How Strength Training keeps you Lean
Traditional cardio sucks.
My two main modes of training…
- Lifting weights for building strength and dense muscle
- Walking for overall health and fat loss
The problem with prolonged traditional cardio like jogging or bicycling is that it turns you into a less powerful athlete.
I realize that most of us aren’t elite athletes.
But one of the things that makes an athlete elite are Fast Twitch muscle fibers.
Supposedly, Michael Jordan had a vertical lead of 48″.
This is UNREAL.
Some sources estimate that the only person in NBA history with a higher vertical lead was Wilt Chamberlain. They didn’t test it as well back then, so can’t really verify.
MJ had a high percentage of fast-twitch fibers.
Prolonged cardio like jogging reduces your fast-twitch muscle fibers.
This is why you will never see an Olympic Athlete who excels at both the 100-meter race as well as the 1500 meter race.
You can either train to be a sprinter -OR- a marathon runner
I think most people would rather have the physique of a sprinter.
Elite sprinters train explosively.
Training in the moderate-intensity range slows them down.
An Olympic sprinting coach (can’t remember who) said something close to this quote:
“Your highs are too low, and your lows are too high.”
What he meant by this is when you sprint and train hard, give it your all… but when you are doing moderate training keep it to low walking-level intensity.
You don’t want to spend too much time in the middle ground.
Jogging for long periods would be a bad idea for an elite sprinter.
Jogging is too low of intensity to create a positive muscular adaption… and too high for losing fat because it interferes with your resistance training.
When you hit the gym the efforts need to be focused and intense.
You need to strength train with focus and intensity for best results.
Your body can only deliver this level of intensity for 30-40 seconds max.
You also need to rest in between sets and also make sure to not do too many sets.
Once you are done, it is time to focus on recovery.
- Adding jogging intensity cardio will at this point just mess with your fast-twitch muscle fibers.
- Adding too many extra exercises will also mess with gains
The reason we are so strong at Sweat 60 is that we focus on being athletic and developing our type 2 fast-twitch muscle fibers.
It’s a really fun way to train as well.
I made the mistake of adding too much extra work on top of the key lifts.
This gave me a slightly puffy weaker physique.
The extra lifts weakened and softened my muscles.
Once I focused on fast-twitch training… followed by the ideal amount of recovery… it changed the for me.
The key is you have to do just the right amount.
If you feel flabby or have hit a sticking point? Sweat 60 can help.
Do you live/work on the westside of Los Angeles or Santa Monica? Do you need help with getting strong? Do you need more accountability with nutrition? Do you miss the sense of community? If any of this resonates please shoot us an email at [email protected] or send a text at 424-401-0210 to set up a complimentary session with one of our trainers.
