This Oldschool Fat Loss Move is like a Press + Side Plank + Swing

We know that a good fat loss workout includes four kinds of big movements

1. Push (also called a press)
2. Pull (or a row)
3. Squatting (Lunges and step ups count too)
4. Hip Hinge (like a swing or a deadlift)

One of the biggest reasons I like Xtreme Fat Loss is that it follows that formula.  But it also includes some unusual variations on the pushing/pulling/squatting/hip-hinge theme.

One exercise, the Side Press, is a seriously old-school kettlebell exercise from way back.  And y'all know I dig oldschool kettlebell movements.

Since it's an exercise I think is cool, and you might not have seen it before, I thought we'd dig into it a little bit more:

*You don't need to use a kettlebell – you can definitely use a dumbbell.  Or a barbell.  Or maybe your dog.

**Note: Dude demonstrating is exaggerating the movement slightly for demonstration purposes.  Normally the press and the hip-hinge happen simultaneously.

While the side press definitely fits into the pushing movement category of our fat loss workout matrix, it's a way more full body than that.

Besides the press, you also have to hinge at your hips and brace your core. 

In our fat loss workouts, we tend to (from an efficiency standpoint) do movements that load your core muscles (abs, obliques, spinal erectors) in an indirect way, at the same time that you're doing one of the big four fat loss movements. 

And in that way, the side press can be really core intensive - it's like a shoulder press + a side plank. 

At the same time, it's got a really solid hip hinge (like a kettlebell swing).  You fold at your hips and it loads your butt and hamstrings.

And this is a key safety point: After you've pressed the weight, and you are in the low position, you want toflex your butt and drive your hips forward to stand up.  Just like a kettlebell swing.

Getting good at that flexing your butt and driving your hips forward is what protects your back on this exercise (besides of course being killer for your butt and hamstrings).

And if that didn't make it awesome enough – it also totally teaches you the middle part of the kettlebell get up, and also the kettlebell windmill. 

Now you may or may not be doing kettlebell get ups or windmills right now.  But if at some point in the future you DO want to do windmills or get ups, you'll find that the skill you learned here directly translates and you'll be able to learn those moves faster.

Troubleshooting: Dudes vs. Girls

I'm going to super generalize here, because I've seen the scenario flipped a million times.  But in general, in the beginning:

1. Dudes are really tight in the hamstrings, and have trouble folding at the hips without rounding their back.  Or they know to not round their back, and just are really tight and can't go very far. 
2. Girls tend to suck at pressing overhead.  While they can manage the whole move with a really great hip hinge, they aren't very strong in the upper body and want to use weights that are actually too light to cause any fat loss.

But with the side press – everybody wins.

Dudes like the side press 'cause they can put up more weight with it than a normal military press.  So doing the side press will translate into more active hamstring flexibility.  And since dudes want to do a side press that looks cool, they might actually start stretching for a change.

Girls doing the side press, once they get the groove, will find they can put up more weight with a side press than a normal military press, and it's a great base to build strength.  Plus, since they're usually flexible enough to get a good grove right from the start, they actually end up building the upper body strength that's a major missing component in their fitness.

In the end – it all evens out.  Both the dudes and the girls end up being more flexible and stronger. 

Xtreme Fat Loss

Xtreme Fat Loss has a bunch of killer fat loss movements.  It has all of my favorite dumbbell moves for fat loss, and all of my favorite bodyweight movements for fat loss.

I'll be totally honest – out of the 50+ fat loss movements in the program, I only love about 49 of 'em.  There's a couple I wouldn't have put in there, but I'm a picky dude, and it's probably worth it just for the variation.  That means that 95% of the movements in there are literally the full menu of movements you need to build great fat loss workouts.

It's a killer program of density workouts, dumbbell-bodyweight interval workouts, and strength workouts. 

The workouts all line up day by day with the carb cycling, intermittant fasting, and cheat days in the diet.  The combination of fat loss tricks is about the most aggressive and effective 25 day diet you could do.

In total – it's an all out war on fat loss.  It's the most fat you can possibly lose in the next 25 days.

You are going to be really stoked to have such an awesome, structured, effective plan, and to know you are doing everything possible to lean up as much as possible in the next month!

Xtreme Fat Loss <— Get it for $30 off.  It's only on sale once a year!

Josh Hillis, RKC, CPT, PES, ZMIS

P.S. Just found out that they added another bonus: The Fastest Fat Loss Week Ever.  It's a 7 day program for the most fat you can possibly lose in 7 days, without having one of those stupid rebounds.

P.P.S. I'm going to do a post about what is a really smart, short term, aggressive diet, and what's flat out stupid.  In the meantime, just know that most of the "cleanse diets" fall in the stupid category, and The Fastest Fat Loss Week Ever falls into the smart, short term, and aggressive category.