Hey guys,
I hope you are having a great week. We have been super busy at the studio. Since summer is sneaking up and the weather is getting nicer we are getting a flood of calls from people trying to get in shape for the summer. This is always a great time of year for us. However, I don't get the place to myself to workout like I use to. This is a problem I am happy to deal with though. Since it has been so busy I decided to join a gym. I won't mention the name on here, but it is just like any other typical corporate gym.
It has been a very long time since I have worked out at a gym and unfortunately not much has changed. I am hoping I can hang in there awhile, but I have a feeling it will be tough. The gym is filled with the latest and greatest new machines, but there is very little area for body weight or free weight training. Luckily I know a variety of exercises and can improvise when needed. I have been trying to stick with a program the last few weeks though and I want to stick with the same exercises from week to week. When I walked in a noticed a couple working out together on one piece of equipment that I was planning on using. I wasn't going to start with it so I wasn't worried. I got through my warm up (about 10 minutes) and my first superset of 4 sets of 8 reps (about 10 minutes. When I finished all of that (about 25 minutes) I saw the couple was still on the same piece of equipment. It didn't look like they were ending anytime soon so I had to move onto something else. I finished my next superset (about another 10 minutes) and they finally were leaving.
They were on the same exercise for 35 minutes! When they left they went to another exercise that was essentially the same thing they were doing. I hate picking on people, but to spend that much time on one exercise is just a waste of time. Regardless of what their goal was they were not being efficient at all with their workout. I didn't see them for the rest of my workout, but I probably got through everything and they were on two exercises.
If you are trying to burn fat with your strength training I highly recommend switching from straight sets and moving to supersets. Superset means you perform one exercise then move immediately to an opposing exercise and repeating. Depending on your goal you will rest for different periods of time. For example the first superset I performed was Barbell Squats and Pull Ups with a 60 second rest.
A study in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that compared to straight set training, superset training burned more calories during the workout and after the workout in a shorter period of time. There was also a high blood lactate level which can lead to a higher release in growth hormone.
The next time you are at the gym, take a look around. You can make it a game. See how many exercises you can get through before some people finish one.
Stay Healthy San Diego,
Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Trainer
My Workout Creator
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