If you have ever seen the same 230-pound man run for an hour on a treadmill 3 times a week and never get skinnier, there may be a good reason why. Maybe you are the 230-pounder that can’t get any lighter on the scales. In either case, research exists showing the superiority of strength and interval training to steady aerobic exercise for burning fat.
Hardcore runners will likely refute this point till their dying day. However, fitness specialist Alwyn Cosgrove (www.alwyncosgrove.com) recently presented at the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s national conference, breaking several previously held ideas about fat loss.
“It comes down to disrupting the body’s resting metabolic rate,” said Cosgrove. “Effective fat loss hinges on the post-workout ‘what happens?’”
Long, steady endurance training does little to disturb the resting metabolic rate. With heavy lifting or intense running spurts, a greater demand is placed on the body than with an hour long jog. Heavy lifting, says Cosgrove, has been shown to increase the resting metabolic rate by 13% an hour after a workout, and by 4% sixteen hours after a workout.
In addition to increasing the amount of weight lifted, Cosgrove recommends taking rest times of 60 seconds or less to “create maximal metabolic disturbance.” A specific example he gave was to perform a heavy upper body exercise for less than a minute, then move to a heavy lower body exercise for less than a minute, then take a minute-long rest. This approach allows a total body workout that builds strength and burns fat simultaneously.
Take Away: Many will always prefer aerobic exercise to strength and interval training. Aerobics will always have their place, as they are great for increasing VO2 max and muscle endurance. If the goal is fat loss, however, heavy resistance with short rest time is a proven method with a clear advantage.
For my clients who want to burn fat, I end their sessions by having them complete a 4-station complex, take a minute rest and repeat 2-3 times. This is a great way to end a workout and leave yourself feeling exhausted.
Published under: Physique Training, Uncategorized, Weight LossLeave a message or two
This post was written on the Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 3:24 pm and categorized under Physique Training, Uncategorized, Weight Loss. You can follow the ongoing discussion by subscribing to the RSS 2.0. You can leave a reply, or Trackback.
Hello,
I was wondering what exercises you have your clients do? I am 240 lbs and have a goal of 200lbs. I have tried many diets that do not work. My job schedule sometime slimits my workouts. I am determined to do whatever it takes to reach my goal. I have started doing cardio now and will be lifting soon. My problem is I do not know what exercises to do on what days and how many reps and sets to do. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks
Jon
Hi Jon, thanks for visiting the site and for your question.
The thing to remember with fat loss is that you need to disrupt your resting metabolic rate, which will occur by placing greater demands on your body (i.e. heavy lifting, sprints, etc)
Here’s some lifts I’ve had several clients do who were trying to lose fat:
Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets, 10 reps
Squats holding a 15 pound medicine ball - 3 sets 12 reps
- 1 minute rest between
Lat Pulls - 3 sets, 10 reps
Hip flexion - 2 sets, 12 reps
-1 minute rest between
Squat to Press - 3 sets, 10 reps
1 minute rest between
Basically, as long as you couple heavy upper body and lower body exercises and rest a short time between sets, you are asking a lot out of your body which will inevitably disrupt the resting metabolic rate and burn fat even after you have stopped working out.
Some 4 station complexes I have set up have been like this:
Heavy medicine ball chest passes w/partner (10)
15 pushups
Lateral Jumps (10 each way)
Squat to Curl using a heavy band (10)
-1 minute rest after completing these 4, repeating twice.
Running I have had these clients do:
2 minutes at 6 - 9 mph on treadmill (depending on ability and condition)
1 minute rest, repeat 4 times.
Hope this helps Jon.
How many times per week should a person with a fat burning goal lift? And, won’t heavy weights make women bulk up? Guess that’s sort of the point, huh? Gain muscle, burn fat.
I’m not necessarily looking for a lot of mass added to my body, but I would like a little. Does this approach set me up for gaining mass as well as the traditional lifting regime of concentrating on chest and tri’s one day, etc?
Typically a person wanting to burn fat would need to workout this way about 2-3 times per week. But remember, doing the interval training (hard runs for 2 minutes followed by 1 minute of rest) is really important too. Woman shouldn’t bulk up as long as they keep the rest time at 1 minute or below.
This type of lifting is not set up for mass gains, although its certainly possible. As people do react differently to lifting, you would need to monitor your body’s reaction to this approach.