If you know me fairly well, you know that I dread cardio…but for many, including myself, it is an essential part of a fat-loss program. As I’ve said before, the order of importance for a proper fat-loss program is 1. NUTRITION, 2. Resistance Training, and (a distant 3rd…) 3. Cardio. While doing some form of steady state cardio can and often should be included in a program, in my opinion, it should NOT be the primary method you use for fat loss (unless of course recommended by your healthcare provider).
I prefer many other methods including HIIT, CardioAcceleration (you’ll be familiar with this if you’ve read any of Jim Stoppani’s work), and complexes and other “finishers”. I’ve previously written a blog on Barbell Complexes for fat loss and you can read it here: https://fitgirlkris.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/barbell-complexes-for-strength-conditioning-and-fat-loss/ . There is a huge variety of other “finishers” that you can tack onto the end of a resistance workout to aid in fat loss without ever setting foot near a treadmill. These forms of cardio can be included 3-4 times per week depending on your overall intensity and need for rest (the other days you can add in a little bit of steady state cardio if you want to). Don’t forget your Top Secret Nutrition Cardio Igniter!
So, here is what I’m planning to do to finish off my next workout (or in place of it if I’m unable to get to the gym)…who’s with me? It should only add about 10-15 minutes to your total workout time (you’ll need 1 heavy Kettlebell and 2 moderate weight Kettlebells):
- 2-arm KB swings (using the heaviest KB you can handle) x 20 reps
- KB Thrusters (using the 2 moderate weight KBs) x 20 reps
- Sumo KB High Pull (using 1 or 2 moderate weight KB(s)) x 20 reps
- KB Renegade Row x 20 reps
Perform these 4 exercises in a row with no rest. Rest for 60-90 seconds. Repeat for 2-4 cycles (depending on how intense your weight-training routine was). This can also be performed as a stand-alone routine on days you are short on time but want to do something (ahem…that will be me this week because my kids are on Spring Break)…have fun!