Fat Burning Circuits vs. Bulking Up

Yesterday we read coach John Barban's opinion that his 6-minute circuits were better than my supersets. What will he say to tick me off today?

By the way, if you have a question about John's 6-minute circuits, make sure to ask them on his forum here:

The grrlAthlete Female Workout Forum


CB: John, what do you say to women that are worried about bulking up with strength training?

JB:
I get this question alot. And my answer is always the same.

Strength training does not and will not ever bulk up a women.

To bulk up you need to be doing specific bulking style exercises. This includes elaborate set and rep schemes devised by powerlifters and bodybuilding athletes who are only interested in gaining bulk and size.

Some women may be following the wrong advice by trainers who only know how to bulk build and are only familiar with that style of training. I've trained this way for years with world class powerlifters and bodybuilders so I know what is involved.

However, I have also spent the past 5 years training women exclusively and for many different types of goals, from competitve figure models, to national level field hockey players, and everything in between.

The common thing with all of my female clients is that these girls all need to be low body fat and lean, with great cardiovascular endurance and overall body conditioning and strength. And they cannot get any bigger because it would slow them down and decrease performance!

My workout style won't bulk anyone up because it is designed specifically not to. If our athletes get bigger they will get slower and that wouldn't help them on the field.

The great thing is that this style of workout is perfect for any woman (athlete or not) to lose fat and get toned lean muscles.

CB: Do these workouts work the abs?

JB:
Yes this workout has a lot of core training built right into it.

Having a tight strong core is critical for any athlete and our workout targets core directly in each mini circuit as well as throughout the whole program.

We've incorporated a lot of variety in our core training as well so you'll be working your abs and lower back from all kinds of different angles. I also kept it fun and different for each mini circuit.

Most of girls who tried this routine for the first time said its the most sore their abs have felt after a workout! And they were loving it because they have a hard time working their core like this.

CB: What about cardio? Don't you need to do cardio to lose weight?

JB:
I think the idea of doing cardio to lose weight is one of the biggest myths in the fitness industry.

Traditional slow paced long duration cardio may be the worst and slowest way to try and lose weight. I'm not convinced it helps lose any weight at all.

Higher intesnity whole body exercises burn substantially more calories during the workout as well as increases calorie burning after you have finished exercising. This is called the "afterburn".

Every time you exercise your metabolism is elevated after your workout so you continue burning calories once you're finished. This effect is much higher with high-intensity workouts. Also, during your workout is when you burn the most calories, and high intensity workouts burn way more calories than any low intensity cardio routine can.

On top of all of that, our circuit workouts keep all of your muscles toned and conditioined which burns even more calories than cardio, for two reasons...

1) they are getting a strength workout

2) its a whole body workout that incorporates muscles that typical cardio workouts do not.

A long time ago when I first started training clients I used to use slow duration cardio because I was naieve and didn't know what worked best. But for the past 10 years I have only used high intensity workouts and intervals just like the 6 minute circuits with fantastic results and I'll never go back!

CB: Thanks John. I have to agree, your system sounds pretty effective.

Judge for yourself, are John's 6-minute circuits better than my non-competing Turbulence Training supersets?

www.6minutecircuits.com

That John Barban has a lotta nerve,

CB 

PS - Want more female specific workout advice and sports-specific training info?

If you have a female workout question for John or Brad Pilon, visit their new, no cost grrlAthlete Forums. You'll learn...

- how to progress through pushups

- the best intervals for fat loss

- And how to conquer Pullups