Well, it’s actually not a total secret if you’re in one of my lifeSport Fitness boot camps. We do this all the time in our camps.
Another study has shown once again that high intensity interval training is THE method to incinerate calories, increase fat loss and improve your fitness. The coolest part? You do interval training workouts for less time than traditional, steady state exercise. Very cool for those with busy lives!
Results from a recent study by Professor Steve Boutcher from the University of New South Wales showed that women who alternated between bike sprints and moderate/slow pedaling for 20 minutes lost more weight than women who cycled for 40 minutes at a steady pace. The high intensity group also improved their aerobic fitness faster and reduced their insulin sensitivity (great news for Type 2 diabetics!).
So, for this week’s homework, we’ll be doing the exact training protocol of Dr. Boutcher and his test subjects. You don’t need a stationary bike, though. You can walk, jog, run, swim or hop on a cardio machine at your health club. Grab your mp3 player, load in some fast music and let’s get crankin’!
Warm up: 3-5 minutes
All out exercise: 8 seconds (yup, just 8 seconds!)
Recovery pace: 12 seconds
–Do as many rounds as you can, or up to 20 minutes–
Cool down 3-5 minutes
Stretch!
A note to newer exercisers: Aim for just 5 minutes of intervals, and don’t go “all out”, just go faster. For the remainder of your twenty minutes, work at a moderately paced effort. It’s important not to overdo it with high intensity exercise if you’re a new exerciser. Start with just a few intervals and build up.
We’ve had a week off of bootcamp. How are your workouts coming along? What are you doing for workouts? Share your stuff here and motivate your fellow campers to get moving!
Committed to your success,
Becky