Get Lean Without Cardio

If you’re someone that gets bored easily with your typical cardio workouts like sitting on a stationary bike or going for a run - then we’ve got good news for you. 

You can create a lean and athletic body by following these guidelines.

Use strength training to increase muscle mass and boost your metabolism

The more muscle mass you have - the higher your metabolism. This is because your body requires more energy to keep muscle mass, than to keep fat. This is the main reason that men on average burn more calories than women. 

By having more muscle mass, you’ll burn more calories throughout the day - whether that be when exercising, sitting at your desk working or even sleeping. 

When strength training - you have compound exercises and isolation exercises. Compound exercises use several muscles at the same time, whereas isolation exercises focus on a specific muscle group. 

You’ll burn more calories focusing on compound exercises such as: 

1. JUMP SQUAT
2. DEADLIFT
3. BARBELL BENCH PRESS / DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS
4. BARBELL STRICT PRESS / DUAL DUMBBELL STRICT PRESS
5. PULL UPS

The bigger the muscle that you’re working, the more calories you’ll burn. For example, working your legs (our largest muscle group) performing a squat, will burn more calories than targeting your chest with the bench press.

Use circuit training to stimulate the cardiovascular system 

Circuit training boosts your heart rate, which will burn more calories in the same amount of time. The lower the rest time between exercises, the higher your heart rate will be - burning more calories. 

The trick here is to combine several exercises that target different muscle groups to avoid getting too tired, helping you proceed to the next exercise without needing as much rest. 

Here’s an example of a circuit training workout that you can try: 

WORK FOR TIME X 4 ROUNDS

1. AIR SQUATS X 10 reps
2. RING/TRX ROWS X 10 reps
3. DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT X 10 reps
4. PUSH UP X 10 reps
5. LUNGES X 10 reps (1 rep = L+R)
6. DUMBBELL DEADLIFT X 10 reps
7. BANDED STRICT PRESS X 10 reps
8. REST X 2 min

METCON

METCON (short for Metabolic Conditioning) will work your cardiovascular system, increasing your heart rate and improving your overall fitness, while conditioning your muscles. 

This type of training, typically lasting 10-20 minutes, is particularly useful after a strength training session.

Here’s an example of a METCON workout that you can jump into after your strength training:

WORK FOR 5 min / REST 2 min X 2 SETS (12 min total)*

1) ANCHORED FEET SIT UP X 20 reps

2) AIR SQUAT X 15 reps

3) BURPEE OVER DUMBBELL LATERALLY X 15 reps

* You should aim to complete at least a full round of the 3 exercises within 5 minutes - if you've finished the round before the 5 minutes, start another round and work until the time is over. Then, rest for 2 min. Repeat this 2 times in total.

Diet - Caloric Deficit

Maintain a balanced and controlled diet with a calorie deficit so that your body can use fat as an energy source.

In order to diet effectively, we recommend starting with a 15% caloric deficit (approximately the equivalent of not eating one full day worth of food per week). This is a sustainable approach to fat loss, while also providing margin of error. The amount of deficit can then be adjusted over time. 

• Consume high-protein foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, soy and legumes at least 3-4 times a day
• Consume complex carbohydrates such as sweet potato, quinoa and oats
• Consume moderate amounts of healthy fats like avocados, olive oil or nuts 

And finally, make sure to drink plenty of water.

Sleep Well

Focus on improving sleep quality through fitness, nutrition and timing caffeine. This will help your recovery - giving you more energy to work out, perform better as well as build muscle and reduce body fat. 

Following these guidelines, you can achieve and maintain a lean body without using traditional cardio methods like spending hours on a treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical trainer. 

If you have a busy lifestyle and want to achieve a lean body, get in touch with one of our certified coaches.