How To Use Bodyweight Exercises To Accelerate Fat Loss

This is a guest post from my good friend Shawna Kaminski, creator of the NEW Challenge Fat Loss System. And yes, this is her doing a human flag! She’s over 50 and she’s got some strength!

Anyone that says bodyweight training isn’t ‘good enough’ just hasn’t tried hard enough or has the wrong coach.

As a reader of Todd’s, I know that you’re likely a bodyweight fanatic and rightfully so. Bodyweight workouts are fantastically functional and challenging too.

So you’re obviously up for a challenge, right?

If you have a little flub around your middle that won’t leave your side (literally), I have a solution for you that involves your bodyweight and challenges.

Sound good so far?

Hey, I’m Shawna K and I love bodyweight training and challenges. I’ve used challenging workouts to coach hundreds of clients to achieve and maintain their best body. I base my workouts on research and over 25 years as a professional in the fitness industry.

As well, I’m the same size, albeit leaner and more muscular now, two babies and decades later than when I was in my 20’s. You can see my abs here (ask Todd, I look like this year round).  I ‘walk the walk’ as the saying goes. I clearly have some secrets about training and fat loss and how to look and feel great.

Look, I’m sure Todd has coached you on the various reasons why it’s important that you workout, you’re doing that already, but unless you’re really pushing yourself hard, your body will simply adapt to your current intensity. You’ll maintain your current fitness level and body fat levels unless you really shake it up.

You need to really throw your body a curve ball so it will adapt to a new level of fitness and finally let go of those extra pounds of fat you want to say ‘so long’ to forever.

Here are some tips to remember when trying to lose the love handles…

The most popular and least effective method of fat loss is steady state cardio.

Steady state cardio is AEROBIC training. Most people think they need to do this traditional ‘cardio’ to get lean. But, calorie burning only occurs while you perform steady state cardio, and at a minimum at best. Once you step off the treadmill, bike or elliptical machine, your calorie burning efforts stop. BOO to that! This is a big reason to STOP the steady state cardio that most people have turned to for fat loss.

But you knew this already right? No doubt Todd has schooled you on the ‘evils of traditional cardio’.

Strength training with HIIT is ANAEROBIC training. This IS what you need to be doing.

When you replace steady state cardio with HIIT (high intensity interval training) along with strength training in the right combination, you’ll burn calories WHILE you train AND even AFTER you train. This is called EPOCH (post exercise oxygen consumption) or AFTERBURN.

I call this combination of training M2A, or ‘muscle metabolism acceleration’. You can read more about M2A here.

Basically, when you use muscle metabolism acceleration, you’ll tap into your anaerobic energy system while increasing lean muscle tissue. The beauty of M2A is that you’ll accelerate your metabolism even at rest. So, you’ll do a short and intense workout and the increased calorie burning effect will continue while you hit the shower, head to work or even sit on the couch! You can increase your metabolic rate for up to 36 hours after a short and INTENSE workout of this nature.

In addition, this style of training increases lean muscle. No, you won’t ‘bulk up’, but you’ll add some lean, sexy muscle that’s both functional and good to look at. 😉

Fat loss is about hormone manipulation too and isn’t necessarily all about calories in-calories out.

Did you know that fat burning is improved in the presence of growth hormone? Sadly, as we age, we have less of this good stuff floating around our bodies, but we can naturally increase growth hormone production by increasing lactic acid through training.

And guess what? Lactic acid is produced when training anaerobically: another good reason to employ anaerobic training.

Increased Lactic acid = Increased GH = More fat loss and more lean muscle gain

Isn’t science magical? This helps dispel the myths surrounding fat loss. You see, if you work WITH your body, then fat loss isn’t the mystery that the media makes it out to be. You don’t need to buy a pill or potion or use a magical form of equipment…

Here’s a ‘magical’ bodyweight workout that you can do at home that uses the M2A system and will take you into the anaerobic training zone. This sample bodyweight Challenge Fat Loss workout that is perfect for beginner through advanced people.

Set your timing device for:

Advanced –  40 seconds work/10 seconds rest

Intermediate – 30 seconds work/10 seconds rest

Beginner – 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest

Do these exercises:

• Cross body mountain climber

• Prisoner reverse lunge

• Double jump burpee

• Over head 1.5 squat

• Get up

• Sit out or mountain climber

• Plank alternate leg lift

Rest as needed between sets

Do up to 5 rounds

You can find 16 follow along videos HERE in my Challenge Fat Loss program.

Now, not ALL the Challenge Fat Loss workouts are bodyweight, but many are. The beauty of this program is that you have a COACH (my Challenge Fat Loss team and me) training along side you to help YOU get the best workout ever. Often times when training at home, workout intensity suffers, when you have my coaches and me in your ear and in front of you, you’ll be surprised at the level of intensity that you’ll reach.

Intensity = results.

And that’s when the REAL fat melting magic happens.

Start giving yourself some fitness ‘challenges’ and watch your belly fat disappear. You’ll get faster results in less time and who doesn’t want that?

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Thanks so much Shawna for sharing your tips with the SOA audience!

Shawna Kaminski is a good friend of mine and creator of an amazing system for dropping body fat called Challenge Fat Loss. She is over 50 and can do a human flag, muscle up and other crazy calisthenic moves.

Learn more about the Challenge Fat Loss System here.