I can’t possibly count how many times people come to me and are struggling with losing weight but are working their butts off at the gym to do so. Though their effort is there and they’re putting the time in, they just can’t seem to lose weight or change their bodies. When I hear this scenario, I can almost instantly diagnose the problem nine times out of ten. It’s the result of having gone “cardio crazy.”

Generally, the people who fall into this category have the same frustration. They spend 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, sweating it out on the treadmill, the elliptical or the recumbent bike. Some of them burn up to 800 calories per workout, but are just not seeing the results. It’s difficult to understand because they’re burning such a high volume of  calories, and we’ve all been taught that it’s all about calories in versus calories out, right?

Yes, you DO need to expend more calories than you take in to lose weight. If this simple mathematic equation doesn’t add up, weight loss will be impossible. Unfortunately, however, this is NOT the only part of the weight loss equation. Let me explain…

The real key to losing weight, and more specifically burning fat is not how many calories you burn during your workout,  but what your body does to recover afterward.

Traditional cardio, like the kind I described above, usually  entails 30 to 60 minutes of a low to moderate intensity exercise like walking, jogging or biking at a pace that is sustainable for a long period of time. No one would argue that this type of exercise doesn’t have its health benefits and can produce some gains in fitness. However, the problem is, as soon  as you’re done performing this type of exercise, your body stops reaping the benefits of it. It simply does not take your body much to recover from the stresses of pure aerobic activity.

If you live in this zone of cardio, you WILL NOT see significant improvements in your fitness level or your weight loss efforts!

To truly improve your fitness level and increase your metabolism,  you must constantly vary the stimulus, and therefore constantly change the metabolic demands of your workouts. There are so many  ways to vary the stimulus provided by your workouts. These  variables include the modality of exercise,load, tempo (intensity), distance, duration of exercise and rest periods. Once your body fully adapts to any stimulus, the cardiovascular system stops being challenged, and therefore ceases to make further improvements.

One of the keys to getting more out of your cardiovascular  program is to periodically work out at an extremely high  intensity for shorter durations. This is where interval training becomes so powerful. Rather than running for 45 minutes at one speed, you can perform 30 second sprints at 90 - 95% of your maximum heart rate, resting one minute between each sprint.  If you push the pace properly, you only need to perform about 5 repeats of this interval to reap its metabolic benefits. Why? Because different work to rest ratios have different energy demands, and this will shock your metabolism way more than a leisurely 30 minute jog!

Study after study in exercise science has shown that the  higher the intensity of the stimulus, the longer the post-workout metabolic rate is elevated. If your current workload is not causing you to fatigue, it’s time to start pushing it further! Overloading is absolutely necessary in achieving any positive physical change in your body.

The problem with the traditional cardio programs that people  tend to follow is that they never challenge their anaerobic  threshold. Simply put, anaerobic activity occurs when the body cannot produce enough energy for the muscles with oxygen alone. The beauty is, you can train anaerobically using just about any modality. Sure, you can stick to running, swimming, or biking using interval training. But you can also push your anaerobic threshold using strength training, plyometrics, or body weight resistance.

Remember, variation is the key to success. Routine truly is the enemy when it comes to producing positive physical change. You  can get just as much benefit (if not more) performing fast- paced  intervals of air squats or push ups for 10 minutes as you can in a 45 minute aerobics class. Mix it up and watch your body transform!

by Chad Ciri

The Crossfit prescription is simple, and involves “constantly varied, functional movements performed at a high intensity.” The Crossfit method of training prepares trainees for any physical contingency. Simply put, Crossfit’s primary objective is to increase work capacity. In essence, Crossfit’s specialty is achieving ANY desired fitness result through constant variation of physical training.

The core Crossfit movements are all “functional”, that is, they are universal motor recruitment patterns that duplicate movements that are applicable to the real world. They are performed in a wave that recruit muscle fibers from core to extremity. No aspect of functional movements is truly more important, regardless of your fitness goals, than their capacity to move large loads over long distances, and to do so quickly.  These variables (load, distance, and speed) qualify functional movements for the production of high power or intensity.

The Crossfit method of achieving fitness varies greatly from traditional strength and conditioning programs. Typically, fitness and health professionals will prescribe slow, isolated movements such as bicep curls, calf raises, leg extensions and lateral shoulder raises, etc followed by 20 – 30 minutes of traditional “cardio” performed on the treadmill, arc trainer or stationary bike.

