Get rid of winter body fat.

Summer's just around the corner.
Want to blast winter belly fat?

Kick up the intensity!



Simply walking the dog or plodding along on the treadmill might be good for your heart but a recent study by the University of Virginia (UV) showed that women who regularly do high intensity workouts have far less belly fat than women who work out at an easy level.

This suggests that while just being "active" may be good for your overall health, if you want more significant changes to your body composition and body fat loss you need to work at a level that makes you breathe heavily. Additionally, one of the best parts of the UV study was that it was done with women who's mean age was 51 years old. This shows that despite the natural changes that occur with age, by increasing our workout intensity we can still change our bodies regardless of how old we are.

So, how can you effectively increase your intensity? Alternate short bursts of high intensity with active rest period or lower intensity exercises. This mode of training is typically called high intensity interval training, or "HIIT".

Below is a simple "Oh, boy!" workout I like to use when I'm short on time because it gives a big bang for the buck, conditioning the muscles, revving up the cardiovascular system and burning unwanted fat without taking a long time to finish.

Oh, Boy Workout:

50 Jumping Jacks
40 Alternating Rear lunges
30 Bicycle Ab Crunches
20 Pushups
10 Burpees (see pic above)

Be sure to warm up and stretch as needed.
Go down the list 2-3 times as fast as you are able.

Workout of the Week: Core 3/1/11

Important cues:
~ Be sure to "feel" your posture and alignment during the exercises.
~ Pull your navel in towards your spine, lift the head off the shoulders (no shrugging) and allow your shoulder blades to slide down your back.
~ Remember, "Quality" not "Quantity".
~ Take your time and do it right!
~ Breathe as naturally as possible.
~ Work at your own ability, keeping in mind any personal limitation you may have.
~ Have fun!

Workout: Face Up/Face Down #1

Cat and cow (stretch)
Child's pose (stretch)
Bird dog, 5-10 each side
Down dog, hold 15-30 seconds (option add 5-10 knee bends after 15 sec)
Hover (option alternate leg raises), hold 30-60 seconds
Lie on back, bring feet up (stretch)
Shoulder bridge (option, alternate knee lifts), hold 30-60 seconds
Lie on back, bring feet up (stretch)
Two ab crunches/one modified v-up, 10 times through
Hover (option, leg waves 5-10 each side), 30-60 seconds
Bikini abs, 10 each position

Cool down/stretch

Turnover running drill

As mentioned in the previous post, drills can help to improve your running form and overall economy of movement.

The drill below can help you to run faster by increasing the turnover of your feet and legs. It can also lower your ground posture (make you less "bouncy"), while improving your running efficiency and stride length. Moreover, in the long run (no pun intended) your running will feel easier, so you can burn more calories with the same level of effort.

Turnover Drill
1. Choose a safe, level, traffic-free stretch of trail, track, or road to run.
2. Slowly warm-up for about a mile or so.
3. Run at a constant speed and count the number of times your right (or left) foot strikes the ground for thirty seconds.
4. Recover for a minute, then repeat the drill for another thirty seconds but this time try to increase the count by one or two foot strikes.
5. Continue to repeat the drill four to six times after recovering with walking or lightly running for about a minute.

Oh, yes. There will be pullups...

Today we start pullup training, my Newbies.

How, you might ask?

With "UBC pullups" to help develop your arm, back, and core strength in preparation for the traditional vertical position. Basically, all you need is something stable to lie under. Then, reach up and pull your chest up to it with your arms.

If your upper body is too weak to bring you up, modify the position further by bending your knees so that your feet are directly underneath them. This position will shorten the lever of your legs until you develop enough strength to maintain the plank position shown above.

The beauty of this movement is that you can do them practically anywhere. You just need a safe, stable locale. Clients and UBC'ers alike have used mid to low positioned universal gym smith bars, bicycle holders in the park, railings, playground equipment, etc.

Mod pullups, 5 - 10 reps
Pushups, 10-20 reps
Squat w/shoulder press, 10 reps

Go down the list as many times as possible in 5 minutes; then fartlek around a track or field for 3 minutes (can sub jump rope/treadmill/elliptical/bike/etc, just MOVE!).

Repeat entire circuit 3-4 times.
Be sure to cool down and stretch at the end (begin with a warmup, of course).