Why women shouldn't run - thanks to DangerouslyHardcore.Com

Here’s another article re-edit/rerelease. This one was originally published on EliteFTS.com, and we’re presenting this updated and polished-up version today in case you missed it the first time around.

I’m not sympathetic.

When I look at the fat guy in the gym wasting his time doing forearm curls to lose weight, I feel no sympathy. When a big tough meathead gets stapled to the bench by 365 pounds—after trying and failing with 315—I don’t feel any sympathetic pangs there, either. Even when I see a girl spend a half hour bouncing back and forth between the yes-no machines—the adductor and abductor units—only to have trouble walking the next day, I can’t muster even an iota of pathos.

Nobody told these people to do these things.

Then, however, I watch my friend Jessica running on the treadmill—day after day, year after year—like a madwoman, and going nowhere. Her body seems to get softer with every mile, and the softer she gets, the more she runs. For her, I feel sympathy, because the world has convinced her that running is the way to stay “slim and toned.”

There’s a Jessica in every gym. Spotting them is easy. They’re the women who run for an hour or more every day on the treadmill, setting new distance and/or time goals every week and month. Maybe they’re just interested in their treadmill workouts, maybe they’re training for their fifth fund-raising marathon, or maybe they’re even competing against runners in Finland via some Nike device. Doesn’t matter to me, because years of seeing my friend on the treadmill has exposed the results, which I’m not going to sugarcoat:

She’s still fat. Actually, she’s gotten fatter.

I’ve tried to rescue her from the clutches of cardio in the past, but my efforts didn’t work until a month ago, when she called to tell me that a blood test had confirmed her doctor’s suspicion: She had hypothyroidism, meaning her body no longer made enough thyroid hormone.

Her metabolism had slowed to a snail’s pace, and the fat was accumulating. This was her body rebelling. When Jessica asked for my advice, I told her to do two things: To schedule a second test for two weeks later, and to stop all the goddamned running until then.

I’m not here to pick on women or make fun of them. There are men out there who do the same thing, thinking cardio will wipe away the effects of their regular weekend beer binges. It’s more of a problem with women, though, and I’m targeting them for three very good reasons:

1.  They’re often intensely recruited for fund-raisers like Team-In-Training, lured by the promises of slim, trim bodies and good health resulting from the months of cardio training leading to marathons—in addition to doing something for charity.

2.  Some physique coaches prescribe 20-plus hours per week of pre-contest cardio for women, which essentially amounts to a part-time job.

3.  Steady-state activities like this devastate the female metabolism. This happens with men, too, but in different ways.

I hate a lot of things about the fitness industry, but over-prescribed cardio would have to be at the very top of my list. I’m not talking about walking here, nor am I referring to appropriate HIIT cardio. This is about running, cycling, stair-climbing, or elliptical cardio done for hours at or above 65 percent of your max heart rate. The anaerobic threshold factors into this, obviously, but I’m painting gym cardio in very broad strokes here so everyone will understand what I’m railing against.

Trashing steady-state cardio isn’t exactly a novel idea, and the better physique gurus figured at least a portion of this out years ago, when they started applying the no-steady-state-cardio rule to contest preparation. They failed, however, to point out the most detrimental effect of this type of training—one that applies specifically to women:

Studies—both clinical and observational—make a compelling case that too much cardio can impair the production of the thyroid hormone T3, its effectiveness and metabolism[1-11], particularly when accompanied by caloric restriction, an all too common practice. This is why many first or second-time figure and bikini competitors explode in weight when they return to their normal diets, and it’s why the Jessicas of the world can run for hours every week with negative results.

T3 is the body’s preeminent regulator of metabolism, by the way it throttles the efficiency of cells[12-19]. It also acts in various ways to increase heat production[20-21]. As I pointed out in previous articles, this is one reason why using static equations to perform calories-in, calories-out weight loss calculations doesn’t work.

When T3 levels are normal, the body burns enough energy to stay warm, and muscles function at moderate efficiency. When there’s too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism), the body goes into a state where weight gain is almost impossible. Too little T3 (hypothyroidism), and the body accumulates body fat with ease, almost regardless of physical activity level. Women inadvertently put themselves into a hypothyroid condition when they perform so much steady-state cardio.

