Burn fat fast with this one workout.
High intensity interval training (aka HIITs), are extremely effective for transforming your body - no matter what your current state of fitness is.
In a study published in The Journal of Obesity they found that this type of training reduced their participants subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat (the silent killer of them all) better than any other type of exercise. In addition to fat loss, the HIIT workouts also improved the subject's anaerobic and aerobic ability, significantly lowered their insulin resistance and increased both their muscle tone and bone strength.
HIIT workouts also stimulate muscle-building hormones like growth hormone and IGF-1. This puts your body in a perfect state to build lean mass and lean muscle mass burns a lot of calories. In addition to the hormone response, interval training also develops the cardiovascular system by driving your heart rate up (during the periods of intense work). This in turn increases your aerobic ability while also strengthening your heart.
During the short periods of recovery, you will also increase your recovery capabilities - meaning you'll be able to recover faster in future workouts. And, because you are in oxygen debt (ie. gasping for breath) it will take your body longer after the workout to get back to normal. This will result in a revved metabolism for hours after you finish your workout.
To perform a HIIT workout the individual cycles through periods of intense training with periods of recovery. A typical interval of intense exercise should last anywhere from six seconds to four minutes, with the goal of reaching a target heart rate 90 per cent or higher. Recovery is active, meaning you are still moving with your heart rate now dropping to 70-80 per cent of your maximum.
In Delta we have the perfect park for a HIIT workout - Fred Gingell Stairs! Try this workout next time you are at the stairs.
Warm-up for 5-10 minutes and then perform 30 bicycle crunches, 20 bridges and 10 mountain climbers.
Once completed a full round go up and down the wooden stairs three times. After your third set of stairs perform another round of your core moves. Continue to cycle through this Core HIIT for either a period of time (20-30 minutes), or set of a goal of doing a certain number of cycles. Just remember to warm up prior to and to only go down and up the wooden stairs - not the entire length.
PJ Wren is a personal trainer who loves the stairs and loves to sweat. She can be reached at www.fitnesswithpj.com.
