Take a sport like Basketball and consider the type of conditioning necessary to be one of the top in the game. These guys are lean and mean. You will see very few high caliber basketball players [...]

2. Take a sport like Basketball and consider the type of conditioning necessary to be one
of the top in the game. These guys are lean and mean. You will see very few high
caliber basketball players with any excess body fat. What’s more is that the players are
getting bigger and stronger too! Why do you suppose that is? First, the fat can’t hang!
These guys are too active and work too hard for adipose tissue to have a prayer at
staying on the physiques of these athletes. When activity is high enough calories are
burned as fast as they are consumed. The result is a body free of excess fat. So what
about the increase in size and strength? The secret behind obtaining this lean and
mean body is intensity! Training with insane intensity, considerable duration, and eating
to fuel muscles results in the types of physiques you see on the NBA courts today.
Who is one of the premiere players
today with a physique representative of
this new trend? Lebron James is a
perfect example(Being from Ohio
originally I have my own feelings about
his decision to leave the Cleveland
Cavaliers for the Miami Heat; but, that is
another discussion altogether). Lebron
has built the basketball physique of
today and tomorrow. What does that
mean? If you compare the physiques of
basketball players of yesteryears to
Lebron and the new generation you will
clearly see the difference in musculature.
Lebron and today’s players are leaner and carry considerably more muscle. Do you
know why that is? This is due to the addition and/or increase in INTENSITY OF
WEIGHT TRAINING. Years ago little weight training took place. As years passed weight
training was increased to the point where today you see basketball players performing
seriously intense weight training workouts.
Why do players like Lebron go to all this trouble? A stronger physique is a better
physique. The old thought was that muscle would slow you down. NOT TRUE! Muscle
to Hustle I say! Seriously though, if you are playing basketball frequently and training
hard with weights your body will put on the APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF MUSCLE.
What you need to understand is that your body is smart. It knows that in order to run up
and down the basketball court repeatedly, it doesn’t make sense to pack on TOO
MUCH mass. So what does it do? The body puts on enough LEAN MASS to move the
weight you’re training with and sheds any excess fat. The result is a body in balance: a
powerful body with quality lean muscle.

3. Let’s say that you want to build that type of athletic physique, do you know what one of
the best types of training is? CIRCUIT TRAINING is a great way to build that type of
body. Circuit training will massively increase the metabolism while stimulating
necessary muscle growth. So what exactly is circuit training you ask? In circuit training
you pick a number of exercises that you do one right after the other. An example would
be doing one set of each Bench Press, Squat, Deadlift and Bicep Curls. Each set would
typically have anywhere from 10-25 reps. That would be ONE CIRCUIT. You could
repeat it or take a short breather and move into a different circuit. The key here is to
train the body with MULTIPLE EXERCISES with MINIMAL REST between sets. The
resulting intensity is high and the body gets ripped quickly.
ProNOTE: Circuit Training is NOT the best way to pack on insane mass. It is however
one of the best ways to shed fat and maximize lean mass in the process.
So you want to get into some serious circuit training. You should consider a couple
major factors. You need to be able to work with serious weight and you need to do so in
a safe manner. How do you accomplish this? Free weights are an option for serious
weight. The only issue is circuit training leads to extreme exhaustion due to the very
short rest and the last few reps can get sloppy. Do you know what that can mean with
dumbbells hanging over your head? Let’s just say it’s not pretty. How do you rectify this
situation? You can work on machines. This reduces the possibility of injury from sloppy
form due to fatigue while allowing you to continue to push to your absolute limit.

4. Working on a machine doing circuit training will enable you to work with serious weight
for the duration of your workout. One issue though is that many machines on the market
do NOT have sufficient weight capacity. On the flip side however is the POWERTEC
LEVERGYM which has a MASSIVE WEIGHT CAPACITY! The movement patterns work
well with the biomechanics of the body and moving from one exercise to another is
quick. The combination of all these features makes the Powertec LeverGym a great
option for At-Home CIRCUIT TRAINING!
ProNOTE: Circuit Training at a gym can be tough or even impossible as people are
often jumping in the way on machines that are part of your “circuit.” Having a
POWERTEC LEVERGYM at your home eliminates this issue.
At this point you are probably wondering what a Circuit Program would look like utilizing
the Powertec LeverGym. Well here you go!
Sample 3 Day/Week Circuit Training Routine (Using Levergym with Accessories):
PERFORM EACH CIRCUIT 2-3 TIMES AND PERFORM 10-20 REPS PER EXERCISE.
Rest is minimal between exercises and 60 seconds between Circuits.
Monday (Full Body Push Emphasis)
Circuit 1
- Bench Press, Bodyweight Squat, Shrugs, Calf Raise, Incline Bench Press
Circuit 2
- Shoulder Press, Triceps Pushdown, Body Weight Standing Lunges, Lat Pulldown
Circuit 3
- Bent Over Row, Push-Ups, Squats, Single Leg Calf Raises, Incline Push-Ups (feet up
on bench)
Wednesday (Full Body Leg Emphasis)
Circuit 1
- Squats, Biceps Curl, Squat Jumps, Triceps Pushdown, Squats
Circuit 2
- Leg Extension, Leg Curl, Crunches, Stiff Leg Deadlift, Bridge, Leg Extension, Leg Curl
Circuit 3
- Split Squat, Push-Ups, Calf Raise, Crunch, Squats
Friday (Full Body Pull Emphasis)
Circuit 1
- Wide Grip Row, Wall Sit, Bicep Curl, Body weight Calf Raise Lat Pulldown

5. Circuit 2
- Bent Over Row, Shrugs, Stiff Leg Deadlift, Knee Raises, Upright Row
Circuit 3
- Underhand Lat Pulldown, Bench Press, Step Ups, Upright Row, Biceps Curl
And there you have it! A routine to get you lean and mean! You know what it takes to
make it happen now. The POWERTEC LEVERGYM is a great tool to build that NBA-
like physique at home via INTENSE CIRCUIT TRAINING! The question I have for you
is: Do you have what it takes? Will you bring the INTENSITY?
Ian Lauer, CSCS
www.ianlauer.com
About the Author
Ian Lauer is an Actor, Fitness Model and a Certified Strength and Conditioning
Specialist via the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) as well as
Certified Spencer Pilates Instructor through NESTA (National Exercise & Sports
Trainers Association).
Ian graduated from The College of Wooster with a degree in Chemistry with a minor in
Theatre. After graduating, he acted professionally and performed in a number of stage
productions. He went to graduate school and earned a Master’s degree in Acting at
Wayne State University.
Ian is now the Asst. Fitness Director of Cooking Me Skinny, a new national weight loss
program launched fall of 2010, Team Powertec member, and a sponsored athlete of
Team Sci-Fit.

6. Powertec is a trusted brand in Weight Training and Fitness Home Gym Equipment
based out of Los Angeles. Powertec manufactures an entire list of strength equipment
for both domestic and commercial use, from basic weight lifting to look good and live
healthier, to functional training development being used in improving athletic
performance.
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