What’s the one key to an effective and awesome workout?  Most women miss the boat on this…. your workout must be intense!

That means no boring elliptical training, mini pink dumbbells and jogging around a track.  No ma’am… it’s time to crank up the intensity for ultimate weight loss and fat burning…

Here’s a simple workout that you can do in your home, in the gym or even outside (not here in Boston right now with 3 feet of snow, but anyway…).

Welcome to the Ultimate Tabata Training Workout for Women….

Tabata training is named for the Japanese researcher that developed this training style.  This concept is amazing for all types of training goals, especially fat loss.  The best part about it is that it takes no time at all.

The worst part about it (initially) is the intense exhaustion and wondering how it just took that much out of you when you only worked out for 10 minutes, maximum.

Are you ready to find out how this simple training style can change the way you look at fat loss training?

Intense Workouts For Women:

Here is how it works.  You take one exercise and perform it in the following manner:

o Perform as many repetitions as you can for 20 seconds

o Rest for 10 seconds

o Repeat the cycle 4-8 times (depending on your training level)

There are several training options for a Tabata workout.  You can pick one exercise and perform the higher number of sets, or you can pick 2-4 exercises and perform them with 4-5 rounds.  Here are some examples:

o Barbell Front Squats for 8 sets

Or...

o Body weight squats for 4 sets followed by:

o Push Ups for 4 sets followed by:

o V-Up Crunches for 4 sets

With Tabata style training you are automatically increasing the volume (number of repetitions) and with the short rest times, your entire body is challenged to recover and push through the following sets.

When choosing exercises you want to pick movements that incorporate a large number of muscles.  This will burn more calories, tax your body effectively, and will challenge you athletically.

Here are some other examples to mix into the Tabata training:

o Lunges

o Chin Ups

o Mountain Climbers

o Jump Squats or Jump Lunges

o Thrusters

o Kettle Bell Swings

Try these intense sessions once or twice per week and you will see huge gains in your weight loss progress.  Incorporate strength training, proper nutrition, and conditioning training such as sprints and you will be well on your way to a tight and lean body.

Want more fat burning advice for women?  Read this: quick weight loss tips for women...

And here's a cool free report that discusses how women can use intense workouts for faster fat loss: read the report right here...

Get ready to melt your ass off with this killer bodyweight workout you can do from home, with hardly any equipment...

I just finished doing this myself, so I know it's pa pa POWERFUL...

The purpose of this insane bodyweight workout routine is simple -- produce extreme fat loss, push your conditioning and athleticism to a new level, and of course, carve out a lean and ripped physique.

That's not too much to ask of a workout, is it?  Not when you put yourself through hell, it's not.

Plan on spending 25 high quality minutes tearing through this killer training session... plus, a little extra for warm up and cool down.

For simplicity sake, I'll break this workout up into 4 parts...

Part I: 40/40/40 -- Pull Ups, Pike Push Ups, Rest... repeat x 4 (10 min total)

Part II: 10/10/10 -- Mountain Climbers, Split Squat Jumps, Rest... repeat x 9 (5 min total)

Part III: 30/30 -- Jump Rope, Rest... repeat x 4 (5 min total)

Part IV: #50 Burpees (or max number you can get in 5 min)

Each part lists the duration of each exercise and rest period in seconds, so just set your Gymboss accordingly.  As an example, Part I will look like this: 40 secs of pull ups, immediately into 40 secs of pike push ups, then 40 secs of rest... this is one round, repeat this for 5 rounds (10 min) total, then transition to Part II... and so on...

Most people will probably need some assistance for the pull ups -- at least in the later rounds.  Pace yourself by touching your feet down to the floor (or chair) every 2 reps or so, as it's important to work through the entire 40 secs.

Part II is brutal and your legs will be on FIRE... you may have to pace yourself with the mountain climbers and use more of a "step and reverse lunge" as opposed to the all-out split squat jump -- that's fine...

In Part III if you don't have a jump rope, or if you're doing this bodyweight workout at home, you can mimic the jump rope motion with your arms without using the actual rope -- just make sure you're truly swinging your arms as if you had one, otherwise it becomes less effective.

