GERMAN BODY COMPOSITION: Welcome to "Shred City"
Year 4, Block 3: German Body Composition
A SHRED THAT TURNS HEADS. WE’RE INCREASING THE FAT BURNING THROUGHOUT THE DAY TO GET YOU TO A LEVEL OF UNPRECEDENTED SHRED
In 180-200 seconds, we use a diverse set of functional, compound movements. This recruits more motor units. As a result, we’ll have a much greater post-workout effect throughout the rest of our day.
This block, emphasizes a principle called NEAT.
NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. This refers to how we burn our fuel substrates –especially after we’ve stopped working out.
After one set, we’ll recover and repeat this sequence 4 more times.
In total, this equates to roughly 1,000 seconds of time under tension (16 minutes and 30 seconds of work in a 60-minute session).
let’s dive in deeper about this accumulation block
The theme? German Body Composition.
Some of our more seasoned members might remember this method, but before you can truly enjoy this visceral experience, you should understand a little more about it.
In this Behind the Block we’ll cover:
The benefits of German Body Composition.
The science behind how German Body Comp works.
How we gear German Body Comp towards our goals.
THE BENEFITS: Shredding Body Fat
Shredding body fat is a complicated process that involves a lot of systems within the body.
If you’ve used a heart rate monitor, there is a zone that indicates you are burning fat. How does that work?
Check out this sick graphic to better understand.
As you can see with this epic graph, the “shred zone” is synonymous with “MAXIMUM FAT BURN ZONE” or MFBZ
If we look at your heart rate through the training session, we want it in that 60-70% range for the entire time.
But there’s more to this story…
how does german body comp shred fat?
Glad you asked.
When we look at our energy systems (phosphagen, glycolytic, oxidative), we can look at the classification of the energy system, and which primary fuel source is attached.
In this block, We are primarily targeting the oxidative energy system.
In order to get to the shred zone, or MFBZ, we need to first exhaust fuel that might impede fat burning. Fuels like glucose and glycogen.
The body usually uses glucose and glycogen, prior to fat, when it is available. So in order to get to the shred zone, we need to deplete these substrates (glucose+glycogen).
Once we deplete these substrates, we will be able to better utilize fatty acids via oxidation, and thus reach the maximum fat-burning zone, aka “SHRED CITY”.
This process is key for any program focused on fat-burning, body composition. But that’s not all...
What else does this block have to offer? Check out below…
german body comp with compound movements
One of the best ways for you to challenge and develop your full body is to utilize compound multi-joint movements.
Movements like: squats, pull-ups, dips, and kettlebell swings.
One of the reasons behind why we utilize compound multi-joint movements is the concept of N.E.A.T (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis).
This refers to how we utilize our fuel substrates – even after we’ve stopped working out.
Said another way, this is the compound interest of our efforts in the gym.
If we only focused on bioenergetics and heart rate, it would be easy to say, “just hop on a bike and go!”
But that approach is very limited. Why?
Because it fails to account for the idea of specificity.
Specificity means becoming better at what you repeatedly do.
If you only enter the shred zone on a bike, your body becomes adept at creating systems to handle something it can predict. This will, in turn, lower the effect of NEAT.
By using more diverse functional movements, we recruit more motor units, and have a much greater post-workout effect throughout the rest of your day (remember n.e.a.t.)
(NEAT means Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) referring to how we burn our fuel substrates – even after we’ve stopped working out.
In summary:
The end goal is to have:
An average heart rate of 60-70%
A much higher NEAT from using compound multi-joint movements.