This article is going to talk specifically about CrossFit for fat loss. In Part 1 of this 2 part CrossFit series, I gave a basic overview of what CrossFit is all about. Today I'm talking with the Head Trainer of a CrossFit gym who has recently perfected a special method of Crossfit that is laser-focused on burning body fat. The workout is called SpeedX and from what I understand, it has been working wonders for people in his gym. Jarett Perelmutter, of Brick Sport Performance Gym in West Hollywood, agreed to do an interview outlining his new SpeedX system. He even put together a pdf with 2 sample SpeedX workouts exclusively for readers of FBB.

[The entry way of Brick Sport Performance Gym looks like a fancy downtown boutique. One of the coolest gym interiors I've ever seen...would love to live in a place with this type of aesthetic.]

An Interview With Jarett Perelmutter About SpeedX ™
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The coolest thing about the Internet in my opinion is the ability to meet people from all over the globe. Over the past 3 years I've become friends with a sharp personal trainer from Bulgaria, Yavor Marichkov. Yavor runs a blog called Relative Strength Advantage. My favorite part of his site are his video tutorials. His little gym is popping up all over Youtube and making a big impact. If you are cruising Youtube and run across a gym with a black & white checkered floor, then stop and check it out…most likely it is Yavor's gym. Every video that comes out of that gym is pure gold. This is why I believe it is one of the best gyms pound-for-pound.

[Believe it or not, I was going to put up a picture of an amazing looking Bulgarian beach. When you think Eastern Europe you don't think beaches, but Bulgaria has some parts that look like California. I decided with this picture of a painted on Bulgarian flag instead.]

Tales from an Eastern European Gym
-by Yavor Marichkov
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So I have recently decided to add Hindu Squats into my routine. Due to the fact that I don't want to increase leg mass, I've avoided barbell squats the past 10 years. I'm not saying that squats are bad, there just is a certain point where too much lower body mass becomes cumbersome. In my opinion intense cardio intervals develop legs that are functional and defined without getting too big. That being said, squats do help your body maintain good hip mobility and lower back flexibility. If I'm perfectly honest with myself, I've lost a bit of flexibility these past 10 years. So I have found that Hindu Squats are the perfect solution to get the positives of the barbell squats (mobility and flexibility) without the negatives (excessive lower body mass).

[Here's a picture from the Holi festival in India. It is a spring festival celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and others. On the main day of the festival people throw colored water and colored powder at each other. It would be cool to see this in person some day.]

Why Can't You Just Stretch for Mobility?
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I typically don't make new year's resolutions, but one thing I would love to be able to do is the one arm push up. When I first started lifting the big goal was to bench press 225 pounds for reps (because I thought it looked cool to have two 45 pound plates on each side of the bar). I reached that goal in a short period of time and it felt good, but it is not even close to impressive as doing full-range one arm push ups. In fact, I would guess there are more guys who can bench press 315 pounds (three 45's per side) than men or women who can do 5 full-range one arm push ups. I want to become one of those people.

[We will talk about steps to progressively build up strength to be able to do one arm push ups. One of the steps is close grip push ups. The guy in this picture is demonstrating decent hand positioning for close grip push ups.]

The Lost Art of "Progressive Calisthenics"
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The problem with many body weight exercises like push ups is that once you get strong, low reps stop challenging the muscle. I am a firm believer in including a decent amount of high-tension lifting to maximize muscle definition. Typically, high-tension is achieved by doing heavy weights for low reps. The problem with body weight exercise is that there isn't really a practical way to add weight to your body. What if I told you there was a way to achieve super-high tension in any body weight exercise, allowing you to build muscle density and increased definition over time? Well that is exactly the tip I would like to talk about today!

[I figured a nice autumn picture with a "Human Female Chameleon" would be appropriate for this article. Better than some guy doing push ups...yawn.]

Giving Credit to the Guys I Learned This From…
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