A couple of years ago, I was sitting in my doctor’s
office. In his hand, were the results of my cholesterol test. My
cholesterol score was high and I was overweight. My doctor’s advice?
Lower the amount of fat I was eating and increase my aerobic activity.
Specifically he told me to get my heart rate up
for 30-45 minutes three to four times a week. Not a lot of muscle
building with a cardio routine. And to tell you the truth, I didn’t
experience a lot of fat loss or improvement in my cholesterol score
either. But my cholesterol is now normal.
How did I drop my cholesterol score and lose fat
and build muscle? Current research indicates that your best option
for fat loss is also the best option for building muscle.
What are the best exercises for losing fat and
building muscle? Multi-joint movements that incorporate many muscle
groups are the best. Using your bodyweight in resistance exercises
is also efficient.
The best exercises are:
- Squats,
and their variations: lunges, reverse lunges, Belgian squats,
and one-leg squats with an exercise ball against the ball. If
you want to use bar bells, you can do cleans with your squats.
- Deadlifts:
for variety you can vary the grip. You can use dumbbells, one-handed
or two-handed. You can also incorporate kettlebells.
- Pushups:
There are many varieties of pushups: wide-grip or narrow-grip,
crocodile push-ups (when you crawl between reps), decline push-ups
on either a stationary bench or an exercise ball, you can also
keep one leg off the ground.
- Bodyweight inverted rows:
In the gym, I use the squat rack, place the bar about four feet
and hang from the bar with my grip slightly wider than shoulder
width. You can bend your knees with your feet flat on the ground,
or you can keep your body in plank, as in a pushup.
Now take variations of these exercises and create
supersets. Pair a push activity with a pull activity. Squats can
go with deadlifts. Pushups can go with inverted rows.
A Turbulence
Training-inspired workout might look a little like this:
Warm-up:
Prisoner squats (12 reps)
Plank (2 reps of 20 – 45 seconds)
Lying hip raises (12 reps)
Rest for 30 seconds
Do two sets
Workout:
Superset 1:
Reverse lunges (use hand weights if you need more resistance) (10
reps)
One-handed dumbbell deadlift (10 reps each arm)
Repeat twice more
Superset 2:
Decline pushup with feet on exercise ball (12 reps)
Inverted row (10 reps)
Repeat twice more
Add in a core superset; ideally one that mixes
abdominal with back exercises. Then do 20 minutes of variable intensity
cardio exercise (5 minute of warm-up, 1 minute of high intensity
work, 2 minutes of low intensity work, alternate high with low
intensity three more times, then five minutes of cool down).
There’s a workout that will help you lose fat
while building muscle.
Have a blast!
