Few people know that the original Tabata study was conducted on a stationary bike. Yep, those people lost crazy amounts of fat while sitting on a bike! I have seen the power of cycling myself as I have personally employed these bike workouts to get down to as low as 5% body fat!

Real World Proof of Rapid Fat Loss Cycling!

It’s funny, because you would never think that a bike workout could be as tough as running can be. But in reality, a stationary bike intervals can be just as deadly as running intervals because you can really crank up the intensity/resistance on the bike without risk of falling off on your face like there is with a treadmill. Sure, you won’t be engaging as money muscles as running does, but intensity is what makes your body change and the bike really allows you to safely push the intensity through the roof!

Biking is also a lower impact activity than running which is great for those people who are overweight and/or have joint issues. By learning how to perform intervals on a bike to start you can gain a lot of physical confidence and build up your fitness level without needing to excessively pound your body. This way you can rapidly reduce excess body weight and overall conditioning so when you start running you are not at risk of overuse injuries.

In addition, if you have ever seen the legs of a cyclist, you’ll notice their quads (front thighs) are extremely well defined and developed, particularly the tear drop quad muscle (VMO) on the inside of the knee. These strong thigh muscles can do wonders for ensuring proper alignment and tracking of your knee cap and will also act as shock absorbers for the joint as a whole. To you this means decreased likelihood of patellear tendonitis and/or arthritis, which is always a big-time bonus!

Without further adieu, here was my rapid fat loss cardio workout for today:

Tabata Cycle Sprints- 10 minutes total

- 20 s sprint, 10 s active rest
- repeat this 30-second round 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition
- Perform this 5-minute sequence 2x for 10 minutes total (if you are new to this type of training, you might be totally smoked after the first 5-minute sequence)

I felt like some extra core work when I finished, so I did this:

Tabata Core- Pillar Walk-Ups- 5 minutes total

- 20 s sprint, 10 s active rest
- repeat this 30-second round 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition

Tabata Core- Isometric Curl-Up Hold- 5 minutes total

- 20 s sprint, 10 s active rest
- repeat this 30-second round 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition

The big lesson today is to remember that the power of interval training can be expressed through any form of exercise. In general, it is great to perform multi-mode cardio by switching up exercise modes as frequently as you desire to keep your workouts fresh and too prevent training plateaus.

So run one day, bike another, then shadow box, etc. The key is staying true to the proven rapid fat loss intervals provided by Workout Muse!

Crank it!

BJ

http://www.workoutmuse.com

PS- Once you start using the tabata soundtracks (or any workout muse soundtracks for that matter) you will never go back to looking at your stupid stop watch again. With Workout Muse as your personal music trainer all you have to do is listen and lose fat. We tell you when to start, stop, and even give you countdowns and updates just like having a personal trainer in your ear. Plus our elite sound designers provide the coolest music round to compliment the audio instructions and set the tone for your workout.

Well, it’s starting to get warm, which means it’s time to get shredded for the summer

May is Tabatas Month. Here was my workout of the day, a total killer:

BWT Workout A – “TABATAS”

Exercise Selection and Order:

You will perform 6 total exercises: 2 lower body, 2 upper body, and 2 core exercises.

Exercise Performance:

“Are You Ready for Tabatas?”

You will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. Upon being told to “GO!” you will perform each exercise with maximum effort until being told to “STOP!” Every 4 minutes of work is followed by 1-minute of rest. You will repeat this 5-minute sequence 4x for 20 total minutes. Time to melt some serious fat!

Pre-Workout A- 5 minutes

Station#1- 5 minutes: Tabata Double-Leg Lower Body

Straights sets of the following bilateral hip-dominant exercise:

Single-Exercise- Hip Extension Variation @ Valslide Leg Curls

Station#2- 5 minutes: Tabata Upper Body (Push-Pull)

Alternating sets of the following horizontal push-pull exercises:

Exercise#1- Push-up Variation @ Side to Side Push-ups
Exercise#2- Row Variation @ DB Bent-Over Rows w/ 50 lbs dbs

Station#3- 5 minutes: Tabata Single-Leg Lower Body

Straights sets of the following unilateral knee-dominant exercise:

Single-Exercise- Lunge Variation (for stationary lunges, alternate legs from round to round) @ Kettlebell Overhead Alternating Forward Lunges w/ 26 lb kbs

Station#4- 5 minutes: Tabata Core

Alternating sets of the following core trunk-dominant exercises:

Exercise#1- Upper Body Twist Variation @ Straight-Legged and Feet off Floor with 10 lb med ball
Exercise#2- Crunch Variation @ SB Crunches (extend arms back and overhead)

