Training to get lean

I had a pretty full morning today at I-FAST - Monday mornings are quickly becoming one of our busiest times.

After getting through everyone's workouts, I found myself very hungry and decided to head to one of my favorite breakfast joints, Cafe Patchou. They use free-range eggs, have all kinds of exotic fruits, and their yogurt/granola is simply out-of-this-world. But this post isn't about my gluttony and love for breakfast.

As I was driving, I saw several overweight people walking along a path here on the northside of Indy. Now I'm not a slave to any dogma, and I know that walking can be beneficial to your health and well-being. But, since they were overweight I can only assume they were doing this to lose weight - and it's simply not the most efficient way to do things.

One of the first questions I'm asked when people tour our gym is "Where are your treadmills?" I always explain to them that the way we structure their strength and energy system workouts makes the need for treadmills irrelevant. Not that they can't be useful - but for $3,000 (the minimum you're going to pay for a decent commerical-grade treadmill), I could buy several Prowlers, Airdyne's, and a whole set of kettlebells!

In fact, all of our clients did energy system training this morning, considering body comp is a priority to all of them. Instead of slaving away on the treadmill they pushed the prowler, performed KB swings, or did interval sprints on the Airdyne. I've found thus far that our clients really enjoy this kind of EST much more than "traditional" means - it's quick, efficient and brutally effective.

I'm not saying that intervals are the only way to get someone lean, but they certainly can help if integrated appropriately into a program. If you yourself are looking to get lean, be sure to check out Leigh Peele's Fat Loss Troubleshoot or Alwyn Cosgrove's and Mike Roussell's Warp Speed Fat Loss programs.

Stay strong
MR