Guest post from Ben Teal
I had been struggling for years. I’d shed some weight on one fad diet or the other. But I never looked the way I did in college. When I was an athlete (like Forest, I played a little football, though I ultimately settled on baseball).
No. I always had what they call the “skinny-fat” look. Basically, I still looked like my 300 pound self – same shape – just 50 pounds lighter.
It wasn’t satisfying. So I’d order pizza, which sent me down a self-defeating cycle. 50 pounds gone, 43 back on. And it happened more than once.
But I was never satisfied with what I saw in the mirror.
I ultimately decided that I needed to change the way I exercise.
(Have you ever wondered why people choose to diet rather than exercise?…)
I’d been spending an hour (and often more) on the treadmill when I went to the gym.
I emphasize ‘went’ because more often than not, work got in the way. And then, when we had kids, when I wasn’t at work, I wanted to spend time with my growing family.
It seemed time was slipping away each day, and the gym was becoming less and less of a priority.
I’d tried a few programs from the fitness ‘gurus’ online. But they still required a trip to the gym and at least 45 minutes once I got there.
I spend a ton of time analyzing data. And one day, I had an epiphany. I asked a simple question. How long does a 45 minute workout at the gym actually take?
When I got home that evening, I grabbed the stopwatch. Beep. The time was running. I changed my clothes. Kissed my wife and baby boy. Got in the car. Drove to the Gym and spent a few minutes to find parking.
By the time I walked through the door, 35 minutes were already gone.
I started my workout. Sure, the workout lasted 45 minutes, but on the stopwatch, 60 minutes had passed … I spent 15 minutes or so waiting on equipment.
Back in the car. Drive home. Beep. 1 hour and 50 minutes. For a 45 minute workout.
That’s nearly 6 hours per week. I just don’t have that kind of time. And neither do you.
(That’s the reason most people choose to diet rather than exercise. We’ve been trained to believe that you need to spend an hour in the gym. When you add on trip times, you’re looking at almost 2 hours minimum per workout in actual time).
The realization was more than frustrating. I literally picked up the phone and called the ‘guru’. I explained that he was selling workouts for busy people that, once you added in all the extra time, turned out to be a second full time job.
I didn’t want to spend all that time away from my family – especially after working 60 to 70 hours per week to help put a roof over our heads and food on the table.
His response? He plainly said that 1.) I was lazy and 2.) I needed to make it a priority.
Huh? A priority over what? My son? My wife? My job?
And I was lazy because I was working 70 hours a week and then coming home to help cook, clean and take care of the baby?
That conversation literally changed my entire outlook on life.
That guru wasn’t married. He didn’t have any kids. He literally worked in a gym. When he needed a 45 minute workout, he got up out of his chair and walked out of his office. No travel time. No responsibilities.
It’s easy to call you lazy when your life doesn’t look anything like yours.
I’m a bit of a geek (ok, ok Forest. I hear you shouting at me in the background – I’m a lot geek). So I dove into the research. There had to be something out there that would work for busy people like you and me.
And there it was. The first of many studies that would turn into Metabolic Mayhem.
The answer was in the intensity of the workout. Crank up the intensity of the workout, and you can cut massive amounts of time. But that wasn’t all.
You can work out for less time, and actually burn calories LONGER.
As far as how more intensity makes your workouts more efficient, here’s a quote from a 1998 article in the Journal of Obesity:
“…three times as much energy is required to perform one bench press at 80% of one’s maximum compared to four bench presses at 20% of maximum…”
What that means is that if you work out with greater intensity, you can burn up to three times as many calories in only 1/4 of the time!
Now, let me share a quote with you from the late, great Billy Mays:
“But wait! There’s more!”
A 2002 study by European researchers found that when you exercise at the right intensity, your body can continue to burn calories at an elevated rate up to 38 hours AFTER THE WORKOUT ENDS!
That’s right. The right workouts done in the right way can keep your metabolism elevated for a day and a half!
These studies (and dozens more that support similar findings) are the backbone of Metabolic Mayhem…
And Metabolic Mayhem has been the backbone of my over 100 pound weight loss and my ability to dominate three 10+ mile Tough Mudders and 2 Spartan races.
But more importantly, it is the backbone of my desire to help people like me – busy moms and dads, aspiring ‘Warriors” and other people that are just too busy to spend hours in the gym.
By now, you’re wondering what a Metabolic Mayhem style workout looks like. Well, since we’re here at Forest Vance Training, I thought I’d put together a quick 10-minute Kettlebell workout that will knock you on the floor.
You’re going to do as many rounds as possible for 10-minutes with this Metabolic Mayhem Shred Circuit workout. Let’s call this one the Metabolic Magic Kettlebell Spell.
1. Kettlebell Swings x 10 (we’ll start with a classic).
2. Kettlebell Push Up and Renegade Row x 10
3. Kettlebell Goblet Squat x 10
4. Kettlebell Russian Twist x 10
You can do this Shred Circuit as a standalone workout if you’re really time crunched. Or, for even better (and faster) results, you can do it right after one of the Metabolic Muscle workout from Metabolic Mayhem.
Who can do the most rounds? Give it a go and let Forest and I know what you think.
Look. I strongly believe that if your workouts are lasting more than 20 minutes, you’re doing them wrong. So if you’re interested in how to lose more fat in 1/3 of the time, check out Metabolic Mayhem.
Ben Teal, Certified Metabolic Trainer
Creator of Metabolic Mayhem
