7-Day Fat Incineration System

by Douglas Kalman MS, RD, FACN

By now, I am sure that all of us have seen or are at least aware of the various gadgets sold on infomercials purported to help anyone get a smaller waist. Most of the exercise devices sold via shopping networks or television spots have not even been tested or cannot deliver the results that we see on the show. To get a six-pack takes hard work (and a relatively clean diet); to remain lean is hard, especially in today’s toxic food world. However, if there were just a simple, straightforward exercise program that one could employ to “slash the fat,” would you give it a try? I know that I would – and I do this for a profession!

Recently, I was discussing with a few personal trainer friends how to format an exercise program that would achieve the following endpoints:

- a. Be expedient (you will not have to spend the whole day in the gym or on the track),
- b. It could be done by either someone new to exercise or advanced, and that the exercises chosen would be practical.

Ladies and gentlemen, I call this program The 7-Day Fat Incineration System. Now, it is up to you to give this program a spin. Remember, we designed this exercise routine to aid you in dropping weight, and unwanted fat weight at that. Most of us go to the gym in order to feel better, look good and to promote general health. Well now, you will be able to take the program one step further – this exercise routine can be used when you need to whip yourself back in shape or when you just want to drop a few pounds.

In understanding any program that is designed to help someone get into optimal shape or to lose body fat fast, the nutritional aspects of the daily program cannot be ignored. Since this article is about the exercise program – a program designed to strip fat – the dietary aspects will only be covered in broad strokes, but in greater depth at a later date.

The Warm-up
Before you start this exercise routine, on each day of exercise it is advised to do a minimum of 10 minutes of treadmill or exercise bicycling. The first five minutes of either exercise should be at a comfortable pace. The last five minutes of your warm up should be at a challenging pace. For example, if walking or jogging on a treadmill, increase both the speed and the incline until it becomes difficult for you to carry on a conversation with the person next to you, even if you were not planning on talking to them.

The First Day Workout
After you have finished your warm-up it is time to get started with Antagonistic endurance training. This style of training is designed to maximize the energy output, while minimizing the time you spend working out. All exercises are to be done with one warm-up set. That is, do the exercise with one-half the weight that you normally do and do at least 20 repetitions.

Incline Chest Press – This exercise can be done with free weights (incline bench), on a machine or with dumbbells. After your warm-up set, pick a weight that you can lift for 12 to 15 repetitions (reps). Do one set and immediately go on to do the next exercise with the minimum rest time required to move to the next exercise.

Lat Pull downs – This exercise is typically done on a machine. After your warm-up set, pick a weight that only allows you 12 to 15 clean repetitions. Once you have completed the set, go immediately back to the Incline Chest Press and do another set.

Do three go-rounds of the Incline Chest Press and Lat Pull downs. This is your first experience with “antagonistic-synergy” in action!

Seated Row – By now, your body should be fully warmed up and ready to go into each successive exercise at full throttle. This exercise can be done on either a machine (like an Icarian or Hammer machine) or on the cable row. Pick a weight that only allows you to complete 12 to 15 repetitions. Right after your first set is done, go to the Flat Bench.

Flat Bench – This exercise is completed on a machine with free weights, and can be done with dumbbells. Pick a weight that allows you to safely lift no less than 12 times and no more than 15.

Do three go-rounds of the Seated Row and Flat Bench. You are now well on your way to understanding “antagonistic-synergy” in training.

Finish up by doing two sets each alternating in-between pull-ups and dips. Most gyms have a pull-up/dip machine – use it! Do as many repetitions as you can for each exercise with minimal amount of rest time between sets. Once you have finished exercising with the weights, it is time to head to the treadmill.

Get on the treadmill and start walking. Pick a pace that is as close to running as you can get without actually running. For most people this will be about 4 or 4.5 miles per hour. Set the timer for 20 minutes. (Don’t worry, at the end of 20 minutes you will not “pop” like an egg timer!) You are going to alternate the incline of the treadmill every two minutes. At the low end, pick an incline of one-degree, on the high end; we want you to elevate the treadmill to seven degrees. So, every 10 minutes for about 20 minutes you will alternate the incline from 1 to 7 degrees while walking at a pace that is almost jogging.

When you are finished, call it a day – you are all done with today’s workout.

Day Two Workout
Day two of the workout schedule is one where we look to maximize short-term energy exposure. In general, weight lifting supports long-term metabolic enhancement, while running and aerobic activity is great for burning calories “in the now.” Day two exercises will be about being in the now.

After warming up, go for a jog, a brisk walk or even a run, but today it is not about distance, it is about racing against the clock. Go for a jog at a moderate pace for 30 minutes either on a treadmill or on the street. The important aspect here is on time, not distance.