Finisher A- “30-30’s”

Exercise#1- Lunge Variation: max reps or max hold for 30 s, 0 s rest and transition @ Stationary Lunge Hold for first 4 sets (switched legs each set) and finished with max reps Alternating Forward Lunges on last set

Exercise#2- Push-up Variation: max reps or max hold for 30 s, 0 s rest and transition @ Running Push-ups (1 rep = 1 push-up + 1 mountain climber each leg) for first 4 sets and finished with max reps Push-ups on last set

Perform this 1-minute round 5x for 5 total minutes

Post-Workout- 5 minutes

Only 5 weeks until vacation time in sunny Florida. I don’t know about you but I’m ready to make those abs pop.

Crank it!

BJ

http://www.workoutmuse.com

It was a rare sunny day up here in Milwaukee, WI, so my girlfriend and I went to the lake to get in a quick 20-minute cardio workout.

If you have never done Tabata sprints before, you have no idea what you’re missing/about to get yourself into, ha ha!

Here’s what we did and man did it break us!

Tabata Sprints- 20 minutes total

- 5 minute warm-up
- 20 s sprint, 10 s active rest
- repeat this 30-second round 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition
- Perform this 5-minute sequence 2x for 10 minutes total (if you are new to this type of training, you might be totally smoked after the first 5-minute sequence)
- 5 minute cool-down

I completed this workout several hours ago and I am still feeling some serious AFTERBURN. Nothing beats being in pure fat-burn mode for the rest of day after a short 20-minute high-intensity workout, even when your shopping for patio chairs at home depot (this was definitely not the highlight of my day).

Bottom line, sprints are the key to unlocking those flat, 6-pack abs. They involve every single muscle in your body for the ultimate fat-burning, muscle building movement in existence.

Not convinced? Just look at the body of a sprinter or stop-and-go athlete (basketball, lacrosse, tennis, football, field hockey, etc.): super lean and muscular at the same time!

Crank it!

BJ

http://www.workoutmuse.com

Here’s a quick and brutal core workout that I did yesterday in 10 minutes. I had to squeeze it in between the end of the Kentucky Derby and going out to dinner with some friends.

It was a good one and I thought I would share it! Pillar (shoulder, hips, and core) training is great because it trains the entire body in all three planes of movement and thus cranks up the calorie burning and muscle-building at the same time. When it comes to core training, these are the movements you want to select because they provide the biggest bang-for-your-buck!

Tabata Alternating L Side-Front- R Side Pillar- 5 minutes total

- 20 s sprint, 10 s active rest
- repeat this 30-second round 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition

Tabata Alternating 3-Point Back Pillar- 5 minutes total

- 20 s sprint, 10 s active rest (alternate legs from set to set)
- repeat this 30-second round 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition

Crank it!

BJ

http://www.workoutmuse.com

Thought I’d share a sweet TABATAS workout performed by a Workout Muse professional member Greg Kalafatic:

Followed the music and it was awesome. I’ll be honest, I thought I would miss my music, but this def keeps you on track to not bullshit and play around. It’s almost as if someone is next to you watching you and saying GO!. I have done tabata workouts before, but the music tone keeps the intensity high. I used sprints, tire rows (I actually broke the spindle on my tire that holds the weight, thanks alot BJ! ), pushups, and basic squats…I had hammer slams and a sit-up variation, but didnt realize the tape was over. Went by real fast.

For more info on Greg’s training visit www.B2FWomen.com

Crank it Greg!

BJ

http://www.workoutmuse.com

PS- If you are a fitness professional that wants to take both your workout AND your clients’ workouts to the next level, sign-up for workout muse today!

http://www.workoutmuse.com/professionals.aspx

I was busy today with a lot of work, so I only had 10 minutes to get a quick cardio workout in.

Since it was raining outside, I just grabbed my mp3 player pressed play on my Workout Muse TABATA soundtrack, and did the following rapid fat loss cardio workout indoors in the comfort of my own home:

Tabata Stationary Run- 5 minutes total

- 20 s sprint, 10 s active rest
- repeat this 30-second round 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition

Tabata Jumping Jacks- 5 minutes total

- 20 s sprint, 10 s active rest
– repeat this 30-second round 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition

No need for equipment or space! I did this in the den of my condo!

QUICK, SIMPLE, BRUTALLY EFFECTIVE!

Give it a try!

Listen and Lose Fat,

BJ

http://www.workoutmuse.com

What’s the first thing anybody does when they want to lose some pounds?

That’s right, they hop on the first cardio machine available and go at the same slow, boring pace for hours at a time day in and day out.

