Aren’t you bored out exercising for a quarter, six days a week?
Getting up early & sweating out on the machine can get boring after sometime, especially if the results pour in slowly. Few of us know that the typical low-intensity long-duration cardio isn’t the best or most efficient way to burn body fat, boost your metabolism and get ripped six pack abs.
The best fat burning cardio you can do involves cranking up the intensity and doing high intensity interval training (HIIT).
Interval training is an athletic training system that combines short bursts of intense activity, called intervals, with periods of lower intensity, or rest periods. By alternating the two throughout your workout, your body is forced to exert more effort than it normally would during a steady, continuous workout of moderate intensity. For example you can exchange 45 minutes on a recumbent bike, reading a magazine, with 15 minutes of interval workout.
Studies have shown long endurance activities, such as marathon running, can cause muscle catabolism (the breakdown and loss of muscle tissue), which can last for up to 7 days after the activity takes place. On the other hand, High intensity interval training, allows you to metabolize fat without losing precious muscle mass.
In case you are a beginner, start out with a 1 minute walk / 1 minute jog session and repeat for as many times as possible. As you progress, you can use a 30/30 routine where you walk for 30 seconds and the jog for 30 seconds. You can perform this anywhere. If you would like to make it a little harder, find some hills where you can perform it. Perform this routine from 2 to 4 times a week or more until you are able to progress to the intermediate level.
There are number of ways to add on intensity to your cardio workout whatever the sport like jogging, running, skipping, cycling etc.
A day of high intensity interval training, after warm-up:
- Step 1 – Walk/Run as fast as you can – Approximately 5 min.
- Step 2 – slow down into a moderately fast jog(2 min)
- Step 3 – Slow down even further to a light pace jog(3 min)
- Step 4 – Start walking as fast as you can – 5-7 min
- Step 5 – Cool down with a moderate pace walk – 30 seconds
Time spent on each step will vary depending on your level of fitness.
Note: You CAN’T perform high intensity interval training for 45 minutes!
A solid interval training workout shouldn’t last more than 20 minutes and can be as short as 4 minutes long (not including warm up and warm down which might add another 5 to 10 minutes).
A jump rope can be one of the most cost-effective ways to add high-intensity cardiovascular fitness to your workout routine. Begin with about 3, 30-second sets at the end of your usual workout for the first week. Depending upon your current fitness level, you may feel nothing or some slight soreness in the calf muscles.
In case you are looking intense ab strength routine, check this out.
- Bicycles – 25
- Regular crunches – 25
- Situps – 25
- Rest 30 – 60 sec
- Side bends – 25
- Leg raises – 25Repeat
The trick to 10 minute abs is to go from one exercise to the next with as little rests as possible. It does get easier once your body gets used to the intensity. High intensity is required when working out for shorter lengths.
Many fat loss diets allow loss of lean body tissue. After all, your lean body tissue burns up to 5 times the calories that body fat does, so in periods of low food intake, it’s your basic survival mechanism to start utilizing this energy-expensive tissue for fuel.
Go out, Today, bring a stop watch or just a regular watch and watch the fat transcend.
Alert! Keep in mind that interval training is extremely demanding on the heart, lungs and muscles, and it’s important to have an OK from your physician before you start interval training.
Related Links
- The secret to losing Fat? Crank up the Intensity
- Improving your metabolism
- The Fitness Ball: a challenge for your abs
- Running for Women
- Skipping to Good Health
- Jump Rope Workout
- The bicycle kick: effective for the rectus abdominus
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
