets).


Manipulate Training Variables to Make Progress

As you become more familiar with the moves and get in better conditioned, you can add more training volume to four or five sets. There are many training variables to change up to make continual progress. One training variable to manipulate is to reduce your rest intervals in order to add challenges in your routine as well as a training principle of progression. Rest intervals of 90 to 120 seconds are common for most people to recover from one circuit. You're rarely able to rest shorter than 30 seconds to repeat the next circuit.

In some cases, you can increase intensity by loading up to no higher than 85% of your one-rep max and reduce the repetitions to no lower than three. When you get more skilled and proficient, you can perform one circuit for each of the three routines in a given workout session. Alternatively, you can also mix and match your own power circuit training routine.


You've Just Moved Tons of Weight

Don’t underestimate this type of training. Power circuit training can be very grueling. This six-movement circuit x 6 reps has a total volume of 36 reps per set! Even with only 100 pounds on the bar, that comes out to 3600 pounds of total work per set. That's over ten thousand pounds of total work capacity in less than 10 minutes!

At the end of one circuit, you'll feel like just finishing a breath-taking 100-meter sprint. This routine will really help any martial artists to condition their bodies to handle the high levels of lactate produced in a fighting ring. It is also an excellent fat loss exercise for any athlete who needs to preserve muscle and strength while losing fat.


Pack a Punch

Give this power circuit workout a try! People in the gym will turn their heads toward you when you perform these exercises. Learn how to train and harness your knockout power. You'll be a better conditioned fighter in your next match.

>>> Sign up for FREE monthly e-Newsletter to receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.

Copyright 2007 www.careyforfitness.com by C. Carey Yang and Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved.

Cardio Exercises - Good or Bad? How to H.I.I.T. to Burn Fat All Day

Do You Need "Cardio Exercises" to Lost Fat and Stay Lean?

Is there "good cardio" and "bad cardio"? Are there any other different kinds of "cardio"? I'm sure you're either shocked or puzzled to hear why I'm even asking these questions.

"Cardio" and "aerobics" have been wrongly used interchangeably, as synonyms for "endurance." "Cardio" should be used for any type of exercise that makes the heart and lungs work harder. "Cardio" describes any exercises that use the following three energy systems: phosphagen system, anaerobic glycolysis and aerobic metabolism. Your body uses a combination of these three energy systems in different ratios in different period of time depending on the type of activities involved.

Look around and ask around in your gym. You'll be surprised or you shouldn't be surprised to find out that some lean and muscular fitness buffs rarely do normal or "traditional cardio" workout. On the other hand, you know some people (perhaps yourself included) who are running on the treadmill one hour a day for six days a week, but cannot seem to lose enough weight to shape up or lose that perpetually stubborn 10 pounds.


The Long, Slow, Boring "Cardio"
In fact, when you're running the same routine day in and day out without changing up, you're prone to joint wear-and-tear and risk of overuse injury. You may actually start muscle wasting by subjecting your body to catabolic conditions. Not only that you don't burn fat efficiently as your body adapts to the same routine, but you may start to lose lean muscle mass. So you may actually get fat. This is absolutely not the ideal scenario for your weight loss effort.


Low Intensity Steady State (L.I.S.S.) Traditional Cardio

It's common for fitness and medical professionals to prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic (cardio) training to overweight or deconditioned people in order to prevent heart disease or lose weight along the line of continous 30 to 60 minutes of steady pace cardio exercise 3 to 5 times a week maintaining heart rate at a certain level. This type of long and slow continuous training is a good starting point but not the end of it. It's easy to do but not the most effective cardio exercise to lose fat.

Yes, you do burn some calories during the period of time you're running on the treadmill in the L.I.S.S. type aerobic exercise. But as soon as you step off from the machine, your body stops burning calories after a few minutes. You'll need to run longer and longer in order to burn more calories because your body learns to get more efficient in burning calories using aerobic oxygen. Time is your most precious asset. In today's busy work-lifestyle, you'll be running out of time to run very soon!


Marathoners vs. Sprinters

Humans are probably the only creature in nature that attempt to do "endurance" type physical activities. Most competitive sports (except endurance running and cycling) are based on highly variable stop-and-go movements. Weight training naturally incorporates short bursts of exertion followed by recovery periods.

Look at the physiques of marathoners versus sprinters. Most sprinters (including football running backs and wide receivers) are lean, muscular and powerful whereas typical marathoners are thinner with less muscle. As a matter of fact, there are many fat marathoners crossing the finish line. But you rarely see fat sprinters, almost non-existent.


