Trim Healthy Mama has made my mind and body feel better than I have in years, but to be honest, I got a little burnt out by cooking too many complex meals (and desserts!) and constantly making sure that my meal was an S, or E, or FP. Trim Healthy Mama really works, but I wanted a break from it while still continuing my health and fitness journey.
I actually got started working an out a little before the new year, the day after Thanksgiving, doing the 12-week Shortcut to Size Program. I haven’t written a full review of it yet, but it’s in the works, complete with pictures, measurements, and tons of helpful tips for this awesome free workout program.
But now that I’m done with Shortcut to Size, I’ve decided to start it’s (harder) sister program: Shortcut to Shred. It is free as well, but it’s half as long – 6 weeks – and much harder!
First up, Cardio Acceleration:
Cardio Acceleration has been proven to fire up your fat-burning furnace, because it combines High intensity cardio with resistance training. Instead of resting between lifts, you do cardio between every single set. Cardio replaces your rest periods.
Doing this small amount of cardio might seem strange, but over the course of the workout, those short bursts will add up to 20-30 minutes of high-intensity intervals per workout, and those minutes will burn far more fat than the same time spent running or walking like in traditional cardio exercises.
Second, Strength Training:
Periodization, the training system, calls for changes in the number of reps, and the weight of what you’re lifting each week. This is one of the best techniques for increasing muscle strength and size. It’s also the method Shortcut to Size was based off of , and I saw signiicant muscle gains and fat losses during that program, so I have no reason to believe that it won’t work during Shred as well!
Third, The Program:
Now, this is where I’m making changes. Shortcut to Shred is BRUTAL. It calls for 6 workouts per week, working each muscle group 2 times per week. During the first 3 workouts, I’ll train with multi-joint exercises, and the second 3 workouts I’ll train single-joint exercises.
Now, because I don’t have time (or the stamina) to run a 90-minute workout marathon 6 days a week, I’m going to do at least 4, possibly 5 workouts per week. This will put my program at 8-9 weeks, although I’m shooting for 8. In reading a lot of review and looking at results from this workout, I’m finding that lot of people do fewer workouts, eat right, and still see amazing results. Also, I know my limits and if I try to and push myself to do 6 workouts per week and can’t, I’ll get frustrated and quit, so I’m sticking with what I KNOW I can do.
Now, for my thoughts:
During Shortcut to Size, I lifted lots and lots of weight. I went from squatting #0 to #100 consistently. And, while I only lost 10 pounds during the 12 weeks, I also lost 8% body fat and so many inches. But, more to the point: during Size, I rested between reps, generally 30 to 60 seconds, depending upon how hard the exercise was, how heavy I lifted, and how many reps there were.