“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” ~ Nietzsche – on that note, try this:

The Tabata protocol – possibly the fastest way to burn fat and separate the mentally strong from the weak.

CAUTION – do not attempt unless you’re in good cardiovascular condition, with no underlying health problems, and under supervision. I’d advise you to check with your doctor and exercise professional before doing these. With that out of the way, I guess you’re wondering what all the fuss is about. Well read on for more fat loss in four minutes than you’d usually get in four hours!

Essentially, this short but brutally effective protocol is as follows:

20 seconds of very high intensity exercise (go at minimum 90% capacity), followed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeat this 8 times. The beauty of it is that you can use any piece of cardiovascular equipment, a barbell or dumbbells, or no equipment at all. Just pick an exercise that works as much of your body as possible. My personal favourite is to do it on a rowing machine, as on most you can set the rest/work periods and just focus on the savage intensity.

A couple of my other favourites include using a barbell for front squats, using dumbbells for ‘thrusters’ – a combination of a squat followed by a shoulder press, or even just plain old sprints. But be warned, with a strict focus on speed, you don’t need to go too heavy.

This will keep your metabolism elevated for increased fat burning for hours to come, and also build your mental strength. When you’ve faced these, other gym challenges seem far less intimidating. Another bonus – it may be hell, but at least it’s only a short four minute stay!

To adapt Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous proclamation to this context – ‘that which does not kill us makes us LEANER!’

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