10 Form, Function, Fatigue

Power Circuits

In This Chapter:

* The fat-burning benefits of Power Circuit training

* Intensity principles for rapid results

* Fueling your body before and after exercise

Everyone is always asking me about the best way to work out to get thin, fit, and toned. They are searching for a magical and easier way to exercise, grasping on to every fad in every magazine. Well, you might be surprised to find out that, yes, there is an ideal, special way to work out that will give you the body you want: Power Circuits. You’ll learn how to do them in this chapter.

I’m sure you’ve heard of “circuit training.” Just about everyone has. Circuit training combines the principles of aerobic conditioning and weight lifting to help you burn calories while building strength. It’s a popular workout for the time-deprived, and it never gets boring. With circuit training, you work through a series, or circuit, of exercises, completing one right after the other with very little rest between sets. You get the best of both worlds, perfectly combining resistance training (muscle tone/fast metabolism) with cardiovascular activity (calorie loss). The continuous nature of circuit training gives you a major calorie burn. Because there’s no rest between sets, you finish your workout in thirty minutes. Further, you can change the exercises in your circuit whenever you want, so there’s less chance of falling into an exercise rut.

Some other benefits:

* More burn. Circuit training simultaneously improves mobility, strength, and stamina and is the best way to burn calories in the fastest time—period! This type of exercising has been shown by research to burn more calories in a shorter period of time than conventional exercise routines, thus decreasing body fat. Conventional weight lifting burns 200 to 250 calories an hour, whereas circuit training burns anywhere from 350 to 550. That’s a lot more burn for your buck!

* More tone. Circuit training really tightens and shapes your body. Because many muscles are engaged while circuit training, more toning occurs and more calorie burning occurs.

* More smile. People who do conventional weight training often miss out on the “runner’s high”—that surge of naturally produced endorphins that comes from running, cycling, swimming, and other forms of intense cardio. Endorphins do amazing things: They relieve pain, they reduce stress, they enhance the immune system, and they postpone the aging process. So not only will you look good on the outside, but thanks to circuit training you’ll feel good on the inside, too.

Introduction to Power Circuits

All my clients have different goals: Some are getting in shape for the red carpet; others want to make a life change. But one thing they all have in common: They want to lose weight fast—which is why I use my own brand of circuit training called Power Circuits.

Power Circuits are an amped-up version of basic circuit training. You work out harder and faster. It’s a constant flow of motion, almost like rowing a boat where you never let the oars stop moving. In addition, Power Circuits alternate between upper- and lower-body exercises, so you don’t waste time waiting for all muscle groups to recuperate. With Power Circuits, you’re always focusing on large muscle groups like your chest, back, glutes, core, hamstrings, and quadriceps, since they burn the most amount of fat. If you’ve been working out for a while, but aren’t seeing the results you want or have reached a seemingly permanent plateau, Power Circuits will kick-start your body back into results mode.

The 3-F Formula: Form, Function, Fatigue

With my Power Circuits, there’s a formula I use to ensure results. I call it my 3-F Formula. This means you combine two functions (two exercises) with perfect form and do the exercises to complete fatigue. And by “fatigue,” I mean don’t stop till you drop!

I always have my clients work the same muscle group with two different exercises right in a row for more efficient fat burning and a leaner body. An example would be to perform a dumbbell chest press with perfect form until you can barely lift another rep; then you’d quickly do push-ups until you can’t press yourself up again. Because you have already fatigued your chest with the dumbbell presses, you’ll be able to only do eight to ten push-ups, so it all goes very fast. Muscles respond extremely well to this formula. It’s great for reshaping your body fast.

My Intensity Principles

With my Power Circuits, you always want to get the fullest benefits from your workouts as you can. Besides using my 3-F Formula, follow these intensity principles and you’ll be on your way to creating a shapely, defined body.

ALTERNATE UPPER- AND LOWER-BODY MOVES

By alternating upper- and lower-body exercises, your body is being constantly challenged in a way that helps burn more calories and more fat—plus keeps your metabolism high. While giving your upper body a rest, you work your lower body, and vice versa. This produces twice the results.

