The Ultimate CEO Workout
Are you at the top of your game, yet struggling to find the time to fit in a decent workout? Do you wish you had the muscle to match your brains? Don’t succumb to the common exercise myth that you have to set up a sleeping bag in the gym to get the body you want. Maximizing muscle building while burning fat has more to do with hormone function than number of hours logged lifting weights. If you’ve hit a plateau, it’s time to consider the idea that you may be tired, overworked, and your hormones are working against you.
If you want to see significant changes in your physique, you must train hard, and recover harder. Burst training is a method of high intensity training that will push you to your limit only three times a week, allowing your hormones to do the real work while your body is at rest.
What It Is
Burst training is a variation of high intensity interval training that consists of three or four rounds of 30-60 second intervals of maximum intensity work, followed by two to three minutes of recovery. Instead of spending 30 minutes to an hour on a cardio machine, burst training can be completed in a little as 12 minutes. It is a proven method to stimulate a hormonal response in your body necessary for fat burning and muscle gain that you cannot get by spending an hour on the stairmaster. This translates to a super efficient strategy to help your body recover quickly while burning fat and building lean muscle, allowing you to achieve your dream body and still dominate in your board meetings.
How To Do It
Burst training can be done at the end of your weight training session, using the treadmill or any other cardio machine. Simply turn up the intensity so that you are working to 80-90% of your maximum heart rate, and sprint for 30 - 60 seconds, until you can no longer keep up with the pace of the machine. Lower the speed and let your body and breathing recover for 2 to 3 minutes before repeating the cycle up to three more times. If you are short on time, burst training can be its own workout. Simply choose one full body exercise, such as the squat-to-thrust, and follow the same pattern. Using a challenging weight, complete as many reps of that exercise as you can in one minute. Let your breathing recover for 2 to 3 minutes, and then repeat for up to three more rounds.
What To Do On Your Days Off
The benefits of burst training are maximized when performed no more than three times per week. Burst training sparks an increase in testosterone and growth hormones that circulate in your system and allow you to burn fat for up to 36 hours while your body is in recovery mode. If you want to potentiate the effects of this hormone response, the most important thing you can do is get at least 6 hours of restful sleep each night. When it comes to high intensity exercise, more is not always better. Challenge your body to perform at its peak, and allow for adequate rest and recovery before going at it again.
