A lot people would love to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. The problem that most but the genetically gifted few have, is that the surplus calories needed for muscle gain often leads to an increase in some unwanted fat. Or, on the other hand if you cut down calories too much and perform endless cardio in order to lose fat, you end up stalling muscle gains and in a lot of cases even lose muscle. One answer to this common conundrum is to add some high intensity conditioning work to your training program. Not only will this help you build muscle and burn fat, but it will also improve your power and strength, isn’t as boring as pounding away on a treadmill and doesn’t take as long!
Anyone that has had to help someone push a broken down car will testify that it’s a full body activity and after just a short distance of pushing, it leaves the legs feeling pumped, the lungs burning and heart beating like crazy. This is precisely what you need to be build muscle and burn fat. So why not use car pushing as a training tool to help reach your fitness goals.
I’ve started to include car pushing and sprint sessions into my workouts and have really started to notice an improvement in my overall strength and conditioning. I’ve even got a few extra guys from the gym interested and it’s starting to become quite competitive!
All you need is a car, someone you control the steering and brakes, and an open space! I use a piece of tarmac that runs adjacent to the 100 meter section of the local athletics track so it’s easy to mark out the distances. I’m currently using an Audi A4 estate, or ‘wagon’, if you’re reading in the USA. It weighs about 1350kg but the aim is to eventually work our way up to something bigger!
This is the routine I follow. I try to do it on a separate day to lifting weights but sometimes I just do shortened version immediately after a weights session.
Warning: The workout below is an example of what I do to help build muscle and burn fat and is for information only. Keep in mind that it is a really intense workout so if you want to try it out please ensure the following:
1) Do NOT do this workout if you have any medical conditions or injuries that could be adversly impacted by this workout.
2) DO consult a doctor prior to trying this workout.
3) Make sure you find a suitable and safe place to do the workout. It should on a quiet piece of tarmac and or field and shouldn’t be where there is other traffic. Ideally is should be on private land and you should have the landowners permission to use it. Make sure there isn’t any danger of a person, animal or property getting damaged!
4) Make sure the person controlling the car while you are pushing is able to do so and has a drivers licence.
5) After each length of pushing, you may need to start the car to prevent the brakes from ceasing up.
The Routine
1) Warm up by going for a gentle jog for about 5 minutes or whatever works best for you
2) Mark out your chosen distance. I use 50-60 meters.
3) Start pushing the car, driving hard with your legs and aim to build up as much speed as you can. Keep driving right through to the finishing point.
4) Once you get to the finishing point immediately walk round to the front of the car and push it back to the starting point. The push back to the start doesn’t need to be flat out but the aim is to push it all the way back without stopping
5) By now you’lll be feeling shattered! So take a few minutes rest and repeat steps 3 and 4 till you have done it a total of 5 times.
6) Once the car pushing is done, loosen up and then do three 50 meter sprints. These need to be flat out.
7) By now your legs will be pumped and you lungs will be burning. It’s now time to go for brisk walk for about 10 minutes to warm down. That’s it! It doesn’t take long but is really effective.
When you first start, you may not feel up to doing some sprints after the car pushing. Don’t worry about it and just build up to it. Feel free to change things up a bit. I’m thinking of adding some farmers walks into the routine and turning it into kind of a mini strong man medley!
So why not give car pushing a go. Get some friends to join in and turn it into a little competition. Start pushing cars and one thing is for sure, you’ll never worry about running out of petrol again!
Strong Muscle Project 