In Part IV you can get funky and use explosive burpees or start with a basic burpee and build from there.  By this time, your legs are shot, you're sucking for wind and your arms, back and shoulders are still toast from Part I, so 50 burpees may seem like climbing Mount Everest at this point, LOL...

That's your killer bodyweight workout for the day... you'll hate me during it but love me later, haha...

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

Grab your workout equipment if you don't have it yet: Pull Up Bar | Gymboss Timer

Hey, I’m Shawna K, Female Fat Loss Over 40 expert.  I wanted to share a great five exercise circuit with you that you can do anywhere.  This sample workout routine is great for raising your metabolism and promoting fast weight loss...

Let's get right to it -- here's the video...

In the video I suggest these five exercises:

1) Push up

2) Plank

3) Mountain climber

4) Squat

5) Lateral lunges

My suggestion is to do 10-15 reps for each exercise, rest 30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.

If you have a timer, I like to do 30 seconds of work with a 5 second transition.  I’d try this set 3-5 times.  Beginners may need to do less time (eg. 20 sec/exercise)...

Just leave a comment below if you have any questions about this weight loss workout routine.  Also, for women over forty who want to lose weight quickly, safely and without resorting to bodybuilding-type workouts that were created for males, I've got just what you need:

Click HERE to Get Into Great Shape With a Program Designed Specifically For Females Over 40...

What's up guys?  I just knocked out a very high intensity bodyweight training session that I wanted to share with you...

You'll need the following: Gymboss, Powerblock Dumbbells and a pull up bar (or just get creative if you don't have these training tools)...

I love workout routines like this cause you can do 'em from home, with very little equipment... but still get excellent fat loss results thanks to the high intensity used throughout the workout.

Plus, thanks to the challenging bodyweight exercises selected, you'll be promoting lean muscle gains as well.  Great benefits, but you'll earn 'em as you'll soon find out.

WORKOUT OBJECTIVES: push yourself mentally and physically; high calorie burning during workout; create significant oxygen debt for substantial calorie burning after workout has ended; promote muscle gains for enhanced muscle tone while at rest...

WORKOUT OVERVIEW: 20 mins in duration, plus warm up and cool down; 4 bodyweight exercises for maximum muscle fiber recruitment; using 20 secs of work, followed by 10 secs of rest -- nonstop for 20 mins...

Example - exercise 1 x 20 secs, rest 10 secs, exercise 2 x 20 secs, rest 10 secs, exercise 3 x 20 secs, rest 10 secs, exercise 4 x 20 secs, rest 10 secs, REPEAT this exact pattern nonstop for 20 mins

High Intensity Bodyweight Training -- Home Workout Routine:

EXERCISE 1: One arm dumbbell reverse lunge with knee up -- hold a light dumbbell straight overhead with right arm; step back with right foot into deep lunge position; drive back to starting position, but instead of touching right foot down, proceed directly into a knee up (contract lower abs hard).

EXERCISE 2: Same as exercise 1, but hold dumbbell overhead with left arm, then lunge backwards and knee up with left leg.  Can sub kettlebell, regular dumbbell or any other weight object if you don't have the Powerblock dumbbells.

EXERCISE 3: Explosive burpee -- you all know the technique for a proper burpee by now, but with the explosive variation... try to clap hands after explosive push up, and hit a plyometric tuck jump at the very top of the burpee (with hands overhead).  For truly high intensity and advanced trainees only, try doing the burpees holding a 12 lb medicine ball (no need for the clap during top of push up).

EXERCISE 4: Bodyweight pull up -- use full range of motion and bring chin over the bar at the top of each rep.  Can sub inverted rows using a broom stick safely propped on two chairs (or similar setup) if you don't have the pull up bar.

And that's that boys and girls... one super high intensity bodyweight training session for some superb fat burning, great cardiovascular conditioning and sculpted, functional, well-balanced muscle mass...

Remember to set your Gymboss timer to a 20 sec work period and 10 sec rest period, then aim for as many high quality reps as you can bang out in the allotted 20 sec time intervals.

Although it's pretty advanced and very challenging, this home workout routine can be scaled down for beginners or intermediates as well.  As an example, you could simply do reverse lunges without holding a dumbbell and without the knee up... you could do regular burpees (no explosiveness or jump)... and you could do assisted bodyweight pull ups (use a chair or spotter for support).

