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The 15 Minute Minimal Workout To Help You Get Ripped

The 15 Minute Minimal Workout To Help You Get Ripped

You won't be able to show off that physique if it's covered in flubber. But to shed the layer of fat preventing you from liking what you see in the mirror, you need to find a fast acting, muscle building, fat burning plan that fits into your life.

The peril for most people is this: They don't have time to treat muscle building and fat loss like church and state - separately.

The largest flaw in this approach is the simple fact that people who don't do fitness for a living don't have the time to spend 120 minute in the gym five or six days out of the week. And, splitting your training sessions up and performing two-a-days sounds even more absurd to the busy person.

Related: How to Lose Belly Fat, Man Boobs & Muffin Top

But when we look at mainstream fitness media, you'll be hard-pressed not to find Arnold or any of the golden era greats being quoted or emulated. The return of the beautiful physique is now popular.

However, the Golden Era boys spent A LOT of time in the gym. Arnold himself was known for training twice a day for two hours each session. Oh, and he hit gym six days a week.

Arnold spend almost 30 hours a week in the gym. For a normal person, that's a part-time job.

Thinking you need to strive for this kind of volume to craft a killer body will intimidate even the grittiest of individuals who have the time to do it.

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For someone who has a life outside of the gym (which is the majority), there's hope. It's not a zero sum game - if you can't train like Arnold, then there's no point of training.

In fact, Arnold said it himself: All you need is 1% of your day - 15 minutes - and that can make an incredible difference in your fitness level.

For the gym rats, this sounds phony or even soft. But the truth is, our country is in dire need of practical strategies on how they can be fitter, healthier. So if you're already grinding away in the gym, you can use this principle to help someone get started.

If you're tired of being tired all the time or if you're fed up with how you look and the pain of staying the same has exceeded the pain of staying the changing this program is for you.

This program is intended to teach you that you don't need endless amounts of time you don't have, access to a fancy gym that you don't want to pay for, and that you can do a lot more in less time than you might be thinking.

All it requires is a set of dumbbells, your body and 15 minutes per training session.

Benefits of Metabolic Resistance Training

It's hard to blame people for resorting to steady-state cardio to improve their body composition. The most common method is running or jogging. While the attempt is noble, the negative side effects are often overlooked.

Getting outside for a jog or run is a great way to enjoy the sunshine and appreciate the outdoors. But, if it's the primary tool for changing your body, there are some drawbacks to consider.

For the sedentary person who is overweight, running can issue some joint discomfort due to the impact force every time your foot strikes the ground. This impact force is about two to three times your bodyweight.

During a 30 minute, a runner will accumulate about 5,000 impacts. This is why a sedentary person who is overweight may experience stress fractures, shin splints, and low back pain when they go from zero to running every day in attempt to lose weight.

However, running is practical, and a lot of people do it.

But to change your body, there's a body way. Instead of following the herd, try metabolic resistance training. Here's why.

5 Benefits of Metabolic Resistance Training

#1 - More Muscle Means Less Fat

Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue. Meaning, the more muscle you have the more calories you'll burn over a 24 hour period. You'll even burn more calories when you sleep.

#2 - Metabolic Resistance Training Is High Intensity

The culprit of traditional cardio is that is severely lacks the intensity needed to induce body transformation. Think about it: When you're running at a slow pace, or and the treadmill at the gym, it's easy to multi-task.

You can watch some crappy TV on that little screen. You can reply to emails on your phone.

With metabolic resistance training, you're locked in. You don't have a chance to look at your phone at talk to the stranger next to you. It demands that you work hard.

#3 - Metabolic Resistance Training Involves the Entire Body

Since we're working with 15 minutes per workout, we can't waste any time doing movements that don't deliver a big impact. Therefore, the movements you'll be doing will involve the whole body or at least multiple muscle groups.

And since muscle is the most metabolically active tissue, the more muscles you work, the more calories you'll burn. You only have a small window to workout each day, so getting as much quality work in as possible is key in order to maximize your results - and metabolic resistance training satisfies this need.

#4 - Metabolic Resistance Training Demands Repeated Efforts With High Intensity

Exhaustive research continually shows that any form of high intensity resistance training - sprints, tabata, HIIT - whatever it's labeled induces post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which is the number of calories burned after your training session. It's important to note, that this benefit is not experienced with steady state cardio.

#5 - Metabolic Resistance Training Can Be Manipulated To Induce Different Responses

Different reps ranges along with varied tempo will illicit different responses. Rep ranges from one to six yield muscle strength and increase neural efficiency.

Lifting weights in the lower rep ranges prime your muscles to fire appropriately. Lifting heavier weight at lower reps is what gives you that hard, dense look - even when you're not working out. Since you'll only be working with dumbbells, you'll manipulate your tempo (the rate at which you perform the movement) on some reps to induce more stress in these lower rep ranges.

Rep ranges from eight all the way up to 20 plus reps are responsible for muscle growth and metabolic stress. By incorporating higher reps into your metabolic resistance training program, you'll add more muscle and improve your conditioning at the same time.

