A shred workout is a type of workout regimen that is usually set up with a built in timeline for the purpose of burning fat and losing weight. There are many shred workouts available through popular media, such as the Jillian Michaels shred workout, which features a 30 day program.
Since shred workouts are designed to help one lose fat, a shred workout should feature a heavy emphasis on cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise, or “cardio,” is any exercise where one increases their heart rate for an extended period of time. The body requires about fifteen minutes of a constant elevated heart rate during exercise before it starts to use stored fat cells for energy, which is technically what “fat burning” is. A thirty minute cardiovascular workout is all that is necessary for one to burn a healthy amount of calories and fat for weight loss. Running outside or on a treadmill, jogging, distance walking, swimming, bicycling, or the use of certain exercise equipment such as an elliptical machine are all examples of ways to achieve a good cardiovascular workout.
Shred workouts however, are not solely based on cardio exercise. Cardio is often just used a warm up or a way to finish a work out. Weight training is also featured in shred workouts. In shred workouts, the speed and intensity of a workout are favored over strength. Strength is directly proportional to size, and as one builds strength and muscle one is bound to build fat as well, which means that someone looking to shred body fat must not use weight lifting as a means to build strength, but rather as a way to keep the heart rate elevated to burn fat. Using weights to improve endurance and stamina is a way to continuously burn fat without putting on too much mass.
Circuit training and shred workouts have much in common. Circuit training regimens are basically exercise routines that feature weight lifting exercises combined with cardio workouts. The weight lifting aspect of the circuit training routine feature frequent sets of lifts with many repetitions, and leave minimal time for resting in between sets. Circuit training helps one to build stamina and endurance, which are an important aspect of every shred workout.
Shred workouts should not solely rely on exercise alone. Any exercise program that has fat burning and weight loss as its goal should be used in combination with a healthy diet. One should find the appropriate amount of calories per day from protein, carbohydrates, and sugar, and avoid anything extraneous while trying to lose weight. Consumption of too many calories, especially from fats and sugars, will compromise the amount of success achievable with a shred workout.