This is an excellent question and it does make me smile. There was an info product created by an excellent marketer claiming to provide shortcuts to getting a six pack. The whole fitness community online was in an uproar calling the guy a snake oil salesman, liar and other things I shall not mention here thus avoiding giving this article a PG 13 rating.
The fact of the matter is that there are no shortcuts. That being said, I can also understand what the marketer was trying to mean when he said ‘shortcuts’. He meant getting the best results in the least amount of time.
Is this possible?
Yes, but there is a price to pay. However, I’d gladly pay that price.
Let me explain. If you do a slow cardio workout such as jogging for 60 minutes, you will burn about 250 to 300 calories during those 60 minutes. However, once you stop, your metabolic rate will drop and taper off real fast. Your body will not be in fat burning mode for the rest of the day.
High Intensity Interval Training Burns Fat with Effectiveness
However, if you engage in a high intensity interval training (HIIT) for 30 minutes which involves sprinting uphill for 1 minute. Then resting for 1 minute and sprinting back downhill for 1 minute and you repeat this 15 times, you may not have burned as many calories as the 60 minute jog but, this is where it gets interesting…
The 30 minute workout will leave you gasping and panting because of the sheer intensity. You will be sweating profusely and your heart will be pumping like crazy. What you have done is create and oxygen deficit and an afterburn effect. Your body will now be burning fat for the next 8 to 10 hours. Some studies have shown that the fat burning effects last for up to 18 hours.
The point to note here is that a 30 minute workout has more benefits to your six pack quest than an hour long workout. Is this a shortcut? Definitely. You spent less time and burnt more fat. Is there a price to pay? Yup! You truly suffered during your workout. It was tiring and painful. Was it worth it? Hell yeah!
The same applies to weight training or resistance training. You can go to the gym and spend an hour doing bicep curls, tricep curls and using the calf raise machine. You may even take a 10 minute rest with every set or ogle like a fool at the girl with the hot pants on the treadmill. Will that be effective?
Nope. Instead, you may go and do a 45 minute workout that involves compound exercises such as deadlifts, snatches, renegade rows, pull-ups, etc. with minimal rest time and you would have achieved more in 45 minutes than someone who spends 90 minutes doing slow or moderate workouts.
Is that a shortcut? Yes!
Price to pay? Yes… pain and effort.
Worth it? Yes definitely.
So, in this case, shortcuts do not mean an easier way but a faster way to achieve results while working your butt off. The shortcuts are more tiring. They save you time by making you more efficient but they are tough.
I’d suggest training hard and tough for shorter periods. It’s more challenging, fun and the results that come sooner will motivate you to do more. Next thing you know, you’ll be the guy at the gym with a six pack that other guys are only dreaming of.
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