Hey there,

Progression is a key factor in getting better results with your workouts.

I wanted to share three simple ways that I am progressing with my current weight lifting routine.

Before I share those three methods I am doing a three day per week (every other day), full body weight training workout plan that focuses on multi-joint complex exercises like deadlifts, push-presses, rows, lunges, etc.

Without further delay, here are the three methods

PROGRESSION METHOD #1. Increase Intensity of Your Lifts

This one is simple. Increase the amount of weight you lift from workout to workout. So, on Monday, the first week of a program you lift 150 pounds on a lift such as the bench press. On week two for your Monday workout you should try to increase the weight to 155 pounds.

PROGRESSION METHOD #2. Increase The # Of Reps/Set

Another simple way to progress from workout to workout is to increase the number of repetitions you complete for a given set. So let’s say Week 1 of your Wednesday training session has you set do 5 sets of 8 repetitions for each exercise in your workout. On week 2 of that same plan you would try to get 5 sets of 9 repitions. That’s an extra 5 repetitions per exercise per workout so that will put a greater training stimulus on your muscles.

PROGRESSION METHOD #3. Decrease Rest Periods Between Sets

This form of progression is great if fat loss is your goal. Here’s how this one works. Let’s say your Friday workout calls for you to do 4 sets of 15 repetitions with 60 second rest periods. On week two for your Friday workout you would decrease your rest periods to 55 seconds while keeping the weight and reps/set the same. This decrease in the rest period will make the workout more metabolically challenging on you. Week 3 you would drop it to 50 seconds, week 4 drop it to 45 seconds.

So there you have it - Three simple ways to progress with your resistance training workouts.

I hope these ideas are helpful and I hope that you use one or more of them.
Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

Howdy,

As I mentioned in my last video I was recently down at the Ryan Lee Bootcamp (an awesome seminar for fitness professionals) and I spent some time hanging out with my buddy Josh Henkin, creator of the Ultimate Sandbag. 

Sandbags are one of my favorite Odd Objects to train with so it was really cool to grab Josh and pick his brain about Sandbag training. 

While I was hanging out with Josh I grabbed him in the hallways and forced him to share some awesome fat burning Sandbag Training tips for you! 

Just click on the Play Button below to see Josh’s Fat Burning Sandbag tips…

 I have two of Josh Henkin’s Ultimate Sandbags in my basement and I use them often in my home gym and outdoor training. 

Training with sandbags is challenging on the abs, core, grip, and EVERYTHING for that matter and doing these Sandbag Complexes that Josh mentioned in the video are great for fat loss!

Performing a series of multi-joint, sandbag exercises like cleans, snatches, squats, lunges, presses, zercher goodmornings, etc will activate muscles all over your body and burn a lot of calories in a short period of time. 

That’s why I love short, intense Sandbag Complexes for for fat loss.   

No one needs a Sandbag to do these complexes, you can certainly do these complexes with Dumbbells and even a barbell but a great way to keep your muscles guessing is to work Sanbags into the your training arsenal! 

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU:  Have you ever trained with Sandbags?  Ever trained with any other Odd Objects?  Drop me a line and let me know if you like this training tool!

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

Hey there,

I recently interviewed female fat loss expert Holly Rigsby, creator of the “Fit Yummy Mummy Workout,” and we chatted about the “Busy Mom’s Diet Makeover“…

Thinking back to when I was a wee lad, my Mom was very busy working a full-time job, running our household, and keeping me and my two brothers alive (thanks Mom!!). 

Somehow my Mom was always able to stay lean and fit and she was always able to fit in time for fitness and good nutrition no matter how many things she was juggling at once.

I don’t know she did it… 

Well, if you’re a busy Mom looking to get fit my friend Holly Rigsby will give you some great ‘Diet Makeover’ tips for you so that you can be a great Mom while burning baby fat and getting your body back. 

To listen to this audio just click on the Image of Holly below….

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

PS - To listen to Holly’s “Busy Mom’s Diet Makeover” Click on her image below…

Play Now:

 Busy Mom's Diet Makeover [5:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I made a fun strength training video that demonstrates many different types of exercises.  I’m sure you’ll get a lot of new training ideas from this:

Strength Training and Weight Training Exercises for Fitness

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. This was created for my new website http://www.johnsifferman.com

If you’ve been reading here at FatBurningBlog for awhile, then you have no doubt heard me talk about the amazing benefits of joint mobility training. Just this morning I had the opportunity to spend over an hour with high school soccer athletes (both the boys and girls varsity teams) teaching them joint mobility exercises. Many of the athletes were surprised how difficult the exercises were and how much tension they were carrying in their bodies. By the end of the session, everyone was moving better and it was enjoyed by all.

That’s one of the coolest things about joint mobility training - the instantaneous benefits.