In the quest to lose body fat, T3 levels can offer both success and miserable failure because of the way it influences other fat-regulating hormones[22-31]. Women additionally get all the other negative effects of this, which I’ll cover below. Don’t be surprised here. This is a simple, sensible adaptation of a body that’s equipped to bear the full brunt of reproduction.

Think about it this way: Your body is a responsive, adaptive machine that has evolved for survival. If you’re running on a regular basis, your body senses this excessive energy expenditure, and adjusts to compensate. Remember, no matter which way we hope the body works, its endgame is always survival. If you waste energy running, your body will react by slowing your metabolism to conserve energy. Decreasing energy output is biologically savvy for your body. Your body wants to survive longer while you do what it views as a stressful, useless activity. Decreasing T3 production increases efficiency and adjusts your metabolism to preserve energy immediately.

Nothing exemplifies this increasing efficiency better than the way the body starts burning fuel. Training consistently at 65 percent or more of your max heart rate adapts your body to save as much body fat as possible. After regular training, fat cells stop releasing fat the way they once did during moderate-intensity activities[32-33]. Energy from body fat stores also decreases by 30 percent[34-35]. To this end, your body sets into motion a series of reactions that make it difficult for muscle to burn fat at all[36-41]. Instead of burning body fat, your body takes extraordinary measures to retain it.

Still believe cardio is the fast track to fat loss?

That’s not all. You can still lose muscle mass. Too much steady-state cardio actually triggers the loss of muscle[42-45]. This seems to be a twofold mechanism, with heightened and sustained cortisol levels triggering muscle loss[46-56], which upregulates myostatin, a potent destroyer of muscle tissue[57]. Say goodbye to bone density, too, because it declines with that decreasing muscle mass and strength[58-64].

And long term health? Out the window, as well. Your percentage of muscle mass is an independent indicator of health[65]. You’ll lose muscle, lose bone, and lose health. Awesome, right?

When sewn together, these phenomena coordinate a symphony of fat gain for most female competitors after figure contests. After a month—or three—of 20-plus hours of cardio per week, fat burning hits astonishing lows, and fat cells await an onslaught of calories to store[66-72]. The worst thing imaginable in this state would be to eat whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted. The combination of elevated insulin and cortisol would make you fat, and it would also create new fat cells so you could become even fatter[73-80].

I won’t name names, but I’ve seen amazing displays of gluttony from some small, trim women. Entire pizzas disappear, leaving only the flotsam of toppings that fell during the feeding frenzy. Appetizers, meals, cocktails and desserts—4000 calories worth—vanish at the Cheesecake Factory. There are no leftovers, and there are no crumbs. Some women catch this in time and stop the devastation, but others quickly swell, realizing that this supposed off-season look has become their every-season look.

And guess what they do to fix it? Double sessions of cardio.

This “cardio craze” is a form of insanity, and it’s on my hit list. I’m determined to kill it. There are better ways to lose fat, and there are better ways to look good. Your bikini body is not at the end of a marathon, and you won’t find it on a treadmill. In fact, it’s quite the opposite if you’re using steady-state cardio to get there. The show may be over, and the finish line crossed, but the damage to your metabolism has just begun.

Don’t want to stop running? Fine. Then stop complaining about how the fat won’t come off your hips, thighs, and ass. You’re keeping it there.

And as for Jessica, my friend whose dilemma sparked this article? She took my suggestion and cut out the cardio. Two weeks later, her T3 count was normal. Go figure. 

Great article from @jillfit - women and weightlifting - a MUST read

Why It’s Time to Throw Out Your Light Weights (Lift Heavy, Get Smaller)

Exercise, Lifestyle

by Jill Coleman

I am not a “rant” type blogger. In fact, I can’t stand a trainer or coach going off on people about things that “make them mad.” I don’t know…just doesn’t sit right with me and doesn’t seem helpful to be yelling about things that piss me off or spreading negativity that way. Only reveals insecurity, immaturity and lack of professionalism, IMHO.

Anywho, with that said, this is as close to a rant as I will ever get. And honestly, it is only for your own good 

Ladies, ladies, ladies…

You know it. You have heard it. Many times. And yet, you don’t like it. Just like with weighing yourself, the thought of lifting heavy weights makes you cringe. You just KNOW you are going to bulk up. “My legs respond really quickly” or “I don’t want to look like a man” are a few of the usual tunes. In this post, I will do the following:
a) explain why you will not, in fact, ever look like a man
b) what “bulking up” really is and
c) explain why a woman will muscles and curves is not only stronger, but also leaner and sexier.

