Manipulating hormones during exercise is one the key elements to successful weight loss. This can be done through a nutritionist for weight loss or through exercise. Research has shown that doing resistance training, particularly when performed in a circuit as demonstrated in the workout video clip, increases certain hormones such as testosterone, cortisol and growth hormone. The goal with this type of weight training circuit is to produce as much lactate as possible in the working muscles. When lactate builds up in your muscles you get that burning sensation as they quiver under the strain of hard exercise.
Lactate production is directly correlated to growth hormone production – so training hard to produce as much lactate as possible is a great way to burn fat. Here’s how it works. Lactate is an acid and as the lactate builds up in your muscles and blood your blood pH goes down (becoming more acidic). This causes your growth hormone production to go up. In the liver growth hormone is converted to a substance called insulin growth like factor 1 (IGF1) and this causes more fat to be burnt during exercise thus making you lose more body fat.
Blood lactate concentration is correlated to the amount and size of the muscles used during an exercise. Therefore using exercises that target a large group of muscles such as a squat is much more effective for building up lactate than using an exercise that only uses a small amount of muscle mass such as wrist curls. When you perform a circuit of exercises for one set of muscles such as the quads in a 6, 12, 25 circuit you get a huge lactate build up. The exercises shown in the video clip 6, 12, 25 workout
A1. Kettle bell squat to upright row x 6
A2. Alternating lunge x 12
A3. Hip bridges x 25
This circuit targets the legs and should only take 1-2 minutes to complete but you are certainly going to feel it. After you have finished the hip bridges rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat the circuit again and rest for a further 2-3 minutes. Try to do as many circuits of this 6, 12, 25 as you can in 20 minutes for a great lower body lactate workout. You should feel nauseous within 10 minutes of doing fat loss circuits like this as the lactate builds up, if not you are not training hard enough.
If you really want to get supper results pick different exercises for different body parts and train twice a day 6 days a week for 2 weeks, then back off for a week only training once a day. Here is an example:
Day 1 Quads circuit a.m. posterior chain circuit p.m.
Day 2 Chest and triceps circuit a.m. back and biceps circuit p.m.
Day 3 Repeat day 1
Day 4 Repeat day 2
Day 5 Repeat day 1
Day 6 Repeat day 2
Day 7 off
Remember the more weight you use for a given exercise means the more calories are burned. Therefore remember to use large compound exercises such as squats, lunges, dead lifts, presses and rows for your A1 exercises, pick a moderate exercise for A2 and pick an easier exercise for A3 as the high reps will wipe you out. You should also increase the weight you use for each exercise with each workout.
This type of workout is also great if you are stuck in a hotel on business or on holiday or even out in a park where you have no or minimal exercise equipment, just pick 3 body weight exercises and perform 6, 12, 25 reps to create that lactate build up.
It’s also important that you eat right whilt doing this type of training.
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