Gym Rat Cardio

Don't get me wrong. I like running as well, mostly outdoors. I'm not anti cardio but I want you to reconsider the so called traditional cardio for a moment. For "traditional" cardio I mean by performing aerobic activities such as running on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike or gliding on an elliptical machine in a low intensity steady state (L.I.S.S.) pace for longer than 30 to 60 minutes.

If you're one of the gym rats who do L.I.S.S. type "cardio" 5 times a week and you're proud to say that you've lost a lot of fat, are happy with your physique and have lean muscular body to show for, you can stop reading now.

What if you've spent so much time in the gym, worn out 5 pairs of running shoes a year, started having knee, shin and ankle aches, and still didn't see the results you've wanted to achieve, I have good news for you. Please read on.


High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) Turbulence Cardio

Want to burn fat and get in shape quick? High intensity interval training (H.I.I.T) is a better and more effective training method to lose fat and condition your heart muscles. The concept of H.I.I.T. cardio workout involves repeated bouts of harder work phase interpersed with periods of easier recovery phase.

If you've been cruising at L.I.S.S. on the treadlmill, stationary bike or elliptical machine while reading books, listening to your iPod workout music or watching sports on TV, challenge youself with the following H.I.I.T. treadmill routine.


H.I.I.T. Treadmill Running Routine by Pace

Warm up by fast walk or light jog for 5 minutes.

Run at 8 miles/hr pace for 2 minutes
Walk at 4 miles/hr pace for 3 minutes
Run at 10 miles/hr pace for 2 minutes
Walk at 4 miles/hr pace for 3 minutes

Repeat this cycle 2 to 3 times for a very intense H.I.I.T. "cardio" session followed by cool-down and stretching.

You got the idea? You can also change up the intensity or work-to-recovery ratio by modifying the pace and duration. If you increase the grade or incline level like running uphill, your cardio intensity increases as well.

Most people in the gym have no idea about their running pace. They probably don't care about their running pace in miles per hour or minutes per mile. Having a good sweat and calorie burn is their main cardio concern.


Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
Another yardstick to measure the level of cardio intensity is the so called "talk test." It's based on "how you feel" about the level of intensity in a cardio exercise. A revised Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) on the scale of 1 to 10 is used to gauge the level of intensity. Scale "1" means at rest or no movement. Scale "3" is weak, easy and you can carry on a conversation and finish a sentence without problem. Scale "5" is moderate, strong and you're breathing a little harder and cannot complete a sentence without a break. Scale "7" is hard, very strong and you're breathing heavily and unable to speak in complete sentences. Scale "9" is very hard and extremely strong like you're sprinting 100 meters at full speed.

The RPE method takes out the guesswork of your running speed, grade or incline level and your actual physical condition. It can be used for people who are taking medications that are artificially altering their heart rates or blood pressures. It helps these people to "listen to their bodies."

Another advantage with RPE is that it can be applied to cardio programming on elliptical trainers and stationary bikes, both would otherwise have to use "stride per minute" and "resistance level" as the parameters. Here is an example of using RPE to prescribe an H.I.I.T. cardio routine.


H.I.I.T. Cardio Routine by RPE
Time by Minutes vs. RPE (scale 1-10)
0-5 at 1 up to 3 for warm-up
5-8 at 5
8-10 at 7
10-13 at 3
13-15 at 7
15-18 at 3
18-20 at 7
20-23 at 3
23-25 at 7
25-30 at 3 down to 1 for cool-down

This H.I.I.T. routine uses the RPE as the gauge for leve of intensity. It mainly alternates RPE intensity levels between 7 and 3 for a total of four intervals. The work to recovery ratio by time is 2:3; that is, 2 minutes of very strong intensity at scale 7 vs. 3 minutes of moderate intensity at scale 3.

Several training parameters can be varied to get different levels of H.I.I.T. cardio workout: the scale of intensity and duration in each work and recovey period (work-to-recovery ratio), the number of repeats (intervals) and interval programming/pattern.

There is a very distinct advantage of H.I.I.T. cardio over traditional L.I.S.S. aerobic exercise due to its anaerobic effect. You're burning calories during the H.I.I.T cardio exericse. Your body will be still in the calorie-burning mode for a few hours after you finish the H.I.I.T. Your metabolism is elevated to keep burning calories for a few more hours.

