Interval Sled Training

I recently told you about doing some sled pushing for my fat loss workouts. Let me tell you..... that sled training is hard work. Your entire body is working in some form or another.

Your upper body is holding tight as you move the sled forward with your lower body. Since I'm in the cold and snowy Midwest right now, I'm doing these workouts indoors. I've got 20 yards of space, so that's how far I'm going.

I rest for about 20 seconds and go back in the other direction. Doing these intervals adds up to a lot of work. Gets your heart rate up in no time. Since your upper body is working to hold on to the sled, you end up working your whole body with one exercise - pretty efficient if you ask me!

And your legs..... your quads, glutes, and hammies are working overtime to push that sled forward. Because you are simulating sprinting, you are taking a long stride, getting a good stretch on those muscles. This exercise also requires you to extend your hip backwards - farther than is possible with most exercises like squats and lunges.

I love the feeling of power that I get in my glutes and hamstrings. It just feels good to be strong in those muscles - lets you know you are burning a lot of calories when you work your big muscles like that.

I finished off the session with 15 minutes of alternating chinups and pushups, doing as many as possible in that time frame. In a total of 30 minutes I was fried. Couldn't have done anything else if I wanted to. Using your large muscles - chest, back, and legs - in this manner burns a lot of calories. A lot more than doing isolation exercises like leg extensions, concentration curls, etc.

If you have limited time and want to get the best results you need a program that focuses on using multiple muscles and joints in all your exercises. This is the most efficient way to burn fat and lose weight. A program like this creates "turbulence" in your metabolism, burning extra calories.