As I posted two weeks ago, I'm really into fitness challenges.
They're just straight up fun.
For those that haven't seen it, here is the Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss Challenge.
You'll notice it's significantly shorter than other popular fitness challenges like The 300 Workout or Craig Ballantyne's new Bodyweight 500.
The Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss Challenge is only 5 minutes long.
My approach to fitness is very much "Wham, bam, thank you, m'am."
It's short, sweet (or brutal), and to the point.
Longer Fitness Challenges Are Not Harder or Better
Sure, jogging one mile is not hard.
Running a mile in less than 4 minutes is superhumanly hard.
I always say it's intensity that's king.
What we want is for our workouts to be shorter, harder, and faster.
And because of that, here's how I have been scoring it the challenge:
Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss Challenge
5 minutes only
1 minute swings
1 minute pushups
1 minute swings
1 minute pushups
1 minute swings
(total reps pushups + total reps swings ) x the weight of the dumbbell or kettlebell that was used for the swings.
As a girl, if you're using a 35lb dumbbell or kettlebell you're going to score much higher than a girl using a 25lb dumbbell or kettlebell.
For a dude, if you use a 70 pound dumbbell or kettlebell, then no one using a 35 or 50 pound dumbbell or kettlebell can possibly compete with you.
The Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss Challenge is completely different from every other fitness challenge because it directly rewards power.
New Rule: Take your total from above and then divide that by your bodyweight. This is your final score.
total reps pushups and swings x weight of the kettlebell ÷ your bodyweight
I posted this video a couple months ago showing what the workout looked like. I just finalized the scoring three weeks ago, as I'm finishing up the final touches on my upcoming Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss book.
By Josh Hillis
Author of How To Lose The Stubborn Seven Pounds
Josh is one of the five fat loss experts in The Ultimate Fat Loss Answers
Josh is a fat loss expert, a kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in Denver, Colorado. Josh helps people lose stubborn fat.
For information about kettlebell classes in Denver, click here:
www.denver-kettlebell-bootcamp.com
© Joshua Hillis 2008
Josh, as a fat loss expert, maybe you can help me out with this. I’m a petite athletic woman, 5’1, about 116 pounds, and lift heavy and run and play tennis. I’ve lost a few pounds recently, and am looking to lose a couple more. My main problem is I never know how many calories to eat. For me, I have to go down to 1200 to lose weight, even though I eat super clean. When I eat 1300-1500, I maintain eating clean or gain weight if I add in junk. What do you recommend? I don’t want to starve myself but have no clue.
is this a one-time test to be done periodically to gauge one’s progress? or is a very intense 5 minute per day workout good enough?
Hi Riley&JacksMom!
First thing I’d be concerned with would be body fat percentage – the ratio of muscle to fat.
Body fat percentage is an accurate gauge of how lean you are, which is drastically different from simply checking your scale weight.
It’s awesome that you’re on top of the totally linear relationship between calories and scale weight, and between quality and leanness.
To come down in weight you would probably have to bring the calories down just a little. You may want to cycle that – like four days at 1200 and one day at 1500.
But lets not get ahead of ourselves – the real question is how lean you are – your body fat percentage. It’s going to give us a much more accurate look at how lean you are.
In terms of appearance, body fat percentage is the ultimate number we’re interested in. The reason I get so many clients who are runners who don’t look the way they want is because they are skinny fat – low scale weight, but not lean. They don’t look hot. They look, well, skinny fat.
The answer may lie in the quality of your weight training program. What is your program like right now?
Do you know your bodyfat percentage? You may not need to drop any scale weight at all to get the body you want.
Hey ChuckEats, great question!
This would be a periodic test (maybe once per month) to gauge progress.
what would a good score for a woman be? and by woman i actually mean a 16 year old girl haha..mine was 4025
Hi Caroline!
That’s a great score! You’re in pretty wicked shape!
The fun part, now, is trying to increase your fitness level so that in a month or two when you re-test, you get an even higher score.
love it!
thanks, i dont know if i’m in THAT wicked shape though because ever since doing it my back has been so sore i can barely move haha, does that usually happen the first time one does swings?
NO NO NO!
Definitely no!
If your lower back is sore, you are using bad form.
Your hamstrings and butt should be sore, not your lower back.
For your lower back to be sore, you are either pulling with your arms, or with your shoulders.
