1 REP FITNESS
So here's the million-dollar question:
"What's the number one reason people do not work out?"
Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the ideal workout plan?
Nope. It's TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.
"We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn't [exercise] and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time." This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised "traditionally" -- 90 to 120 minutes per day -- with another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.
That's a whopping one hour per week folks.
Did you know that Jon Benson's "7 Minute Muscle" plan calls for only five 7-minute workouts with resistance training (weights or bodyweight) plus only 9 minutes cardio a few days per week?
And that actually works? Yeah... you bet it does.
If you do the math, that's about an hour per week as well.
This is the "Level 1" workout. There are three levels depending on your goals and exercise tolerance.
Find out more here --
http://www.7minutemuscle.com <--- brief is best!
Back to Gibala's study:
In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.)
The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity -- exactly how Jon suggests you train.
This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.
However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace.
Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, "I'm being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!"
The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.
You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.
Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.
Jon devotes an entire chapter to putting your mind into your muscle to make gains faster than ever befor in "7 Minute Muscle." You can read more here --
http://www.7minutemuscle.com <--- brief is best!
Just remember these three key points:
1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.
2. Workouts can be short and very effective.
3. The body goes where the mind directs.
Until next week, train smart.
Sincerely,
Bernd Schaudinnus
"What's the number one reason people do not work out?"
Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the ideal workout plan?
Nope. It's TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.
"We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn't [exercise] and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time." This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised "traditionally" -- 90 to 120 minutes per day -- with another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.
That's a whopping one hour per week folks.
Did you know that Jon Benson's "7 Minute Muscle" plan calls for only five 7-minute workouts with resistance training (weights or bodyweight) plus only 9 minutes cardio a few days per week?
And that actually works? Yeah... you bet it does.
If you do the math, that's about an hour per week as well.
This is the "Level 1" workout. There are three levels depending on your goals and exercise tolerance.
Find out more here --
http://www.7minutemuscle.com <--- brief is best!
Back to Gibala's study:
In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.)
The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity -- exactly how Jon suggests you train.
This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.
However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace.
Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, "I'm being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!"
The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.
You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.
Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.
Jon devotes an entire chapter to putting your mind into your muscle to make gains faster than ever befor in "7 Minute Muscle." You can read more here --
http://www.7minutemuscle.com <--- brief is best!
Just remember these three key points:
1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.
2. Workouts can be short and very effective.
3. The body goes where the mind directs.
Until next week, train smart.
Sincerely,
Bernd Schaudinnus
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7 Minute Science
The science behind brevity training
by Jon Benson, Author of 7 Minute Muscle
http://www.7minutemuscle.com
A funny thing happened on the way to the promo...
(I always wanted to start an article like that.)
A few months ago I released a book whose title was more reminiscent of a line out of "There's Something About Mary" than a serious work on fitness. "7 Minute Muscle" -- yep, it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish fact from parody.
Here's the real irony: Of the 27 testimonials I've received so far that I deem worthy of publishing on the web, over a dozen were from fitness professionals. I'm not talking about "doctors" with a gut as large as their paycheck. I'm speaking of men and women with both academic and real-world experience in the fitness and bodybuilding world.
There were exceptions of course. My friend John Berardi, while saying some nice things about the work, couldn't endorse it due to the emphasis on shorter training sessions. That's cool. Everyone has a different approach. But the overwhelming number of folks with consonants behind their names -- those who read the book and applied the principles -- had wonderful things to say.
There's a reason for that: The workout protocol is based on the science of hypertrophy as well as psychophysiology, the study of the mind/body connection.
I will delve into the mental aspects of the protocols in a later article. For now, since most of you are experienced, educated and (dare I say it) hard-core, let's delve into the meat.
7 Minute Muscle is primarily a density-based training system. It demands varying rep ranges done within specific time periods. The protocol factors six of the primary variables of hypertrophy, or muscle growth: Intensity, Load, Volume, Density, Time and Force. (Time includes rest intervals as well as the time required to perform a given task.)
A layman's take on one of the basic laws of physics states that time and energy are interrelated. Doing the same amount of work in less time demands more energy, which translates into more power. While power is a factor in training, our interest is focused on forcing muscle growth and adaptation. This is also an element of time and energy. More energy expended in less time = more power.
