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42 MUSCLE & FITNESSJUNE 2016

IF I HAD A DOLLAR

for every time somebody

said they’d get ripped by

doing light weight and high reps, I’d

haveasmallfortune.Oneofthe

biggest fitness myths out there is

that your rep range dictates how lean

or big you get. Wrong. How many

calories you consume and the quality

of those calories from a macro-

nutrient perspective, as well as

cardio, dictates how ripped you get.

While specific training strategies

can help you burn more fat (see

ourHIITprogramsonpage78),it’s

notassimpleasthehigherthe

reps,themoredefinedyou’llget.

If that were the case, we’d all be

workingupto1000-repsets.

Intensity is key whether you’re

using heavy or light weight, or high

reps or low reps. Push yourself,

achieve muscle failure (or close

toit)onallsets.Agoodreprange

you can’t go wrong with when

trying to get lean and maintain

your shape is 8–12 per set.

Yes, this is the sweet spot for

hypertrophy, but anything that

promotes building lean muscle is

also great for fat-burning, since

KETTLEBELL

WINDMILL

■ Hold a kettlebell in rack

position with your right

hand. Press the kettlebell

overhead, keeping an eye

on the bell the entire time.

Push the right hip back so

it’s under the bell and turn

both feet to the left at a

45-degree angle. Push

your hips back as you bring

your left hand down your

thigh and touch floor.

Pause, then explode up.

That’s one rep.

TWO HANDS

ANYHOW

■Place a dumbbell on the

floor between your legs

and hold another overhead

with your right hand. Sink

into a squat position that

still allows you to hold the

dumbbell overhead; grasp

the dumbbell on the floor

with your left hand and curl

it to your chest. Stand

upright and press the

weight you just curled over

your head. Lower the

weight in your right hand to

your chest, then squat and

place the dumbbell on the

floor. Repeat for reps.

Again, make sure you keep

your eyes on the dumbbell

that’s overhead.

NOEL DAGANTA

the more muscle you have, the

more calories you’ll burn at rest.

That said, if you take the high

reps and less weight concept

and create a circuit-training

routine with limited rest periods,

now you have metabolic resistance

training, which is great for

heightening calorie burn. Again,

it’s all about intensity, and

shortening the rest periods

addresses that. In my Killer Spring

workout (see above), I’ve combined

these two concepts (8– to 12-rep

range and circuit training) into an

intense, time-efficient routine.

Do high

reps get you

more

defined than

lower reps?

• TERRY

THE MOVES

Both exercises require

sound technique to execute

without upping your risk

of injury. Use light weight

(and caution) to start.

OBI’S KILLER

WORKOUT

EXERCISE CIRCUIT REPS

Push-up 48 –12

Mountain climber * 430

sec

High knee

stationary run*

430

sec

Burpee 430

sec

Chair dip 48 –12

This body-weight workout will take

20–25 minutes. Perform it 2–3 days

a week with at least one rest day

between each session.

*Rest for 30 seconds.

A:

CJ MURPHY

is a strength coach

at Total Performance

Sports in the US.

Check him our at

totalperformance

sports.com

ASK XXXX

OBI OBADIKE

is celebrity fitness and

nutrition expert and

trainer. Find him online

at obiobadike.com