In one of my recent posts I mentioned that if you are short of time and can only do three, half hour, sessions per week that one of these sessions should be an interval sprint session.
Now running doesn’t agree with a lot of people (neither do I for that matter!!) so the sprint session doesn’t just have to be running. What we want to do is get the heart rate and intensity elevated quite high and then have a rest. So you can do this on the track, in the pool, on a bike or if you’re mad : burpees! It doesn’t really matter what the input is as long as the output is high.
These sprint/interval type sessions have been shown in a lot of research that it can be up to NINE TIMES more effective for fat loss over steady state or endurance training.
Put in the extra effort and you will have your body’s metabolism revved up for 24-36 hours after you have left the gym.
Just a quick word of caution though. Don’t go overboard with this type of training. Too much of a good thing can easily make it bad (think red wine). If you overdo these intervals (more than say three times per week) then you run the risk of injury and burning out. Incorporate it with the rest of your training and you’ll be fine.
Here are a few quick samples of how to set up your session. Remember that you need to do a proper warm up prior to going crazy at it.
Session One
2 minute warm up (specific to your task after your general warm up)
30 seconds hard (8-9/10 Perceived Rate of Excursion) : 90 seconds easy (3-4/10) x 8
3 minute cool down
Session Two
2 minute warm up (specific to your task after your general warm up)
120 seconds hard (7/10) : 120 seconds easy (4-5/10) x 4
3 minute cool down
Session Three (specific to your task after your general warm up)
2 minute warm up
60 seconds hard (8/10) : 120 seconds easy (5/10) x 6
3 minute cool down
Try to increase your intensity with each session either by increasing the level or the speed on the hard section of the interval. You will be rewarded with a new level of fitness and a leaner, toned body.
Do you have a favourite sprint or interval session that you do? Let us know about it in the comment section below.
Whilst the workout is the focus of a lot of our thoughts, we need to make sure that the warm up isn’t over looked.
Gone are the days of running a few laps and then doing some static stretches for the quads, hamstrings and calves. Instead you want to do something a bit more dynamic which will really get your body primed for your workout.
The focus of the warm up is to get the body ready for action. You want to get the heart rate up and increase your body temperature so that when you start your workout your muscles and central nervous system are alive and kicking.
You should be getting your breathing rate up as well during the warm up. If you sweat easily you might find that you start to perspire a bit during this time. Great! Just don’t turn the warm up into the workout.
Have a look at the video below for my complete lower body warm up which is perfect for any running, sprinting, interval or lower body workout. Tweak it a bit if you like, after a few trial and error runs, you will find what works best for you.
A is for Avocados. Good fats, plenty of fibre, great with any meal. B is for Burpees. Old school, simple and effective. C is for Crunches. Ditch them in favour of Killer Core Exercises. D is for Deadlifts. Great exercise for your legs, arms and butt. E is for Eggs. Natures perfect meal. F is for Fasting. Often overlooked and misunderstood. G is for Goals. Make sure you have them. You can achieve anything you want. H is for Heavy. Don’t be afraid of lifting heavy weights. They won’t make you bulk up. I is for Intensity. Pump it up. When you train, have a proper go. Finish your workout spent. J is for Jumping. Get your own body weight moving vertically and your heart rate will follow. K is for Kangaroo meat. Full of nutrients, very lean and good for the environment. L is for Lifestyle. Make small changes every week and your fat loss lifestyle will be sustainable. M is for Magnesium. Are you getting enough? If not eat more spinach and pumpkin seeds. N is for Natural. Avoid processed foods as much as possible. O is for Obesity. Don’t become a statistic. Stay active and eat well. P is for Positivity. Focus on the good and eliminate the bad. Always be looking for the positives. Q is for Quinoa. Actually a seed, but used like a grain. Great addition to soups, or as a substitute for rice. Have you tried it yet? R is for Rest. Recovery is just as important as the hard work you are doing. S is for Supersets. Raise the intensity of your workouts by doing two exercises with no rest in between. T is for Technique. Always exercise with proper technique. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself when working out. U is for United. Get the support of your family and friends and you will get further than ever before. V is for Variety. Mix it up and you will never get bored. W is for Weight. Don’t get too conscious of the scales. Do your clothes fit better, do you look and feel better? These are much more important than a number on the scales. X is for Xanthines. Caffeine is derived from xanthine, and whether you want an extra boost for your workouts or just to kickstart your day then a caffeine hit will do the trick. (Drawn a long bow here, but you try getting a X for fat loss!!) Y is for You. Get the body you have always wanted. Don’t be afraid of failing. The only way to fail is to not try. Z is for Zinc. Common deficiency. Easy enough to get when eating red meat, peas and pumpkin seeds.
Forget cardio. Well at least forget cardio in it’s usual form. Unless your goal is to get better at riding a stationary bike, or running on a treadmill then you had better ditch the idea that this will help you burn fat.
To get the maximum amount of fat burning happening you want to recruit a lot more muscles, build fatigue and be working hard enough to question why you are doing it at all. By using high intensity intervals the goal is to get your heart rate up around or over 90% of your maximum. A typical session should last at most 30 minutes. You want to get in, go hard and go home. No messing around.
Instead of just going for a run next time you have a cardio day scheduled, try the following workout.
All you need is a few dumbells or kettlebells, a treadmill (running outside would be better) and the desire to work hard.
For Time : Maximum number of rounds in 30 minutes
Run 250 metres
10 One-arm dumbbell/kettlebell swings (each arm) Hard – 10kg, Easy – 6kg
Run 250 metres
50 Mountain Climbers (25 each side)
Run 250 metres
10 One-arm Alternating dumbbell/kettlebell clean (each arm) Hard -20kg, Easy – 10kg
Run 250 metres
50 Bodyweight Squats
Rest as much as you need to but as little as possible.
This fat burning workout will get you using all your big muscles which will get your heart rate sky high, burning so many more calories than a normal cardio session.
It is important to fully recover between session like this. With this in mind I would recommend that you did no more than two of these sessions per week.
Also, make sure that you have your food and nutrition in order. You can learn more here.