One thing to remember is that you should keep H.I.I.T. cardio exercise within 30 minutes. Keep it short but at very high level of intensity. Preferably you perform full H.I.I.T. cardio training sessions on non-strength training days. In this way, you can be more focused and devote your undivided energy to H.I.I.T. cardio.

By all means H.I.I.T cardio is very intense. It's a good training practice by limiting full H.I.I.T. cardio to not more than 3 sessions a week. This is a guideline, not a hard rule. You need good nutrients and rest to recover your body and mind from the high intensity strength and cardio training. Muscle growth and body transformation occur when you rest, repair and recover training stresses.


Maximize Your Strength Training with H.I.I.T. Cardio

One great way to fire up your fat-burning furnace and keep it burning is to do a brief 10- to 15- minute H.I.I.T. cardio at mostly RPE scale of 7 to 8 at the end of your strength training session.

It'll help you melt away unwanted body fat faster than ever. The excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) demand due to high intensity strength training and H.I.I.T. cardio will fire up your metabolism and keep your body in fat-burning mode for good 24 to 48 hours.

You'll save time for separate cardio training sessions by integrating a brief H.I.I.T cadio into your strength training sessions. Not only does it save you time, H.I.I.T. cardio also helps you reap more benefits from your strength training.

The only exception to not doing H.I.I.T. cardio right after strength training is the day you've done "heavy" leg training. Your legs are pretty much fatigued. In this case, you can do low intensity walking or jogging to keep blood pumping. Stretch your quadriceps, hamstrings, related muscle groups and any tight areas. This is the time you need to eat to replenish glycogen, refuel your body and repair muscle tissues.


H.I.I.T. Outdoor Hill Running Routine

Don't be despaired if you've been training and running for long distance races. You don't have to give up your running. Just train differently to reap the benefits.

Try hill running when you like to run outdoors. When you're in a race, the surface is never flat and straight. Think of hill training like a running-specific workout. Hill running is very simple to do.

Pick a hill in your neighborhood or in a park, perhaps 15 degrees grade and 100 yards long. Run uphill at a pace that you feel a RPE intensity level of 7 to 8. Catch your breath at the top of the hill. Walk down the hill to recover. Repeat the "running uphill and walking downhill" cycle a few more times. It is a similar H.I.I.T. routine that use running uphill as the work phase and walking downhill as the recovery phase.

Some treadmills or elliptical trainers have built-in Hill Interval program. Simply select a base resistance level. Adjust the level of intensity by changing the uphill and downhill time intervals. You can have a great indoor hill running.

Hill running is a very taxing cardio workout to your body. It's so hard to catch your breath when you reach the top of the hill. Your heart rate is racing to the roof trying to catch up with oxygen consumption in order to defy the gravity. Do it only once or twice a week as an integrated part of your running program. It will help you pass the speed bump around mile 21 on the Heartbreak hill in Boston Marathon.


H.I.I.T. Speedwork Track Running Routine

Another popular training program for endurance running is speedwork or distance repeat. This is typically done on a well-marked flat trail or a 400-meter track. The following is an example of H.I.I.T. routine on indoor or outdoor track.

After 10 minute light jogging warm-up, you can do one of the following routines followed by a 10-minute cool-down jog:

• 6 to 8 repeats x 400 meter with a two-minute recovery jog
• 3 to 4 repeats x 800 meter with a four-minute recovery jog
• 2 to 3 repeats x 1600 meter with a six-minute recovery jog

You can also do 100-meter or 200-meter repeats with shorter recovery periods. In addition, you can group some of these distances in a given training session.
Here is another example of H.I.I.T. speedwork running routine that mixes different work-to- recovery ratios in one workout session.


H.I.I.T. Routine with Variable Work-to-Recovery Ratios

Run 400 meters
Jog for two minutes
Run 800 meters
Jog for four minutes
Run 1600 meters
Jog for six minutes
Sprint for 200 meters

Finish up with light jog, stretching and rest. Pack up, go home, you're done for the day. No more mindless running on the treadmill, reading newspapers or watching sports on the TV while riding a stationary bike. It will really challenge your cardiovascular system, elevate your metabolism and keep your body in a fat burning mode for a while.


40 Yard Dash - Sprint Interval

Have you ever seen fat, out-of-shape running backs and wide receivers in (American) football?

When the time strikes, they need to rush the last 40 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. They're highly paid athletes and they train hard to deliver the results. They look lean, strong, muscular and agile. They run with incredibly powerful dashing speed.

