Abbreviated Routines

A few years back, Clarence Bass published a book entitled, "Challenge Yourself", which focused on abbreviated training for health and fitness.  Clarence utilized a routine which consisted of once-weekly resistance training and once-weekly aerobic training (along with walking) to get into peak shape.  Clarence's book was the original inspiration for a routine I often use.

Now scientists have tested the routine and found that it does indeed work.  This study compared subjects performing twice-weekly strength training, twice-weekly endurance training, or once-weekly strength and endurance training.

The endurance-only group exhibited no real changes.  The strength-only and strength-endurance groups both built lean mass and lost fat. 

One item of note is that there were not dramatic changes due to the routines.  The strength and strength-endurance groups gained a couple of pounds of muscle and lost 3-4 pounds of fat over the 16 week study.  This does show that these abbreviated routine are successful in altering body composition. 

For someone in a time crunch, abbreviated routines are a great way to hold onto gains and make gradual progress.  However, for someone who is markedly overweight, it would take a number of months to lose a lot of weight.  If larger or faster weight loss is desired, exercise volume must be increased.