I’m always amazed by people who tell me that strength training and interval training workouts are too easy for them.
Actually, shocked is a better word.
Each strength training and interval training workout has left me sweating and feeling tired (but a “good” tired), and I’ve never finished any strength training and interval training workout and thought it was too easy or ineffective.
So if you think it’s too easy, or if you’ve done this Intermediate strength training and interval training workout and said, “no problem”, take a look at how I would do it, and then ask yourself if you are training hard enough.
Now you might not be able to use the same weights as I do, but maybe you could be using more intensity in your own workouts. And that’s all that is necessary to make your workouts better for fat burning.
So let’s examine Workout A, from the Intermediate Phase of the strength training and interval training workouts manual…
Warm-up: I’d use this to get mobile and warmup my muscles. I’d even be starting to sweat a bit. Now onto the supersets…
1A) DB Split Squat (8 reps) – I would use at least 60 if not 70 pound dumbells for this. It would be really hard – there’s no other way to put it.
1B) DB Incline Press (8 reps) – I’d use 80-90 pound dumbells for this. Combined, this superset would soak my shirt on its own.
2A) Stability Ball Leg Curl (15 reps) – Granted, I could do this exercise without a problem, so I’d either increase the number of reps per set to 25, or I would do the 1-Leg Stability Ball Leg Curl.
2B) Pushup (15 reps) – I would increase the reps to 35 pushups per set, or I would use a more difficult version such as close-grip pushups, or even decline close-grip pushups.
3A) Stability Ball Jackknife (10 reps) – I’d increase the reps to 20 per set or I’d do 1-Leg Stability Ball Jackknives.
3B) DB Rear-Delt Raise (10 reps) – This would be tough, and I’d use 15 or 20 pound dumbells.
After this intense strength training session, I’d rest 1-2 minutes and then get on the treadmill for intervals.
Interval Workout A
Intervals can’t be easy for anyone. For me, I’d run at top speed on the treadmill (12mph), or I’d run the intervals outside.
A beginner might use 3.8mph for walking intervals. Either way, we’d both make it as tough as possible for our own personal fitness levels.
Overall, this workout would be tough. And someone who is fitter than I am would just increase the intensity up to his or her level so they would boost their metabolism to the max and burn fat fast.
strength training and interval training workouts are not easy, but they work. You will get more fat burning results than if you used a slow, boring cardio workout. Don’t waste your time working on the elliptical machine. That won’t help you get the body of your dreams. Pair strength training and interval training workouts with whole-foods nutrition and you’ll burn fat fast.
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Turbulence Training for Fat Loss workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig’s bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.
You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.
Posted in 
Tags: 
