We’re helping people crush that  ”I have no time” excuse at our fitness boot camps in San Jose, Los Gatos and Campbell.  We’re showing people how to maximize every minute in their workouts and get MORE results in LESS time than “traditional” workouts at the gym. Many people still hang on to the notion that you need to do hours of cardio workouts every week on top of hours of weight lifting at the gym in order lose weight and be fit. Nope.  Recent research proves otherwise.

Recent studies have found that “metabolic” training, or combining strength and cardiovascular exercises together in a circuit format, are very effective for fat loss.  Studies have also found that interval training (combining periods of high intensity exercise with segments of lower intensity exercise), is very effective for fat loss and muscle preservation.

The cool thing about these types of workouts is that they’re typically SHORTER workouts than the traditional gym workout during which a person does a cardio workout for 30-60 minutes followed by a strength training workout for another 30-45 minutes.  I’m “Crazy Busy” just like everyone else in Silicon Valley.  If I can work out and get the results I want in LESS time, I’m all for it!

What does a “metabolic” workout look like?  Well, the sky is the limit, but here are a couple of examples from some of our recent workouts:

At our boot camp in Downtown San Jose we created of circuit of jump  squats, push ups, hopping through an agility ladder, standing rows and alternating lunges.  We did the exercises at each station for 50 seconds, took a rest for 10 seconds, and the moved on to the next station.  We did this circuit for three rounds.This workout developed upper and lower body strength, lower body power and cardiovascular fitness–in a FRACTION of the time of a typical workout at the gym.

Next week at our evening boot camp in Los Gatos, we’ll put our campers through an obstacle course during which they’ll lunge, jump, push things, pull things, and step up on things while they move around the park we use.  It’s a full body workout that combines strength work, cardiovascular conditioning and includes functional movements (squatting, stepping, pulling, pushing) that we do as humans in every day life.  This type of a workout burns massive calories, boosts our metabolism for hours after the workout and helps us perform and move better on a daily basis.

Aside from the physical benefits that interval training affords us, creating the variety that we do in all our boot camps in the Bay Area keeps the FUN in fitness.

Now, if you like running on a treadmill for an hour, or doing a little “aerobic magazine reading” on the elliptical, well that’s fine.  But if you’re trying to boost your metabolism, shed some body fat, and maximize every moment of your workout, give metabolic training a try!

Want to experience a non-gym workout?  Try a lifeSport Fitness boot camp in San Jose, Los Gatos or Campbell today!

Not sure if boot camp is for you?  To request  a FREE one-week trial, please log on to: http://www.lifesportbootcamp.com

Committed to your fitness success,

Becky

A much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a very short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. Alternating sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The result is improved training economy and density: more work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program.

There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:

1.)   Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges). I really like this format and use it for my personal training customers in San Jose, as well as for many of my own workouts.

2.)   Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges).

3.)   Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises

Though supersets and trisets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option for time-crunched recreational exercisers who want to boost their metabolism and decrease body fat . That’s one reason why we  incorporate a strength/cardio circuit into about 90% of our monthly bootcamp workouts in San Jose and Los Gatos.  They incinerate calories, as well as develop lean muscle and cardiovascular endurance.

Here’s an example of a 6 station cardio/strength circuit:

Exercise#1- Jump rope

Exercise#2- Dips

Exercise#3- High knee jog in place

Exercise#4- Pull-ups  (if you don’t have a pull up bar, you can do an inverted row at home by putting a broomstick across two chairs)

Exercise#5- Fast lateral shuffle

Exercise#6:  Push ups

Exercise at each station for 1 minute, and take a 10-15 second recovery break between each station.  At the cardio stations (1, 3, and 5) you’ll go “all out” for one minute.  At the strength stations (2,4, and 6), perform sets of 8-12 repetitions of the exercise, and then take a brief rest.  Beginners might get in 2 sets, advanced folks might get in 4 sets during the 60 second time frame (due to less rest time).

Perform this circuit up to four times for an excellent fat burning workout.

The key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain.

When you’re short on time (and who isn’t these days!), nothing beats a high intensity circuit training workout.

Committed to your success,

Becky

Yes, a lot of us eat more than we should on Thanksgiving (this San Jose fitness professional included).  And, yes, overeating is not healthy.  But again, I say—it’s just ONE day! Let it go.  Enjoy the day. Eat some of the foods you enjoy.  Spend time with people you love.  Be thankful you have legs that get you where you want to go and a heart that is pumping blood to the muscles in your legs.

That said, I do have a challenge for you:  If you don’t do this already, begin a tradition of doing some sort of healthy activity on Thankgiving Day. Your body will thank you for it, and my guess is, you’re going to have some fun doing it!

When I was a kid, my family  and I spent many of our Thanksgiving celebrations with another family  in Palo Alto. Although dinner at our friends’ home was a formal affair, we’d arrive at their home early in the afternoon in our jeans and tennies and head out to the hills around Stanford University for a  walk in the hills. The air was usually chilly and brisk, and we’d have tons of fun running around and laughing. I always enjoyed that part of the day.

Fast forward to today, and my husband, kids and I have created our own traditions.  I now cook the Thanksgiving meal, but I plan my cooking  chores so that I have time to go to the gym or do a quick interval workout at a local track with my dog.  The rest of my family heads out to Willow Glen High School for the annual family “Turkey Bowl”.  Organized by a brother-in-law, this is a traditional (almost) touch foot ball game with about 20 friends and family members ranging in age from about 8 to 50. I usually head over to the game after my workout to get a few pictures.  It’s a fun time and so far, nobody has ended up in the ER (a few of the more “seasoned” athletes have ended up on ice for a few days, though).

Here’s the point:  Yes, Thanksgiving is all about the food. But, how about organizing some sort of traditional activity that your whole family can do? We have some great venues her in San Jose for  outdoor leisure activities whether you’re a recovering couch potato or a seasoned athlete.  Those who don’t want to move too vigorously might enjoy  a walk around Discovery Meadow or Christmas in the Park.  Athletic types could play a few games of tennis at Willow Street Park.  The competitive types could run or walk the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

We all have choices in how we spend our time.  I believe that Thanksgiving is all about good food, friends and family.  There’s absolutely no reason that some physical activity can’t be part of the equation—even if you’re the cook, like me.

Do you have a Thanksgiving family tradition that involves a healthy activity?  Share it here in the comments section!

My best to you and yours this Thanksgiving.

Becky