For even more high intensity interval based training using bodyweight-only exercises, try our Navy SEAL workout...

I'm off to cook three eggs, over easy... YUM.

Keep it dialed in to station: TopFatLossTrainer...

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

In one of the last men's weight loss posts we covered many of the best ways to ignite your body's natural fat burning furnace (see: workout plans for weight loss for men).

High output metabolic workouts are one of the absolute best ways to lose weight quickly.

The following workout routine is a 3 day a week workout that will keep that furnace stoked and it will also keep your body's muscles strong and defined.

As you lose more and more body fat, you will consistently notice your new physique unveiling itself right before your eyes.

Remember, the exercise portion of your workout program only represents about 35-40% of the work necessary for rapid weight loss -- the other 60-65% ingredient that you must include, is a solid diet plan.

Keep your meals small and frequent, eating something every 3 hours or so and try to look up the Glycemic Index (GI)  and consume foods that are lower on the chart... this will help to control hunger and will eliminate the infamous insulin spike that occurs with bad food and binging... and it's often responsible for excessive weight gain.

The following 3 workouts are each full body weight training routines.  The first two workouts are what we refer to as straight set routines... that is, you'll perform each exercise and follow it up with a rest period.  The third workout is called a jumbo set, or circuit, where you will perform each exercise in the sequence, back-to-back, with little or no rest.

This combination of training protocols represents a very powerful mix for rapid weight loss and peak conditioning.

Please review the workouts and you will notice that each of the 3 days worth of training work all of your 6 major muscle groups, but training variables are shuffled around to keep the muscles challenged.  Your exercises will change, the number of sets and reps change and your rest between sets is different, between each workout.

In workout #3, you will be moving briskly from exercise to exercise to add an additional boost to your weight loss program.  To keep the extreme pace of the workout flowing, it is essential that you watch your work and rest times.

To help you with this, make use of an interval timer like the Gymboss Timer to keep tabs on those times.  This will most effectively maintain this rapid pace and will ultimately enhance your overall workout experience.

Use this 3 day workout (ideally done on M, W, F) for 3 weeks and on week four, we'll take you to Level 2.  Now, get ready for results...

Weight Training For Weight Loss For Men -- Workout Routine:

Day 1 (Monday):

Perform A, rest 30 seconds and then perform B:

First Movement: Bodyweight Prisoner Squats – 2 Sets – 15-20 reps – 30 Seconds Rest, then super-sets below...

A: Pull-Downs – 2 Sets - 15 reps (each arm) – 30 Seconds Rest (For home workouts, swap out for Inverted Pull ups)

B: Pushups – 2 Sets – 15-20 reps – 30 Seconds Rest

A1: Leg Press – 2 Sets - 15 reps – 30 Seconds Rest (For home workouts, swap out for Dumbbell Squats)

B1: DB Shoulder Press (Seated) – 2 Sets - 15 reps – 30 Seconds Rest

A2: Single Leg Bridge (Palms up) – 2 Sets - 15 reps (each leg) – 30 Seconds Rest

B2: Inverted Chin-ups – 2 Sets – 12-15 reps – 30 Seconds Rest, then core work below...

A3: Bicycle – 2 Sets – 15 reps – each side – 30 seconds rest

B3: Plank – 2 Sets - Hold for 45 Seconds – 30 sec Rest

Day 2 (Wednesday):

Perform A, rest 30 seconds and then perform B:

First Movement: Pushups – 2 Sets – 15-20 reps – 30 Seconds Rest, then modified super-sets below...

A: Narrow Grip Pull-Downs – 2 Sets - 15 reps (each arm) – 30 Seconds Rest (For home workouts, swap out for Inverted Close-Grip Pull ups)

B: Incline DB Chest Press – 2 Sets – 15-20 reps – 30 Seconds Rest

A1: Close Grip Barbell Bench Press – 2 Sets - 15 reps – 30 Seconds Rest (For home workouts, swap out for Close Grip Dumbbell Bench Press)

B1: DB Arnold Press – 2 Sets - 15 reps – 30 Seconds Rest

A2: Lunge in Place – 2 Sets - 15 reps (each leg) – 1 minute Rest

B2: Barbell Biceps Curl – 2 Sets – 12-15 reps – 30 Seconds Rest (For home workouts, where you don’t have a BB, swap out for Dumbbell Biceps Curl)

A3: Side Crunches – 2 Sets – 15 reps – each side – 30 seconds rest

B3: Plank – 2 Sets - Hold for 60 Seconds – 30 sec Rest

Day 3 (Friday):

The following full body workout is called a "Burst Bout" (designed by yours truly).  The objective of this particular higher volume/higher intensity workout, is to keep your skeletal muscles and your heart working optimally.

