The basic philosophy of this kind of workout is very different from the traditional gym workouts of the last few decades that most of us are familiar with - you know: very long boring cardio sessions at a moderate heart rate, or laborious weight lifting routines that focus on isolated muscles. The truth is that these two common approaches to working out do deliver results, but often not the results we want. The weight training routines are essentially body-building routines, despite the fact that most people who use them don't want to look like body builders. The long slow cardio might burn off some fat, and deliver some basic cardio fitness, but it won't do much else, and the results will plateau as your body adapts to the repetitive routine. Both of these sorts of traditional workouts also require a lot of time if they're to be done properly, and time is a resource that few people have much of.
In contrast to this, an athletic workout routine has these characteristics:
- Rather than employing exercises that focus on isolated muscles, an athletic workout incorporates exercises that involve whole muscle groups, building strength across your system. For example, rather than do a bench press then situps, an athletic workout will use an exercise that challenges your arms, chest, abs, back, and legs at the same time. This makes a lot of sense - think about the last time you did anything in real life that resembled the isolated exercises you're familiar with. Never, right? The athletic-style exercises deliver practical strength that you can apply.
- The workout sessions are very intense. They work your muscles and cardio system at the same time, and you will be very focused, breathing heavily, and working hard throughout the entire session. There's no time for breaks, to take turns with somebody, have a chat, or whatever. Which brings me to the next point...
- The sessions are short. Usually around 30 minutes, including warm up. With the intensity, and the full body exercises, you will work to the max in this time, burning as many calories and getting better results than you would in a regular workout of twice the length. This is great for those of us who have lots of other things we need to fit into the day - that's almost all of us, right?
- There's minimal equipment requirements, and no fancy equipment is necessary. So if you like working out at home, this is perfect. Depending on the specific program you choose, some dumbbells, a pull up bar and a stopwatch should be enough to get you going. Of course, you can workout in a gym too, if you like.
- These sorts of workout programs aren't accompanied by a starvation diet or a wacky diet. Just eat healthy, nutritious food, and you'll be fine. Your body will need the energy and nutrients to power the workout and fuel the post-workout recovery. Focus on achieving athletic results (stronger, faster, more endurance), and the fat loss and muscle development will just happen.
An athletic workout program works equally well as a men's workout or as a women's workout. Because of their physiological differences, men will tend to develop more muscular results, whereas women will tend to get toned.
To learn more about this type of workout, and the various programs available, take a look at http://athleticworkoutreview.com.