Ok, ready?

Lifting light weights in almost every case is a waste of time for women who are seeking body change. Exceptions to this rule may include pregnant women, those recovering from injury, in rehab, beginners (and even they should be adding weight quickly) or those who are giving their body a rest from the intense stuff. If you are a woman, who wants body change/to get leaner, you should be lifting heavy. “Heavy” is a relative term as it will be different for every woman, and that is fine. At the LIGHTEST, you should be using a 15 rep max on whatever exercise you are doing. In other words, you can complete 15 reps with clean, good form, but not 16. More advanced trainees will even use closer to a 10 rep max in their circuits and just take more rests.

Reasons Lifting Light Weights is a Waste of Time

1. If you are lifting light weights, you are training for one thing: muscular endurance. You might be able to do 100 body weight lunges, but add a few dumbbells held in your hands and you can’t do any. What about strength? What about power? What about hypertrophy? Building muscular endurance is really only good for…building more muscular endurance.
2. You are not applying enough stimulus to elicit a physique-changing response. The exception here is the beginner, with whom ANY consistent muscle contraction will elicit a response. But after time has gone by and you are no longer a beginner, you better start adding some plates if you want to keep seeing physique changes.
3. The more weight you lift, the more your body will change, period. The amount your shape changes is directly proportional to how heavy the weights are. Light weight=very little change. Heavier weights, intense workouts and achieving failure in your workouts are all correlated with increased release of testosterone (don’t get scared) and growth hormone, muscle-building & fat-burning hormones. Yes, women need testosterone too. But don’t worry, natural levels of testosterone released as a result of weight training cannot make you look like a man (more below). And growth hormone is anti-aging.
4. You will get more bang for your physique buck spending that time in the kitchen prepping clean eats. Dietary adjustments have way more of an impact on weight loss than exercise anyway, especially light weight training.

The Real Deal with Bulking Up

Ok, I am going to let you in on a little secret: bulking up does happen, BUT it’s not what you think it is. Essentially, when people bulk up, they are add lean muscle UNDERNEATH layers of fat and not solving the fat-burning part of the equation. Adding muscle itself is beneficial. In fact, muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so it is extremely advantageous to exchange fat for muscle. Building muscle + burning fat = smaller, leaner and more defined. So that is why the nutrition piece is so important, that is where most of your fat burning will happen. A clean nutrition plan made up primarily of lean protein, fibrous veggies, fruit and some select clean carbs will help shed inches. The way you train is important too–avoid taking super-long rests like a power lifter. Instead, go with circuit training, moving quickly from exercise to exercise, resting as needed.

Women who successfully build muscle and burn fat end up smaller overall, shed inches, and do not bulk up. Their body fat percentages go down and their amount of lean muscle mass increases.

However, regardless of bulking up, I guarantee you WILL NOT ever look like a man  How could you, if you are not using anabolic steroids, sex hormone supplementation in the supra-physiological range or other performance-enhancing drugs? Practicing good, old-fashioned heavy weight training along with a clean diet will do nothing but enhance your feminine look. Muscles, curves, strength, oh my!

I will leave you with an excerpt from an OLD article I wrote right after my first figure competition  (never published). I was all fired up because of the negative attention I was getting (as I perceived it) as a result of my recent muscle gain, from acquaintances, family members and even people on the street (though a) now I see that a lot of it was simply in my head, and b) who cares?), even though I was the smallest physically that I had ever been. People just didn’t get what I was doing. They didn’t get the new me. They didn’t get why I loved lifting heavy weights! Here is the excerpt from what I would call my one-and-only rant (from 2006)…hope you enjoy lol (thinking about posting the whole thing at some point? I mean, why not? I share every other thing on here lol):

What do people really think of  “us” muscular women?  

 There is a very small population of people who care enough about their physical appearance and personal health to focus their efforts on doing a fitness or figure show.  It is not common.  It is time-consuming.  It takes away from other priorities.  It requires preparation and dedication more than most can comprehend.  It is obsessive.  I have tried to pick the typical American’s brain about why it is considered weird to exercise with such consistency, eat with such awareness and be so focused on one’s physical health and appearance. 

