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Stew Smith is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness and self defense books such as The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, and Maximum Fitness. As a military fitness trainer, Stew has trained hundreds of students for Navy SEAL, Special Forces, Air Force PJ, Ranger Training, and other physical law enforcement professions. His eBooks at Military.com can help you achieve your fitness goals, whether you're a beginner or an expert. For more info on his books, visit the Military.com eBook Fitness Store. View the Smith Archives
With the weather turning colder, many emails to me this week discussed
running in the cold weather, or alternative exercises you can do in
the weight room that will also have a cardiovascular effect. Circuit
training is one of the best ways to make a resistance and strength
training workout that is also challenging for your heart and lungs.
This workout is a 20-minute workout that will take you to your maximum
physical effort as well as your maximum heart rate. The object of
this workout is not to rest in between exercises. You will see that
one minute of a particular exercise will burn out the targeted muscle
group as well as increase your heart rate to a fat and sugar burning
zone. Try the 20 minute workout below - if it is not challenging enough
for you try it again, totaling only 40 minutes of your time in the
weight room.
20 Minutes Circuit Workout
(*choose light weights for max reps)
bench press* or pushups - max in 1:00
squats - max in 1:00
Pullups or pulldowns - 1:00
bike or jog - 3:00
military press* - 1:00
lunges - 1:00 each leg
bicep curls - 1:00
bike or jog - 3:00
tricep extensions.- 1:00
leg ext - 1:00 (requires leg machines - or repeat squats with weights)
leg curls - 1:00 (requires leg machines - or repeat lunges with
weights)
Situps - 2:00
Crunches - 2:00
Stretch
There is an unlimited number of ways to organize a circuit workout.
The above workout is organized with upper body, lower body and cardiovascular
exercises. By simply doing the above upper body and lower body exercises
in such a way, you will be able to rest your upper body muscles
while you workout your lower body muscles, but you will never rest
your heart. This is how you make the circuit workout challenging
to your cardiovascular system as well as your major muscle groups.
Studies have shown that mixing a resistance training regimen with
a cardiovascular element will increase your metabolism, therefore
burning fat and building muscle. The result is a decrease in body
fat percentage.
So, if you are looking to lose inches and body fat, workouts like
this coupled with 4-5 smaller meals and 3-4 quarts of water everyday
will help you achieve your goal. The best thing about this diet
program is that you do not need a single dietary supplement - just
good old fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and other lean meats.
The key is to burn more calories than you take in and this workout
will help you with that - promise.
Send in your emails to stew@stewsmith.com
- next week I will answer several emails as part of the column. Even
if you are not in the column, I will answer the question or direct
you to the answer. The above workout is from many of the eBooks listed
on the Military.com
Fitness ebook Store.
