It wasn’t all but 20 years ago that fitness experts were telling you to eat low fat diets, exercise with machines and to make sure that you are burning enough calories by doing slow boring cardio workouts.

Things have definitely changed over that time.

Now, research has proven without a shadow of a doubt that performing some type of Metabolic Resistance Training is the sure fire way to shed unwanted belly fat and build muscle at the same time.

The big secret is that some of the world’s top coaches & trainers have been using metabolic resistance training for years now.

Anytime you use circuits or supersets to train with an elevated heart rate with insufficient recovery, you are doing metabolic resistance training.

One of the most common issues, however, with doing an MRT workout is that access to adequate gym equipment is limited unless  you’re lucky enough to train in an empty gym or you train at a private a private studio that specializes in MRT workouts.

Your ability to move from one “bang for your buck” exercise to the next is limited when you have maneuver through a busy gym or when the pretty boy is doing bicep curls in your squat rack again.

And that’s where the beauty of the kettlebell comes into the MRT equation.

What most people don’t know is that Metabolic Resistance Training has been the standard practice of training with kettlebells since they were conceived back in the 18th century!

Lifting a challenging weight several times with an elevated heart rate for a given period of time is the essence of using a kettlebell.  Not only are you forcing your muscles to work hard, but you’re forging a heart of steel and creating an environment in your body that will burn fat all day long.

The beauty about kettlebell training is that not only are you getting a great muscle-building and fat loss workout at the same time, but you are also able to increase your movement efficiency as well.

Yes that’s right, training with kettlebells will allow you to move better and with greater efficiency than training with traditional weight equipment.

All kettlebell exercises require the use of the entire body.  From “grinds” like the Get Up to ballistic exercises like the kettlebell swing, each exercise you perform uses every muscle in your body in a coordinated network to move the kettlebell.

By moving the kettlebell or – in the case of the Get Up – moving around the kettlebell and because of the way the weight is distributed when you hold a kettlebell, your body pulls itself into alignment forcing you to open up chronically tight areas like your hips and chest and strengthen areas that are chronically weak like your glutes and shoulder girdle.

So what does this have to do with losing fat and building muscle?

Well, every kettlebell workout is a metabolically demanding workout, but with movement efficiency as the foundational principle behind kettlebell training, you not only will shed that unwanted belly fat and build lean mass, but you will be moving better allowing your body to work harder and longer.

The benefit of this is that chronic issues that plague our western society are often combated and alleviated through kettlebell training.  Poor posture by sitting at a desk 8 hours per day hunched over a computer keyboard is quickly battled by holding a kettlebell over your head or explosively extending your hips countless times when you perform kettlebell swings or snatches.

Kettlebell metabolic resistance training, not only will you give your body the ability to burn fat and build muscle at the same time, but you will begin to move better and stave off common issues associated with living everyday life.

Not only will you be stronger and leaner, but healthier as well.

Chris Lopez, RKC, Certified Turbulence Trainer www.KettlebellWorkouts.com/losefat

I was in California this weekend…Cali always makes me think of great nutrition, and awesome foods like avocado, dates, spinach, asparagus, red onions, spinach salads with strawberries and walnuts, and even Portobella mushroom burgers.

Last summer I visited Kardena Pauza down here in Orange County, and she made me some amazing blender drinks and fed me the most amazing dates I have ever had. Nothing since has compared to them. They were like tiny donuts…so sweet.

Anyways, what most people don’t know is that  I was a very picky eater when I was young. I didn’t eat most of those foods listed above until I was almost 30!

Click here to listen to the call…

Now let’s get into the TT Workout and tips…

Monday – July 12th

Transformation Tip of the Week:
“If you have a problem with _____, do something about it. It doesn’t matter how big the ____ problem is, you can take action on fixing it today. Send an email to a friend asking for help with ___. Search the internet for solutions to _____. Or get off Facebook, and go fix your ____ problem in the real world. No matter what, there is no excuse to not work on fixing your ____ problem today.”

TT Workout A – Kettlebell Workouts
1) KB Clean (5 x 5)
2a) KB Side Press (3 x 5)
2b) Chin-Ups (3 x AMAP)
3) Turkish Get-Up (3 x 5 per side)
4) 2-Arm KB Swings x 100 (in as minimal sets as possible, rest 1min btwn sets)

And here’s something else to try, from the latest Men’s Health magazine.

Trainer Martin Rooney gives us his 3-minute chinup test and scores.

For men, if you get ___, you are ____.

<19 = below average
20-29 = average
30-39 = good
40-49 = excellent
50+ = extraordinary

In the magazine, Martin gives tips on how to improve by doing sets 2-reps short of failure with 1 minute rest.

Tuesday
Get 30 minutes of fun activity – now grab a Green Tea and do this week’s research review.

Reference:
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: July 2010 – Volume 42 – Issue 7 – pp 1286-1295. Resistance Training Predicts 6-yr Body Composition Change in Postmenopausal Women. Bea, J., et al.

Previously, sedentary women (n = 122, age = 56.3 ± 4.3 yr) were randomly assigned to resistance training or control.

The training group did eight core exercises for two sets of eight repetitions at 70%-80% of one-repetition maximum, three times weekly, plus progressive weight bearing, stretching, and balance

Results showed that resistance training is a viable long-term method to prevent weight gain and deleterious changes in body composition in postmenopausal women.

So no matter what your age, you need to be lifting for a better body!

Stay strong!

Wednesday

TT Workout B – Kettlebell Workout

Jumping Jacks x 25
1-Arm KB Swings x 15 per arm
KB Overhead Walking Lunges x 10
Push-Ups x 15
Double KB Row x 15
Prisoner Squats x 15
Burpees x 10

Thursday
Do 30 minutes of fun activity. Now a common question I get about these off days is…

“Can you do intervals and weights on alternate days?”

The answer is yes. It seems to be fine. We are still looking to see if this gives more results or less. But so far, so good.

Friday

TT Workout C – Kettlebell Workout

KB Snatch (5 x 5 per side)
2a) Hindu Push-Ups (3 x AMAP)
2b) Renegade Rows (3 x 10 per side)
KB Windmill (3 x 8 per side)
Double KB Front Squat (1 x 20)

Social Support Saturday!
30 minutes of fun activity…and now for a support tip from the latest Men’s Health magazine (July or August, 2010).

Research shows you need to get on the email list of fitness experts, because signing up for weight loss advice emails can help you lose weight because you’ll eat smarter & increase your activity.

Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
30 minutes activity and plan, shop, & prepare

Another tip from that issue of Men’s Health…

Men should consume < 150 calories of added sugar per day.

However, good ol’ Men’s Health is always contradicting itself, and 2 pages later, MH recommends drinking 200 calorie slushies before your endurance workout.

Confusing messages…what they should have done was been more specific that the slushie recommendation was for ENDURANCE athletes.

Oh, and why do slushies help? Because the cold temperature slows the absorption of sugar…giving you time released energy.

It’s also worth mentioning again this info about deadly transfats.

Foods can claim to be trans-fat if they have < 0.5g per serving! But a package of food might have 2-4 servings, and therefore, you if you eat the entire bag, you could get a heart-crushing 1-2 grams of transfats. And you should eat LESS than a gram per day.

Research – quoted in MH – shows that for every 2% increase in your daily trans fat intake, your risk of heart disease increases 23% – transfats are nasty!

Avoid all foods with hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list…even if the package says “trans fat free”.

Next week!
TT Contest Results!
TT Workout – Program that helped contest winners
Research Review – High Protein Diet Study