Training for Body Composition...You’re Doing it WRONG
Tired of running endless miles, spending countless hours in the gym moving from machine to machine or laying on the ground after an intense workout all while still being able to pinch that stubborn fat on your stomach? Easy answer….of course you are! Try this: German Body Composition Training Who is it for? People who want to improve body composition Skill level requirement? Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced Does it work? Yes
The whole purpose is to increase the lactic acid concentration in the muscle, you may know it as the burning sensation you begin to feel deep in the muscle. This leads to an increase in growth hormone production, a hormone that regulates how much body fat and lean tissue you have. The more growth hormone you produce, the more muscle you will gain and the more body fat you will lose. German body composition training is also a time saver. Your workouts don’t require as much rest time between sets so you can spend more time with your spouse, kids, work, friends and hobbies. Want to take it to the next level? Here are some simple tricks to help you do so:
- Increase the weight
- Increase time under tension by going slower during the movement
- Perform more reps with each set
The How-To’s
- For each exercise, you’ll need to pick a weight that is hard, but that you can complete the full amount of reps required. Challenge yourself, but make sure you are able to complete the last set. It may take a week or two to find that “perfect” weight for each exercise. Be prepared to push yourself and be uncomfortable, and get comfortable with it! If you’re new to this style of working out and are having a hard time with only :30 seconds rest, increase rest to :45 seconds for your first few sessions.
- Alternate each “paired” exercise. For example, you’ll want to complete A1, rest :30 seconds, complete A2, rest :30 seconds, and then continue on with completing A1 again. Do this until you perform 4 sets total of each exercise. Rest 4-5 minutes before moving on to the next paired exercises (for example, B1 and B2).
- Perform Day 1 and Day 2 at least 48 hours apart. For more advanced athletes, repeat one of the workouts each week for a total of three sessions a week.
- If you find yourself unable to complete the number of reps in a set, reduce the weight so you can finish out the reps. Use the lower weight the next time you do the workout.
- Because this type of training is about intensity, you don’t want to do this for more than six weeks (depending on your goals and ability.)
Citations Hackney, A.C., et al (2012). Testosterone Responses to Intensive Interval Versus Steady-State Endurance Exercise. J Endocrinol Invest, 35:947. Karagiorgos A, et al (1979). Growth hormone response to continuous and intermittent exercise. Med Sci Sports, 11:302. Kraemer, W.J. (1988). Endocrine Responses to Resistance Exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 29:152. Van Hall, G.(2010). Lactate Kinetics in Human Tissues at Rest and During Exercise. Acta Physiol, 199:499.Westerblad, H., et al (2002). Muscle Fatigue: Lactic Acid or Inorganic Phosphate the Major Cause? News Physiol Sci, 17:17.