Metabolism

Ignite Your Metabolism

Your step-by-step plan for losing the last 10 and revealing your abs
By: Bill Hartman, P.T., C.S.C.S. Any man can tell you: Dropping a few pounds is one thing; becoming Brad Pitt-in-Fight Club lean is quite another. hich is why you!ll ne"er mista#e $ared %ogle for &yler Durden. After all' if torching that last bit of belly flab were as easy as eating (-inch sandwiches' the )ubway guy would surely be sporting a si*-pac# by now. &he fact is' the closer you are to achie"ing legendary leanness' the more stubborn your fat stores become. +t!s really self-preser"ation: ,our body is designed to protect your fuel reser"es from running too low' -ust in case food becomes scarce. And while that might ha"e been a handy biological feature in the Paleolithic age' it!s hardly necessary in ./st-century America. &he secret to disabling this0 +gniting your metabolism. By learning how to fire up your body!s internal furnace with e*ercise' you can accelerate fat loss and finish off your gut for good--re"ealing the chiseled muscles hidden beneath. All it ta#es is a little #nowledge' coupled with a steady dose of physical effort. e pro"ide the first half of that formula here; your charge is to handle the second.

How to Lose the Last 1

1o matter what e*ercise you choose' there!s only so much fat you can burn during' say' a 23-minute wor#out. And research shows that the better trained you become' the more your body!s 4e*ercise efficiency4 impro"es -- meaning the same amount of acti"ity burns fewer calories as time goes by. %or instance' 5ni"ersity of 6alifornia at Ber#eley scientists determined that to a"oid age-related weight gain' a"id runners need to boost their wee#ly mileage by /.7 miles e"ery year. )o to lose the last /3 pounds' you ha"e to thin# beyond how much fat you burn during your wor#out. +nstead' focus on the amount you burn during the other .2 hours and 23 minutes of your day -- while you!re sitting at your des#' lounging in front of the tele"ision' and lying in bed sleeping. And to achie"e this benefit' you need to hit the weights and do inter"al sprints. By #nowing the right combination of sets' repetitions' rest periods' and e*ercises and the best method of cardio' you can create a wor#out that not only burns as many calories as a 8-mile -og' but' unli#e that -og' also unleashes a flood of fat-burning hormones that sto#e your metabolism for hours after you e*ercise. &he result: ,our body!s fatburning furnace runs on high all day long' e"en when you!re sitting on the couch. 9ere!s how to build the perfect metabolism-boosting wor#out plan' step-by-step. !o "ight to 1# $e%etitions o& "a'h Set Doing your one-repetition ma* may ma#e you feel li#e a big man' but if your goal is not loo#ing li#e one' then you!re better off pumping out more reps. :esearch shows that performing sets of eight to /; repetitions stimulates the greatest increase in fat-burning hormones' compared with doing a greater or fewer number of repetitions. &he one ca"eat is that you ha"e to use a weight that pro"ides an adequate challenge. %or instance' doing eight repetitions with a weight you can lift /; times won!t be "ery effecti"e. After all' it!s only about ;3 percent of the wor# your muscles are actually capable of performing. +nstead' you want to gi"e between <3 and /33 percent of your full effort for any gi"en repetition range. A good way to gauge how you!re doing: +f you start to struggle by your last repetition' you!ll #now that you!re in the ballpar#. Per&orm Two to (our Sets o& "a'h ")er'ise &urns out' it doesn!t ta#e much weight wor# to re" up your metabolism. Ball )tate 5ni"ersity researchers disco"ered that fat-burning hormones increase when you complete -ust one set of an e*ercise. And while doing more sets boosts your hormone le"els to an e"en greater e*tent' there is a cutoff: +n a recent study' =ree# scientists determined that there is no difference between doing four sets and si* sets