Crossfit works exclusively with compound (multi-joint) movements and shorter, high intensity cardiovascular sessions. Leg extensions are replaced with squats, curls are replaced with pull-ups, and so on. Why? Because, simply put, this type of training has proven to be drastically more effective at achieving nearly any desired fitness result, including weight loss, toning, increased endurance,etc.

There’s a distinct benefit to this type of training (other than its results) in terms of efficiency. Busy professionals, parents, students or anyone else who has limited time to exercise because of life’s other demands can use this form of training very effectively without dedicating more than a few hours a week to their workouts.

To demonstrate this, here’s a video of one of Crossfit’s signature workouts called “Fran.” As you’ll see in the video, the athletes complete the entire workout in less than 3 minutes. While it takes a high level of fitness to be able to perform this workout in such a short time, even the most deconditioned people would likely be able to complete a scaled version of this in 15 minutes or less! Check it out:

The “Fran”

This approach of focusing on compound, functional movements and high intensity anaerobic cardio sessions has been scientifically proven to elicit greater fitness gains, even among elite athletic training programs (including military and police personnel, firefighters and any sports requiring complete physical prowess).

Crossfit looks at fitness as physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.

The view of their fitness model is that fitness is about performing well at any and every imaginable task. In practice, this would encourage you to separate yourself from any set notions of of sets, rest periods, order of exercises, and routines. Nature frequently provides endless unforeseeable challenges! The only way to prepare for that is to keep the training stimulus broad and constantly varied.

Now, this may seem a little intense for some people,  so don’t be surprised if you find yourself asking: “What if I don’t  want to be an athlete, I just want to be healthy?” Let’s take a look at what defines health. Health has several measurable parameters, including blood pressure, cholesterol, resting heart rate, metabolism, body fat, etc. The good news is that the Crossfit method will help you improve each and every one of these parameters. Furthermore, by focusing on performing functional movements at high intensity, you will be better prepared (and therefore “healthier”) to take on any task that requires you to be fit or healthy.

Probably the most unique benefit of a Crossfit training regimen is its ability to improve anaerobic function. It develops competency and training in each of the three metabolic pathways- the phosphagen, the glycolytic, and the oxidative pathways. The first two (the phosphagen and glycolytic) are anaerobic pathways, that is, they are accessed without the presence of air. They are challenged through short, powerful bursts of speed and intensity in exercises like sprinting, powerlifting, rowing, etc. The oxidative pathway is aerobic (accessed with the presence of air) and can be engaged through low power activities like distance running, biking, etc. Both forms of training benefit cardiovascular function and decrease body fat – all good baby!!

However,people who engage in activities where the majority of their efforts are spent in the aerobic zone will experience decreases in muscle mass, strength, speed and power. In addition, aerobic activity has a pronounced tendency to decrease anaerobic capacity. Unfortunately, many traditional weight loss programs over emphasize this type of training.

On the other hand, anaerobic activity has proven to be unique in its ability to improve overall strength, speed, power and muscle mass, or at least the maintaining of lean muscle.  In fact, anaerobic exercise is far superior to aerobic exercise for fat loss, contrary to popular belief.

Good news! Crossfit has tested its methods on people from all fitness levels and has proven to be effective for the sedentary, the deconditioned, the overweight, and the elderly.

While every person’s  goals and needs will vary greatly, the program will work with anyone! This can be done by scaling the load, the rep counts, the range of motion and the intensity level. You can duplicate the exact same movements that are prescribed in a Crossfit regimen and use them to get results without drastically changing the program. Remember that using something even as complex as an Olympic lift will duplicate critical motor recruitment patterns that are used in real world movements, therefore will help you comfortably perfect human movement!

If you think this is too over the top for you or if you feel like you may never be able to achieve a high level of fitness, have a look at this video. All the women in this video trained hard to get to this level, but it shows you what you can achieve when you dedicate yourself to fitness!

‘The Women of Crossfit’

We currently have trainers who are certified Crossfit instructors, so if you’re interested in taking on a new physical challenge and getting some truly amazing results, we have the resources to help you using this style of training! Also, don’t forget that we are offering Gift Certificates for our personal training services in any amount for the holidays. If you’re still stuck on gift ideas, why not give the gift of health to your loved ones! Call Mike at 888-872-7961 ext. 1 by December 19th to make sure you have your gift certificate by Christmas!

And Be sure to leave your comments about the videos and any questions you might have below.

Helping You Reach New Heights,

The Achieve Fitness Team