They don't jog at L.I.S.S. 5 times a week at low intensity of RPE 4 to get in shape, do they?

You don't need to do wind-sprint with a small parachute on your back or run with a weighted sleigh in the field. If you can get to the football field in high school or college, sprint for 40 yards then walk slowly on your way back to the starting line. You probably need to rest a few more minutes. Repeat a few times.

Sprint interval is similar to the H.I.I.T. routine of speedwork or distance repeat. In this case, the distance is 40 yards. The RPE intensity level is at least on the scale of 9 for sprinting speed. The football field is well marked with a white line in very 10 yards with a number. You can't miss it.

The work-to-recovery ratio in 40-yard dash repeat is very low. Even it takes 10 seconds for you to sprint the 40 yards, it may take 5 minutes of rest for your to be able to sprint again. However, the level of intensity is extremely high. The anaerobic effect and after-burn will help you burn fat for a few more hours. Record your sprint time, rest periods and number of repeats.

Just visualize that now you've got the ball. It's 4th quarter, 10 seconds left on the ticking clock. Your team is 14 vs. 21 behind your opponent. You need a touchdown plus a kick to tie for overtime. Sprint as fast as possible, straight through to the end zone for a touchdown. Close your eyes and feel the thrill when tens of thousands of audience are cheering for you!


Stadium Stair Running Interval

If you've been able to do your H.I.I.T. running on the 400-meter track in a high school or college, why not try stair running on the stadium stairs.

It's similar to hill running by running upstairs at RPE intensity level of 7 to 8. Then walk downstairs slowly to recover. Repeat a few times. Your heart rate will be racing all the way up.


Be Creative and Have Fun

Working out is supposed to fun; otherwise you won't stick to it for the long run. Be creative about your cardio training routine. Mix it up by cross training with a variety of cardiovascular exercises in a range of intensity levels. You won't get bored from the same old routine or get injuried from wear-and-tear and overtraining.

When the weather is nice and sunny outside, enjoy running in the park with your family or try dirt-road trail running with your more competitive training buddies.

If you like to run outdoors around your neighborhood, why not mix and match different H.I.I.T. routines on different terrains. Jog or run slowly on curvy or uneven roads. Run fast or sprint on straight, unobstructed sections. Run uphill for your hill training. Walk downhill to recover and catch your breath. Take a break for water and do some light stretching at the cul-de-sac. Turn around to follow the same path or take a different route back home.

Why not "run" your dog next time? Your poodle wouldn't mind running and getting some exercise. In fact, approximately 40 percent of dogs in the U.S. now are considered overweight! People cause pets' obesity.


Too Much Cardio to Burn off Hard Trained Lean Muscle?

What if you're just doing strength or weight training, do you need cardio exercises? Are you worried that too much cardio will catabolize your hard-trained lean muscle? Consider this again, as long as an exercise keeps your heart pumping, and pumping harder, and you're huffing and puffing, you have done a "cardio" exercise to strengthen your cardiovascular system.

You probably have heard about "circuit training" by way of doing 5 to 10 exercises one after each other without rest (or with very little rest) in a circuit fashion. You can perform a strength and cardio circuit training with your own bodyweight, on Cybex strength machines, or with barbells or dumbbells.

You get the rewards from both strength and cardio training by keeping your heart rate up using light to moderate weight or resistance. Do it when you're pressed for time to get out of the gym or use it as a cross training routine to add variety to your workout.


H.I.I.T. Benefits

The potential benefits of high intensity interval training over the traditional slow steady state aerobic training are:

• Improved cardiovascular fitness, particularly anaerobic conditioning.
• Elevated VO2 max and lactate threshold
• Increased anti-oxidant protection
• Reduced risk for joint wear and tear
• Reduced muscle wasting
• Increased work capacity for the heart to handle life's up-and-down stress cycle.

It will kick your fitness level up another notch. You may start to burn the fat more efficiently while preserving your lean muscle mass.

High Intensity Strength Training + H.I.I.T. Cardio

===>

Lean, Strong, High-Performance Body

References:

1. Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. 43(7):814-8, July 1994.
2. Tabata et al. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and [spacing dot above]VO2max, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 28(10):1327-1330, October 1996.
3. Talanian, Galloway et al., Two weeks of High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training increases the capacity for fat oxidation during exercise in women. J Appl Physiol, 102: 1439-1447, 2007.

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