The days of steady state cardio are over.
Plodding along on a treadmill at a slow, meaningless pace is a thing of the past. If you are looking to burn fat, increase your overall athleticism, look and feel great, metabolic circuits are for you.
Metabolic workouts are all about intensity and efficiency. They are short, often no more than 20 minutes of work. The number one benefit of metabolic training though is the fat burning potential. This is done by raising your post exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC for short.
In its simplest form, EPOC means that you will continue to burn calories and fat even after your workout is over. The more intense your workout, the more you raise your EPOC. This means you can be burning fat all day long with a workout that is just 20 minutes of 100% intensity training. You may be wondering how is it possible to replace a long jog with a short circuit? You wouldnt be alone in thinking this. It was once believed that only aerobic exercise (the long steady state jog) increased cardiovascular health. Numerous studies are now showing that anaerobic exercises (short intense exercises) condition your heart to the same, if not higher levels than aerobic exercises do.
Perhaps the most famous study comes from Dr. Izumi Tabata. His results shown that athletes after completing intense burst of anaerobic sprinting experienced higher levels of VO2 max improvement than that of the control group performing 60 minutes of moderate exercise.
Benefits of this kind of Training
8 reasons you need to do these workouts regardless of whether you are a seasoned athlete or just looking to get fitter.
Get Results Quickly
This short, intense style of training wakes up your metabolism.
Higher Levels of Athleticism
Performing even the most basic of exercises with high levels of intensity in a circuit will effectively raise your heart rate and increase your over all levels of athleticism.
Lean Muscle Gains
Your body is an amazing machine, when you push its limits, it will respond as needed.
Lean Muscle Gains
Your body is an amazing machine, when you push its limits, it will respond as needed.
In this case that means more HGH (human growth hormones) to keep up with the work load and power outputs.
The Mental Push
Mental toughness is a huge aspect in achieving the things you want. Exercise is no different. You must push yourself as hard mentally as you do physically to complete the workouts. If you are an athlete performing these routines as finishers to your main workout, this mental toughness you develop will carry over into your sport, forcing you to work as hard as you can till the end.
A Break from the Norm
Exercise at the end of the day should be fun and something you enjoy.
Plodding along on the treadmill or road is not fun, its tedious and frankly quite boring. This kind of training is interesting, challenging and never the same twice. It may be tough while you are doing it, but its an enjoyable tough.
Calorie Burn
Its possible to burn anywhere from 300-650 calories per workout based on your height, weight, gender, fitness levels and intensity. Not bad for something that is less than 30 minutes!
The EPOC
I mentioned earlier the benefits of EPOC. The workout in this book are short and intense in nature, setting you up nicely for the EPOC afterburn.
The benefits of EPOC have been shown in cases to continue burning calories up to 36 hours after completing the routine. If that isnt enough incentive to put in 100% effort I dont know what is.
The Challenge
These workouts are hard. They will feel like torture when you are grinding through them. You have to constantly remind yourself of the benefits and just how little time the workouts take.
Who is this Book for?
This book is a guideline for anyone who wants to lose weight, get fitter and become overall more athletic.
Who is this Book for?
This book is a guideline for anyone who wants to lose weight, get fitter and become overall more athletic.