Burst = a sudden flurry of activity, Sudden movement, the act of exploding or bursting.

Bout = An instance of something lasting a short period of time.

As you will notice, this particular Burst Bout Workout will have you performing a resistance training exercise followed by a cardio movement.  This method of training will work on your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.  The premise behind it, is that while one system is at work, the other is in a state of active rest.

You will also notice that the workout (just like days one and two) is designed so that you can do it at home.  All you need is a set of dumbbells – check out the Powerblock adjustable dumbbells that Brad and I use (see: Powerblock dumbbells review), a stop watch like the Gymboss and an adjustable bench.

*Click Chart To Open Full Size Image In New Window*

Beginners should aim for 3 cycles, intermediates should aim for 4 cycles and advanced trainees should shoot for 5 cycles.   Go ahead and rest for 1 minute  at the end of each cycle...

Just to summarize quick so nobody's confused: a beginner would do 20 secs of db squats, rest 20 secs, perform 20 secs straight punches, rest 20 secs, and so on... all the way through 2 arm db biceps curl... then, rest 1 minute (this is 1 cycle)... and try to repeat 2 more cycles, totaling 3.

So, there you have it, Top Fat Loss Trainer fans... a world class weight training for weight loss (for men) workout routine, with purpose -- to lose the fat, maintain/build some quality muscle and reach a level of elite physical conditioning.

Keep Going!

James Villepigue CSCS

One more thing: Check out this amazing fat burning gem

If you're a guy who's searching for the most effective weight loss workouts, you're reading the right article.

Not all workout systems are designed for rapid weight loss.  Here's where you might have become frustrated while looking for the ideal workouts for weight loss - Most workouts for men, are often designed to primarily pack on the muscle and secondarily burn body fat.

Sure, most guys want more muscle, but there are also plenty of men, who want to burn fat first and just maintain the muscle they already have.

A workout that is geared toward weight loss must be one that focuses on burning calories.  There are no magic systems out there - it is a scientific fact that in order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume each day.

If you're taking in more calories than you're able to burn, you're either going to maintain your current weight or even gain some.

The key is to follow a workout that's highly metabolic - in other words, one that raises your heart rate and keeps the workout pace at a rapid rate for the duration of the workout. This is the type of workout that will burn the calories and essentially help you lose the unwanted weight.

This doesn't mean that you won't be lifting weights during these high output workout sessions.

In fact, I want you to both lift weight and perform cardio based exercise during each workout session... it's a killer combo that will help you burn calories at an expedited rate.

Here's an example of one of our high output "Burst Bout" workout plans for men wanting fast weight loss (see: weight loss for men under 30 for another intense fat burning workout you can try)…

Here’s a little bit about the workout and remember, this is just one of many muscle specific workouts that we consistently design for our clients – This particular muscle specific workout is all about the legs, the largest and most powerful muscles in the human body.

When you train a larger muscle group like legs, the stimulation naturally spills over and will positively affect all of your major muscle groups.  Some people refer to this as a hormone dump or that it’s simply a matter of all muscle working in conjunction to get the workout complete.

Whatever the exact scientific reasons are, all you need to be concerned with, is the fact that this style workout will take your weight loss efforts to an entirely new level of results, which up to now, was non-existent.

Ok, without further ado, here it is…

Workout Plan For Weight Loss For Men:

10 Sets of 8 Reps Each – This is a higher volume, non-stop weight loss workout frenzy – I don’t want you to take any rest.  The amount of weight that you use is up to you and should be based on your current conditioning level.  Be smart and be honest about what that level is.

For a workout like this, I love using my Gym Boss timer – For this particular fast paced protocol, I set by GymBoss to a 20 second work and 5 second rest ratio.  Yes, I said there was no rest – The 5 second “rest” is barely enough time for you to get to the next exercise station, trust me!