Tried this before? So have we… AND IT DOESN’T WORK!

So, why do we all so stubbornly keep doing the same old, outdated aerobic training?

Because naturally we think that the more time we spend doing something the better the ensuing results will be.

But sometimes we just need some good old, direct scientific evidence proving what we already know to be true:

Aerobic Training Alone For Fat Loss Doesn’t Work!

Landmark Aerobic Training Study:

Utter AC, Nieman DC, Shannonhouse EM, Butterworth DE, Nieman CN. Influence of diet and/or exercise on body composition and cardio respiratory fitness in obese women. Int J Sport Nutr. 1998 Sep; 8(3): 213-22.

The addition of 45 minutes of steady-state aerobic exercise 5 days per week for 12 consecutive weeks had ZERO EFFECT over dieting alone!

So… let’s get this right…

45 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 times per week for 12 straight weeks =

45 hours of wasted training!

That’s 45 hours of your life GONE FOR NOTHING! That could have been extra time with your friends and family. That could have been extra time put into getting that big promotion you’ve always dreamed of. That could have been some much needed sleep time. That time could have been whatever you wanted it to be, but one thing is certain: you will never get that time back!

Aerobic training… WE HATE YOU!

So What Does Work for Fat Loss?

INTERVAL TRAINING!

Workout Muse consists of a unique fat-burning, muscle-building combination of interval training cardio, body weight circuit training, and inspiring sound to bring the best out of you each and every workout.

DO YOU WANT TWICE THE FAT LOSS IN HALF THE TIME?

THEN YOU NEED TO JOIN THE WORKOUT MUSE FITNESS REVOLUTION TODAY!

http://www.workoutmuse.com

PS- Check out what Workout Muse did for Sandra:

60 scale lbs down! From pant size 20 to size 10! From shirt size XXL to M!

“Over the past year this program has changed my life. I have already lost over 60 scale lbs in the process and I would like to continue so I can keep it off. I never thought I could lose the weight at the rate and speed I did, but it happened with Workout Muse. And yes… I will keep ‘Getting my sexy back!’ Thanks so much for all your help!”

- Sandra Rankins

The 5 Pillars of Body Weight Training for Fat Loss

By BJ Gaddour, CSCS
http://www.workoutmuse.com

1.) Perform Total Body Workouts: For best results, you need to perform 3 total body resistance training workout per week with at least one day of rest between sessions. By working every muscle in your body each and every workout you will provide the optimal stimulus for both fat loss AND muscle growth. Not only do you maximize the number of calories burned during your workout, but you also maximize the number of calories your body expends recovering from your workout. These short-term increases in metabolism last anywhere from 24 to 48 hours after your workout. In addition, by gaining muscle, you will promote long-term increases in metabolism as it requires significantly more energy for you body to maintain new, hard-earned muscle mass. This is how you build a sexy metabolism and become a fat-burning machine 24-7-365.

2.) Train Multi-Planar, Multi-Joint Movement Patterns in Free Space: There is no body part training here! The key to a properly designed resistance training program is one that emphasizes performance and function by focusing on movement patterns. This approach provides more balanced training and prevents injuries. Each and every workout you will perform 6 total exercises consisting of a double-leg movement (knee or hip-dominant), a push (horizontal or vertical), a pull (horizontal or vertical), a single-leg movement (knee or hip-dominant), and two core movements (trunk or hip-dominant). Furthermore, these movement patterns (with the exception of the isolated core work) consist of compound, multi-joint exercises that train your body in all 3 planes of motion (e.g. a leg extension vs. a squat). This means more muscles used, more calories burned, and thus greater stimulus for both fat loss AND muscle gain.

3.) Perform Alternating Sets: Straight sets with long rest periods simply don’t make the cut here! You must perform alternating sets of non-competing exercises (e.g. upper, lower, and core exercises) in circuit training fashion so that you can get as much work done as possible for both maximal fat loss AND muscle gain in minimal time.

4.) Escalating Density: From workout to workout, your goal is to accomplish more work in the same amount of time by performing more total reps and/or sets for each body weight exercise variation with perfect form and technique. More work done means more fat lost and more muscle gained. It’s that SIMPLE!

5.) Escalating Intensity: From month to month, your goal is to be able to gradually perform more difficult body weight exercise variations that require more strength. This increase in relative loading provides the stimulus of progressively harder work so that you can stay in a true fat-burning, muscle-building mode and breakthrough frustrating training plateaus.

To INSTANTLY access our rapid fat loss training system for ONLY $14.95-19.95/month, check out our Website at:

www.workoutmuse.com