GO HEAVY WITH RESISTANCE

When you do use weights, don’t be a wimp. A lot of people make the mistake of using very light weights. They think that more reps will help burn calories and body fat, but in reality this is an ineffective way to train. You’ve got to use a resistance heavy enough that your muscles are on fire for the last five to eight reps in your set. Muscle tissue burns fat—and the best way to build muscle is by lifting heavier with great form. By adding 5 to 10 percent more resistance to your moves and performing sets in the fifteen- to thirty-rep range, you shock your metabolism to burn even faster. This kind of intensity burns six hundred extra calories in the two days following your workout!

BUST TRAINING PLATEAUS

After one month of working out, you will hit a plateau and discover that no matter what you do you’re not getting the results you want. This typically happens if you have been following the same routine for a while, exercising your muscle groups in the same pattern or sequence and not increasing your poundages or repetitions. Muscles get bored and, after some time, their tissues don’t regenerate the way they did at the start of your workout phase. One of the best ways of breaking out of a plateau is to jack up the intensity of your workouts. You can do this by increasing your poundages, reps, or changing up your exercises once a month. The same goes for cardio too. You’ve got to up your speed, duration, and resistance once a month.

KEEP YOUR WORKOUTS SHORT

You don’t need two hours in the gym every day to achieve a rock-hard body. The people who spend that much time in the gym are usually athletes or hanging out and socializing. All you need is a thirty-minute resistance training workout, preceded by a twenty-minute interval cardio workout, as I outlined in chapter 8. Stay focused and work intensely. If you’re not burning and sweating, then you’re not using correct form or enough weight.

SHAKE IT UP

Doing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different result, is called insanity! Change your program so that your body keeps changing. Being stuck and not making progress is known as plateauing, and you want to avoid it at all costs. Fortunately, you have a number of Power Circuits to choose from, right here in this chapter. So after about a month, to keep making progress, switch to another Power Circuit routine and increase your resistance. This will give your body new challenges and compel it to change in the direction of the goals you’ve set.

REDUCE YOUR REST TIME BETWEEN SETS

The less rest time, the more human growth hormone (HGH) your body releases through exercise. And as I’ve said, HGH signals the body to build muscle and burn fat. Minimizing rest between sets also pumps more fat-burning oxygen through your system.

DON’T OVERTHINK

My trainers always tell their clients: Don’t think about it, just do it. And guess what? They get results. The concept of don’t think, do intrigued me, so I decided to research the truth behind it. I learned that successful exercisers really don’t think about having to train, they just get out and do it. Sandra Cousins, EdD, an exercise gerontologist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, has studied this phenomenon herself. She found that people who relied on self pep talks to try to motivate themselves remained couch potatoes, because they actually talked themselves out of exercising! The lesson here: The more you talk about it, the more exhausted and stressed out you might get about it. Find that fire and go!

EVALUATE YOUR PROGRESS REGULARLY

Keep a training log and have your routine planned out before you start. I always pre-write my routines because it makes me accountable. If I know I’m expected to do my legs routine because it’s written out, I’m more likely to follow through. Also, it’s an absolute must to track your reps, sets, and increases with resistance training. Over time, your written log will help you identify strengths, weaknesses, and improvements in your physique. Seeing your progress on paper is incredibly motivating. You’ll be encouraged and inspired when you look back on your entries and see how far you’ve come.

In your training log, be sure to note any significant feelings, mental or physical, that occur in response to working out. If I’m not sore after my back routine, for example, I make a note of this. This feedback tells me I need to change weight or exercise groupings. On the other hand, put a smiley face next to the days when working out made you feel sore. Soreness means great things are happening to your muscles. Keeping tabs on your progress (or lack thereof) is the only way to accurately assess your progress, stay accountable, and devise solutions to problems. I still carry my battered little training log to the gym every day. I’ve provided a sample training log for you in appendix C.

TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS

Grab a cloth tape measure and take your before measurements now and your after measurements a month from now. The best areas to measure are:

* Your chest: Across the middle of your breasts. Keep the tape measure level around your body.

* Your waist: Around your belly button.

* Hips: Around the widest part of your hip area.

* Thighs: Around the largest part of both thighs.

* Biceps: Flex and measure around the largest part.

In the chart below, record your weight and measurements.

