Training for Fat Loss

It has been said in the fitness industry that the best training program available is the one you are not doing! This is because your body adapts very quickly to what ever stimulus you subject it to. it has also been said that the key to continual success is to do the same, but different. This training technology that I will introduce to you today, will show you how to constantly keep your training the same, but different!

A great deal of research has gone into what is the most effective way to burn body fat. The three protocols that I have found to be the most effective have been circuit training, interval sprint training and complexes. The other day I had a crazy idea – how about combining all three systems?

Another idea I had is one I stole from Dan John, a legend in the world of athletic performance. Dan uses a dice to decide what power lift he is going to focus on that day. This does not have to be used just for power workouts, it can be used for any exercise!

The method is simple, yet it is blisteringly effective. You will literally feel the fat melt as you are training. You will also have the side effect of improving your work capacity and fitness to a level you have never dreamed of.

Complexes are seemingly simple, but are also extremely deceiving. They pack a hell of a punch and will challenge you in a very unique way. The idea is to choose one implement (barbell, dumbbell etc) and perform 5 reps of 5 different exercises. I wrote about this in a previous article called GPP, which has lots of information about how to improve your general level of conditioning. It can be found in the exercise articles part of this website.

Interval sprint training is a great tool but it has some limitations. Firstly, if it is raining your ability to sprint will be limited. Also not everyone has a park in which they can sprint. Another option that works great is to perform body weight training exercises in the same fashion as interval training. This saves space and will also improve your strength.

Circuit training has been around for decades and we will use it to structure our workout. Using the dice will offer an element of surprise and randomness to our workout, so we will always be following an effective fat burning structure, just with different exercises. the same, but different!

Complex options: Which ever number on the dice you roll is the complex you will perform.

Kettle bell Complex – 5x KB Snatch, 5, KB clean and Press, 5x Single Arm KB Swing, 5, x KB Squat Push Press, 5 x KB Dead Lift

Dumbbell Complex – 5 x DB Lunge and Press, 5 x Lateral Lunge and Curl, 5, DB Dead Lift to Bent Over Row, 5x DB Push Up and Row, 5x DB Squat Push Press

Barbell Complex – 5 x Overhead Squat, 5 x Power Clean and Jerk, 5 x Front Squat, 5 x Bent Over Row, 5 x Romanian Dead Lift

Medicine Ball Complex – 5 x Staggered Squat Push Press, 5x Staggered Squat Push Press, 5 x Lunge with twist, 5x lateral lunge with wood chop, 5x low lateral lunge with push out

Body weight complex – 5x burpees, 5x jump lunges, 5x jump squats, 5x push ups, 5 x mountain climbers

Swiss Ball Complex – 5 x SB Push jack, 5x lateral ball roll, 5 x SB Lunge, 5, Sb side flexion, 5x SB reverse hyper

Simply roll the dice once to pick your first complex. Your seconds roll will decide what you do for your interval training. I recommend 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off and repeat for 4 minutes. Your 6 options could be:

Rope jumping
Burpees
Mountain Climbers
High Knee Running
Sit to Stand
Shadow boxing with bands

Using this formula a sample workout could be as follows:

Medicine Ball Complex
Burpees

Simply perform the complex then go to the interval training. Rest 60 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.

This form of training is fairly advanced so approach with caution but it is extremely effective for melting fat. Enjoy the sweat!