One perception is that if an individual is so intent on developing bulging biceps, that they will be using illegal anabolic supplementation. Of course the stereotype of old is that if you are bodybuilding, you are taking steroids. In fact, this is precisely what my parents thought when I first told them I was competing in a figure contest; of course they didn’t know what they heck it was, they were apprehensive and scared I was going to turn into Lou Ferrigno (though Lou still looks pretty good!).  My mom showed her skeptical support by coming into town for my first figure show and I picked her up at the airport.  Not having seen me for months and knowing I was competing the next day, she expected that I would be a huge, muscle-bound hulk.  Needless to say she was shocked to see someone who was physically the smallest she had ever been, in terms of inches.  I was muscular, but regarding actual size, I was tiny.  I had lost 20 pounds of fat for the show and I was looking slim, trim and vivacious, baggy clothes and all.  For some reason, she thought I would not look like her daughter anymore…maybe I would look like a son?! lol But she was happy to find me just as feminine as ever and looking “beautiful.”  I went on to win the Tall Class in my show and I think she was actually proud of me!  This serves as just one example of someone whose stereotypical view of the sport of fitness had changed. 

However, there are many more minds to be opened.  Many to whom I spoke think it is much more acceptable for a woman to prove her career prowess by working her way up the corporate ladder, all the while eating cupcake after cupcake at office parties, than it is for a woman to transform her physical appearance to create a successful career in the fitness industry.  “People just don’t do that.”  Furthermore, it is perfectly common to see a woman sacrifice her physical self to create a family and maintain a household.  There’s no judgment there, a family is an amazing thing that everyone who wants to should experience, but it can lead to a less physically healthy priority shift in many cases.

Nonetheless, many of today’s women are able to have it all—a career, a family and a healthy, rockin’ body.  So keep it up and make it your priority to educate a few others in the health benefits and beauty that comes with having some muscle on your frame.  Besides, I would much rather be called “butch” any day than skinny-fat!  :)

Short and sweet guide to what worked for me in reducing body fat % down to single digits. 

Be aware there are many many different opinions out there. In the words of one of my favourite fitness tweeters @itsjillgardner 'There is no right or wrong way, this or that way BUT there is your way'

Number 1 rule is that it is about FATLOSS not WEIGHT LOSS - This mindset is VERY important.

Based on what worked for me I would suggest you ;

1. Reduce carbohydrates (apart from vegetable carbs). Many people are overweight because they eat too many carbohydrates (see my previous blog entry on carbohydrates and the insulin response)

2. Increase fat intake (I use almond/peanut butters/oily fish/coconut oil/nuts)

3. Increase water intake

4. Focus your training on gaining muscle and increasing strength. Use Kettlebells (see You Tube for Kettlebell training videos). Muscle burns more calories, the more you have the more calories you burn doing day to day stuff like walking, climbing stairs etc etc. Weight training raises your metabolic rate, some say, for 24 to 48 hours after you have finished.

5. Avoid cardio apart from HIIT (see previous blog entries for a podcast from @biolayne regarding this)

6. Get rid of your scales. Muscle weighs more than fat so initially your weight will increase. If you are using scales to monitor your progress then scales will demotivate you

7. Use your mirror and how your clothes fit you better as your judge

8. Consider the following core supplements

• a. BCAA
• b. Omega 3/cod liver oil
• c. CLA (see previous blog post)

9. Cut out sugar (and artificial sweeteners) wherever possible - it is addictive and eating sugary foods make you crave more. 

10. Cut out low fat dairy. Have a look at the sugar content of things like low fat yoghurt (some can be 20% sugar). You need fat to burn fat and low fat dairy has the CLA removed (CLA is a popular supplement believed to help you burn stored body fat and help prevent further fat storage). Personally I have cut out all forms of dairy from my diet due, partly, to the insulin response it is believed to cause.

11. Avoid liquid calories, some smoothies for example have 52 calories per 100ml

12. Eat clean unprocessed food - meat/fish/eggs/vegetables/100% nut butters

Try is and see how you go, trial and error, see what works for you.

I am not addressing anyone's personal situation and you should rely on this blog for information purposes only. Please consult with your own physician before acting upon any recommendations contained therein.