By mixing high reps, low reps and varied tempos, you'll be maximizing your workout time without having to spend hours in the gym each session.

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The Get Ripped Workout Movements

A1 - Dumbbell Front Squat With a 3110 Tempo

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed out slightly. You'll rack your dumbbells on your shoulders with one head resting on each shoulder.

Your elbows should be pointing forward. Before you begin each rep, make sure your midline is engaged. You'll take your hips back and down to initiate (think of it like sitting down onto a chair). During the descent keep your torso upright and your weight grounded in your heels. Once you hit the bottom position (below parallel), recover to starting position and repeat.

The tempo is 3110. The first number represents the eccentric portion of the lift (squatting down). The second number represents the time spent at the bottom position. The third number represents the time required on the way up (concentric portion). And lastly, the fourth number is the time required before you initiate the next rep.

So in the dumbbell front squat you'll take three seconds on the way down, hold in for one second in the bottom position, use one second to recover and spend no time at the top position (meaning, you'll go right into the next rep, starting with a three second descent).

A2 - Dumbbell Push Press

The dumbbell push press will mainly target the front and middle delts. However, the movement requires a lot more than just those two muscles. Your abs, back, and traps play a critical role in stability and execution of the movement. Your hips also come into play after the dip to provide some power to move the dumbbells overhead.

you'll start with the dumbbells in the racked position. Feet will be shoulder width apart.

There are three ques to the push press: Dip, drive and press.

On the dip, you'll maintain an upright chest with a solid rack position. Abs are turned on. The knees should track outward and your weight should be balanced across the mid-foot and heels. Dip about 10% of the way in comparison to front squat.

Without delay, you'll then transition into the drive. Your knees will extend first, then the hips will open up. Once the knees and hips extend the press should follow. you'll finish at the of the movement with the dumbbells overhead. Lower to starting position and repeat.

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B1 - Pause Dumbbell Glute Bridge and Floor Squeeze Press

The dumbbell glute bridge and floor press is one of the best kept secrets in dumbbell training. It also serves as a tool to increase bench press efficacy since the it mimics the leg drive and glute activation in a standard bench press.

You'll lie on your back with your feet planted about shoulder width into the floor. The dumbbells will be racked across your chest with a parallel grip.

The dumbbells heads should be touching. You'll initiate by driving your hips up to the ceiling while simultaneously pressing the dumbbells together and up off your chest. At the top, you'll hold for a three count. Squeeze your glutes and your chest for a three count before returning to starting position.

B2 - Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift and Neutral Grip Row

With the dumbbell good morning and neutral grip row, we'll be hitting the posterior chain hard all in this movement combo.

You'll set up with dumbbells hanging at your thighs with a overhand grip. Establish a slight flex in the knees. To initiate you'll hinge at the hips to take your butt back. In doing so, make sure the angle of your flexed knees don't change. Your back should remain flat.

You'll lower your torso until it's nearly parallel to the floor. The dumbbells will be hanging at about the mid-shin. Then, you'll hold it for a two count. To recover you'll activate the hamstring and glutes to drive your hips to extension.

C1 - Zottman Curl

The Zottman curl is a great compound movement exercise for the arms. By starting it off with a standard dumbbell curl (palms supinated) you're able to curl a heavy weight. But by reversing the grip at the top to an overhand grip, you allow a great eccentric stress on the outer portion of the upper arm - making the Zottman curl a potent arm exercise.

You'll hold your dumbbells at your side with palms facing up. Curl both dumbbells at the same time, keeping your elbows tucked and close to the body. At the top of the movement, you'll transition your grip to have your palms facing down. Then, you'll lower the weights in this position. At the bottom you'll return to the original grip and repeat.

C2 - Close Grip Dumbbell Push-Ups 2122

The close grip dumbbell push up is a great compliment to the Zottman curl since it targets the triceps, but can also be considered a compound movement.

You'll set some dumbbells on the floor that allow for a grip that is about shoulder width. Grab the dumbbells with a parallel grip and assume push up position.

At the top position, make sure your abs are tight and your glutes are activated. From profile you should be able to an unbroken line from your ear to your ankles. This tightness should be maintained throughout the movement. As you descend into the bottom, keep your elbows close to your body and go as deep as you can between the dumbbells. Press out from the bottom and squeeze your triceps at the top.

With a 2122 tempo, you'll start from the top with a two second descent into the bottom position, hold it for one second, raise to the top position in two seconds and hold (and squeeze the triceps) for two seconds. Then, repeat.

The 15 Minute Workout Program

  • A1 Dumbbell Front Squat - 3 sets x 8 reps
  • A2 Dumbbell Push Press - 3 sets x 15 reps
  • B1 Dumbbell Glute Bride + Floor Press - 3 sets x 6 reps
  • B2 Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift + Row - 3 sets x 12 reps
  • C1 Zottman Curl - 3 sets x 6 reps
  • C2 Close Grip Push Up - 3 sets x 12 reps
*Complete the movements in circuit fashion: Moving to the next movement with rest. After you've completed all six movements, rest 90 seconds. Then, repeat to complete a total of three rounds.
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