Git Fit Faster with HIIT
Skip the 60 minute treadmill session and 50 minutes on the rowing machine after.
Long cardio sessions can give you results sure, but shorter INTENSE intervals can get you the SAME results in LESS time spent.
Wow, get fit faster in less time? Sounds good.
Now if you're like many people I know and see all the time at the gym, you might like reading casually on the bike or stairclimber as you're exercising. Heck, I'm guilty of that too; some days I really want to "relax" while I work out.
Great for a cool down, but if you want to torch calories, burn fat and create MORE mitochondria ( the powerhouse of your cells), you want to work out FAST and SHORT and HARD.
High Intensity Interval Training will get you the same results in a shorter period of time, according to research studies like the one done at McMaster University.
According to the research study:
A practical model of HIT is a time-efficient training
stimulus
We have previously shown that low-volume HIT
consisting of 4–6 repeated 30 s ‘all-out’ Wingate cycling
tests with 4 min recovery is an effective stimulus for
improving mitochondrial enzyme capacity and exercise
performance (Burgomaster et al. 2005, 2006, 2007,
2008; Gibala et al. 2006). Similar to the present study,
Wingate-based HIT also leads to elevated levels of resting
muscle glycogen (Burgomaster et al. 2005, 2006, 2008;
Gibala et al. 2006)
So if you have 25-30 minutes to spare at the gym and think "Oh, I can't get enough of a workout in, just forget it", then think again! You can have a great and effective workout.
If you're interested in learning more about HIIT training, or need some help getting ready for the summer season, let me know! First session is free, try it out and see if it's right for you.
Check out my article on this subject in June's issue of Women's Running Magaine.
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