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!

Fast Tube by Casper

Fast Tube by Casper

Fast Tube by Casper
Ingredients: 1 cup of organic raw oats, organic yoghurt (we like jalna) blueberries, grapes, banana, passionfruit and raw honey.
Simply mix all ingredients in a bowl and leave in the fridge overnight! How easy is that? Upon serving, sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.
Health benefits of each food
Oats: High source of dietary fibre, excellent for lowering cholesterol
Yoghurt: Full of good bacteria, excellent for restoring the health of the gut and good protein source.
Blueberries: High in antioxidants, good for heart health and inflammation
Grapes: The antioxidants found in grapes have cardio protective effects
Banana: The tryptophan in bananas is great for enhancing mood
Passionfruit: The juice has been found to impede the growth of cancer cells
Raw Honey: Extremely high source of valuable enzymes
Cinnamon: Has been shown to dramatically increase insulin sensitivity

Fortunately there is a solution to these problems. This recipe comes from the excellent book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig. If nuts are firstly soaked, then slow dried, all the positivies of nuts are available with none of the draw backs. Soaking the nuts replicates germination and allows all the nutrients to be released and the enzyme inhibitors to be deactivated. Slow cooking at a temperature of below 65 degrees celsius does not damage any of the fats or any of the enzymes. in the food.
Crispy Nuts
Makes 4 cups
4 cups almonds (or any other nuts)
2 teaspoons sea salt
filtered water
Mix almonds with salt and filtered water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight. Drain in a colander. Spread almonds out on a stainless steel baing pan and place in a warm oven (no more than 65 degrees) for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally, until completely dry and crisp.
This method of cooking nuts works for all varieties except cashews, which should be soaked for no more than 6 hours. You will be amazed by the amazing flavour and texture of the nuts. Bon Appetit!
Reference: Fallon, S. Enig, M. Nourishing Traditions 2nd Edition New Trends Publishing Inc Washington DC 2007


An Australian study has determined that daily doses of fish oil containing omega-3 fats can, when combined with exercise, act as an aid to weight loss.

The study examined 68 overweight and obese people over a period of three months. They were divided into four groups: one that took fish oil but did no exercise,one that exercised (45-minute walks or running three days a week) but took no fish oil, one given both, and one given neither.
Those who both took fish oil and exercised lost an average of 4.5 pounds over the course of the study, even though they were given no dietary restrictions. None of the other groups lost any weight at all. The combination worked because the omega-3s increased fat- burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles during exercise.
Omega-3s have also been shown to boost brain functioning and cut the risk of stroke.
Sources:
The Age July 31, 2006
News-Medical.net July 31, 2006
Reuters July 28, 2006
As seen at Mercola.com
Date Cited: 11.05.09
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/08/17/fish-oil-exercise-keep-the-weight-off.aspx