Just flipped through today’s edition of The New York Post. Saw a headline on page 16 entitled, The Finest Hour.
Beneath the headline was the subhead: 60-minute workouts are key for weight loss.
Hardeeharharhar.
60-minute workouts aren’t bad if you’re training at a sustainable pace, i.e. stretching.
But for the most part, 60-minute workouts are best for personal fitness trainers who work by the hour. I oughta know because I was one of the original personal fitness training gym owners.
I got my start back in 1987, in Soquel, California. My gym had weights, stationary cycles, and a large wrestling mat with plenty of space for bodyweight exercises.
At the time, all my sessions were an hour because we went through a combination of cardiovascular work (20 minutes), loosening exercises (10 minutes), followed by a circuit of weight training and/or bodyweight exercises.
Clients always left the gym feeling fulfilled. They got a good workout in. But the truth is that the workout would have done them FAR more good if it was a grand total of 30 minutes.
Here’s the breakdown:
1. 10 minutes for loosening the joints would be first.
2. A series of bursts or sprints – none of which last longer than 15 seconds.
3. Rest between each sprint.
4. Light stretching
Some details: After each sprint you are well advised to lollygag for 90 to 120 seconds, followed by another burst.
Altogether, you would do five to eight bursts (and no more), each of which gets you huffing and puffing. The lollygagging in between helps you recover as well as assisting with the release of growth hormone.
Total training time for the sprints would be two minutes with sixteen minutes of rest.
30 minutes total – most of which is resting.
The same model can be used for bodyweight exercises such as Furecat pushups, Furecat burpees and Furecat squats. Yes, these are different than those taught in my international, best-seller, Combat Conditioning.
You train long enough to huff and puff, but not to failure or fatigue. Then you yuk yuk for a spell, followed by another set.
You don’t need a personal trainer for this method. Nor do you need an hour. All you need is a method that you consistently follow 3-5 days per week.
This is what I teach to members of the FureyFaithful.com members site.
Forget the 60-minute (or longer) workouts. Results come faster from far less than you are being told.
Here endeth the lesson.
Matt Furey
MattFurey.com
P.S. I’ll be putting up more videos of the different ways you can get your sprints in as well as precautions based upon age and current physical condition. If you’re totally out of shape with joint pain, etc. you’re well advised to begin with the loosening exercises I teach to get the blood and synovial fluid moving throughout your body.