Just keep it intense and keep it moving, fellas!  This is the perfect style workout for men who have little time, but still want giant results – We’re talking a half hour, tops!

*Important: When you’re moving at such a fast pace, you may feel the desire to use momentum during your sets… DO NOT FALL INTO THIS!

Let the muscles do the work and avoid momentum from rearing its ugly head – This will both increase your results and help to avoid you from an unnecessary injury due to recklessness.

10 Sets of 8 Reps 20/5 Ratio on The GymBoss Interval Timer:

1) Plate Loaded Leg Press – Feet lower on the platform to engage more quadriceps than hamstrings.

2) Lying Leg Curl – Toes Pointed In for enhanced hamstring muscle stimulation.

3) Seated Calf Raise – Stimulates the Soleus Muscles of the Calf.

4) Jumping Knee-Ups – As easy as this sounds, at this point in the sequence, you will be breathing quite heavy… Especially as the sets advance!

*If at any time during the workout, you feel like you can’t catch your breath, feel dizzy or nauseous, stop, recover and if you’re safe and up to it, jump right back in!

I cannot wait to hear about your experience with this rather high intensity workout plan for weight loss for men.

Please let us know by posting your comments.  If you like this style workout, let us know and we’ll be sure to post up some more of these most effective weight loss workout routines.  Also, be sure to sign up to our weight loss (for men) email newsletter and grab your FREE report below...

Keep Going!

James Villepigue CSCS

Happy "fat hater Friday" TopFatLossTrainer hard-bodies.  I hope everyone's been hella productive this week so you can kick back, enjoy a cheat day and have some fun this weekend.  One thing you shouldn't do, however, is step foot on that bathroom scale.

As a fat loss specialist, one of my biggest pet-peeves is when people habitually weigh themselves, sometimes multiple times a day, on the damn scale.

There are so many reasons you should STOP freaking out about your "weight" and start concerning yourself with "body composition" instead.  I'm sure you've heard the term body composition before, but do you really understand what it means and why it's king when it comes to tracking your fat loss and muscle building progress?

Actually, before I get into body composition and why it's important, let me explain why too much focus on overall body weight is counterproductive, misleading and sometimes dangerous.

The problem with weighing yourself on a scale and looking only at the amount of weight you've gained or lost is that it's way too vague.  Because the human body is made up of so many different components, it's impossible to tell whether the scale's reading is good, bad or indifferent.

Most people only consider fat and muscle weight, but what about blood, water, organs, bones, etc?  Granted, most of these components wouldn't change much, if at all, but the amount of water in your body changes significantly from day to day.

If you hop on the scale and it says you lost 2 lbs in a day, that sounds good...but it really depends on WHAT exactly you lost.  Some of that 2 lbs could have been body fat, but all 2 lbs could just have easily been water.

And with inadequate dieting that is low in protein, combined with a workout plan that ignores weight training, many dieters also see loses in lean muscle mass.  In a worst case scenario, a 2 lb loss according to the scale may really be a 1/2 lb increase in body fat, with a 2 lb loss in water weight and a 1/2 lb loss of precious, fat-burning muscle mass.

In this example, you'd think your diet and workout plan is kicking ass because you lost 2 lbs in only one day.  But in reality, you gained fat and hurt your metabolism slightly by losing muscle tissue.  Do you see how focusing on (only) body weight can be misleading and dangerous?

---> This is the exact reason why my site is called Top Fat Loss Trainer and NOT Top Weight Loss Trainer.  I help people lose FAT, not weight.  In fact, I could care less how much weight someone loses - tell me how much "fat" they've lost or how much "muscle" they've gained and we're in business.

Many people get tricked by the evil scale because it causes them to draw inaccurate conclusions about how well (or not so well) their fat loss diet and workout regimen is doing for them.

A better approach is to use body composition analysis, along with body weight, to get a clearer picture of what's going down.

Body composition analysis more specifically looks at what exactly you're gaining or losing when you get on the scale.  In general, we divide the body into either fat mass or lean body mass.

Fat mass is obvious - this would include all forms of fat within your body (most common types are subcutaneous and visceral).

