Tag: 5 Secrets System
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Traditional Circuit Training has long been thought of as a bunch of women in leotards prancing around a room lifting tiny wee dumbbells and performing over choreographed aerobic moves but nothing could be further from the truth
These days Circuits are the go to system for not just fat loss but fitness and also muscle and strength gains meaning they are often used by elite athletes as part of their conditioning program. They key is learning how to utilize this principle of training to suit your goals.
Old school circuits usually involved as many as 10-12 different stations, usually machine based, and a timer which went off every minute or so. This meant during that minute you performed as many reps of a weight as possible (usually 50+) before moving to the next exercise at the buzzer. Often we alternated between a strength based exercise i.e. chest or shoulder press; and an aerobic exercise such as the bike or skipping.
This style of circuit is fine and will work well to help increase endurance and also promote fat loss through the buildup of lactic acid (High levels of blood lactate promotes the release of growth hormone which aids in both fat loss and muscle growth – a double edged sword) but you should not limit yourself to this type and you do not always have a gym full of fancy machines at your disposal to crank out a quick circuit session.
The modern circuit is a lot simpler, instead of so many exercises often we often concentrate on smaller circuits with more repeats. Rest is taken after each circuit and can be varied depending on fitness levels or desired outcomes.
To put together a circuit we work on 4 main areas
We select an exercise for each of these areas then perform each exercise for 30-120 seconds with little to rest between exercise and 1-2 minutes rest after the circuit, and then we repeat again for the set number of circuits.
Sample Fat Loss Circuit for Beginners
The following are 2 very simple fat loss circuits you can perform at home with NO equipment. All you need is a clock, a towel and a couple of square metres to move around in: Circuit A
Circuit B
Start with Circuit A and perform each exercise for 30 seconds with no rest between exercises, rest 30 seconds then repeat circuit, repeat 3-4 times before moving on to Circuit B.
Once completed perform static stretches for 12-15 mins. You can download a PDF copy of The 5 Secrets System Static Stretching Guide from my website here:
8 Awesome Advantages of Circuit Training
Disadvantages of Circuit Training The one and only disadvantage of traditional circuit training is that you may struggle to build a lot of muscle and strength but by modifying rest and reps this can easily be fixed. We can reduce the rep range to between 5-12 and increase rest after each circuit to 60-300seconds and problem solved.
Remember if you are using circuits for fat loss like I do you, still need to keep a check on your nutrition or you could be missing out on all the benefits of your training.
If you are in need of some fresh workout ideas, I have put together a small collection of my favourite Bodyweight Circuits and they will be available to you guys soon so keep and eye on your inbox over the next couple of weeks.
Carlos Dobson
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The 8 ‘Got Fit’ Nutrition principles: Phase 1 The following principles are to help you get your nutrition on the right track. Once you can achieve and maintain these good eating habits then we can further manipulate them for even better results.
1. Eat fewer calories than you burn This is called creating a calorie deficit. You can create a bigger deficit by exercising more often, for longer or by exercising harder. To keep an accurate record it is recommended that you record your daily calorie intake somewhere. I like to use a website based program called www.calorieking.com.au where you can choose foods from a massive database. This will also help with the following steps.
2. Properly balancing your macronutrient ratios For optimum fat burning we need to have the correct balance of Fats, Proteins and Carbohydrates. When this is achieved you are able to manipulate hormone levels that control our weight loss or gain. You need to balance your ratios at your main meal times to ensure you are keeping your hormone levels in homeostasis.
3. Eat 5 or 6 meals per day properly timed By timing your meals strategically through the day you are able to stabilize your blood sugar levels. This means you avoid the release of unnecessary insulin (a storage hormone) and also avoid hunger pains and cravings. Aim to eat you three main meals with 2-3 smaller protein based snacks in between. These act as fillers and stop the binging at main meal times.
4. Eat lean proteins with every meal Proteins are the necessary building blocks for the repair of body tissue including your muscle, hair, skin and nails. It will also keep you feeling fuller for longer as it has a natural satiety effect and it is also expensive for the body to digest and assimilate so a significant portion of it is burned up in the digestion process. Enjoy foods such as lean chicken breast, trim pork, eggs, cottage cheese, salmon and tuna, lean beef or lamb mince and a good whey protein isolate powder (WPI). It is very useful to have a good quality protein powder as preparing meals can be time consuming and protein powders are easily made up and are a quick way to consume calories without all the additional carbs or fats often found in meats.
