Training Economy: How to burn a lot of fat in minimal training time

One of the 'problems' many people face when it comes to getting in shape is time, or lack thereof. Whether it be work, kids, life....everyone is busy these days, and an awful lot of people use being busy as an excuse as to why they haven't got the body they really want. Truth is, if you REALLY want to change the way you look (and feel) you can. It's a choice. There are 168 hours in the week, and it takes approximately 4 to get into fantastic shape. If you can't spend 4 hours per week on it, then perhaps you're not really that bothered about changing your body after all... (obviously diet is key too, but it takes the same amount of time to eat badly as it does it eat well, so no problems there).



So if you are really keen to change your body shape, I have good news. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to spend hours in the gym to achieve a lean, functional physique that you are proud of. What it does require, is that the time you DO spend in the gym is efficient, and that means focusing on serious bang for your buck exercises. What I mean by this, is exercises that hit a number of body parts simultaneously, thus illiciting the fastest results in the shortest possible time. Not only will these exercises yield a greater EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and subsequent elevated consumption of fuel (ie big calorie burn even after you've finished training, aka afterburn) but they'll also encourage a flourish of metabolism boosting, lean muscle mass all over body.

Take the deadlift for example. It works the glutes, hamstrings, traps, erector spinae, glutes, adductors and quads all in one fell swoop. Other big bang for your buck exercises include squat variations, deadlift variations, bench presses, overhead presses (providing your shoulders are sound), rows, pull ups, dips and a variety of core stability and anti-extension exercises.

Exercises to be ditched unless you have a LOT of time to train in (6hrs per week plus) include bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, leg extension and curls. These are really only of use to you if you have additional time after the fore-mentioned compouhd exercises to work on smaller muscle groups that won't give you any afterburn.

Also remember that training DOES NOT equal straining. Too many people think that if they don't leave the gym absolutely dripping and ruined then the program was not doing it's job. This is not the case. Efficient training should illicit big physiological adaptations without breaking you mentally or physically. If you enjoy pushing yourself to those extremes then good for you, but first and foremost ensure that your program won't break you, because a lot of 'hardcore' army/ old school type bodybuilding protocols will.

For those of you looking for a seriously effective program that will get you in incredible shape in minimal time, keep your eyes peeled on our blog and newsletter. We have a new program coming soon which will knock your socks off!

To Your Success!

Charlotte

www.phoenixprofitness.com

Follow us on twitter at @charlotteord and @phoenixprofit