Lean body mass is everything else.  Clearly, we want to have the smallest amount of fat mass and the largest amount of lean body mass possible.

So how do you figure out your body composition? First, you determine your body fat percentage.  After that, you just take your body fat percentage as a decimal and multiply this by your body weight, to get your total fat mass.

For example, a 150-lb female (68.2 kg) with 23% body fat would have a fat mass of:  150-lb x 0.23 = 34.5 lbs (or 15.68 kg) of fat mass.

Then, to get lean body mass, just subtract fat mass from total weight:  150-lb - 34.5 lbs (of fat mass) = 115. 5 lbs (or 52.5 kg) of lean body mass.

From here, we can calculate someone's goal weight, based off these body composition numbers.  To determine how much you should weigh to get to a certain level of body fat percentage, you just take your lean body mass and divide that by how much lean mass you'd like to have.

---> Say our 150-lb girl wants to get down to 15% body fat level.  We calculated her lean body mass above to be 115.5 lb (or 52.5 kg).  If she wants to get to 15% body fat, this means she wants to have 85% lean mass (100% - 15% = 85%)...still with me?

---> We take her lean body mass of 115.5 lb (or 52.5 kg) / 0.85 (her new goal for lean body mass) = 135.9 lbs (or 61.76 kg).  Her goal weight would be about 136 lbs or 61.8 kg.

---> To reach this goal of 15% body fat, she'd need to lose 14.1 lbs (or 6.4 kg)

By tracking these body composition numbers, we'll have a much better understanding of what a weight gain or weight loss actually means.  This is CRUCIAL to making necessary adjustments to the diet plan and exercise routine.

If this sounds too complicated, trust me, it's not that bad if you just follow along with the example calculations I laid out for you.

The main takeaway point of this advanced fat loss post is to learn what the scale tells us, which is almost nothing, when it comes to tracking your weight loss or muscle building progress.

Also, I hope you understand now why the scale can jump so much from day to day (water levels, especially with females during menstruation, changes in lean muscle mass, etc) AND how it can be dangerous to judge your meal plan and workout effectiveness based off body weight alone.

Using the scale to measure body weight IS important, but only when used in conjunction with more telling body composition numbers, like I outlined in the examples above.  Even when used with a detailed body composition analysis, I wouldn't recommend weighing yourself any more often than once every week.

When you do weigh yourself, do it under the exact same conditions every single time.  For example, if you're going to weigh yourself once weekly, do it every Saturday morning after waking up and peeing, but BEFORE eating or drinking.

If you choose to use the scale more frequently than this, under different circumstances, or without using body composition analysis...you're asking for lots of confusion, frustration and most likely, eventual failure in your fat loss or muscle building goals.

By the way, I'll be doing a post in the near future on the different ways to measure body fat percentage, as this is needed to determine your fat mass, lean body mass, goal weight and some other variables, like protein intake.

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

Okay, you should've just completed the getting started checklist for new Inner Circle members (if you missed that, do this first ---> Step 1 - Getting Started Checklist).  Now it's time to see where you're at.  I want you to complete the following body composition analysis and baseline fitness tests, so we have a starting point from which to monitor your progress.

I'd print this page off or copy and paste it into a word document to save on your computer....that way you can add future assessments and easily track your fat loss, muscle building, body sculpting and overall fitness results.  First, we need to complete a baseline fitness assessment and then I'll walk you through a body composition analysis.

Don't skip these steps...it's super important to know exactly where you're starting from, so I can maximize your diet and workout plan, based on your progress.  To do this,  I need a starting point to compare future results to.  Awesome, let's begin...

BASELINE FITNESS ASSESSMENT:

(Perform now and repeat every 12 weeks to assess improvements in strength, endurance and stability)

[Content protected for Inner Circle members only]

That's a lot of assessing, but you'll be happy you did it when it comes time to repeat and compare.  Seeing steady and significant improvements week after week will really help keep you motivated and on track.  I laid everything out for you in great detail, but I know some things may still be slightly confusing.

If you have any questions, just leave them below and I'll get back to you asap.

You're almost there.  Next, it's time to figure out your daily caloric requirements, select an advanced fat loss meal plan, optimize a supplement strategy and organize your workout schedule.

Click here to continue ---> Step 3 - Determining Your Calorie Needs

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell