PUMPkin Fun - A Screeeam of a Workout!

Why a pumpkin?
If you think about it, a pumpkin is like a big weighted medicine ball. While I wouldn’t recommend you try bouncing your pumpkin ... you can certainly use it like you would a medicine ball. The thing I love about using a pumpkin is you can get them in all different shapes, sizes, and weights.

When you’re using a medicine ball it’s perfectly round, easy to grip, and has even weight distribution. A pumpkin on the other hand can provide much more of a challenge to your core and abdominal muscles because of the irregular shapes and sizes.


Pumpkin Mountain Climbers
Place both hands on the pumpkin in a push-up position and raise your hips so you have a flat back. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and try to maintain as straight as possible as you bring one leg in towards your chest at a time. Squeeze your abs as you bring the leg in. 10-15 reps per side.

Pumpkin V-sit Twist
Lay on the ground in an upright position with your feet crossed and slightly leaning back. Take the pumpkin with both hands and rotate it side to side. Raise your feet off the ground for more of a challenge on the core. Keep your abs tight throughout the movement. 10-15 reps per side.

Pumpkin Wood Chop
Start by holding your pumpkin straight out in front of your chest and go down into a squat position. As you go down into the squat bring the pumpkin with you and lower it between your legs. Come out of the squat position bringing the pumpkin with you and extending it overhead with your arms straight. Repeat. Keep a flat back and your arms straight through the movement. 10-15 reps.

Pumpkin Diagonal Chop
Start by holding your pumpkin with straight arms but off to one side. Squat down bringing the pumpkin with you, chopping with it in a diagonal arch pattern. Try to keep the pumpkin away from your body and your arms straight as this is what really works the core. Holding the pumpkin close to your body or with “alligator arms” won’t make the exercise very effective.

Pumpkin Squat Thrust
Start with the pumpkin at chest height holding it with both hands. Go down into a squat position and drive back to the starting position while pushing the pumpkin over your head. Return to chest height and repeat. 10 -15 reps

Pumpkin Burpees
With the pumpkin on the floor in front of you,
 squat down to the floor, grab the pumpkin and extend your legs out and back with a jump to assume a push-up 
position. Perform a push-up with your hands on the pumpkin and then reverse 
the movement to stand back up. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Pumpkin Lunge with Front Raise
Start by holding the pumpkin with both hands to one side at hip level. Step forward into a lunge position and in the process raise the pumpkin overhead with straight arms. Bring the pumpkin up to a point right above your head and then as you come out of the lunge and back to the starting position, chop the pumpkin back to your side. Alternate legs. 10-15 reps per side.

Pumpkin Lateral Reaches
Start by holding the pumpkin with both hands at chest height. Take a big lateral step to one side and lower the pumpkin down over your foot. Push off the lead foot and return to the starting position with the pumpkin at chest height. 10-15 reps per side.

Pumpkin Push-Up’s
This is one of my favorite pumpkin exercises as it really challenges the core and abdominals, not to mention your chest, arms, and shoulders. Now, there are several different variations of ways you can do a pumpkin push-up.

I’ll review the three most common:

Both hands on pumpkin: start with both hands on the pumpkin and get yourself in a push-up position. Lower yourself down towards the pumpkin and then return to the starting position. If this is too difficult, you can go to your knees instead of a plank position for your push-up’s.

One hand on the pumpkin, one hand on the ground: complete your push-up’s this way for a real challenge to your core, but also your shoulder stabilization. Try rolling the pumpkin back and forth between hands for an even greater challenge.

Feet on pumpkin: place both feet on the pumpkin and complete your push-up’s.

WEEK OFF - At Home Workout - Body-Weight Pyramid

Reverse Body-Weight Pyramid

Dynamic Warm-up - 5-10 minutes

5mins - Work continuously until the time is up.

5x Push-ups

5x Burpees

5x Squats

5x V-ups
Repeat until time is up




Active Rest Phase:
5 Minutes Skipping

4mins - Work continuously until the time is up.
5x Push-ups
5x Burpees
5x Squats
5x V-ups
Repeat until time is up

Active Rest Phase:
4 Minutes Skipping

 
3mins - Work continuously until the time is up.
5x Push-ups
5x Burpees
5x Squats
5x V-ups
Repeat until time is up

Active Rest Phase:
3 Minutes Skipping

2mins -Work continuously until the time is up.
5x Push-ups
5x Burpees
5x Squats
5x V-ups
Repeat until time is up

Active Rest Phase:
2 Minutes Skipping

1min - Work continuously until the time is up.
5x Push-ups
5x Burpees
5x Squats
5x V-ups
Repeat until time is up


Cool down and Stretch

The Super 30 Workout Challenge

This workout is dedicated to the number 30...this may or may not be my age *ahem*

WARM UP: 5 minutes of Dynamic movements ie. arm circles, marching, side shuffle, butt kicks, high knees, cross-overs, walking lunges.

PLEASE NOTE: a beginner should modify and only do one round. Remember to go at own pace and take breaks when needed.

You have 30 exercises to complete - back to back with as least rest possible - for 30 seconds...the major challenge is to do 3 rounds. If you do 3 rounds I give you permission to have a birthday cupcake with me!


1. Shadow boxing
2. Jumping jack (DB) press
3. Sumo squat with upright row
4. Burpee
5. Plank
6. DB Swing (front to side raise)
7. Squat jump
8. Spiderman push up
9. Bird-dog
10. 100m dash

WATER BREAK

11. Dive bomers (aka Hindhu pushups)
12. Wall Squat with Bicep Curl
13. Staggered Push ups
14. Knee's Up
15. Lunge (right) with Tricep Extension
16. Lunge (left) with Tricep Extension
17. Saxon bends
18. Mountain Climbers
19. Superman
20. Sucide shuttle run

WATER BREAK

21. Push up Plank
22. Heel Drop Sweepers
23. Side plank (right)
24. Side plank (left)
25. Skip (side to side; front and back)
26. Curtsy lunge
27. Hip Bridge
28. Bicycle crunch
29. Skater lunge
30. Inchworm

Cooldown - Speed walk 400m

Don't forget to Stretch!!!!

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1.03.01

Kettlebell Fat Burning Workout

Kettlebell Fat Burning Workout

 

  Courtesy of Lauren Brooks

  First warm up with Joint Mobility

  Circuit 1 Set you timer for  30 seconds on and 30 seconds of rest

 

     Push Ups

     Squat with 1 Kettlebell

    2 Handed Swings

    Clean and Press Right

    Clean and Press Left

    2 Handed Swings

     

Repeat for 3 Sets

 

Circuit 2 Set you timer for 45 seconds on and 45 seconds of rest

 

 

    TRX Back Row or One Arm Row Left and Right

    Hand 2 Hand Swings

    Back Lunge Right Leg

    Back Lunge Left Leg

    Burpees

    Plank Hold

 

Repeat for 2-3 sets

Luck of the Draw Workout

 I was given this idea from Valentine Rawat of Rawfit in the UK.


It's a lot of fun and challenging - if you are bored of your regular workout try this!

DECK OF CARDS – require a minimum of 2 deck of playing cards. Separate the Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks and Jokers from the numbered cards. Each athlete will pick a random card from the pile of faces decks and one from the numbered deck. The faces cards will define the exercise and the numbered would define the number of reps.


Dynamic Warm-ups

Then:
Ace = Side Burpees
King = KB Swings
Queen = Jack Knives
Jack = KB Jerks
Joker = Sprints of a football/soccer pitch

Workout continues for 45 minutes.

Then:
Cool down and Stretch

ENJOY!

If Granny can do it - you can do it!

The Any-One-Can-Do-It Workout!
Warmup with mobility exercises for 5 minutes.

Perform each exercise listed below for 45 seconds going from one exercise to the next with about 5-15 seconds to transition between exercises.

Continue repeating the circuit for 30 minutes. Add in 5 minutes of your favorite core exercises then cool down with 10 minutes of mobility and stretches for the entire body. That's a 50 minute full body workout that's great for weight loss, fatloss, endurance, and strength.

Traveling squats w/ sandbag (or medicine ball) press
Rolling ropes
TRX bodyweight rows
Bosu lateral step ups w/sandbell chop
Lebert bars modified pushups
Kettlebell swings
Suicide runs

Modifications: Make this more challenging by going 50 seconds on each exercise and taking no rest between exercises (continous work circuit). Make it easier by doing 30 seconds of each exercise and eliminating all chopping motions, bosu, and/or traveling portion of squat if you (or your clients) do not have the core stability for all that. Also the one thing I would change about this workout is I would set up the lebert bars higher so a person with less upper body strength can just do incline pushups from a standing position.

Have you Plateaued?

Have I Plateaued?

Ask yourself these questions:

• The scale isn’t moving
• Clothes aren’t getting bigger
• You’re hungry all the time
• Exercises aren’t as difficult
• You’re doing the same things, but not getting any results

What’s most frustrating about these signs is the fact that it might seem like you’re doing everything right.  You’re eating what you’re supposed to be eating, working out when you plan to, and even cutting back further than you have to on your chosen diet plan.  What’s going on?

  Why Have I Plateaued?

Thankfully you can generally blame Mother Nature for your metabolic frustrations.  What happens is that as your body changes, it starts to get ‘used’ to the new weight and wants to settle there.  Your body has given you as many results as possible using the current menu and fitness program you’re on.

The reason why your body does this is to avoid starvation.  It senses that it’s not getting as much food as it used to and so it tries to hold onto what you’re giving it.  Or it’s getting used to the exercises that you’re doing, so it’s not responding in the same way.  Basically, your body is leveling out – hence, the term plateau.

What can I do?

But now that you know what a plateau is and what the signs of it can be, you can start to tailor your weight loss routine to prevent or stop a plateau.  What you need to do is change up what you’ve already been doing so that your body has to respond.  This can include several things:

• Increase your calorie intake slightly. Yes you read that right! Too few calories can actually make you gain weight. Make sure your eating the recommended amount for your age and weight. On days you strength train have a few extra calories (no more than 200-300) that come from nutrient rich food (veggies/fruit and protein)
• Increase the intensity of your exercise plan with interval training (READ below)
• Try adding more protein to your diet
• Drink more water

These simple steps can sometimes recharge your body and put it back into fat-burning, weight-losing mode.  A weight loss plateau is something that every dieter will see at one point or another, so don’t feel like you’re not heading in the right direction.  Often, a plateau is that sign that you’re doing a good job already, but that you need to tweak something.

 Forget Long Boring Cardio - Switch To Short Burst Intervals

The shorter, more-intense your session, the more you will burn more overall calories and preserve muscle, which will not only boost your metabolism but help you created that tight and lean look as you reach your ideal body.

True Intervals are simply brief, high intensity periods of exercise (where you work out as intensely as you can for your fitness level) alternated with active recovery periods, where you slow down just long enough to catch your breath.



For Example:

60 Seconds of Jumping Jacks
60 seconds of Marching
Repeat 6-8 times for a total of 10-15 minutes.

The goal – and the effectiveness – is to challenge yourself so that at the end of 10-15 minutes – you have had one heck of a workout! If you could easily go another 10-15 min, then you have not worked hard enough. Go back and increase the effort and intensity.

When you “do” intervals – you dramatically cut the amount of time it takes to workout and see results twice as fast.






What do you Need to DO Intervals?

No special equipment necessary – in fact, the more you USE your Body – the more effective your Fat Loss results!

Body weight intervals are more effective for you are using all the major muscles in your body. They are also great for when you are short on time or cannot leave the house and sure help if you are in need a quick burst of energy.

Studies -as well as countless testimonials of Cardio Queens – prove high intensity cardio workouts “Intervals” can provide all of the following fitness benefits:

* dramatically boost metabolism – both during AND after exercise

* faster rate of body fat-to-energy conversion

* preserves lean muscle (muscle is your metabolism – you do not what to lose this!)

* significant increase in aerobic capacity (Max VO2) = increased endurance and stamina


Please Note:

Working Out Effectively Will Only Take You So Far

Once you are challenging your body, increasing your lean muscle and boosting your metabolism you will lose fat when you are in a caloric deficit…..and the only way we find ourselves NOT in a caloric deficit is when we are taking in more calories that we are burning.

(i.e. What and How Much are you eating?)

If you are willing to make an effort to try something different but are hesitant…I really want you to think about the hours you spend each week exercising. Is this all the effort getting you results or getting nowhere.

By switching to a more effective workout style, imagine how you could take the time that was spent “exercising” on things that do give you a positive return, ways to better spend your time to enhance your life.

20 Minute Cardio Challenge

Imagine you are a Child again, with Boundless Energy, and approach this Challenge with Enthusiasm!

Burpees no one likes these, for good reason, they are tough but my god will you see a difference in your bum, legs and thighs if you keep this up: from standing, crouch down, place palms on floor, jump legs back into full push-up position (add a push up if you wish), then jump legs back to crouch pose and stand up (or jump up). Repeat again.

When Marching swing your arms and lift your knees up high this is your Active-Rest between intervals.

Before Starting: Grab a stopwatch (I like my Gymboss timer) or an egg timer that will alert you when the time has passed, a bottle of water and a towel (for all the sweat that will be dripping off you!)


* March in place for 3 minutes (360 steps)
* 60 Jumping Jacks
* March 1 minute (120 steps)
* 60 Jumping Jacks
* March 1 minute
* 30 Burpees
* March 1 minute
* 30 Burpees
* March 1 minute
* 30 Burpees
* March 1 minute
* 30 Burpees
* March 1 minute
* 60 Jumping Jacks
* March 1 minute
* 60 Jumping Jacks
* March in place 2 minutes to cool down

Remember the Marching phase is your active-recovery to allow your heart rate to even out and muscles relax, thus allowing you to put all your intensity into your next round of Jumping Jacks and Burpees.

This is a challenge for those of you who have been regularly working out for a few months. 
If you are beginner or have any joint issues please consult with your doctor prior to performing these exercises!

Exercise of the day: Kettlebell Swing!

A Kettlebell Swing is highly efficient, working the abs and strengthen the core muscles as they provide a stable platform for other muscles to pull from PLUS they work the posterior chain muscles such as the hamstrings, glutes, core and back.

A kettlebell swing is a perfect choice of exercise for tabata training. This very short but intense style of training is ideal for kettlebell swings as they hit a lot of muscle at one time and get the heart rate soaring. Although Tabata training only involves work periods of 20 seconds with 10seconds of rest it is very brutal but very effective.

Swings are a fantastic conditioner and body fat burner. More and more studies are concluding that greater body fat burning occurs when training is performed at higher intensity levels rather than long slow endurance type training.

 

FORM IS CRUTIAL!

Here is a good how-to video:

 Good Luck!

Summer Beach Workout

Summer is always a great season when it comes to training; the lighter mornings and longer days make it an ideal time to get in a few extra workouts - and with the added pressure of looking good on the beach - that can only be a good thing.

However these extra workouts don’t have to be laborious jogs around the park every morning. Instead, try and spice up your workouts with some of these outdoor workout ideas.

 

 

 

Bodyweight Circuits

Go and find yourself a quiet spot in your garden/local park and test yourself with some bodyweight exercise circuits. Choose 5-8 exercises such as:

• Push Ups
• Burpees
• Ab Crunches
• Squats
• Lunges
• Squat Jumps
• Planks
• Squat Thrusts
• Step ups

Do 3-5 circuits using 15 reps on each exercise, start off with 90secs rest in between circuits and no rest in between exercises.

Each week try to increase the number of exercises or decrease the amount of resting time between circuits.

Sprints

Rather than just going for the same old jog in the morning, try doing sprint intervals. The high intensity of the sprints will allow for a better workout in much less time.

Find yourself a track or just a stretch of flat grass and sprint for 3-6 sets of 60-100m, depending on your fitness levels. Not only will the sprints be an excellent fat burning workout but also they’re great for toning the gluteus and legs.

Take the Weights Outside

Buy yourself a small barbell weight set or a couple of kettle bells and take your weight training workouts outside. Or for people on a budget, just get yourself some sandbags/old beer kegs/logs and do your usual strength training session with them.

Hill Running

Nothing gets the lungs and legs burning like a hill running session. Quite simply, find yourself a moderately steep hill and start running up it. If it's quite a short hill then use the sprint interval set up mentioned earlier and do 3-6 sets of runs with 40secs rest in between. The steepness of the hill will not only get your heart racing but also get your legs and gluteus burning too, not too mention loosening up any tightness in your hips.

Get Yourself Down to the Beach

The beach can be an excellent place to get a decent work out. By incorporating both the water and the sand you can get a varied and challenging conditioning session.

Using the interval training set up, try swimming for 50m then jogging for 200m and alternate the intensity from a hard swim – light jog, light swim – sprint, for 10-20mins depending on your fitness level.

For the group training session, playing Frisbee/ball games in the water will always get the heart racing and muscles working, plus, it will cause the body to exaggerate normal movements, increasing your mobility in commonly tight areas such as the hips and ankles.

Fat Burning Tips- An Interview with Chad Waterbury

Fat Burning Tips- An Interview with Chad Waterbury

CW: The first mistake is performing long duration cardio at a low intensity. Nothing wastes muscle tissue faster than jogging for an hour. When muscles are forced to continuously contract for 45 minutes or an hour, that energy has to come from somewhere. The body is very stubborn and doesn’t want to use fat for energy because it’s much easier to break down muscle tissue instead. This is why marathon runners are skinny and weak.

Second, when people try to lose fat they drop too many calories, too fast. Your anabolic hormones are fed by certain, key nutrients. When people go on a low-calorie diet they end up giving their muscles fewer nutrients for support and recovery. This quickly puts the body in a very catabolic state.
The third biggest mistake guys tend to make is choosing the wrong exercises and workouts to lose fat. Most people end up lifting light weights for a ton of reps. This is the exact opposite of what they should be doing because they’re not recruiting the muscle fibers they’re trying to keep: the biggest, strongest ones.

Think about it. When people try to burn fat they instinctively do the three worst things possible to maintain muscle. I’ve seen guys lose 10 pounds of muscle in a matter of weeks when they combine low-intensity cardio, high rep weight training, and a low calorie diet. This is a travesty.


JF: What are your top three fat burning tips? Actually, let’s start with three for training and then we’ll go into three for nutrition. 

CW: The first step is to make your cardio training short and intense. Tabata’s research taught us that high intensity cardio is the way to go because you’ll boost your anaerobic and aerobic power at the same time, and you’ll stimulate your metabolism to burn calories long after you leave the gym. Low-intensity cardio only burns calories while you’re doing it. High intensity cardio stimulates your metabolism to keep burning calories long after you stop.

Next, for every other workout it’s important to lift weights that are heavy enough to recruit your biggest, strongest muscle fibers. A 6-10 rep maximum is enough to get the job done when you accelerate the lift. There are two reasons why this is important. First, you’ll keep the muscle you have because you’re recruiting all of your muscle fibers. As I’ve mentioned in my books and articles, when you recruit the largest muscle fibers you’re also recruiting all of the other muscle fibers because of the size principle. As the saying goes: if you don’t use it, you lose it. Second, when heavy weights are performed in a full-body circuit with short rest periods, it drastically increases the metabolic cost of a workout. That’s essential for burning fat. But you can’t do much heavy training while cutting fat, so that’s why the next step is so important.

Third, you must perform cardio and cardio strength exercises at top speed. There are no typical cardio exercises in my world. Instead of jogging on a treadmill I have my clients perform a circuit of, say, split jacks, jumping jacks, and burpees for multiple rounds as fast as possible. Then I have them do exercise pairings that don’t require a lot of weight, but still recruit all your muscle fibers when performed at top speed. I call this “cardio strength” training. A good example is the kettlebell swing and push-up pairing. Start with 13 swings, then immediately drop to the floor and do 13 push-ups. Jump back to your feet and do 12 swings followed by 12 push-ups. Then do 11 swings and 11 push-ups. Continue with this sequence until you reach one rep of each exercise.

To read more, click here

What is a Fitness Plateau? How can break through it?

Plateaus of Weight Loss- Adaptive Thermogenesis  

Research done by Mike Roussell PhD 

Plateaus can be frustrating and detrimental to your fat loss if not dealt with swiftly and properly. Another way to look at weight loss plateaus is that they are actually your body settling in at a new body weight set point.

The set point theory is basically the idea that your body likes to be at a certain body weight and it will work to keep you there. Chances are you have experienced this in your own life. I’m talking about situations where you will gain or lose weight but inevitably after a couple weeks or months of trying to change you end up around the same body weight.

In order to break these body weight set points, it is important to understand the forces that you are working against (know thy enemy, right?). I’m talking about adaptive thermogenesis.

Adaptive thermogenesis is the seemingly automatic reduction in energy expenditure that occurs when you diet. Many think that this is the driving force behind people’s body weight set point.
This is important so I want to make sure I’m explaining it clear enough so here’s an oversimplified example.

You are currently eating 2000 kcal per day. Your body is currently burning 2000 kcal per day. You decided that you need to lose weight so you cut 500 kcal from your diet. So in theory your body should now have to dig up another 500 kcal from body fat to fuel the calorie difference???

EXCEPT ->>
It doesn’t work that way. Studies show that your body adjusts its energy output so that it can now function on only 1500 kcal per day. This is adaptive thermogenesis. It has been demonstrated that adaptive thermogenesis occurs with both severe and modest calorie cutting.

What is the driving force behind this? Here are some candidates:

• Changes in body weight
• Changes in Leptin
• Changes in Insulin
• Changes in Thyroid Hormones
• Depletion of Fat Stores

 Fortunately you can beat all of these, prevent adaptive thermogenesis, and keep the weight loss coming.

The answer?

Metabolic Training combined with diet.

We know from research and anecdotal evidence that not all exercise prescriptions work. What does work is intense metabolic resistance training...think HIIT and Tabata!

If you are currently stuck at a weight loss plateau, you need to break your body’s set point. To do this it is necessary to undergo a rigorous change in diet and training so that you can in essence shock your system.

Here’s what to do next. Once you break though your sticking weight, maintenance is very important. Get 5-15lbs below your old body weight set point and maintain that weight. Many people lose their fire and drive after they have lost the weight but you need to stay focused so that you can reset your body’s set point.

Maintain your new weight for 4 weeks (this is ideal) before you start losing weight again. This step wise approach will help reset your system to your new body weight and help fight its urge to return to the old set point. The key is keeping your body weight long enough so that your body ‘thinks’ that is the new normal.

Stay Focused and Invest in the Long Term - you'll get there!

Live longer and better with HIIT

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Digg Digg

Jack Lalanne at 71

According to this study, 6 weeks of HIIT (high intensity interval training), will make you live longer.
Previous research indicates that your SIRT1 proteins help keep you healthy & live longer by fixing errors in your DNA – cancer, UV light, free radicals, etc.

With that being the case, it’s a good thing to have lots of healthy, active SIRT1 running all over your body fixing any DNA errors.

Our current methods of increasing SIRT1 activity include calorie restriction and the supplement Resveratrol.

In this most recent study, researchers put some test subjects through a HIIT workout consisting of 40 min (10 x 4 min intervals @ 90% peak oxygen consumption) of bike sprints interspersed with 2 min rest periods.

They found that:

1. 4 days after training, there was a 28 to 36% increase in mitochondrial enzyme activity in your muscle.
2. Total muscle SIRT1 activity increased by 31%
3. Activity per SIRT1 protein increased by 58%, despite
4. the quantity of SIRT1 decreasing by 20%

And what does all of that mean?
The increased mitochondrial enzyme activity results in improved aerobic & anaerobic endurance and reverses muscle atrophy caused by inactivity or natural aging. That’s good.

The increased SIRT1 means that damaged DNA is repaired before it can accumulate and cause genetic problems.

