Recently one of the UK's top trainers, Paul Mort interrogated Men's Health writer Craig Ballantyne on the benefits of high-intensity exercise for weight loss.
Q: First, can you tell us the basics about high-intensity training?
Answer:
This type of training is the result of years of study in the gym and in the research labs and library. From personal experience, I've found there is only one way to get the most fat loss and workout results in the least amount of time - you must increase your training intensity.
With the right workout, you can get more fat loss results in less
workout time. Period. That is the one and only goal of this
training program. A better body in fewer workout sessions, and
shorter exercise bouts.
That means:
a) Shorter interval workouts instead of long slow cardio workouts
b) More challenging strength training exercises, such as advanced bodyweight exercises and some traditional strength training free weight exercises
If you have two hours to spend in the gym everyday, you can feel free to stick to the same relatively ineffective and inefficient program of long cardio and light weights. But if you are like most
men and women and have 45 minutes (or less) on only three days of the week to workout, then harder training will work wonders for you.
Male or female, almost everyone I see in traditional fitness centers could benefit from increasing the challenge in their workout. And they can also benefit from getting in and out of the gym faster.
So that's what led me to intense training. It's simple, no B.S., no-fluff, just-the-basics, results-oriented training. You don't need fancy gym machines or even an expensive gym membership. If you have a bench, a ball and some dumbbells at home, you are set.
Q: Okay so we're clear these workouts will melt bodyfat fast, what makes it so effective?
Answer:
Most people are so darn hung-up on burning a specific number of calories on a cardio machine, that they don't care how long they spend in the gym.
But big deal. If you burn X calories over 30 minutes in the gym
doing cardio, but don't boost your post-exercise metabolism, you're wasting the other 23.5 hours to burn a lot more calories.
And that's what happens with slow, steady workouts that never
change. Sure you burn a few calories in the gym, but there is no
"turbulence" on the body to increase your metabolism outside of the gym.
Instead, by using challenging strength training, and choosing
intervals over monotonous cardio, research has shown that your post workout metabolism is significantly greater. And an increased metabolism for an entire 24 hour period is what gives people results.
It's like putting money in the bank. It makes you more money even while you sit at home or sleep! That's the power of a more
challenging workout.
And with intense workouts, and other "challenging" workouts are always exponentially more enjoyable than staring at a TV (or worse a wall) when "doing your time" on a cardio machine. You can get this great "metabolic turbulence" in a boot camp, with bodyweight, at home with dumbbells, or even in a busy gym.
Nothing is more effective than intense training if you only have 45 minutes, three times per week to workout.
Q: In my opinion, resistance training, both with free weights and bodyweight is the key to losing bodyfat, for our readers that are still unsure about this could you give me your opinion on my this statement?
Answer:
Strength training is just one key for fat loss, it is essential to
maximize your metabolism, and it is absolutely, positively
paramount to building the best body of your dreams.
For those that doubt, start with bodyweight training. Not only is
this method of strength training effective at helping you sculpt
your body, but it is also empowering to your self-confidence and
100% applicable to your daily living.
Everything from carrying groceries to "seks" will be easier if you are stronger in the bodyweight exercises. Your mobility and stamina will increase, so that you will be able to carry your children to bed easier, you will be able to do yardwork with less fatigue, and you'll literally improve your "zest for life" simply from mastering your bodyweight strength.
All of these benefits without touching a single free weight...but
if you do go with free weights, you'll take your fitness to an even
greater level.
Research from the 2001 meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine showed that female subjects boosted their post-exercise metabolism to a greater level when they did 8 reps per exercise, rather than 12 reps.
So low rep, strength training is best for boosting metabolism. It
will get you more results in less time because it will continue to
work while you recover.
Q: I'm always telling people that aerobic exercise is useless for fat loss, does you agree with this? And why?
Answer:
Aerobic exercise is certainly inefficient for fat loss.
By that I mean, the benefits pale in comparison to the fat loss you can achieve in less time with interval training. Most people would be able to cut their workout time in half simply by using intervals rather than aerobic exercise.
Now I've witnessed a few people lose fat and maintain a beautiful body with aerobic exercise, but these have been limited to: young University-aged males that also did 4 days of heavy strength training, who had no "life" stress and plenty of time on their hands to train up to 10 hours per week (not counting recreational sports).
But does that sound like your average gym-goer's lifestyle?
I doubt it. If it does, where do you live? I want to move there!
So next time you go to the gym, do this admittedly un-scientific
test...Take a visual survey of the "cardio" area and the strength
training area. Where are the best bodies?
In the strength training area, no doubt.
And in fact, we can also find a lot of beautiful bodies in the Yoga
and Pilates area. Why? There's certainly no "fat burning" cardio
zone going on there. So what gives?
Nutrition.
Nutrition is the #1 factor in fat loss. It trumps any fat loss
program, no matter how good it is. Yes, even my beloved intense training will not be 100% effective if someone continues to eat chips and pints as their meals.
There are far more efficient ways to change your body.
Eat for fat loss, and do some form of strength training to sculpt
your body. When you take care of your nutrition and eat according to simple fat loss nutrition guidelines, your body will be like modeling clay in your hands...and the exercises you choose to do with sculpt it. If someone continues on with aerobic exercise, the improvements will be negligible.
So that's why you don't see cardio in a structured intense program. If
someone wants to do a family bike ride or play a game of football on the weekend, by all means go ahead. But it is far too
inefficient to get put in my main workouts.
Q: What about somebody that isn't a member of a gym? Can they still benefit from intense training?
Answer:
Absolutely. As mentioned earlier, all you need is a bench, a
Stability Ball (aka - Physioball), and a set of dumbbells. A pullup
bar would be a bonus, if you are strong enough to use the pullup
and chinup exercises.
I've done many of the bodyweight exercises outside, as obviously you don't need any equipment to do many of the novel ab, leg, and pushing exercises. Heck, I bet you use many of the exercises in your boot camps and you know how little equipment is needed for a hard workout.
Think back to the days before the glitzy chrome-and-machine gyms.
People were still able to get fit with free weights andbodyweight.
And good nutrition certainly doesn't need a gym membership.
Q: And lastly, I meet a lot of people who seem to have tried every diet going, tried classes, gyms and DVDS, what makes intense training different from these?
Answer:
Most people train in their comfort zones. And while a lot of
programs require a lot of effort (those classes are no joke), most
programs lack an effective level of intensity.
By intensity, we are talking about working closer to your maximum level of effort.
Sure, a set of 15 repetitions to failure for triceps pressdowns is
tough, but it's not truly intense. Compare that to doing a set of 8
pushups - which for many people is much more intense - and now you are using your entire body a lot harder. Thus, the turbulence on the body is much greater. And your body will have to work harder after training to recover - and that's what increases your metabolism - and allows you to burn fat all day, rather than just for 20-30 minutes.
The same goes with the cardio vs. intervals. If you switch to
intervals, you'll notice changes in days.
Stay consistent with the plan, and you're gold!
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit
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