It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over!

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Alright, you have just finished a tough strength training session. Good work!  Now, what exactly should you do now in order to maximize your results? Should you immediately chug a shake? Perhaps do some cardio? Or walk over to the yoga room to check out the ladies in downward dog?

I’m sure most of you have tried at least one of the above options, and I can certainly see some validity to each of them. But if you really want to maximize your training results, the end of your strength work is the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself one last time. And the BEST way to accomplish that is with the use of a good finisher.

A finisher consists of  … Read More

Real Strength Training Redefined

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What is real strength?  The answer to that simple question can vary dramatically, depending on whom you ask.  You see, there are many different strength disciplines, and their disciples have very different definitions of what real strength is.

For example, if you ask this question to a powerlifter, he would say that real strength is determined by how much weight you can bench, squat and deadlift. 

A gymnast, however, would have a vastly different opinion.  To a gymnast, if you can’t hold an iron cross or do a muscle up, you wouldn’t be considered strong regardless of your bench press numbers.

An Olympic weightlifter measures his strength by how much weight he can clean, snatch, jerk, etc.

A Strongman competitor  … Read More

Sprinting For Fat Loss: Part 3

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This is the third and final part of our Sprinting For Fat Loss trilogy. You have already learned why sprinting is so effective, as well as how to warm up and prepare your body properly for the demands of a killer sprint workout.

Now it’s time for the good stuff. This post contains the actual sprint workouts that will significantly improve your performance and dramatically transform your physique.

There are several important factors to consider when designing a sprint workout. These factors include: distance of sprint, rest interval in between reps and sets, intensity (% of max speed) and timing of sprint workout.

If I were designing these workouts for a specific athlete striving to improve performance, I would also  … Read More

Sprinting For Fat Loss: Part 2

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Now that you’re ready to lace up your Jordan’s and hit the track, we need to discuss how to properly warm up for your sprint workout.

The volume of your warm up drills will be dictated by several factors, including: outdoor temperature, training experience, level of speed, injury history, age , distance and intensity, etc.

In other words, conditions like extremely cold temperatures or world class speed would require a more extensive warm up than otherwise might be needed under more standard situations.

But I’m going to assume that A) you’re not sprinting in Antarctica, and B) Usain Bolt is probably not reading this post in an effort to learn how to properly warm up for his next attempt at  … Read More

Sprinting For Fat Loss: Part 1

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Those of you who know me probably know that I generally believe in investing your energy in what is most effective.  In other words, I think you should pick the things that give you the most bang for your buck and get really good at doing them. 

This principle works for all areas of life.  But since I’m not feeling overly philosophical at the moment, I’m going to apply this rule solely to your fitness and fat loss goals!

So what exercise gives you the most fat burning “bang for your buck”?  For most people, the answer is clear.  You should be sprinting! 

Not jogging, not running on a treadmill, and definitely not following the typical “fat burning protocol” that  … Read More