• Your action plan

• What? Named the death circuit by personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach Nick Mitchell (www.upfitness.co.uk) because of the way it makes you feel, the following programme hits all of your major – and most of your minor – muscle groups. Couple that with the short rest periods between sets and you’ve got a circuit that will strip fat faster than any you’ve done before.
  Why? By sticking to the rep range and time under tension (TUT) you’ll create a massive metabolic response while stimulating muscle growth (40-60 seconds TUT is the best range for increasing muscle size). Also, because you’re working major muscle groups with minimal rest, you’ll be producing a lot of blood lactate – the by-product of intensive training. High levels of blood lactate will increase your production of human growth hormone and promote the use of fat as fuel, which retains your lean muscle and keeps your body fat down. Be warned though – high blood lactate levels can make you very nauseous.

  How? Find your 10-rep maximum – the heaviest weight at which you can get out 10 reps (10 easy reps will fail to generate either the hypertrophic or metabolic responses required). Set your rep tempo to a 4 second negative, 1-second explosive positive, with no pauses at the top and bottom of the movement.

  Who? Anyone who wants to replace fat with lean muscle but is stuck in a rut and not seeing results from their regular programme.

  When? Follow this plan 3 times a week for 3-4 weeks, adding the stubborn fat-burning plan twice a week on days off.

• Barbell Squat

• Why: Squats are the best bang for your buck move as it works a large percentage of your muscles, in particular your quads, glutes, abs and hamstrings. Make sure you do this first as you’ll need to be fresh to complete the full set of reps.
  How: Load a bar and rest it on the back of your shoulders. Bend your knees until your upper thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep your back straight. Push up to the start along the same path but don’t lock your knees at the top of the movement.

  10 reps, rest for 60seconds then go straight into…

• Barbell Deadlift

• Why: Deadlifts work virtually every muscle, which is why it’s used in power lifting events. Here it will keep your entire body under pressure while the lack of rest will be pushing your cardio vascular system to its limit.
  How: Standing with your feet should-width apart, grab the bar with an overhand grip. Raise the bar so your legs become fully extended. Slowly lower to the start position, keeping your back straight.

  10 reps, rest for 60seconds then go straight into…

• Dip

• Why: No other exercise will hit your shoulders, chest and arms like parallel bar dips. They’re difficult to do at the best of times but especially so after what has gone before. The more you bend forward, the more you work your pecs. Straighten your torso the more you hit your arms. You may want to vary your position during the later sets as your muscles start to fatigue.
  How: Grab the parallel bars and lift yourself so your arms are straight but your elbows aren’t locked. Keep your legs bent and cross your feet at your ankles. Slowly lower your body by bending your arms until your upper body is parallel to the floor. At the bottom of the move explode back up to the starting position.

  10 reps, rest for two minutes then go back to the beginning…

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