Biggest Loser "22" Workouts

Last week we looked at how persistence is key, whatever you're trying to accomplish. This week I'm going to take you through a few workouts that some of the Biggest Losers have been doing. 

When people start an exercise program, they usually start with what I call Level One training. This is entry level exercise on the treadmill, ellipticals, and bikes, and also the Maxicam weight machine circuit. 

The next step is what I call Level Two training. This includes High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on the cardio equipment, and replacing weight machines with dumbbell movements and an exercise ball. 

After some time with these, they're usually ready for Level Three training, where we combine cardio exercises with free weights. We'll also combine individual dumbbell exercises to make multi-joint or compound movements. 

One example of this would be to take a dumbbell squat and a dumbbell shoulder press and put them together. The result is a compound movement called a thruster (squat w/press). 

Another example is to take three individual dumbbell exercises and make a deadlift-curl-press, or a walking lunge-curl-press. These movements are all much tougher, because they use more overall muscle, and more of your core for stability. 

Level Four workouts make it even more demanding by combining cardio with multi-joint movements. That means more calories burned, which means more fat lost. 

For Biggest Loser "22" we threw the introductory phase out the window and started right at Level Two. We modified the workouts a little, to make them doable. 

Many of them jumped into the Level 3 and 4 workouts in Boot Camp, too. Remember, the goal was to get them going as quickly as possible, and they've sure been doing that. 

Here are some actual examples of Level 3 and 4 workouts that many of them have done in the last couple of weeks. 

LEVEL THREE WORKOUTS:

Run 1/4 mi

25 pushups

25 body squats

25 sit-ups

(4x)

Row 500 m

50 pushups (modify as needed)

(5x)

Pushups or Pikes on the Ball 

DB Curls

BOSU Squats

Battle Rope

Kettle Bell swings

Ball Smacks

(4x)

LEVEL FOUR WORKOUTS:

Run 1/4 mi*

25 Burpee/pull-ups (cheat as needed on the pull-up)

(4x)

*Try to increase speed during each run. 

Run 1 mi

100 Pull-ups

100 Pushups

100 Sit-ups

100 Body Squats

Run 1 mi

Note: This bootcamp workout one was especially difficult, and many had to modify parts of it. However, at least one Biggest Loser completed it as is. 

Level Three and Level Four workouts are a great way to keep your intensity high and beat those dull workout blues. They'll also help you through those times when you need to break through workout and weight loss plateaus. 

Some people beating the weight loss blues and dreaded plateaus, include our Week Five Biggest Losers. Tracy Whitaker, 1st Place, lost 2.2 lbs and 1.4% of her body weight. Nancy Vono and Rebecca Fehrmann tied for 2nd place, both losing 1.2 lbs.