Lean machine: blind your body with science to burn pounds of fat

Men's Fitness, Jan, 2005 by Stephen Holt

You're nobody's fool (after all, you are reading this magazine). You don't let other people make decisions for you. You know whether you can handle one more beer, land that bootylicious blonde, or beat down the loser she's with--and no one has to show you how. But as far as your workouts are concerned, I bet you've been letting other people run your life for years.

Remember when you first started lifting? You mimicked what all the big guys did, and you probably still do. While it's gotten you some good results, I'd guess you're not quite where you want to be. (Again, you're reading this magazine.) It's time you started thinking about your training as more of an exact science--a challenge to design the sleekest, strongest, most precise piece of high-performance equipment possible. And that's where I come in.

I'm going to turn you into a lean, mean, fat-burning machine. I have a degree in mechanical engineering from Duke University, and spending time analyzing how mechanisms work has taught me two things you need to know to reach your goals. First, I learned to respect the scientific method, which means not accepting a theory (like those proposed by some of your muscle-headed gym mentors) until it's proved through experimentation. Anecdotes are meaningless.

Second, I discovered that the same mechanical principles that allow machines to operate at their maximum potential also act on your muscles and bones. That means the best way to burn fat while building the muscles beneath it is to train through every possible movement pattern and plane of motion (pushing, pulling, rotating, moving up and down, and sometimes balancing on one leg--often in the same exercise), leaving nothing to chance. With this in mind, I've built a program that recognizes your body as a series of parts working together as one complex machine.

So instead of hitting one muscle group per exercise or even per workout (as your old friends may have recommended), you'll work most of your musculature in just one exercise. How? By doing some of the newest, admittedly unique, but most effective exercises ever developed.

The newness of the workouts alone will cause radical changes to your body, and working so much muscle so quickly means you won't need to train as long. You'll also burn more calories overall, which means more total fat loss.

For the first few days, you're going to look a little freaky in the gym. But in four weeks, you're going to look freakin' ripped.

Stephen Holt was voted "Personal Trainer of the Year" by the American Council on Exercise in 2003.

WORKOUT A

FREQUENCY: Do this workout once a week for four weeks, resting at least a day before moving on to Workout B.

HOW TO DO IT: Perform the exercises as straight sets, completing all the prescribed sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Between sets, rest for one minute.

WEIGHT: Use the heaviest weight that allows you to complete all the prescribed reps for each set.

[1] SWISS-BALL RECIPROCAL CHEST PRESS

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 (each arm)

* Slowly lower one arm as you're pressing up with the other.

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[2] BARBELL ROW

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

* Squeeze your shoulder blades together throughout the entire movement.

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[3] SCARECROW

Sets: 3 Reps: 28

* Twist your upper body, pulling the weight behind your head.

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[4] MEDICINE-BALL REVERSE SIDE LUNGE AND TOUCH

Sets: 2 Reps: 8 (each leg)

* Step back and turn your body outward, opening your hips 135 degrees while planting your foot behind you.

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[5] DUMBBELL JUMP SQUAT

Sets: 3 Reps: 8

* Bend your knees 45 degrees and explosively jump into the air.

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[6] STEPUP W/CURL AND PRESS

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 (each side)

* As you step up, curl the weight and press it overhead as you raise your other knee in front of you.

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PERSONAL TRAINER

Workout B

Fat Loss

FREQUENCY: Do this workout once a week for four weeks, resting at least a day before moving on to Workout C.

HOW TO DO IT: Perform the exercises as straight sets, completing all the prescribed sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Between sets, rest for one minute.

WEIGHT: Use the heaviest weight that allows you to complete all the prescribed reps for each set.

[1] T-PUSHUP

Sets: 2 Reps: 12 (each side)

* Lower your body into the bottom of a pushup, then explode upward, turning your wrist outward as you rise.

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[2] SINGLE-LEG DUMBBELL ROW

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 (each side)

* Pull the weight up to your chest.

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[3] LOADING

Sets: 2 Reps: 11 (each side)

* Raise your torso and turn to the opposite side, finishing with the dumbbells at eye level.

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[4] SINGLE-ARM SNATCH

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 (each arm)

* Explosively pull the weight above your head.

[5] SINGLE-ARM CURL TO PRESS

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 (each arm)

* Explode upward, curling the weight and then pressing it overhead.