of each e*ercise. )o consider two to four to be the optimal number of sets for speeding fat loss' depending on your current le"el of fitness. %or e*ample' you!ll want to use the low side of this recommendation when you!re -ust starting out' and increase your number of sets as you become better conditioned. After all' losing weight by losing your lunch is ne"er the goal. >%or a complete wor#out that combines all the metabolism-boosting principles we!re outlining in this story' see 4,our )i*-Pac# Plan4 on page four.? $est *o Longer than +# Se'on,s Between Sets @oo# around any gym and you!ll find that rest periods are usually dictated by how chatty a man!s wor#out partner is. But by closely adhering to specific rest periods of no longer than 7; seconds' you can speed fat loss. 9ere!s how it wor#s: Doing sets of eight to /; repetitions results in the accumulation of a chemical called lactate in your bloodstream. And high lactate le"els are associated with an increase in the release of fat-burning hormones. 9owe"er' resting too long between sets allows the o*ygen you breathe to help clear the lactate from your bloodstream. Aeep your reco"ery time short' though' and you!ll #eep your blood le"els of lactate -- and fat-burning hormones -- high. &hat means more fat is burned while you rest. -or. Your "ntire Bo,y 9ow much you ele"ate your metabolism after your wor#out is directly related to the amount of muscle you acti"ate at any one time. )o you!ll want to focus on mo"ements that wor# multiple muscles' as opposed to those that attempt to isolate muscle groups. %or instance' you!ll e*perience a much greater boost in metabolism by performing /3 repetitions of the squat' compared with /3 repetitions of an isolation e*ercise' such as the biceps curl. +n addition' by training your whole body each session' you!ll wor# the most muscle possible. A 5ni"ersity of isconsin study found that when men performed a full-body wor#out in"ol"ing -ust three big-muscle e*ercises -- the bench press' power clean' and squat -- their metabolisms were ele"ated for 2< hours afterward. hat!s more' they also burned a greater percentage of their calories from fat during this time' compared with men who didn!t do a total-body wor#out. &he ta#e-home message is clear: 6omplete an intense full-body weight wor#out 2 days a wee#' resting a day between sessions' and you!ll #eep your metabolism humming along in a much higher gear at all times. /lternate Between Two ")er'ises hy spend more time in the gym than you need to0 Bach time you do a set of an e*ercise' rest' then follow with a set that wor#s muscles that weren!t in"ol"ed in the pre"ious mo"ement' and rest again. %or e*ample' you might pair an upper-body e*ercise with a lower-body mo"e' or an e*ercise that wor#s your chest muscles with one that hits your bac#. Cnce you!"e done one set of each e*ercise' repeat the process until you!"e completed all the planned sets of both mo"ements. &his method is called 4alternating sets4 and allows one group of muscles to rest while another group wor#s' and "ice "ersa. &he benefit0 ,ou can limit your rest periods' which will #eep your lactate le"els high while gi"ing specific muscles more time to reco"er between sets. +t!s a strategy that helps offset fatigue and ensures you gi"e your best effort to each set. Monitor Your Li&ting Tem%o :emember' your goal is to wor# your muscles as hard as possible on each repetition of each set. And that means you need to control the speed at which you raise and lower the weight. By performing an e*ercise too fast -- for instance' lowering your body quic#ly and 4bouncing4 up from a squat -- you ta#e some of the stress off your muscles and place it on your tendons. &he trouble is' stressing your tendons doesn!t boost your metabolism the same way that challenging your muscles does. >At least not that scientists #now of yet.? As a general rule' try to ta#e 2 seconds to lower the weight' and then pause for a second before lifting it. &his helps eliminate the elastic energy that allows you to bounce' forcing your muscles to wor# their hardest on e"ery repetition. S.i% the Long $uns )ure' aerobic e*ercise burns calories. 9owe"er' if you!re already dieting -- and you!d better be if you want to see your abs -- studies show that distance running does little to further enhance fat loss. Most li#ely this is because aerobic e*ercise doesn!t boost your metabolism after your wor#out. But that doesn!t mean cardio can!t help: 9igh-intensity inter"als -- such as short sprints of 23 seconds or more' interspersed with a slow -og -- are great for accelerating fat loss. hy0 Because they!re similar to weight training. After all' a .33-meter sprint challenges your lower-body muscles hard for 23 seconds or more' -ust li#e a set of eight repetitions of the squat. )o by doing a few inter"als on the days you don!t lift weights' you can spi#e your metabolism e"en higher.

