For those of us who love to lift weights, cardio training is often an excruciatingly boring endeavor. Whether it be HIIT, steady state, or anything in between, when it is time to jump on the treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical the majority of us iron warriors cringe.
But isn’t it this very type of mundane cardio that allows us to most efficiently burn off body fat and reveal the details of our hard earned muscles underneath? Not necessarily! Utilized correctly, the same BB’s, DB’s and machines we use to induce hypertrophy can also be extremely effective tools for melting fat.
The key lies in choosing the right exercises, incorporating the proper rep range, and arranging your workouts in a manner that encourages the body to tap into body fat for energy.
The Exercises
When utilizing weights to burn fat it is beneficial to perform mostly compound lifts, especially when it comes to larger muscle groups like back and quads. These movements will most effectively raise the heart rate, burn calories, increase natural growth hormone production (note: GH is a powerful fat burner), and enhance metabolic rate.
The Rep Range
Since we are focusing on burning body fat you want to keep reps in the medium to medium/high range, or about 10-12 for upper body exercises and 12-20 for the lower half. By doing so you will burn more calories, push out more lactic acid (which increases GH production), and stimulate the metabolism, while still giving your muscles a challenging enough workout to foster growth.
The Exercise Arrangement
Most of the time when concentrating our efforts into build pure muscle mass we utilize a “straight sets” approach, with 2-3 minutes rest in between. However, when looking to get “shredded” enough to display that wicked 6-pack and deep separations/cuts through every body part it is more effective to use specific types of supersets, circuits, and mega-fast paced training.
The following workouts are examples of the types of weight training routines you can begin using right now to “rip up” your physique without ever stepping foot on a treadmill, bike or stepper.
See the fat torching workouts on next page.
Workout A: The Fast Paced Body Fat Burner
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Barbell Squats
4
12-15
60 sec
Alternating Barbell Lunges
3
12-15
60 sec
Stiff Leg Deadlift
4
12-15
60 sec.
Underhand Grip BB Bent Row
3
10-12
45-60 sec
Narrow Grip Bench Press
3
10-12
45 sec
Standing Military Press
3
10-12
45-60 sec
Close Underhand Grip Pullup
2
Max Reps
45-60 sec
Workout B: The Upper/Lower Superset Scorcher
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Hack Squats – Superset w/
3
12-15
Weighted Dips
3
10-12
Leg Press – Superset w/
3
12-15
Bodyweight Pullup
3
Max Reps
Walking DB Lunge – Superset w/
2
12-15
Seated DB Press
2
10-12
DB Stiff Leg Deadlift – Superset w/
2
12-15
Standing Alternating DB Curl
2
10-12
Hanging Straight Leg Raise – Superset w/
2
Max Reps
Bench Dips
2
Max Reps
Rest between supersets should be no longer than 2 minutes
Workout C: The Circuit Incinerator
Exercise
Reps
Deadlift
12-15
Incline BB Press
10-12
Leg Press
12-15
One Arm DB Row
10-12
Smith Alternating Reverse Lunge
12-15
WG BB Upright Row
10-12
Lying Leg Curl
12-15
Upright Torso Dips
10-12
Cable Crunch
12-15
CG Underhand Grip Pull-up
Max Reps
Move from one exercise to the next as rapidly as possible.
Do not go to failure on each movement, but perhaps 1-3 reps short.
If attempting to perform multiple circuits rest about 3-5 minutes in between each by slowly walking around the gym until ready.
