LIVING LIGHT: Two for one's mean you get more bang for your workout buck

How about two for one's? I know, you're thinking pizza right?

Think again, two for one's are what my clients have come to know and love as movements or exercises that combine two movements into one.

The major benefit of this type of movement is threefold. First, you save time because you are essentially doing two movements in one. Second, you push your heart to work harder by placing a greater demand on it, which can turn your weight-training session into your cardio as well.

This means no boring treadmill after.

Thirdly, you burn an insane amount of calories because the demand is tougher on your body, requiring a higher heart rate, more fuel and energy at the molecular level.

This means your metabolism burns fat at an increased rate for as much as 72 hours after you are done.

That's right, later, when you are sitting down doing your emails, your body is burning fat at an increased rate.

Classic two for one's are a lunge with a twist, sumo deadlifts to high pulls, burpees to box jumps and my personal favourite, the thruster. To check out how to perform this exercise visit www.livelite.ca/204/thrusters

You can build an entire program using exercises like this to save time, get your heart rate up quick and keep it there as well as increasing your body's fat burning potential.

My clients and I love these types of workouts because they are short, but difficult. It allows people to have more time with family and spend less time in the gym.

Programs that incorporate this kind of training are crossfit, various bootcamp classes such as the ones I run, military-type training or functional-based training programs.

Remember to use big, compound movements such as jumping, lunging, squatting, presses and pulls. Make sure the weight is heavy enough that you are being pushed, but not too heavy your posture and form begin to suffer.