Your arms should be TOTALLY LOOSE. Your arms should NOT DO ANY OF THE WORK.
If you are muscling the weight up with your arms, it’s going to jack up your lower back.
EVERYTHING should come from your hips. All of the power comes from your butt and your hamstrings.
It’s ALL about snapping your hips forward.
The mistake is focusing on the weight, and trying to make it go up.
The way to do it right is to focus on snapping your hips forward HARD.
And you must snap when the weight is behind your butt. Let the weight just drop, then snap your hips forward hard.
I don’t mean to be harsh and I’m not trying to get down on you, but I really don’t want you to jack up your back.
Practice swings for a good two months – just practicing the form – before you try them again in a test.
Swings are way more form intense than most of the things the average gym goer does.
Swings are such a good exercise, they are totally worth getting some good practice time in.
And your fitness level will improve just practicing them.
Also, I strongly recommend getting Pavel’s book and DVD, ENTER THE KETTLEBELL.
For anyone having trouble with their swing form, the first half of the book is drills on how to correct a person’s swing.
You can get Enter the Kettlebell at
http://www.dragondoorkettlebell.com/
or sometimes even the local bookstore.
Great site with a SH*! ton of info that I find myself routinely checking! Josh I can’t get enough of your seemingly vast knowledge in this realm of not spending forever in the gym type attitude. I was wondering if you know of any trainers that you could or would recommend that I go see down here at The Villa sport in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Someone like minded like yourself. If I lived in Denver I’d definitely be asking you personally for advice. However this is not the case. Any help in this matter would be GREATLY appreciated.
V/R
Mark
Oh dude, there have been four or five clients I’ve had that have driven up from The Springs! And a few that drove down from Boulder.
Trust me, I’m worth the drive =)
In Colorado Springs, the BEST guy to go to is Zachariah Salazar.
http://www.dragondoor.com/cgi-bin/instructor.pl?ipage=719&rm=mode2
nono your not harsh, part of the reason i said it was because i figured i must have been doing something wrong haha thank you
i looked on the kettlebell website and they are pretty expensive but i know that they are well worth the investment are there any that are between 20 and 30 dollars? also what weight do you recommend a petite but fairly strong seventeen-year-old girl start off with?
Hey Lexy!
If you’re petite but pretty strong, I’d start with a 25 pound dumbbell or 26 pound kettlebell.
I’ve heard rumors you can buy cheap kettlebells at Target. No lie. If you find a Target that really is selling KBs, let me know.
I’ve heard you can get cheaper KBs at artofstrength.com also.
Lexy,
I had the same problem, I can’t find a kettlebell that’s in my price range at all. I just went with a gripper plate, which my local taget does have. I’m 5’5″ and I use the 45ib one, but it took me a couple months to work up to it. Now I love that thing!
hello Josh,
I recently downloaded the free 6 fighter workouts and I was wondering if it would be good to use one of those workouts 2-3 times a week with about 20 minutes of kickboxing on the alternate days? I am looking to lose some serious fat in a fairly short but realistic amount of time.
Hi Stephanie!
I’d use the workouts 2x per week.
Mixing it up with kickboxing is a GREAT idea.
I would also have one day of “normal” strength training. In terms of movements, have a push, pull, s squat and a deadlift. And on that day have lots of rest between sets.
So on that day of regular strenth training would pilates with/without a band be ok? Thank you so much.
On that strenght day I really would do a squatting movement, a lunging movement, a pussing/pressing movement, and a pulling/rowing movement.
That day should be relatively heavy (heavier than what you use on the fighter workout days) and enough rest between sets to go heavy and keep good form.
That day is important, and I wouldn’t substitute anything else.
Intensity is what separates the “wannabe” from the “gonnabe”. Your muscles are not going to grow unless your program forces them to. See, there is no such thing as a light workout. Do you want to reach your goal or not? But here’s another truth: That doesn’t mean you have to lift HEAVY weights either! In fact, choosing weights that are too heavy for you can lead to sloppy form, poor isolation and even injury. You don’t have to lift heavy weights to get big. You just have to lift correctly – with proper Form, and with the proper Intensity
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Josn, can you talk about this top secret fat loss secret? I found it through the link posted but the advertising seems strange. Has anyone tried it? Does it work? Thanks and keep up the great posts.