Interesting pod cast courtesy of @biolayne on Twitter, the upshot of which is that HIIT is better than steady state cardio for fat loss and also that the best form of cardio to avoid muscle loss is cycling - well worth an hour of your time.

http://www.rxmuscle.com/2013-01-11-01-57-36/muscle-college/7694-muscle-college-3-12-13.html

More information regarding carbohydrates courtesy of @musclerecipes on Twitter

There can be so much conflicting information everywhere regarding good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates, and high or low carbohydrate diets, particularly now the internet has grown and any “expert” can add their opinion as “fact”.  I wanted to help clear up some of that confusion for you and give you my opinion which has served me well over the years.

First of all, I believe that one of the main causes of increased bodyfat, primarily in the western world, is that people are over-consuming processed refined carbohydrates such as pasta, breads, cereals, rice, fruit juices, etc.  I am not saying that you should necessarily follow a low carb diet, but I do believe that these over processed carbs should be avoided.   In addition to causing big blood sugar swings and insulin surges that stimulate direct body fat storage, eating too many of these carbohydrates can also increases your cravings and overall appetite.

After years of eating excess processed carbohydrates, it becomes harder and harder for insulin to do it’s job and continue handling all of this blood sugar, and insulin resistance and eventual type 2 diabetes can occur in many people.

I actually try to avoid all grains completely.  This includes pasta, bread and rice, and yes, it include whole grains as well – something which many people believe to be healthy. Instead, I aim to get my carbohydrates from vegetables, sweet potatoes, lentils, quinoa, and sometimes berries (NOT fruit juices which are packed with sugar)

If you are going to get any grains at all, focus on the most nutrient dense and fibrous portions of the grain… the bran and the germ. This means that the healthiest ideas are using oat bran instead of oat meal, and using wheat germ and rice bran by adding them to your salads, yogurt, cottage cheese, soups, smoothies, etc. This way you get all of the most nutrient dense parts of the grains without all of the excess starches and calories.

If you are used to consuming large quantities of cereals, bread, pasta, and other carbohydrate sources, and move to a lower carb diet, try replacing the carbs with additional healthy fats from avocados, guacamole, coconut oil, oily fish, nuts, seeds, nut butters as well as healthy proteins such as grass-fed raw dairy and grass fed meats, whole free-range organic eggs, etc. Healthy fats and protein sources go a long way to satisfying your appetite, controlling proper blood sugar and hormone levels, and helping you to make real progress on weight loss for life.

Whilst I consume vegetables throughout the day, I like to consume the majority of my carbs as soon as possible after training in the gym.  I train in the evening and then will normally have sweet potato, quinoa or lentils with my dinner.  Am I concerned about having carbs in the evening, before bed? Not one bit – and you shouldn’t be either – as long as you are eating the correct kind of carbs, i.e. not processed rubbish. In fact, carbs can help to improve the quality of your sleep!

The ultimate cutting guide courtesy of SimplyShredded.Com

The most comprehensive diet guide I have ever come across

http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

Faster Fat Loss - HIIT over Cardio

Imagine a world where any type of exercise you performed could burn fat and help you lose weight. Whether it was the treadmill, the weight room, or the swimming pool. You choose the activity, and the pounds melt away.

Now, understand that the world you are looking for does exist. And it’s not hiding in some fitness Eden. It’s the same world you live in, one filled with big box gyms, cardio rooms, CrossFit boxes, mobile fitness apps, swimming pools, rowing stations, stadium steps, and every type of exercise in between.

While different fitness enthusiasts have their preferred method of burning calories (and rightfully so — a world without different opinions would be pretty boring and limit innovation), the reality is that many things work in fitness. The same reason people get frustrated looking for “the answer” in nutrition applies in fitness, too.  There is no one answer, and there are many types of exercises that burn calories.

But there are some big exceptions. While any type of activity can help you burn fat, certain methods — like weight training — are more efficient than others [1] [2]. And while it’d be easy to tell every person to just lift some damn weights (I do it quite frequently on my blog and on Twitter), there’s one small problem: Some people don’t like lifting weights. In fact, they hate it. No matter what they do they can’t fall in love with the iron and the challenge of pushing themselves to lift more weight, perform more reps, or do it all in less time. These people are oftentimes written off. They’re told their approach to fitness won’t work, and generally ignored and left as fitness loners.

I hate that. You see, any type of exercise can be turned into a fat burning experience. Fitness shouldn’t be a place just for those who conform. It’s a platform for those with desire to make improvement.And who am I (or anyone else) to insist that fitness must occur on my playground?

