SHAPE UP
High-intensity workout good for shedding fat
By Dave Patania
Cincinnati Enquirer
Q. I am not new to working out, but I still need to get rid of body fat. I am getting frustrated. What can I do?
A. Most people think burning fat is accomplished only by doing cardio or restricting calories. A more effective way to burn fat is with a high-intensity, 12-exercise strength-training format I use with experienced clients.
Do this all-out workout only if you are experienced. Less-experienced exercisers can modify it by taking 20 to 30 seconds between each exercise. Warm up and stretch before starting and cool down and stretch afterward. Eat proper foods to fuel your body. An example of the format:
I don't like to use the word "circuit" for this format because it is much more intense than the usual circuit-type workout. This is not a workout you can do while talking with other people in the gym. It is a serious format that should be done with a partner who is as serious as you are.
For experienced exercisers only
You will take turns helping each other through all 12 exercises and not allowing the person any rest between sets. The workout shifts from upper- to lower-body exercises every other exercise to ensure a whole-body blast. You should be breathing very hard after each set, but you must keep going until all exercises are completed.
You can use this style of training to blast through an exercise plateau while, at the same time, increasing your body's ability to use fat.
Be sure to do 20 reps of each exercise with the heaviest amount of weight possible and have your partner help you with what you can't get on your own until all reps are completed.
Ever wonder why extremely fit people are really lean? It isn't because they restrict calories and go on diets, it is because they consistently eat right, exercise and push the limits of what their body can do, thus making it very effective at using calories and fatty acids.
Over time, you, too, can change your body's muscular makeup.
