'Fat Loss 5': A Simple But Effective Fat Burning Workout
Have a feeling that your weight-loss workouts simply aren't cutting it? Chances are they are based on old information and methods that aren't as effective as you think.
So I developed the Fat Loss 5 (FL5) workout protocol as a simple—but not easy—comprehensive training formula to burn fat while maintaining and even building muscle.
An FL5 sequence consists of four exercises performed back to back in a circuit. This creates a constant cardiorespiratory effect, because your body is working hard to pump blood to your major muscle groups. Then, you follow that up with a cardio interval, further increasing the challenge and burning more calories during and after your workout.
Here are the five categories of an FL5 circuit:
Upper-body pushing exercise
Upper-body pulling exercise
Lower-body leg- or hip-oriented exercise
Cardio exercise
The FL5 circuit is simple and versatile. Here's how it works.
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Guidelines
A full FL5 circuit is four minutes of work with one minute of rest, for a total of five minutes— that's why it's called FL5.
You typically perform two to three rounds of a given FL5 circuit.
You can plug in virtually any exercises you want as long as they fit the five categories. For strength exercises, choose movements that require free weights, resistance bands or your own body weight.
Perform each strength exercise for 30 seconds and rest 15 seconds between exercises.
I don't recommend long-duration cardio, but one to two minutes of cardio performed at 70 to 80 percent of your max heart rate is prescribed for each FL5 circuit. This will dramatically reduce the impact on your joints. Cardio exercise options include shadowboxing, kickboxing, jumping rope, running, stationary bike (AirDyne preferred), rowing, reaction ball, elliptical trainer or VersaClimber.
Rest for 60 seconds after each circuit and try to decrease your rest time as you get more fit. Ideally, you should perform a maximum of two minutes of cardio, then immediately repeat the circuit with no rest; you never stop moving.
After you've performed two to three rounds of the same exercises in a circuit, the strength exercises change but the cardio remains consistent throughout the entire workout. Keeping the cardio drill the same allows you to develop a consistent rhythm throughout the workout, whereas changing the strength moves every two to three rounds stimulates your muscles and creates enough variety to keep things interesting.
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Circuit 1
Prisoner Squat x 30 seconds
Single-Arm Plank x 30 seconds
Push-Up to T x 30 seconds
Alternating Band Row x 30 seconds
Shadowboxing x 60 seconds
Rest for 60 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.
Circuit 2
Anterior Dumbbell Lunge x 30 seconds
Physioball Pike Roll-Out x 30 seconds
Lunge and Band Press x 30 seconds
Wide-Grip Barbell Row x 30 seconds
Shadowboxing x 60 seconds
Rest for 60 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.
Circuit 3
Lateral Lunge x 30 seconds
Band Tight Rotation x 30 seconds
Physioball Push-Ups x 30 seconds
Band Swimmer x 30 seconds
Shadowboxing x 60 seconds
Rest for 60 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.
Finally, performing the Fat Loss 5 workouts with the other metabolic workouts from my book, Strength Training for Fat Loss, will help you strip body fat without losing muscle.
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This article originally appeared on STACK.com: 'Fat Loss 5': A Simple But Effective Fat Burning Workout
