Weekend Workout: Body By Science

Dr. Doug McGuff, author of Body By Science, believes that you shouldn't need a lot of cardio and extra work in your life in order to get the results that you want.  There is plenty of evidence out there showing the muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in your body and in order to burn more energy it is beneficial to you to utilize that muscle in an exhaustive manner.  Dr. McGuff recommends weight lifting.

Weight lifting itself has plenty of other benefits in the development of a strong body and adding stress to your bones to help keeping them reorganizing and staying strong but it can be a long process in order to work out this way.

The protocol Dr. McGuff has put together is very high intensity (you're going to be sore the first times you do it) but is quick and efficient.  It is high stress and puts a lot of load on your muscle by focusing on major muscle groups but also will increase your strength incredibly and almost predictably as you move along in your program.  The basics of the program are working sets of 5 reps, 5 seconds moving the weight against resistance and then 5 seconds moving it back to the starting place.  It is intense and will burn but the feeling is incredible.  Here is an example below:

Day 1:
-Bench Press (or alternative): 5 x 5 (5s/5s)
-Romanian Deadlift: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)
-Lat Pull Down: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)
-Calf Raises: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)
-Tricep Push Down: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)

Day 2: 
-Shoulder Press: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)
-Leg Press: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)
-Row: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)
-Lateral Shoulder Raise: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)
-Bicep Curl: 5 x 5 (5s/5s)

Pick a weight that makes the 5th rep very challenging but not impossible.  If it was to easy or you completed the entire workout increase your weight by 10 pounds or 10%, whichever is more.

This protocol has also given rise to Tim Ferriss's Occam's Protocol found in The Four Hour Body.  This one is also very intense and you work your way to only working out 1 to 2 times a week.