I just found this video on youtube that I thought you would enjoy. This is my coach, Scott Sonnon, explaining the nuances of a proper joint mobility program. This information is priceless and is valuable for anyone whom exercises regularly. This is taken directly from Scott’s home exercise DVD program: Intu-Flow: Moderate, Sustainable Exercise for Pain-Free Health and Longevity.

Scott Sonnon’s Intu-Flow Beginner Part 1

I guarantee that if you apply the principles that Scott outlined in the video, that you will be on the fast-track towards significant progress in your workout routine. If you would like to learn more about Scott Sonnon’s Intu-Flow program, check it out here:

https://rmaxinternational.com/The-Intu-Flow-Complete-package.html

I wouldn’t recommend something that I don’t believe 100% in its value.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If you would like to read my review of Intu-Flow here at fatburningblog, click here.

Howdy,

Got something cool for you to see…

Howdy,

This morning I woke up at my usual time of 5:45 AM, pounded back a glass of water, and hit the gym for 40 minutes of cardio.

After I got home, I cooked up a yummy veggie Omelet, grabbed a cup of Joe, and sat down to eat my first breakfast and read an article about Rap star LL Cool J and his fitness regimen.

From the article, I learned that LL ballooned up to 250 pounds and at the age of 33 he made a decision to change his life.

He hired a personal trainer, ditched the fried foods, started lifting and doing cardio 5 days per week.

Now, in 2008 LL Cool J has reinvented himnself as a lean rapping machine weighing in at 212 pounds of ripped muscle…

(can you say single-digit body fat?)

LL looks RIPPED in these pictures and is the inevetable result of what happens when you mix desire, a proven plan, and hard work together…

His lean body has revitalized his Rap career and launched him into new and exciting directions as well.

For example, LL recently teamed up with his trainer ‘Scooter’ and Nutritionist Dr. Chris Mohr, to write a fitness book, launched a new clothes line for kids, AND a new supplement company ALL expected to pull in big bucks.

Busy guy ehh?

One thing that struck me about LL’s story was that these amazing changes in his physique and his life is that it ALL started with a DECISION,

A line drawn in the sand,

A decision to not settle with a bulging gut and to go tap into the endless amounts of potential that he knew he left unused…

Have you ever wondered what you were capable of - what un-tapped potential you have within you?

You and I both have so much un-tapped levels of success within us and stories like this one about LL Cool J sure as heck motivate me to do more and BE MORE - how about you?

Tap into the potential that is within you and see what you can become…

Train with purpose,


Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
www.FatBurningInnerCircle.com

PS - If you’d like to create Unstoppable fat loss success like LL Cool J did with his transformation from 250 pounds to 212 pounds of ripped muscle and
six pack abs then the first step is to make the decision to change…

Here’s a proven system to program your mind for fat loss success. To learn more Click Here

Sometimes, we just need something simple and quick to train for our fat loss goals. This circuit is guaranteed to give you both strength and cardio benefits, while scorching your metabolism into fat burning mode. You’ll be huffing and puffing, but this one is over in just 15 minutes. Are any of you daring enough to try out this fat burning workout? Bare Essentials Fat Burning Circuit Repeat 3x, no rest between exercises, 1 minute rest at the end of each circuit:

• Bodyweight squats - 1 minute
• Pushup variation according to skill level - 30 seconds
• Front plank - 30 seconds
• Walking lunges w/ or w/o DB’s, KB’s or sandbags, (etc.) - 30 sec./leg
• Mixed grip pullups (either vertical or horizontal) - 30 seconds on the bar, no letting go
• Choice of Mountain Climbers or Bear Walk 30 seconds
• Rest 1 minute

Notes: For the timed sets, you don’t need to be repping out during the entire time. If you fatigue before the time period ends, rest and catch your breath, then try to squeeze some final reps in before the end. All of the exercises can and should be modified to fit your current conditioning level. If you like this fat burning workout, and would like some more mini-workout ideas, check out http://www.quatrofit.com To your health and success, John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

This past weekend, my wife and I, and a couple of my younger brothers went hiking in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. The summer months are always filled with plenty of physical activity, and we love making an effort to enjoy the outdoors as often as we can. This past weekend, we hiked up Mount Pierce and Mount Eisenhower just for fun.

It was cool and humid, and best of all, there were no black flies or mosquitoes in sight. The way our trail was setup required us to hike the most difficult portion first, the initial hike up Mount Pierce. The trail got gradually steeper and steeper, offering no rest for the weary. The setting was absolutely fantastic, and the birds were chirping all morning. We happened to snap a few short clips with our video camera to show you:

Hiking Mount Pierce and Mt. Eisenhower

I always leave one of these trips with a new life lesson, or several. The major lesson of this trip was one I have learned countless times before, but I always benefit from experiencing it one more time. If you have fat loss goals, then pay attention because this hint will help you burn fat in your training sessions.

