Metabolic Circuits by Alwyn Cosgrove

Great post by Fitness Professional Wizard Alwyn Cosgrove. Good for all of you individuals out there that believe you need to run to burn fat.


As most readers of my articles will know I’m a huge believer in using metabolic circuits and routines for fat loss and conditioning.


If you consider the normal statistic that jogging a mile burns approximately 100 calories, takes around 1500 reps to perform, and involves plyometric forces of 2-4 x bodyweight you can see where there can be some potential joint issues with using jogging as your primary metabolic training.


Let’s say our 150lbs client runs a mile in fifteen minutes. That’s at least 300lbs of force going through the knees, hips and ankles, 1500 times in order to burn 100 calories. . That’s a lot of volume, potential joint stress for really, not a lot of return. We’d need to do that 35 times in order to burn enough calories to lose a pound of fat


Contrast that with a full body metabolic circuit we can get the same metabolic conditioning effect (or probably more) with less total reps, less total volume, less joint stress and spread it out over the entire body (as opposed to just the lower body). Nick’s circuit will burn way more than 100 calories, and takes about the same time as the jogging described above.


You could even do a circuit of squat, push ups, lunges in place and inverted rows or band rows for 10 reps each and repeat that for 4-5 rounds – giving you 50 total reps per circuit, at less than bodyweight loads, spread over the entire body – while still burning more calories than the same amount of running.


So unless you are training for a sport-specific running event (such as a 5K etc), consider some type of metabolic circuit as a solid change-up or addition to your routine.


–ACPS – For more ideas for this type of training – check out the Metabolic Acceleration Training DVD.

Fat Loss Plateau? by Alwyn Cosgrove

Nice piece written by one of the best in the business (Alwyn Cosgrove) about getting stuck during your fat loss progression. Makes good sense. Click the title above to see his article.

Alwyn Cosgrove's Can a Trainer Help with Results?

Alwyn always backs up what he says with some good science.  Here is a terrific article that helps people to understand the benefits of a workout partner or personal trainer/group exercise instructor.

I know that I have benefited greatly from Nikki and I working out together as well as working in a group setting in our KB Bootcamp Class.

http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/2009/02/can-trainer-help-with-results.html 

High Intensity Training for Fat Loss

Terrific Blog about the positive effects of high intensity training! If you have a sound cardiovascular foundation and are not sufferring from any current imbalances or injuries you should be interval training!

Click the title above and read it. This guy is a research stud!

Is Your Training Form Keeping You Fat?

Absolutely wonderful blog by Leigh Peele. When you have 5 minutes. Please check it out.

http://avidityfitness.net/2008/09/18/is-your-training-form-keeping-you-fat/

5 keys to fat loss

found on http://www.coreperformance.com/


5 Keys to Fat LossBy Alwyn Cosgrove August 12, 2008



Master these fundamentals for losing weight and seeing results fast.

You may think you’ve tried everything for losing weight, but what about sticking to basic, proven methods? Forget magic diet pills and exercise fads. These are your new guiding principles for burning fat.


1. Create a caloric deficit. No two ways about it—you must burn more energy than you consume.


2. Attack fat from both sides.The most effective way to create that deficit is to use a combination of diet and exercise.


3. Hoist iron.The biggest determinant of calorie burning is your metabolism. And the biggest factor in that is your lean muscle mass. Build more lean muscle, increase your metabolism. So weight training has to be a part of any effective fat loss program.


4. Eat clean, eat often.Your diet should consist mainly of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. Keep starches and refined carbs to a minimum. Drink plenty of fluids (primarily water), and try to eat at least 4-5 small meals per day. This will help your body maintain blood sugar levels and keep burning fat.


5. Stoke your metabolism.Interval training and metabolic resistance training will provide the most efficient use of your training time. Steady state aerobic training (going at a slow, steady pace) just doesn't burn enough calories, and splitting up your workouts by body parts will be less effective than total body training for fat loss.