MY MEASUREMENTS
BEFORE Date:	AFTER Date:
Chest:	Chest:
Waist:	Waist:
Hips:	Hips:
Right Thigh:	Right Thigh:
Left Thigh:	Left Thigh:
Right Biceps:	Right Biceps:
Left Biceps:	Left Biceps:

When taking these measurements, do it at an appropriate time, like in the morning. For example, you wouldn’t want to take your waist measurement after you eat a treat meal.

After a month, get the tape measure out again and get excited about your changing shape. You might have lost inches all over. You may have gained inches in a good way. Instead of a flat butt, you may have developed a tighter, higher butt. The overall shape of your body will change with more muscle and less fat. Your clothes should fit differently in one month’s time.

And One More Thing… Crunches Are a Waste of Time

I came up with this phrase to combat my total frustration at seeing constant ab machine infomercials and prominent trainers peddling ab exercise balls on TV and promising weight loss and a six-pack. Doing hundreds of crunches on any contraption won’t help you lose weight. It’s a total disservice to the public when professionals sell that concept to you. The only muscles that help you burn fat are the large muscles of the body, such as quadriceps or pectorals. This means that a push-up, because it works your chest, is a better fat burner and core builder. I’m not saying that training your abs isn’t important; it’s just that many ab exercises like crunches aren’t going to make you thinner. Also, if you focus only on crunches, you won’t lose weight from your belly, and you may build some muscle under your fat—which will make your waistline larger! So doing endless crunches is a waste of time.

An effective way to trim inches from your midsection, in addition to doing large-muscle core work, is to do two to three ab exercises at the end of your Power Circuit routine. Also, change the combination of those exercises each time to keep those muscles challenged. Another tip to burn ab fat is to contract your abdominal muscles while doing any kind of cardiovascular exercise like Spinning or running. Diet changes such as reducing alcohol consumption or cutting out refined sugar during the week will really burn off belly fat and allow your six-pack to emerge.

My Power Circuit Routines

Okay—it’s time to start my fat-burning, boredom-busting, attitude-enhancing program. Look at your calendar and figure out when you can truly allot fifty minutes, three days a week, to this program. Your fifty-minute workout will include a twenty-minute interval cardio and your thirty-minute resistance-training routine.

We all have an optimal strength period in which our body is more energized and stronger. If you know you’re too tired after work, for example, don’t even try to work out. Schedule a morning time, and keep the appointment. That way, you’re setting yourself up for success. You’ll feel amazing accomplishment throughout the day by getting it done and doing it at a time compatible with your body’s energy level.

Workout Guidelines

There are three different Power Circuit routines: routine A, routine B, and routine C. You’ll be doing two exercises for each muscle group and alternating between your upper body and lower body, and arms and core.
Perform your Power Circuit three times a week. As an example, you can do routine A on Monday; routine B on Wednesday; and routine C on Friday.
Perform 1 set of each exercise for 15 to 30 repetitions, then immediately move on to the next exercise with only a few seconds of rest in between. To burn fat, you stay on the move.
Begin each routine with the warm-up exercises and finish with the cool-down stretches.
After one month, increase your weights. Mix and match your exercises as long as you do two exercises for each muscle group and alternate between your upper and lower body and arms and core.
Begin your workout with a warm-up.

The Warm-Up

CHAIN BREAKERS: 15 repetitions
KNEE-UPS: 60 reps, alternating
JUMPING JACKS: 60 reps
SHOULDER CROSSOVERS: 30 reps
HEAD ROLLS: 15 reps

The Routines

Completion of one full routine is the equivalent of one set. Each routine should be performed three times straight through in order of exercises.

Routine A

Choose weights heavy enough so that when performing a set it’s difficult to squeeze out the last five reps and still maintain good form. After one month, be sure to change up your routine to prevent a plateau. Increase your poundages, your reps, or both.

CIRCUIT 1

Chest Exercises

DUMBBELL PRESSES WITH TWIST:

15 reps/3 sets

DUMBBELL FLYES:

15 reps/3 sets

Quadriceps Exercises

UFCS:

30 reps/3 sets/no weight

FRONT KICKS:

15 reps each leg/3 sets/no weight

Triceps Exercises

HEADBANGERS:

15 reps/3 sets

NARROW PRESSES:

15 reps/3 sets

Core Exercises

V-TUCKS:

30 reps/3 sets/no weight

BICYCLE:

30 reps/3 sets/no weight

CIRCUIT 2