5. Eat the right carbohydrates and avoid refined sugars Refined carbs/sugars cause blood sugar spikes and therefore fat storage. (There are circumstances that require these types of carbs but not during this phase). We should aim to eat a variety of slowly digested carbs such as Kidney Beans, Brown rice, Oats and Quinoa or Chickpeas. These supply us with a slow steady stream of energy as well as maintaining blood sugar levels and they are rich in dietary fibre. Avoid soft drinks, sweets and cakes. These foods will certainly not help your campaign in the initial stages.
6. Eat low fat and choose the right types of fat We should try to eat foods that are low in fat as often the fat sources in our food has been tampered with in some way. By low fat we do not mean ‘no fat’. Our body needs fat to function as it makes up an integral part of our cells in our body. In fact it is the bad fats (such as Tran’s fats) that affect the ability of our cells to function at their optimum level. For fat loss a woman should be consuming at least 30gms of Unsaturated- poly or mono-fats each day. Men can consume slightly more at around 40gms daily. Eating more fat than this is not bad but will slow the amount of fat your body burns from your stores as it is easier to obtain it from your diet. Choose fats that are rich in Omega 3 EPA, DHA and ALA. These help the most with fat loss as well as lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation and improve retina function.
7. Eat natural, unrefined foods This goes without saying really. Think of it as the caveman principle. If it doesn’t look like it did when it came out of the ground then it has probably had some kind of processing done to it. Any refining removes fibre and nutrients and usually adds preservatives, stabilizers and additives. Pre-Packaged food is often thickened, sweetened and enhanced to make it seem more desirable. It is not actually food but rather an edible compound. Stick to wholesome, fresh where possible fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Frozen berries are OK (Better than canned), nut butters, dried chickpeas, lentils and beans are good too.
8. Drink plenty of water Drinking water is vital. Our body contains some 60-70% water, from our blood stream to our cells and organs. It helps to flush toxins from within and without it we would surely die. Drink till you urine runs clear which is around 1L per Kg of body weight i.e. a 78kg man needs to drink a little over 3L per day. This can include juices, teas and coffees but the majority needs to come from good old H20.
If you are just starting out on a weight loss program then utilize these principles to get the most fromm your program. Advanced techniques like cheat days, carb cycling and low carb/no carb diets will not be easy to follow long term but offer a more short term solution for busting through plateaus or helping shift the final 5 kgs. Once you have master the 8 Got Fit principles then it is time to go foward with these other methods.
Go for gold!
Carlos Dobson
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How to make it work for you! I know how easy it can be to be tempted to stray from an eating plan that seems impossible or even to ‘reward’ ourselves constantly for the seemingly hard work we have put in only to beat yourself up afterwards and go on a binge. I did it for years!
What if told you that it was OK to pig out on Pizza and chips, that Ice cream was in fact one of the best weight loss foods around and pasta was and still is the key to trim waistline, would you be excited?
I know I was when I found out! And so too can you be, and you can kick those guilty feelings that used to go with it to the curb as well!
The trick is when it comes to cheating on your eating plan it needs to be strategic, not just on a whim because the type of training you do also needs to reflect what you are consuming that day. E.g. It is no good having a whole hog cheat day on the same day that you are having a rest because all that food has to go somewhere, instead try to have your cheat day/meal on a day where your training schedule is jam-packed with intense activity i.e. a heavy strength training session in the morning backed up by some H.I.I.T. in the afternoon.
Why Cheat, I’m actually sticking to my diet? There are three very good reasons actually.
Le-what I hear you ask? I know you get the first two reasons so I am going to expand on the third. This magnificent hormones name is Leptin (derived from the Greek word leptos, meaning “thin”), and it’s without a doubt the most important hormone you probably never heard of. This hormone was first discovered a little over 10 years ago, and as far as weight loss research is concerned, that’s extremely recent. Leptin’s primary function is to communicate your nutritional status to your body and brain.
Your body’s Leptin levels are mediated by two things. One is your current level of body fat. On a level playing field, people with higher levels of body fat will have by default, higher Leptin levels than those with lower levels of body fat and vice versa.
Because Leptin is a hormone that is secreted by fat cells, it makes sense that under normal conditions there is a direct correlation between Leptin levels and the amount of that unhealthy body fat you are carrying.
Unfortunately, when you’re attempting to lose fat and begin to restrict calories, conditions are anything but “normal” and the body responds accordingly by lowering Leptin levels, hardly fair I know but the body does like homeostasis (Balance)
This is because the second mediator of Leptin levels is your calorie intake. Lower your calorie intake and Leptin will fall, independent of body fat.
So, yes, you can be overweight and still suffer from low Leptin levels – just go on a diet.
So the question is now what happens when Leptin levels fall and why the heck does it matter?
Again, under normal conditions Leptin levels are normal and the brain gets the signal loud and clear that your nutrition intake is adequate. Your metabolism is running high and the internal environment of the body is one very conducive to fat burning.