While my preference always focuses on resistance training and trying to lift heavy objects, I care much more about helping everyone become active as opposed to convincing people to do things my way. (Dear fitness industry: Please read that sentence again. And then spread the word.)

So for those of you looking for a different approach to fat loss (whether with weights or not) it’s time to take a well-known recipe for fat loss, and apply a modified version to your activity of choice.

ENTER TABATAS

Some of you might have heard of Tabata Protocol. (Not to be confused with Robota, which is also awesome but in a much different way.) Many view this method as the holy grail of fat loss, and here’s why. In the mid-1990s Dr. Tabata designed a study where one group of people performed “steady state” cardio for 60 minutes [3]. This is what most people have historically considered fat loss exercise: slug away for 60 minutes at a constant pace, let the elliptical tell you that you burned a ton of calories, and then call it a day.

The other group? They just pedaled on a bike for a pathetic four minutes. (Or as long as it takes you to karaoke to “Living on a Prayer.”) But it wasn’t any regular four minutes; the participants biked as fast as they could for 20 seconds (max effort), rested for 10 seconds, and then repeated this pattern for eight rounds until time was up.

Sure, 60 minutes of exercise versus four minutes of exercise doesn’t seem like a fair trial. And it wasn’t:The four minutes was superior to the 60 minutes in terms of overall conditioning and fat loss.

And thus began the evolution of high-intensity training and intervals. Push yourself really hard and rest less, and you can burn more fat. The concept is simple, but the execution is one that has still been hard to apply correctly. Until now.

HOW TO BURN FAT FASTER (DOING ANY EXERCISE)

The biggest problem with Tabatas is that people took a great concept (higher intensity, less rest) and destroyed the execution. If four minutes is great, then eight minutes must be incredible. And if eight minutes is incredible, then 16 minutes must be mind blowing.

Yet, much like many other things in life, sometimes more isn’t better. And in the case of Tabatas, that’s exactly what’s happening. Remember, the key to Tabatas was the intensity [4]. Push to you maximum output, rest for just enough time to keep that intensity at it’s highest, and then get back to work.

The secret of Tabatas is not necessarily the work to rest ratio; it’s the fact that you can push your body to the extreme and experience supreme benefits.

Now, that’s not to say that you can’t do two or three or four rounds of Tabata style workouts. But those additional rounds might have diminishing benefits if your intensity isn’t that high, which is what happens if you maintain a 20-second exercise-to-rest ratio for long periods of time. By round four, odds are you’ll be moving at an intensity that is far from your max. Or in other words, you take your output from being a sprint to a marathon. And in a marathon, a sprinter won’t win because he or she can’t sustain his or her intensity for the duration needed.

The solution: Manipulate the work rest ratio so that you can squeeze in a longer workouts and maintain higher intensity.

This approach is not Tabatas. Calling every type of four-minute interval Tabatas is like labeling every type of high intensity training or Olympic lifting as “CrossFit.” (It’s not, so please stop.) But, it is taking the Tabata concept (high intensity, low rest) and applying it in a way that you can have a short workout (12 to 20 minutes) and push yourself in a way that will deliver great results by maintaining higher intensity.  

THE PLAN

Step 1: Choose a form of exercise of your choice. Note: It must be something that allows you to push at a very high intensity. If you choose to walk, then you must be able to run. If you want to bike, then bike harder. If you’re swimming, swim faster. And if you’re lifting weights, you’re picking a weight that you can lift for about six reps. (For other activities, I think you get the idea.)

Step 2: After a thorough warm-up follow this routine:

• 10 seconds of high intensity work.
• 30 seconds of rest or low intensity work.
• Repeat for 8 rounds (or a total of 4 minutes)

Step 3: Rest one minute and then repeat.

Follow this process for three to four total rounds, or a total of 15 to 20 minutes.

The result is a workout with enough rest that you can maintain a higher intensity for a longer period of time. Best of all? You can make progress at any activity, burn fat, and not have to completely sacrifice your schedule to become fit. And while it’s just 15 to 20 minutes, if you push the pace and maintain a high intensity, you’ll be shocked by how much you can transform your body.

This is not to say that you can’t try the Tabata method. But I’d be lying if I said that four minutes a day of exercise (even at the highest of intensity) would be all you need to get in shape. This way, you choose the activity you want, spend enough time to produce real (visible) results, and keep the workouts short enough that time is never an excuse.