The key to burning fat and building lean muscle mass is boosting human growth hormone (HGH) HGH is a hormone naturally produced by the pituitary gland. The primary role of hgh is the growth of bodily tissues. Surprisingly, females release more ghg than males.
Hgh is also involved with the recovery of muscle, bone, and collagen tissue. Additionally, the hormone aides in the regulation of our metabolisms. In other words, hgh is important!
As we get older, our production of natural hgh steadily decreases. This is where the physical symptoms of aging set in: weight gain, decrease in lean muscle mass, wrinkles, etc. Continue reading
Arthur De Vany is 71 years old, 6′1″ and 200 pounds. He’s never sick and can do anything he wants to. He doesn’t live off 30 different medications the way most American’s do.
One of my biggest fears is growing old and being unable to walk the way my grandmother is. It was the goal of weight loss that got me started with fitness, but it is watching my grandmother struggle with her own body on a daily basis that is keeping me in the game of fitness.
Arthur De Vany is not only an inspiration, but an example of what a practical approach to fitness and nutrition can produce.
He was born in Davenport, Iowa – however, his hometown is Los Angeles, California where he finished high school and was signed on to a minor league baseball team. He started weight lifting at age 16, and has been at it ever since. De Vany studied economics at the University of Continue reading
Stubborn fat is a bitch. Through all the research I’ve been doing, there is only one really way of destroying stubborn fat:make your workouts more intense! Work harder. Sweat like you’ve never sweat before, and really kill yourself under those weights.One of my all time favorite training methods is superset training. This isn’t something new. It’s been beaten over your head over and over and over again. Superset training is a common bodybuilding method where two or more exercises are performed one after another. These exercises often have some sort of flow to them. Here are a few variations of superset training:
Work the Same Muscle – You perform two different exercisess for the same muscle group. One example of this would be to perform a set of push-ups followed by a set of incline push-ups.
Isolation/Compound - Perform an isolation movement, followed by a compound movement. For example, perform a set of Drag Curls followed by Power Cleans.
Antagonistic Supersets – This big word simply means that you perform two different exercises for opposing body-parts. One example would be to perform a set of push-ups followed by pull-ups
Upper Body/Lower Body – Perform a set of an upper body exercise, followed by a lower body exercise. For example, perform a set of push-ups, followed by body-weight squats.
In-Set/ Hybrid Moves – Combine two movements that flow well together and work them in a set. For example, combine the push-ups and the squat jump, and you have the burpee.
Benefits of Superset Training:
Allows you to perform the same amount of work in a shorter period of time.
Adds excitement to your workout, and prevents boredom
Provides an incredible muscle pump, causing greater muscle growth
Allows you to train like an athlete forcing you to work hard
Why Superset Training Helps you Burn Fat and Build Muscle
The muscle pump you feel is actually Lactic Acid production. Lactic acid is a major player in the way our bodies generate energy during exercise. Before I tell you exactly how supersets aid in fat loss and mass gain, you need to know exactly what lactic acid is.
What is Lactic Acid?
Formed from the breakdown of glucose when glucose from dietary carbohydrates reaches muscle after bypassing the liver and entering general circulation.
Then, goes back into the blood and returns to the liver. Here it is used to make liver glycogen.
Known as the “Glucose Paradox.”
What does Lactic Acid Do?
Fuels glucose and glycogen production in the liver
Helps us use dietary carbohydrates more efficiently
Serves as a quick energy fuel preferred by the heart and muscles
Important to mechanisms involved in how we adapt to stress
Important key to athletic success in high intensity sport
Stimulates testosterone production
Signals release of human growth hormone from pituitary gland
Can be transported between cells to supply additional energy for work
Why Do I feel the Burning?
Lactic Acid is not what is creating the burning sensation. It is actually hydrogen ion, the acid in lactic acid which interferes with electrical signals in nerve and muscle tissue. Hydrogen ion is made when lactic acid splits into lactate ion, and hydrogen ion.
When Lactic Acid enters our blood faster than our ability to remove or control it, hydrogen ions begin to lower the pH of muscle, creating an acidic environment. This process interferes with our performance.
Here’s a great way to lose fat without working out! – Image by neb_boyWhat is HGH?
Human Growth Hormone, or HGH is a naturally producing hormone in our bodies. Along with testosterone, it is one of the reasons why we have 300lb bodybuilders walking amongst us.
Plays an important role in regulation of body fat levels, immune system, muscle mass, recovery, and other bodily functions.