Because, if we believe that the DNA damage theory of aging is correct, when we prevent the accumulation of damaged DNA, we prolong our good health and extend our life span.


Conclusion

• HIIT increases SIRT1 activity
• SIRT1 activity prevents genetic errors
• Genetic errors are responsible for aging
• Aging is responsible for death (duh)

• Therefore, HIIT will help you live longer & better

HIIT will make you stronger, faster and leaner.

HIIT will make you stronger, faster and leaner.

One of the ways it does that is by improving your lactate threshold (LT).

What is Lactate Threshold?

Lactate threshold is the level of exercise intensity where lactic acid builds up in your bloodstream and you begin to feel that lactic acid burn.

In the world of athletic science, LT is usually expressed as a percentage of VO2 max.


What is VO2 Max?
VO2 max is defined as “the highest rate of oxygen consumption attainable during maximal or exhaustive exercise”
Essentially, it is a measurement of how much oxygen you can get into your muscles during exercise, and is widely accepted as the single best measure of cardiovascular fitness and maximal aerobic power.


So how does LT & VO2 Max make me stronger, faster, leaner?

• If you can delay the build up of lactic acid in your blood, you can trainer longer, faster, harder.
• If you can train longer, faster, harder, you will become stronger, faster leaner.

And how do we delay the lactic acid burn, increase our LT and maximize our VO2 max?
Well, according to this study, high intensity interval training significantly increases LT and VO2 max.


The Study
Researchers took 20 physically active individuals and put them through one of two separate 6 week training programs.

1. Group 1 performed 1 interval training workout per week
2. Group 2 performed 2 interval training workouts per week

After 6 weeks,

1. Group 1 improved their LT by 4.3%
2. Group 2 improved their LT by 8.2%

Conclusion
Not only is interval training (HIIT) a successful strategy for improving LT and VO2 max, there is a dose-response relationship between frequency of interval training and the magnitude of LT improvement.
In other words,

• if you increase your HIIT, you increase your LT
• if you increase your LT, you increase your VO2 max
• if you increase your LT & VO2 max, you get stronger and faster & leaner….

And who wouldn’t want to get stronger, faster and leaner?

Todays Workout - Tabata

Push Ups
Squat Press
Jumping Jacks
In & Outs
Tricep Dip
Step Ups (alternate legs)
Bent over Row
Mountain Climbers

Perform each exercise for 8 rounds (sets) for 20 seconds (duration) of work and 10 seconds of rest. Repeat. Each exercise should take 4 minutes to complete all 8 rounds

In between each exercise do touchdown sprints.

Make sure you do a long warm up and stretch at the end.

ENJOY :-D

HIIT Tabata - Superset and Forget it

A1 Squats (lower body)
A2 Push Ups (upper body push)

B1 Lunges (lower body)
B2 Row (upper body pull)

C1 Wood Chop with Mediball or DB(full body – core)
C2 Plank (core)






Repetitions of each move range from 8-15 or 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Repeat each superset 4 times.


All you need is 10 -15 minutes!


Give it a try and you will be amazed at how much you get done in such a short period of time. Since the time you have this weekend is most likely limited, you now have no excuse.

Plus this is a great way to start your day – feel energized and less likely to make choices that may undue your efforts to get and stay fit! These short burst moves will have your body burning more fat and calories ALL Day LONG!

HIIT vs Interval Training

What’s the difference? Is there a difference?

That’s the basis of a conversation I had with a friend the other day…She said she had been doing 45 minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts…well, that was my first clue that she was a bit off in her definition of HIIT. You see she, like many I suspect, was thinking interval training and HIIT training were one in the same. They’re not. Yes, HIIT is interval training but not all interval training qualifies as HIIT. That is an important distinction, especially when it comes to attaining all the benefits of HIIT that you have no doubt read about (reduced training time, increased metabolism, faster fat loss, increased muscle mass, etc.)

Interval training is any type of workout where you vary the intensity for short periods of time. One of my favorite (running) interval workouts is 1 minute easy (a 3 on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being standing still and 10 being “running for your life”) followed by 2 minutes harder (a 7 on a scale of 1-10) and repeating that for 10 rounds for a 30 minute workout. Is that a hard workout? Absolutely. Is it a great workout? Definitely. But is it an HIIT workout? No.

