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Speeding Up
Your Time In The Weight Room For Maximum Fat Loss
By Eugene Thong CSCS
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 Want to make your
weight training program better? We’ve got the ways. It’s time for
another MCNewsletters Fat Loss Hack!
This week’s Hack is a
little trick you can do without changing a single exercise in your
routine: Implement Parkinson’s Law.
Parkinson’s Law
(coined by Cyril Parkinson, a naval historian) states “that work expands
to fill the available time.” What implications does this have for
your current program?
Well if you’re like
most people, you take breaks between work sets – long ones.
You probably do
multiple exercises for each body part, and you’re convinced that if you
don’t do 5 sets for your chest, your pectoral muscles will simply
deflate into a gelatinous blob of protoplasm.
Well, we’re going to
change that thinking around right now.
More Work Means
More Calories Burned.
If you haven’t read
Mike’s article about
maximizing your metabolism through working harder, I suggest you
do so right now. To summarize, the harder you work (meaning, the more
work you get done in a shorter period of time, and the higher degree of
effort you put towards that work):
-
The more calories you burn doing
the activity
-
The greater the rise in
metabolism as a result of doing that activity, and hence,
-
The more calories you burn after
doing that activity!
Our goal with this
Hack is to keep you on the move. Don’t dilly dally, get to work!
Don’t Delay, Keep
Moving.
Most strength training
programs call for a 60-90 second rest between work sets, but not this
one. No, our intention with this Fat Loss Hack is to maximize the
metabolic work done for the time you’re working out.
 As
outlined in the first section, the more “work” you perform, the more
calories you’ll burn in the long run, both from added muscle and the
actual work bout itself.
So take only enough
rest to get from one exercise station to the next, or to switch from one
exercise to the next.
You get to rest at the
end.
No, you won’t be able
to use the heaviest weights possible. That’s why we want you to adjust
the weight loads so you can complete your as-scheduled workout.
No, you won’t
have the energy to work out for 2 hours. That’s why we want you to
stop after 30 minutes, whether you’ve completed your as-scheduled
workout or not.
In this manner, you
create a mini-competition with yourself – as you get fitter and leaner,
you can challenge yourself to get more done in the 30 minutes than you
previously could before. To paraphrase an advertisement for Equinox
gyms,
“Your intent is
to outrun lesser versions of yourself.”
Why Does This Burn
More Calories?
Because by not
allowing rest, you force your body’s internal engine to work harder,
creating a greater energy cost. Your “engine” burns hotter after you
finally come to a stop, and doesn’t cool down for hours afterward.
This results in a much
greater caloric burn post-workout (as much as 85% more vs. a “standard”
rest-between-sets approach).
Should I Use Free
Weights or Machines?
I’m not going to get
into an intellectual discussion as to the specific merits of machine and
free weight training – this is an MCNewsletters fat loss hack!
 Use
whatever modality you find more comfortable or agreeable to you.
Remember, we’re not completely overhauling your routine, we’re just
looking to tweak your current routine slightly to optimize its
effects on your body.
You like dumbbell
incline presses? Good – do them in the routine. Just the thought of
squatting give you hives? Fine – leg press instead. What’s important
is not the vehicle you use, but the journey – lift whatever you wish to
lift, but make sure you lift it with as little rest as possible.
Will This Routine
Give Me Massive Muscles?
I’ve got to level with
you here: properly implemented, this routine will definitely impact your
calorie burn for the day in a significant way, burn fat, and build lean
tissue. But one thing it will not do is give you the biggest muscles
possible.
It’s like a colleague
of mine used to say, “Different training
programs are like tools; they each serve a specific purpose within a
specific context. For example, you wouldn’t use a hammer to remove a
screw from a board, would you? It just isn’t the right tool for the
job. In fact, it’s the completely wrong tool – you could try for days
to unscrew the screw with the hammer, but you’d never get anywhere.
“But what about
context? You could, for example, use a screwdriver to drive a nail into
a board. It ‘works’, but it’s still not the correct tool for the job,
because it’s inefficient.
“So in your training
programs, focus your purpose and context. Use the right program for the
right purpose, in the proper context.”
What my colleague was
trying to say was: Using a fat loss weight training program to get huge
muscles makes about as much sense as trying to remove a screw with a
hammer.
Let’s stay focused on
the task at hand (which is shedding those fat cells your body is
currently sheathed in), shall we?
We’re all adults
here. We all know that there are no shortcuts, magic potions, or
instantaneous, effortless solutions to the body of your dreams.
Although we haven’t
discovered a magic “leaning” pill, we’ve got the next best thing: A
compilation of 61 of the best tips, tricks, and strategies for
channeling your inner ideal body that we call “The
Black Book of Secrets.” Hey, you’re working hard already – why
not get that much more from your efforts?
Want an easy, painless, NO-COST method to keep abreast of the latest in
fat loss, body sculpting, health, and nutrition? Sign
up here for our weekly newsletter (heck, we even GIVE you something to
join – our latest Special Report: The Dark Side of Dieting.
It details 21 things you probably didn’t even realize were keeping
you from losing those inches.)
You'll also receive the Fat Burning Foods
Chart with Calorie Count that was designed to use in combination with
the Beach Day Program.
About the Author:
Eugene Thong, CSCS, was born a weak, skinny,
bespectacled child. Now, thanks to a steady diet of martial arts, scientific
inquiry, and heavy compound movements, he's no longer weak. His scientific
bent, Zen-like demeanor, and efficient but intense methods have made him one
of New York's most sought-after personal trainers.
 When
not helping clients cultivate their own inner 6-packs, Eugene can be found
arm barring opponents at Renzo Gracie's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy or
sailing through the air on his snowboard. Read Eugene's semi-weekly musings
on exercise, fitness, and fat loss
at his blog
Eugene is Mike's co-author of The Black Book of Secrets. You can purchase
it by clicking
here.
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