HGH is present in the body at a rate of 500 micrograms in the blood between the ages of 20 and 30.
As you age, HGH in our bodies starts to decline, leading to a steady loss of muscle mass, skin elasticity, fat gain, and many other physical changes.
The daily production falls below 60 micrograms at age 80.
Produced by the anterior pituitary gland, stimulated by the Hypothalamus.
This guy’s HGH levels aren’t going down anytime soon. – Image by DarthAbraham
Benefits of HGH
Promotes and increases the synthesis of new protein tissues. This aids in muscle recovery and repair.
Involved in the metabolism of body-fat and it’s conversion to energy.
The Connection Between Supersets, Lactic Acid, and Growth Hormone
Short, intense bursts of exercise work best to stimulate the natural production of growth hormone.
Supersets training is a form of intense exercise which releases Lactic Acid as a method of providing energy for the muscles
When Lactic Acid splits into a lactate ion and hydrogen ion, the hydrogen ions begin to lower the pH of muscle, creating an acidic environment, as discussed earlier.
When the pH is lowered, it triggers a release of HGH as a way to aid in muscle recovery and repair.
The more HGH you release, the bigger and leaner you’ll get.
How can I Design a Supersets Training Program?
Best method for fat loss is to use upper/lower split
For a three-day per week program, Choose six exercises, 3 upper body and 3 lower body
For each day, choose one upper body exercise and one lower body exercise.
Organize the exercises using the templates below
Superset Training Templates
Perform 21-15-9 repetitions of each
Perform 3 rounds for time
Perform 4 rounds for time
Perform 5 rounds for time
Perform maximum rounds in 20 minutes
Perform 50-40-30-20-10 reps of each
Use inverse pyramid scheme, such as 10-1, 9-2, 8-3, etc.
BONUS TIP: Hybrid Superset Training
A hybrid is a movement where two or more exercises that flow well together are combined to form a new exercise.
Some examples include burpees (push-ups + squat jump), thruster (front squat + press), and sumo deadlift high pull (sumo deadlift + close-grip upright row).
These movements can be seen as being a form of supersets, as they incorporate two different movements performed back to back without rest.
Hybrid Superset training is simply performing two Hybrid movements back to back as supersets. Here is a sample workout:
Superset training is actually just one way to torch those love handles. For some more great high intensity workouts and techniques, check out the following programs:
In years gone by I have hit the road countless times just running for 30-45 minutes, although I found this fun I was always naturally inclined to throw in things like sprints and pushups but wouldn’t as I had been brainwashed into ‘Jogging’ which is slow monotonous and simply painful. As time went by I discovered the joys of what I like to call a “Playful Run.”How to Run PlayfullyI go about my playful runs by simply putting on my Nike Free’s/Shorts/ T-shirt grabbing my iPod and hitting the road. I run at varying paces and throw in all kinds of things which make the whole process a 20-30 minute workout of varying difficulty dependent on how I feel that day; Some days I will throw in more sprints and pushups, other-days I will do more running and lunges. It all depends on how sore I am and how energetic I am feeling…Favorite things to do while Running1- Sprint Combinations: I love to throw in a few sets of sprints while running I usually go for 100-200 meters and then throw in a set of either explosive pushups or jumping squats. This combination of exercise has been shown to elicit a great HGH response.
2- Lunges to Burn: This is something to throw in at the end of a run, simply lunge until you feel your legs really burn, this will normally be 10-15 reps for each leg. It’s a great way to finish off a run and get a good burn in your quads.
3- Agility Training: This basically means doing things like sidesteps, running backwards, doing some long jumps and weaving between objects. It’s a great way to work on your balance and agility. Preparing you for a sport and it really works your mind-body connection.
4- Drop and Give me 20: This is quite simply stopping your run and either doing 20 pushups, 20 body-weight squats or Burpees. It’s a great way to change the rhythm of running and allow you to get a full body workout.
5- Hill Running: I am lucky to have a nice uneven hill near my house, which I can do, sprints up. These are especially challenging, as the surface is uneven and your running at an incline. If you don’t have access to a hill try and find an uneven surface to run on like grass or gravel.
Give it a Try
Hit the road and improvise, just keep things intense and keep the time under 30 minutes. If you throw in a combination of the above techniques you will achieve a great full-body workout with no equipment and it will allow you to get in touch with nature, try and improvise even further if you see a solid tree branch do some pull- ups, the beauty of a playful run is that it allows for so much creativity and randomness allowing your mind and body to be free….
I personally love doing these workouts first thing in the morning and there is no better way to start a day!