When finished with your cardio for the day, head off to a place where you can do abdominal exercises. Ideally you will have a stability ball (often referred to as a Swiss ball). Do three sets of as many repetitions as you can of each of the following exercises: Straight crunch, stability-ball pull-in, and the reverse crunch.

Day Three Workout
Today, it is about hitting the biceps and triceps in a unique way.

Standing Bicep Curls – This exercise is to be done with a barbell. Do a warm up set with a weight that is about half of what you would normally curl. When finished with the warm-up set, get into your exercise. Pick a weight that you can curl in a safe fashion up to 15 repetitions. When the first set is completed, head immediately over to the Tricep Pushdown Machine.

Triceps Pushdown – This exercise is typically completed on a pushdown machine. A straight or cambered bar is normally used. Pick a weight that you can use for 15 repetitions. Once done with the first set, go back to doing Bicep Curls.

Now, repeat this circuit for three sets of each exercise. Remember, antagonistic-synergy is in action, so push yourself and keep the time between sets to a minimum.

Incline Bicep Curls – This exercise is great for elongating the bicep and bringing about the “peak” of the muscle. As my football coach used to always say – “curls for the girls, boys.” In other words, this exercise is great for bringing out the look of a full, peaked bicep.” Sit on an incline bench. Set the incline back so that it is about 45 degrees. Sit leaning back and curl the dumbbells with your palms centered and with purpose. Use a slow contraction and even a slower relaxation. In other words, allow yourself 1-2 seconds on the “curl” and 2 to 4 seconds on the return. Perform one set of 12 to 15 repetitions. After you complete the first set it is off to blast your triceps.

Triceps French Press – This non-caffeinated exercise is a great mass blaster for the triceps. This exercise is performed lying on a flat bench. You lie on your back and use a cambered bar. Take an inside grip or one that is comfortable for your wrists. If you are unfamiliar with the lying French press, take a gander at Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding or even do a “Google” to get a pictorial of it. Do one set (to start) of 12 – 15 reps. After you complete one set, go immediately back to the Incline Biceps Curl.

Perform three full circuits of these biceps and triceps exercise. The twist is that since your triceps are about 40% larger than the biceps, do two full extra sets of the lying French press once you have completed the biceps-triceps circuit.

Get on the treadmill and start walking. Pick a pace that is as close to running as you can get without actually running. For most people this will be about 4 or 4.5 miles per hour. Twenty minutes is all you will need today for rendering the fat. You are going to alternate the incline of the treadmill every two minutes. At the low end, pick an incline of one degree, on the high end; we want you to elevate the treadmill to seven degrees. So, every ten minutes for about 20 minutes you will alternate the incline from 1 to 7 degrees while walking at a pace that is almost jogging.

When you are finished, call it a day – you are all done with today’s workout.

Day Four Workout
This day is about resting and doing nothing. Kick back, relax, you deserve it. Hah, I am only joking. There is no rest if you are looking to slash your body fat. Your offensive ambush cannot be taken lightly. So today you will do stadiums.

Try to locate any extended staircases that you may have in your neighborhood. If you have access to a collegiate or professional football stadium, you are set. If you do not have these free workouts facilities, locate an apartment building that has at least 10 stories.

Guess what you are going to do today? That’s right, run the stairs. Here is how you do it if a stadium is your venue of choice. At the bottom of the stairs start running up taking two steps at a time if you can. Once at the top, run across the row until you encounter the next set of stairs and walk briskly down to the ground (bottom step) and run back up. Repeat this up, over and down and back up routine for 25 minutes. Make sure to stretch out after you have finished. You may also want to walk for a bit after you have completed the run to cool down.

If you do not have a stadium to use but can find an apartment building with at least 10 flights, get to it! Run while taking two steps at a time, and run to the 10th floor. Turn around and walk down the stairs until you reach the 5th floor. Once at this floor, run back to the top floor and walk briskly down to the 3rd floor. Now, run back up to the 10th floor and walk back to the 5th. Repeat the run up, walk down, alternating between the 3rd and 5th floors until you have run/walked for 25 minutes. Once done, stretch out, drink some water and go hit the abs.

When you are finished with your cardio for the day, head off to a place where you can do abdominal exercises. Ideally you will have a stability ball (often referred to as a Swiss ball). Do three sets of as many repetitions as you can of each of the following exercises: straight crunch, stability-ball pull-in, and the reverse crunch.

Day Five Workout
Now is the moment of truth. The truth today is that you truly deserve a break, so take today off and rest!

Day Six Workout
You know those two sticks that allow you to propel forward or backward? These pogo sticks that let you bound or jump out of the way of a running dog are just begging for a workout, so let’s placate the legs and train them for looking great.