If you break down the typical 3-4 set bench press routine, with reps starting at 12 and ending in the 4-6 range, with longer rest intervals between heavier sets, you'll find that the aggregate weight lifted is "less" than a protocol like 7 Minute Muscle, which uses 'less' weight (easier on the joints) but demands more work in less time. In other words, X amount of repetitions done with Y amount of weight in just 5 minutes (phase 1 of our two-phase protocol) ends up being greater than your typical 3-4 set protocol, despite the fact that more weight is used in the latter.
Other routines, of course, utilize this factor of density. Vince Gironda's infamous 8 sets of 8, EDT and so-forth. 7 Minute Muscle goes a bit further by varying rest, load factors and repetition range. Reps will vary from as low as one rep to as much as ten, and all of this is at the trainee's discretion. They have only one objective: Increase the aggregate repetition count from one training session to the next. Since time is limited (broken down into two phases:
[ Ed. Note: Jon Benson is the author of four best-selling fitness and nutrition books: Fit Over 40, Simply Eat, The Every Other Day Diet and 7 Minute Muscle, as well as the year-long M-Power Audio Series. You can read more about 7 Minute Muscle at http://www.7minutemuscle.com
The science behind brevity training
by Jon Benson, Author of 7 Minute Muscle
http://www.7minutemuscle.com
A funny thing happened on the way to the promo...
(I always wanted to start an article like that.)
A few months ago I released a book whose title was more reminiscent of a line out of "There's Something About Mary" than a serious work on fitness. "7 Minute Muscle" -- yep, it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish fact from parody.
Here's the real irony: Of the 27 testimonials I've received so far that I deem worthy of publishing on the web, over a dozen were from fitness professionals. I'm not talking about "doctors" with a gut as large as their paycheck. I'm speaking of men and women with both academic and real-world experience in the fitness and bodybuilding world.
There were exceptions of course. My friend John Berardi, while saying some nice things about the work, couldn't endorse it due to the emphasis on shorter training sessions. That's cool. Everyone has a different approach. But the overwhelming number of folks with consonants behind their names -- those who read the book and applied the principles -- had wonderful things to say.
There's a reason for that: The workout protocol is based on the science of hypertrophy as well as psychophysiology, the study of the mind/body connection.
I will delve into the mental aspects of the protocols in a later article. For now, since most of you are experienced, educated and (dare I say it) hard-core, let's delve into the meat.
7 Minute Muscle is primarily a density-based training system. It demands varying rep ranges done within specific time periods. The protocol factors six of the primary variables of hypertrophy, or muscle growth: Intensity, Load, Volume, Density, Time and Force. (Time includes rest intervals as well as the time required to perform a given task.)
A layman's take on one of the basic laws of physics states that time and energy are interrelated. Doing the same amount of work in less time demands more energy, which translates into more power. While power is a factor in training, our interest is focused on forcing muscle growth and adaptation. This is also an element of time and energy. More energy expended in less time = more power.
If you break down the typical 3-4 set bench press routine, with reps starting at 12 and ending in the 4-6 range, with longer rest intervals between heavier sets, you'll find that the aggregate weight lifted is "less" than a protocol like 7 Minute Muscle, which uses 'less' weight (easier on the joints) but demands more work in less time. In other words, X amount of repetitions done with Y amount of weight in just 5 minutes (phase 1 of our two-phase protocol) ends up being greater than your typical 3-4 set protocol, despite the fact that more weight is used in the latter.
Other routines, of course, utilize this factor of density. Vince Gironda's infamous 8 sets of 8, EDT and so-forth. 7 Minute Muscle goes a bit further by varying rest, load factors and repetition range. Reps will vary from as low as one rep to as much as ten, and all of this is at the trainee's discretion. They have only one objective: Increase the aggregate repetition count from one training session to the next. Since time is limited (broken down into two phases:
[ Ed. Note: Jon Benson is the author of four best-selling fitness and nutrition books: Fit Over 40, Simply Eat, The Every Other Day Diet and 7 Minute Muscle, as well as the year-long M-Power Audio Series. You can read more about 7 Minute Muscle at http://www.7minutemuscle.com
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