Big Fat Fitness Lies
Hold it. You may be exercising and eating all wrong.
You may have been led to believe a lot of very stupid and untrue things about what
it takes to get fit. Things like:
• Running several miles per day is the key to getting fit.
• Doing a ton of long, slow distance (LSD) is absolutely necessary.
• Lifting the heaviest weights you possibly can will turn you into a human fireplug.
• Eating five or six times per day cranks up your metabolism.
• Training one part of your body today and another part tomorrow prevents overtraining.
• Working out only 2-3 times per week is the fastest way to make progress.
My friend, there are pieces of truth in all these lies. For example:
Long, slow cardio may make you feel good – but if you want to “STEP UP” your metabolism, you’re far better off doing a very hard, very vigorous workout that calls upon all your physical and mental reserves. You’re better off with a short workout that will never get easy – no matter how often you do it.
Consider the sprinter. His body is lean, muscular, and powerful. But it is rare to find a long-distance cardio person who is well muscled. He may be lean, but there’s no power. Not only that, but after a period of time he may end up suffering from hip, knee, ankle, and lower-back pain.
Why? All the pounding on the joints. It takes a tremendous toll on the body.
Instead of the long, slow, dull approach to fitness, consider the following five ways to a Metabolism Makeover.
1. Begin doing vigorous full-body bodyweight exercises that force you to lose control of your breathing. If you aren’t getting out of breath when you train, your system is NOT being forced to adapt and change. The harder you are breathing, the more shock to the system. The more “shock” there is, the greater the shake-up in your metabolism.
2. Instead of running or bicycling several miles per day for cardio exercise, train like a cheetah. Run as hard as you can, at full blast, for as long as you can. Run with all your might. When finished, you’ll be gasping for oxygen. And this gasping is what turns on the fat-burning furnace within.
3. Practice deep breathing. The deeper you breathe, the more oxygen in your system. The more oxygen in your system, the faster your metabolism. Don’t just get your deep breathing from vigorous exercise. Get if from the act of deep breathing itself – done all day long.
4. Eat plenty of fiber-rich, water-content foods while avoiding starchy foods most of the time.
5. Change the mental picture you have of yourself. As you see yourself in your mind’s eye, so you become.
Follow this approach to getting fit fast and you’ll catch the eyes of everyone when you walk down the street. Others will instantly sense that something is different about you. And you’ll know why.
[Ed. Note: Matt Furey – a national collegiate wrestling champion (1985) and a world shuai-chiao kung fu champion (1997) – is the author of the international bestsellers Combat Conditioning, Combat Abs, and Gama Fitness. Discover how you can increase your strength, endurance, and flexibility without lifting weights or long-distance running right here.]