Step-Up Lunges – Today, you will start working the legs by finding a bench that is about 12 inches in height. I want you to start from a position that is about one to two feet from the bench. Step forward and with whichever leg you wish, step fully onto the bench. The other leg should join on the bench once you are set. In true fashion, the exercise is really a lunge, step up and follow-up step up, and a reversal so that you can repeat. Do at least 12 step-ups per each leg. Pick a dumbbell weight that is about 20-25% your body weight (if you weigh 100 pounds, the dumbbells should total 20 pounds). Do three sets of each leg prior to moving onto the next exercise.

Hi Leg Press – We have all done a leg press, but this type of leg press is different – it stresses the hamstrings and the rear. Place the seat in such a position whereas the back support is about three slots away from the last hole. Sit in the leg press and place your feet high up on the pressing board in such a manner whereas only your heels are firmly set. Your feet should be shoulder width apart. Having your heels only on the pressing board (keeping your foot placement high) allows the stress of the downward movement to be transferred from your quadriceps to your hamstrings and lower gluteal muscles. Slowly lower the pressing board downward toward your thighs, keeping your heels only on the top of the board. The top half of your feet will hang over the top of the pressing board. You may find that your lower back/butt curls away from the back pad and this is ok – it is the normal compensatory movement by the body to avoid a compression injury. The important movement is the negative or eccentric downward movement of the high-foot leg press. This, when done enough (high repetitions with moderate weight) the exercise will help tighten the butt and help tighten the tie-in of the hamstrings and gluteus maximus and minimus. Make sure to do 15 – 20 repetitions for 4 sets. Always do a 3-0-1 pace. The use of a “3-0-1” pace is used to indicate use of 3 seconds for the eccentric part of the movement, 0 seconds at the midpoint of the movement and 1 second to explode to a complete contraction or extension. This system of training nomenclature is used throughout this article and by better exercise physiologists.

The Leg Curl – The exercise is started with you snuggly positioned into the leg curl machine. Make sure the curl pads are nestled on your Achilles tendons. The idea is to have the knees slightly bent (not hyper-extended) and the footpad resting on your Achilles tendon (back on the ankle). Your knees should be a position where you are comfortable curling the chosen weight. When curling the weight, always try to point your toes away from thus enabling you to concentrate on curling with your hamstrings. When curling the weight up, remember to keep your hips on the bench and toes pointed forward. Make sure you move the weight through a full range of motion (ROM), and curl your feet as close to your butt as you can go. Give those hamstrings a little squeeze throughout the contraction and again at the top of the rep, then lower the weight under control to the starting position. Ideally this exercise should be done in a very controlled fashion. Aim to do 12 to 15 repetitions in a 3-0-1 fashion. Four total sets is your goal.

These exercises are all you are going to do for the legs. You always can do calf raises if you wish or even Smith machine squats instead of dumbbell lunges. That is your call. We are trying to not overdo the leg muscles since these legs are also powering us through the cardio sessions.

Speaking of cardio, once you finish training legs, go find yourself either a Precor Elliptical or an exercise bicycle and do 30 minutes at a moderately challenging pace. After you finish, call it a day.

Day Seven Workout
Today is about cardio and abs. Today’s cardio session is to be done on both the treadmill and the rowing machine. I want you to go grab dumbbells that are about 15 to 20% of your body weight. Hold these to the side of your body. Start the treadmill so that it is on a 2% incline and the pace is 3.5 to 4.0 miles per hour. Walk holding the dumbbells either to your side or slightly swinging naturally. Walk for a total of 20 minutes. Without hesitation, go over to the seated rowing machine (yes, the same one that you see many runners use). Most gyms have one to three of these. Strap your feet in and start the computer. Pick competition setting. You will now be racing against the machine’s rowing team. The goal is 10 minutes of “crew” rowing and of course, for you to beat the machine. Once you finish, it is time for training your abs.

Once done with your cardio for the day, head off to a place where you can do abdominal exercises. Ideally you will have a stability ball (often referred to as a Swiss ball). Do three sets of as many repetitions as you can of each of the following exercises: straight crunch, stability-ball pull-in, and the reverse crunch. You may also use the typical gym machines if you wish.

Seven-day fat Incineration
That's it – now you have a seven-day fat burning exercise routine. Do this routine for about four-to-six cycles. Expect to see visible results and to feel more energetic. Remember, plan to succeed and you will, fail to plan and you may not get to where you wish to go.

Your nutritional intake will be of importance in getting added synergy to your exercise routine.

Douglas S. Kalman MS, RD is a Director at Miami Research Associates (www.miamiresearch.com). He is also active with www.sportsnutritionsociety.org and a consultant to NIKE Inc. He can be contacted through either website.