True HIIT interval training is similar in the “rest” department…your rest is anywhere from a 1-3 on the 1-10 scale, but your interval is an all-out, run for your life 10 on that scale. That would the “high intensity” in the name. The reality is that the term really should stand for “highest intensity” interval training because that is what you need to realize the benefits of HIIT. And since HIIT is a “give it all you’ve got, cannot possibly go any harder” effort, there is no way you could sustain it for 45 minutes! Seriously, if you are giving it everything you have, you will flame out after 10-15 minutes… maybe 20 but that is arguable.

So often people get stuck in the “45-60 minute workout” mindset that came to us courtesy of the aerobically enhanced ’80s and ’90s, and to this day there are tons of people who, when they don’t have that 60 minute block of time, will just skip working out altogether because they “don’t have time for a good one.” Then there are those that sort of get the whole “HIIT takes less time” theory, but then they still try to go the 45 minutes or so…that’s great in that they may be doing a fantastic interval workout, but they’re not doing HIIT, so the benefits, while good, are not what they could be with a 10-15 minute true HIIT workout. But do keep in mind, that you can overdo it on the HIIT workouts…for most, 1-2 HIIT workouts a week is beneficial without risking injury.

One of the most well-known, and most popular HIIT workouts is the Tabata Protocol. Tabatas are 20 seconds all out followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for 8 rounds (4 total minutes). Done correctly, you can barely stand after those 4 minutes! There are many other versions of HIIT, like the partner 30/30s: you go all out for 30 seconds while I rest, then I go all out for 30 while you rest, etc. Many minutes in a row of that and you’re toast, and that’s the point. It’s the “toasting” during the workout that requires all the extra energy for repair and replenishment after the workout (for 24-48 hours).

Advantages Of Metabolic Resistance Training Over Traditional Cardio

Steady state cardio meaning running on a treadmill for 45 minutes at near the same pace the entire time has been the standard method of weight loss since the 1980s when the popularity of aerobic classes exploded. Unfortunately we've been following a tradition that isn't nearly the most effective means of weight loss, long-term and short-term.



Metabolic resistance training is a new phrase that has been gaining in popularity over the last couple of years and for a very good reason. It essentially causes a metabolic disturbance in your body meaning you'll be burning calories up to 48 hours after you work because your metabolism will be at an elevated state. This is great for weight loss because you'll find yourself burning fat even after you finish working out as opposed to steady state training where you stop burning calories once you stop training.



So what exactly is metabolic resistance training? It's basically a way of training that incorporates high intensity interval training by means of weight resistance training. Now this doesn't necessarily mean to pick up the latest issue of Muscle & Fitness and lift weights all day. Instead you're training with full body resistance training instead of muscle isolation exercises as well as doing sprints outside (or on the treadmill) and having a recover period in between.



Now metabolic resistance training is going to be significantly more difficult than steady state cardio but you'll get more results quicker than you would doing the latter and it won't take you nearly as long to do it. Most people aren't accustomed to training this way and the level of intensity is usually something they are not able to handle so if you're a beginner the best thing you can do is slowly progress your resistance up as you develop. A huge mistake many people take is going right into this high level of intensity training and after they nearly throw up they'll quit and go hang out on a bicycle for the rest of their gym duration.



A very fundamental example of this is a sprinter and a marathon runner. If you watch the ending of a marathon and see the winner you'll notice how incredible skinny and emaciated they look. This is not a very attractive body that you'll want to have but they do the same type of training that you do, long steady state cardio. If you watch the Olympics and see the sprinters who win gold metals they have a very lean muscular look to them that is very attractive. They achieve this by sprinting, therefore by incorporating high intensity metabolic resistance training into their workouts.

At Home Workout

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Tabata Workout

Here is a quick workout guaranteed to burn more calories in 20 minutes than a 1 hour (moderate pace) on the treadmill.

Do these seven station, 30 seconds each (high intensity) 3-4 times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C3yQTVMX