How to kick your own butt in 25 minutes

If you're a 125 lb woman like me, grab a 30 or 40 lb barbell and do the following circuit with no rest between exercises:

10 Romanian Deadlifts (stiff-legged)
10 Bent Over Rows
10 Hang Cleans
10 Push Presses
10 Front Squats (using your hands/shoulders, hold barbell up against your upper chest/neck)
10 Lunges (ea. leg) with barbell behind your head resting across your shoulders.

Rest 1-3 minutes. Repeat entire circuit 2-4 more times.

I did this 4 x's with a 40 lb barbell (except for the push press I used the 30) and one more time through the entire circuit with the 30 and I could barely walk on the stairmaster! I was flushed, hot, sweaty and my legs were shaking. Even now, at my desk 3 hours later, my shoulders are feeling it. Followed this routine with a 30-minute walk on a slight incline and called it a day.

This circuit seems like it would be nice to throw in a couple of times a week for fat-burning instead of just running intervals. It's the equivalent of HIIT training (High Intensity Interval Training) and, when followed by slow, steady-state cardio, can turn you into a fat burning machine. Also best done on an empty stomach or short fast.

Try at your own risk - this circuit will send your heart thorugh the roof. If you're a guy in decent shape, use a 45 lb Olympic bar with a 10 on each side (if you dare); if you're out of shape, start with the bar and work your way up.

If you do give this circuit a shot, let me know how it goes.

Get lean. Get mean. Be a fat-burning machine!

Comments

Optimal Fasting Times for Female Fat Loss - A discussion.

How long should I fast? This is probably the most common question I see among women new to Intermittent Fasting. Unfortunately there is no hard-and-fast definitive answer to this question. We all react to stress differently. Yes, I said stress. Fasting is a stressor to the body - especially the female body. Like money worries, relationship drama, and exercise, fasting will cause the body various levels of stress which can, and often will, result in negative consequences regarding our health. I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing most of you have jobs and financial responsibilities, relationships, some of you have children or are care takers of family members. You probably rarely get eight hours of sleep and, let's face it, who has time to meditate daily when living in the real world? All of these things are life's stressors. Now, add lack of sleep, job and family/relationship stress to a boiling pot of intense daily exercise and a lack of food and your bo

I may never eat ice cream again

What looks like ice cream and tastes like ice cream, but has 12g protein, 19g carbs, a paltry 2.5g fat and just 150 calories packed in a 1.5-cup serving? It's not frozen yogurt, it's not fat free ice cream and it's not sugar free ice cream. What you see in the above photo is my newest creation and the clear front runner for my evening dessert choice for the foreseeable future. Meet Strawberry Cottage Delight. To whip up your own bowl of this delectable must-try, you will need the following: 1/2 cup 2% lowfat cottage cheese ~1cup or 5-6 large frozen strawberries - no syrup, chopped (could prolly sub other chunky frozen fruits) 1/2 - 1 tsp Truvia or your favorite zero-calorie sweetener to taste Add all ingredients to a food processor and puree until it reaches your desired consistency. I personally enjoy some strawberry chunks in mine. I plan on experimenting with canned coconut milk, bananas and nut butters in my next attempts. In comparison, an identical

Finally - Progress Pics

Recently I've been struggling with my motivation. I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. My workouts stalled (poor diet, lack of discipline and no sleep). Then, today, I hopped on the scale to a solid 116.0 lbs (was literally 117.8 yesterday at the same time). I think the two pints of Guinness I had to celebrate St. Patty's with my girlfriend and the bar appetizers I shouldn't have eaten may have given me the "Whoosh" that Martin Berkhan speaks of. "By the way, a nice bonus after a night of drinking is that it effectively rids you of water retention. You may experience the "whoosh" effect, which I've talked about in my two-part series about water retention. That in itself can be motivating for folks who've been experiencing a plateau in their weight loss." In any event, I'm pleased at my results so far and look forward to seeing how I will look in another two months - just in time for Memorial Day at the Jersey Shore. Here the

Fitness Safari

Search This Blog