Your Si)0Pa'. Plan

Build muscle and lose fat with this 4-week training program

The -eight -or.out

Alternate between weight wor#out A and weight wor#out B' 2 days a wee#' resting at least a day between sessions. Perform each pair of e*ercises as alternating sets. &hat is' do one set of the first e*ercise' rest for the prescribed amount of time' then do one set of the second e*ercise' and rest again. :epeat until you!"e performed all the recommended sets. 1ote that the sets' repetitions' and amount you rest between sets change from wee# to wee#. -or.out / /. S%lit s1uat D barbell .. $omanian 2. !umbbell

row

,ea,li&t D standing dumbbell press ben'h %ress D chinup

-or.out B /. (ront s1uat D close-grip chinup .. !umbbell 2. Stan,ing

ste%u% D barbell ben'h %ress barbell shoul,er %ress D dumbbell face pull )ets . . 2 2 :eps /; /; /. /. :est 7; (3 7; (3

ee# / . 2 8

The Inter2al -or.out

Alternate between inter"al wor#out A and inter"al wor#out B' . days a wee#' on the days between your weight wor#outs. &o perform the inter"als' run or cycle at the fastest pace you can maintain for the duration of the sprint time. &hen slow down to a pace that!s about 23 percent of your full effort for the 4reco"ery time.4 :epeat until you!"e completed all the prescribed inter"als for each wor#out.

-or.out / ee# +nter"als /-. 8 2-8 ( -or.out B ee# +nter"als /-. 2 2-8 ; S%lit S1uat

)print &ime 23 seconds 23 seconds )print &ime (3 seconds (3 seconds

:eco"ery &ime <3 seconds <3 seconds :eco"ery &ime /E3 seconds /E3 seconds

:est a barbell on your trapeFoids and stand with one foot . and a half to 2 feet in fron of the other' each in line with its corresponding buttoc#. Aeep your upper body erect as you descend until the top of your front thigh is parallel to the ground. Pause' then press bac# up to the starting position.

Barbell $ow
)tand with a barbell on the floor in front of you' your feet slightly less than shoulder-width apart. =rab the bar with an o"erhand grip' your hands at shoulder width or slightly wider' and rest the bar on your thighs. Draw the bar up toward your chin' #eeping it close to your body. ,our elbows should remain flared outward

during the mo"ement. hen the bar is abo"e your nipples' pause for . seconds and contract your shoulders and trapeFius. )lowly lower the bar until your arms are straight' elbows unloc#ed.

$omanian !ea,li&t
)tand holding a dumbbell in each hand >palms facing your thighs?. Aeeping your #nees slightly bent and your bac# naturally arched' push your hips bac# and lower the weights until theyGre -ust below your #nees. &hen push yourself bac# up.

!umbbell Ben'h Press

=rab a pair of dumbbells and lie on your bac# on a bench or )wiss ball. 9old the dumbbells at arm!s length abo"e your chest. >+f you don!t ha"e a bench or )wiss ball' do the e*ercise lying on the floor.? @ower the dumbbells to your chest' then press the weights bac# up. > ithout a bench or )wiss ball: @ower the dumbbells until your upper arms touch the floor. &hen press the weights bac# to the starting position.?

(ront S1uat
=rab a pair of dumbbells so that your palms are facing each other and rest the ends on the meatiest part of your shoulders >not your collarbone?. ,our upper arms should be parallel to the floor. )lowly lower your body as if you were sitting bac# into a chair' #eeping your bac# in its natural alignment and your lower legs nearly perpendicular to the floor. hen your upper thighs are parallel to the floor' pause' and then return to the starting position.but ha"ing the weight closer to the floor ma#es it easier to balance throughout the lift.

!umbbell Ste%u%
9olding a pair of dumbbells at your side' stand facing a step or bench. Place one foot on step and push down through your heel to lift your other leg up to the step. :eturn to the starting position and finish a set of /. to /; reps with one leg before switching legs and repeating the e*ercise.

Barbell Ben'h Press

Aeep doing pushups in wee# .' but add this. Do three sets of /. repetitions to impro"e chest strength. @ie bac# on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. :emo"e the bar from the uprights using an o"erhand grip >palms facing away from you?' your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. )lowly lower the bar to your chest' -ust below the nipples. Pause' then press the weight bac# up until your arms are straight again.

Stan,ing Barbell Shoul,er Press

=rab a barbell with a shoulder-width' o"erhand grip. )tand holding the barbell in front of you at shoulder le"el' your feet shoulder-width apart and #nees slightly bent. Push the weight straight o"erhead' leaning your head bac# slightly but #eeping your torso upright. Pause' then slowly lower the bar to the starting position.

-at'h the 3i,eos