MAJOR CRIME FIGURES have a simple solution to most dilemmas: They hire muscle. The more they use, the faster the fix. And even if your problem is “fat,” not “rat,” the principle still holds. Instead of making Sammy the Snitch disappear, the muscle you take on can make your gut go away. That’s because unlike a Mafia henchman, your muscle doesn’t accept cash. It demands calories.
The reason is simple. The harder your muscles work, the more energy they need. So by working as many muscles as possible in each exercise, you’ll burn more calories than if you performed single-muscle isolation exercises. And that means a harder, leaner body.
In this special 4-week total-body fat-loss program, you’ll work your muscles harder than ever before by focusing on total-body movements. So you’ll twist when you perform a shoulder press, hoist the barbell as you squat, and stand on one leg when you do bent-over rows. That way, you’ll incorporate more muscles into each exercise than you would by doing traditional moves. And besides increasing your calorie burn during your exercise session, this strategy also boosts your metabolism for hours afterward. That means you’ll burn fat at a higher rate long after your workout’s over.
You’ll also go from one exercise to another with little or no rest in between moves. That will trigger a surge in your powerful fat-burning hormones, for an even more effective gut-melting workout. Consider this workout your overdue collection notice to that unwanted belly. It’s time to make your fat pay.
THE WORKOUTS
This program is divided into two full-body workouts: Workout A and Workout B. Alternate between the two, taking a day off after each. So, for example, 1 week you might do Workout A on Monday and Friday and Workout B on Wednesday, then the following week do Workout B on Monday and Friday and Workout A on Wednesday. Continue in this fashion for the entire 4 week program.
TECHNIQUES
Workout A
The upper-body exercises in Workout A are arranged in supersets—pairs of exercises performed one after the other without rest—instead of straight sets.
Complete the moves in the order shown on the next page by doing all of the Set 1 exercises first, followed by the Set 2 exercises, and so on. Do both exercises in each superset without rest.
Workout B
The first two sets of exercises are called "complexes." You do the three exercises in succession without putting down the bar.
That's one repetition. (In the second complex, the model is shown using different weights for each phase of the complex, since we originally photographed the moves as stand-alone exercises. But you'll do them using the same weight for each.) Groups 3 and 4 are supersets, just as in Workout A.
WARMUP For each group of exercises, perform a warmup set. Do the number of repetitions suggested with about 60 percent of the weight you’ll use for your work sets. Don’t exhaust yourself on the warmup sets. They’re just intended to prepare your muscles and connective tissues for the harder work to come. You’ll reduce your risk of injuries and perform better at the same time.
REST Rest 60 seconds after each superset or triset.
PROGRESS When you can do the maximum number of prescribed repetitions in each set, increase the weight you’re using for a particular exercise by 5 to 10 percent.
ABDOMINAL WORK Perform your favorite ab exercises after each workout. Choose two or three moves and do two or three sets of 10 repetitions of each.
The reason is simple. The harder your muscles work, the more energy they need. So by working as many muscles as possible in each exercise, you’ll burn more calories than if you performed single-muscle isolation exercises. And that means a harder, leaner body.
In this special 4-week total-body fat-loss program, you’ll work your muscles harder than ever before by focusing on total-body movements. So you’ll twist when you perform a shoulder press, hoist the barbell as you squat, and stand on one leg when you do bent-over rows. That way, you’ll incorporate more muscles into each exercise than you would by doing traditional moves. And besides increasing your calorie burn during your exercise session, this strategy also boosts your metabolism for hours afterward. That means you’ll burn fat at a higher rate long after your workout’s over.
You’ll also go from one exercise to another with little or no rest in between moves. That will trigger a surge in your powerful fat-burning hormones, for an even more effective gut-melting workout. Consider this workout your overdue collection notice to that unwanted belly. It’s time to make your fat pay.
THE WORKOUTS
This program is divided into two full-body workouts: Workout A and Workout B. Alternate between the two, taking a day off after each. So, for example, 1 week you might do Workout A on Monday and Friday and Workout B on Wednesday, then the following week do Workout B on Monday and Friday and Workout A on Wednesday. Continue in this fashion for the entire 4 week program.
TECHNIQUES
Workout A
The upper-body exercises in Workout A are arranged in supersets—pairs of exercises performed one after the other without rest—instead of straight sets.
Complete the moves in the order shown on the next page by doing all of the Set 1 exercises first, followed by the Set 2 exercises, and so on. Do both exercises in each superset without rest.
Workout B
The first two sets of exercises are called "complexes." You do the three exercises in succession without putting down the bar.
That's one repetition. (In the second complex, the model is shown using different weights for each phase of the complex, since we originally photographed the moves as stand-alone exercises. But you'll do them using the same weight for each.) Groups 3 and 4 are supersets, just as in Workout A.
WARMUP For each group of exercises, perform a warmup set. Do the number of repetitions suggested with about 60 percent of the weight you’ll use for your work sets. Don’t exhaust yourself on the warmup sets. They’re just intended to prepare your muscles and connective tissues for the harder work to come. You’ll reduce your risk of injuries and perform better at the same time.
REST Rest 60 seconds after each superset or triset.
PROGRESS When you can do the maximum number of prescribed repetitions in each set, increase the weight you’re using for a particular exercise by 5 to 10 percent.
ABDOMINAL WORK Perform your favorite ab exercises after each workout. Choose two or three moves and do two or three sets of 10 repetitions of each.