The lesson I took home was that the body is capable of anything that the mind has determined to be possible. Taken a step further, if you decide, for example, that you are going to train with high intensity before even attempting a fat burning session - that’s exactly what will happen. You must accept that you are capable of more than you previously thought possible. You must accept that your body can handle a lot more work than it would like you to think.

Walking up a mountain is no easy task, and we had a wide array of fitness levels attending our hike. I took a sort of “back seat” approach during the hike to observe how everyone was handling the training stress (because I’m weird, I know!). I watched as each person went through a transformation in their energy levels, and everyone hit this point at a different time.

The initial stage of this physical transformation experienced by all were those of feeling fatigued, breathing heavily, taking frequent breaks, trailing behind the rest of the group, along with some negative self-talk. Very early on in the hike, it seemed like no one would make it to the top of the first summit. Some were even entertaining the idea of only hiking one mountain that day, when we had all set out to do both.

The next stage of the transformation is what was really cool to witness. With each hiker, all of a sudden, the feelings of fatigue, and the negative self-talk stopped immediately. Very quickly, everybody was more than ready to reach the summit, and then to get to the next peak. A little competition even started to see who could stay in the front of the group. My wife, even started jogging ahead of the rest of us, leading us on at a much faster pace than before.

First, seeing everyone feeling like they should just sit down, take a break, or go back to the parking lot. Then seeing everyone testing their abilities, trying to push further and harder, trying to enjoy competition with themselves and others. It was amazing how each person had completely flipped their perspective in a matter of minutes.

I think everyone left this hike with a new view of themselves, realizing that we are capable of so much more than we like to credit ourselves with. The body is an incredible adapting machine!

I highly recommend sometime setting up an activity in which you can test yourself. And I mean, REALLY test yourself. Push your body to it’s limit, and see what you can achieve. You may find that your fat loss goals are much more in reach than you previously thought.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. Anyone else enjoying the outdoors this summer?

P.P.S. Just as a side note, this was my second major hike this summer, and I credit my successful completion of this hike to the fact that I knew I could push my training limits today, because I had done it before already. Doing something hard will make the next time you do it seem like a walk in the park.

My coach, Scott Sonnon, posted a very cool video on youtube that I would like to share with you today. It’s just a quick demonstration of him performing his daily personal practice. Most of the movements are considered joint mobility exercises.

(*Note: If you haven’t caught all of the posts in the joint mobility series here at FatBurningBlog, click on the title of this post and scroll down to see a list of the other posts we have put up - but make sure to watch the video in this post first!)

One philosophy that Sonnon and I share is that a beautiful physique comes as a by-product of abundant health. Sonnon seeks health first, and you can tell in this video that this route naturally produces a lean, powerful body that reminds me of a Greek sculpture.

Let me tell you up front that the bottom line when it comes to joint mobility and fat loss is that having a full range of motion at each joint is paramount to fat loss success. I can’t say enough about the benefits I have experienced using this type of training, and I sincerely hope that you are inspired to try it out and realize first-hand how powerful joint mobility truly is.

Along with the joint mobility exercises, you’ll also see Sonnon performing some vibration techniques, some of which I use in my own training. I do get a lot of funny looks when doing these in my yard or at the local YMCA, but the benefits are unquestionable - and I’ll take better health if it only costs some smirks and chuckles from my wife and strangers. I just mention it so that you don’t confuse them with some third-world Shaman ritual - these vibration techniques are not religious by nature, only scientifically-based strategies for relieving tension and stress. Sure, they look a little funny, but they are super effective!

Sonnon FREE TO MOVE Joint Mobility

I wanted to post this because I’d like you to see how truly amazing a daily personal practice can become with consistency. Scott is the creator of this program, and has been using it daily for over a decade himself - so it makes sense that he is a master of his own movement. He is one of my greatest inspirations, and I hope that his movement mastery grabs your attention as it does mine.

I want to encourage you that you can achieve any manner of mastery if you put your mind and effort into it daily. The last thing I want is for you to assume that these movements are unreachable for you. You can move with grace and fluidity, flow! But it must start with a daily personal practice. The exercises in the video are considered advanced versions of the beginner levels. There is nothing outlandish about these movements when you understand that they are just the next level of sophistication - just the next logical step that anyone will reach with practice. Almost all of the exercises in this video are taught extensively in Scott’s joint mobility DVD program Intu-Flow.

You can read my review of Intu-Flow by clicking here.

Or visit Scott’s site directly at http://www.rmaxi.com/products/ifcomplete.htm

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If you have ANY questions about joint mobility, Intu-Flow, or Sonnon, please let me know using the comment feature below. I would be happy to help!