That is until you start dieting.
When you go on a diet, Leptin levels can quickly plummet (by 50% or more after only one week), sending a signal to the body that you’re semi-starved and not consuming enough calories. This puts the brakes on your metabolism and sends the body into panic mode which creates a hormonal environment extremely conducive to fat storage. Thyroid hormones (hormones extremely important to metabolism) respond by taking a dive and the abdominal fat-storing stress hormone cortisol skyrockets measurably.
Hello belly fat.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the appetite stimulating hormones ghrelin, neuropeptide-Y, and anandamide all hop on board to make your life even more miserable.
You don’t have to remember any of those names, just remember that when Leptin drops, you get seriously hungry, sound familiar? Massive Cravings, Hunger Pains?
Despite having a pretty good reason for its reaction, it’s pretty ironic that our bodies are primed for fat loss at every other time except when we are trying to burn fat.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could maintain high Leptin levels and a body primed for fat burning while dieting? It would seemingly solve all of our problems.
Well there is a way and it is called Strategic Cheating!
By manipulating our bodies Leptin levels naturally (through diet) we are able to keep this hormone working in our favour. The way that we do this is by incorporating High Calorie, High Carb Cheat days in to our week. The more restrictive you are with your calories the more often you need to cheat to tell your body that everything is ok.
Let’s say for example you have an extreme diet that asks you to restrict your calories to 1000 per day for a woman (1300 for a man), after about 4-5 days your body will catch on and Leptin release will start to slow down, your body will start to enter starvation mode slowing your metabolic rate to preserve precious calories and then begin to store fat.
I’m sure you know of the person who only eats once or twice a day but is still over weight, BINGO!
So after week one you jump on the scales and hooray you have lost 1-2kgs, SUCCESS!
So we continue on this plan until the end of week two when we hop on the scales and we have only lost 300-400gms, FRUSTRATION!
How do I fix it!
At least one day each week you need to increase your calorie and carbohydrate in the same extreme fashion that you have reduced them by. Do this for the entire day from when you wake up till when you go to bed. Ice cream, cakes, pizza, pasta, you name it, you eat it. (Note: If you are not on an extreme low calorie diet and only reducing your calories by 200-300 per day then a whole cheat day is not really going to benefit you, how ever do allow yourself a cheat meal each week to replenish glycogen fully and stimulate Leptin levels and satisfy any cravings to avoid binging during the week)
How many Calories?
As a rule, just go nuts! But if you’re a numbers person aim to eat twice as many calories as normal to really boost Leptin levels (They should be fully restored by the evening and only improving overnight) then switch the carb and protein ratios back E.g. If you are consuming 15cals per kg you will now be eating 30cals per kg. Instead of 50% protein and 25% Carbs, you will now be eating 50% carbs and 25% protein. If you have been training right then your stores should well be empty and there will be no fat storage just Glycogen replenishment which you will burn out during the week anyway.
Oh yeah and try to limit alcohol as it will interfere with Leptin production and put your liver to work on the wrong macronutrients (Alcohol not Fat and Carbohydrates)
Double Edged Sword! Now there is no better way to make this fat burning hormone work even harder for you than by doing a little bit of work on your part and team it up with some calorie smashing training sessions. I recommend something challenging like heavy weight training along with some interval training. This little secret alone will rev your metabolic rate up through the roof for the next 24-36 hours guaranteed and really maximizing the effects of your elevated Leptin levels.
My next trick is the following day to back it up with a Super Low Calorie protein only day where you eat only 10-12 grams of protein every hour from the minute you wake till the minute you go to sleep. This form of low calorie eating also helps to create a massive deficit where by your body is still repaying the debt of the previous days intense workouts and chewing through those fat stores with a little help from your body’s rejuvenated Leptin levels.
If you are worried about your metabolism slowing down DON’T, because that won’t happen, just relax and enjoy the fat burning. To really help things along on this day I recommend backing it up with another high repetition training session.
Cheat days are recommended at least once every 7 days if you are only a regular trainer and following your eating plan well (90% or more), heavy trainers can afford a cheat day every 5 days or so due to the volume of training they are doing.
If you struggle with your eating plan then maybe it is best for you to only enjoy a cheat meal each week until you are able to be more consistent and or you are prepared to turn the dial up a notch on the training.
Remember, Eating most definitely is cheating but you need never feel guilty again!
Carlos Dobson
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Today is about how you can pretty much exercise anywhere you want, anytime you want WITHOUT any equipment. These very exercises I use with my Fast Burner Fitness Group Training on a regular basis. These are also included in The 5 Secrets System - my book on Total Body Transformation in 12 weeks which will be avaliable in the next few weeks. As I said, fortunately, it's easy to do a bodyweight workout when you have these exercise substitutions you can use instead of weights.
