Whenever I go to the gym, I watch a lot of re-runs, and they’re not playing on the hanging TVs. The bench press is backed up by a line of boys who want to lift like men, there’s a string of stringy treadmill trawlers, and there are too many people who aren’t working hard enough.
With all their waiting around and resting, these loafers sure spend a lot of time at the gym. They’re usually there when I arrive, and there when I leave. Hell, they’re probably still there.
Most gym-goers equate long workouts with hard workouts. However, long training sessions (more than an hour) usually mean low-intensity muscle contractions and extended rest periods. To gain muscle and burn fat, low-intensity workouts are often ineffective and counterproductive.
The solution? Make your workouts short, intense and effective. Mimic the intense training habits of elite explosive athletes like MMA fighters. They spend a lot of time prepping and stretching, but once the workout begins, they move fast and lift furious, alternating short recovery periods with maximum effort.
To train at this high level of intensity, you want to keep your workouts brief. The ideal time is 30 minutes or less. This is a pretty good proposition, right? Better results in less time.
Specifically, I want you to use three simple intensity-boosting strategies: maximum effort interval training, full-body workouts and/or “metabolic strength” training. Why? When you push yourself beyond your perceived threshold, your body initiates a chemical response and neuro-endocrine reaction.
This chain can cause your body to naturally raise testosterone and release human growth hormone (HGH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in your system.
Stimulating and maximizing these hormones via intense training helps stimulate muscle growth and fat loss.
What’s more, you’ll initiate physiological processes that will keep you burning even more body fat long after your workout ends. So let’s light the fire and go to work.
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