1) For Squats -> You can do:
- 1-leg squats - 1-leg bench squats - Bulgarian split squats - Split squats - Forward lunges - Reverse lunges - Step-ups - Reaching lunges - 1-leg deadlifts - 1-leg hip extensions - Jump squats - Power lunges - Cossack Squats
NOTE: For many exercises, including pushing and pulling too, you can play around with the 1&1/2 rep style - lowering to the bottom position, coming halfway back up, and then lowering again, and then coming all the way back up. I also really love slow tempo reps or even slow up, fast down (These help to promote fat loss by creating lactic acid which in turn boosts growth hormone levels, a great fat burning, muscle building hormone)
2) For DB Chest Presses (of any kind) -> You can do one of these:
- Wall Push ups - pushups - close-grip pushups - decline pushup - elevated pushups - off-set pushups - pushups with your feet on the ball - pushups with your hands on the ball - spiderman pushups - pike pushups - One foot push ups - Clap Push Ups - Drop Push ups (a plyometric move for advanced trainers) - or possibly the hardest two-hand pushup of them all, decline close-grip spiderman pushups
3) To replace lunges if you have knee soreness:
First, see a doctor and have them diagnose the problem. Second, see a therapist and have them treat the issue. Third, see a trainer and have them assess where you need to work on flexibility and how you can include some "knee-friendly" exercises in your workout program.
These exercises include:
- Lying Hip Extensions (also known as Lying Hip Bridges) - Single-leg Hip Extensions - Lying Hip Extensions with your feet on the ball or a step - Lying Stability Ball Leg Curls
4) To replace DB Rows -> Using the smith machine or as I like to do a chest, belly button or waist height bar, you can do...
- inverted rows - Wide grip inverted rows - Alternate grip inverted rows - underhand inverted rows - inverted rows with your feet on the ball - inverted rows holding the ends of a towel hung over the bar
5) For DB Rows -> Using the pullup bar, you can do...
- eccentric pull-ups - regular pull-ups - sternum pull-ups - chinups - side to side pull-ups
Whoa. I think that was 40 replacements in total. Tons of ideas to keep you going. Try cracking out a few when you are in the park with your kids next time or even when no one is looking if your a bit shy.
Pretty soon you will see how I combine all of these exercises to help you create a Lean, Fit Body the Fast Burner Fitness way in the 5 Secret System.
Stay tuned, stay focused and stay in touch
Carlos
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So you want to get strong, lose weight and improve your core strength?
Then there is just one exercise that can do all that and I have made a quick video of it for you and have posted it below. This is an exercise I have doing for over 7 years and I just keep coming back to it when I need to get my self in to prime condition. It really gives me a feeling of awesome overall strength and total power and I'm sure it will for you too.
The Dead lift is often called 'The King' of lifts because of the awesome amount of strength and power involved. If you only have time for a short workout then the Dead lift is a must to include in your workout.
Check it out, this is me at the Future Health Private Studio performing a Dead lift of 130kgs. (As this was a warm up set I had no straps on which can help you lift up to 20-30kgs more.)
Watch this video and observe my technique (The Grunting is Optional, Sorry)...
So many muscles at work here people!
So lets run through the muscles involved in the Deadlift...
As you can see the Deadlift recruits the most amount of muscle groups and therfore the highest number of muscle fibres. What this means is that if you have limited time to work out then you simply must include this exercise into your workout. Becasue the weight is a 'dead weight' everysingle muscle fibre is having to work to its fullest potential and can leave your body in a state of repair for a number of days so be sure you have ample protein to aid in this. Why should I Dead Lift? The practical applications of this exercise are plentyful. In day to day life it helps to improve leg and core strength with out placing strain on the neck like a barbell Squat would. This makes things like climbing stairs, getting up and down from a chair much easier if you have stronger legs. For a sporting application you can improve your explosive leg power making it possible to run faster, jump higher and improve hip stability. With most of my One on One clients they have noticed a reduction in low back pain due to increased motor unit recruitment in the core, stronger legs and improved running ablilty, better grip strength and an all over feeling of srength and power Getting Started... For a beginner here are a few pointers
How many Reps should I do? The following is a guideline only, if you have a specific goal in mind you should really work with your trainer to create a tailored program for best results.
So next time you head out for a workout give the Dead Lift a go, after only a few weeks of lifting you will notice a massive difference in your leg and back strength almost immediately. Start light and build from there and you'll never look back (or have a weak back again) Happy and Safe Lifting Carlos Dobson
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