HIIT, or “high-intensity interval training” is a term for workouts that involve short periods of intense exercise performed for time, alternated with lower intensity recovery periods. It’s a great way to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time, and it can provide all the same fitness, health, and weight-loss benefits of longer-duration cardio.

That’s WHY to do it. WHAT to do for HIIT cardio is a question our V Shred personal trainers get every day, especially in regard to our popular programs Fat Loss Extreme For Men, Fat Loss Extreme For Women, Toned in 90, and Move — all of which contain HIIT workouts.

Is the elliptical better than a bike? How about sprints? Plyometrics? Or a rowing machine? The answer: it doesn’t really matter what you do… as long as you can safely do it intensely!

Here’s why: The adaptations from this style of cardio aren’t just specific to a body part like your legs or arms. They’re systemic, which means they involve a lot of different systems and organs — from your lungs to your heart, capillaries, and sure, your muscles, too.

This means that you can experience the benefits of high-intensity interval cardio on whatever equipment works best for your body, your injury history, and your equipment set up. It can work even if you have no equipment at all!

The key to making HIIT effective is how hard you push yourself!

How To Know You’re Going “Hard Enough” In HIIT

There is really one thing you need to master when doing HIIT. That is getting your heart rate up high enough for these short sessions to be effective!

The most reliable way to do this is to wear a heart rate monitor. During the short bursts of high-intensity exercise, try to get your heart rate into 70-90 percent of your maximum heart rate and 55-65 percent during the rest periods.

Here is an easy formula for figuring out your max heart rate:

220 – (your age) = Maximum heart rate

Then just apply the percentages. Example: If you are 30 years old, 85% would be 161 beats per minute–right in the HIIT sweet spot. Training at 55% would be 101 beats per minute, which might feel more pleasant, but it’s not high enough to be HIIT.

If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can use your breathing or the so-called “talk test” as a guide. This is not quite as reliable, but works in a pinch.

If you can chit-chat at the end of a high-intensity interval, you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough. You should be struggling those last few seconds and need every second of “recovery” if you are performing HIIT correctly.

Equipment Options for HIIT

Bottom line: an effective HIIT session has less to do with what type of equipment you use and more about how hard you push yourself! If you can safely push the intensity for 20-30 seconds, that’s the real key in high-intensity training.

But here are a few guidelines that may help you decide what equipment (or not) to use for your HIIT cardio sessions.

• If all you have is a stationary bike, great! Crank up that resistance and use it!
• If running or sprinting hurts your knees but an elliptical doesn’t, go with the elliptical.
• If your heart rate soars when going up steps, jump on a step mill or find some steps and get to work!
• If you don’t like cardio machines, grab some battle ropes or a jump rope.

And if you don’t have access to any equipment, try doing plyometrics, perform run/jog intervals in your neighborhood, or find a small hill and perform hill sprints.

You could even just hit play on one of our follow-along bodyweight workouts, like the ones in many of our ready to download programs.

We even have a library of follow-along workouts in our app subscription, V Shred Plus on Apple or Android — and our YouTube channel is packed with free follow-along HIIT workouts!

So yes, you’ve got options— not excuses!!

The Best Supplements for HIIT Training

Since HIIT is all about being able to push and maintain intensity, the best supplements for this style of training are ones that are going to give you energy, but also help fight fatigue. A solid pre-workout does both.

Suppose you need a little push to have the energy and stamina to make it through a tough HIIT session. In that case, you may want to try mixing up some Sculpt Nation PRE about 15-30 minutes before you get started!

The ingredients in PRE will help give you energy without jitters and can even assist in revving up your metabolism so you can burn even more fat while you break a sweat! If you’re new to pre-workouts, you can start out with just a half-dose to determine your tolerance.

Do you feel like HIIT is too advanced for your fitness level? Or are you struggling to figure out what type of cardio and training approach will work best for you and your body? We have a team of coaches who are helping thousands of people around the world solve that exact problem every day. Click HERE for more information or email coaching@vshred.com, and we’ll get you hooked up with one of our expert trainers! 

The post What Should I Do For HIIT Cardio? appeared first on V Shred.

We all come in different shapes and sizes, referred to as our body type.

You can be healthy or unhealthy with any body type. Just because you are “skinny” doesn’t mean you are healthy, and just because you are “curvy” or “big-boned” doesn’t mean you are unhealthy.

But the shape of your body can be telling of your overall health and how easily you can lose weight, put on muscle, and get in better shape. 

This body type theory originated way back in the 1940s by a psychologist and scientist named William Sheldon. His research determined there are three body types based on bone structure and body composition.

• Endomorphs
• Mesomorphs
• Ectomorphs

There are no doubt outside factors that contribute to your body type, such as lifestyle, gender, age, and even hormones. But Sheldon concluded that body types are mainly inherited (genetic.)

Because of this, reaching weight loss and fitness goals may be achieved faster and easier using an individualized diet and exercise plan that is BEST for your genetics. 

No, you can’t change your genetics or bone structure, but you do have some control over changing your body type! It’s not necessarily fixed. Research has shown that diet and training can influence your body type, allowing you to transform over time.

No matter your shape, size, or genetics —  you can achieve the health and fitness goals you desire. You just may need to eat and train in a specific way that will help you work with your body, rather than against it.

Today we are focusing on the ENDOMORPH body type.

This body type is known to be the hardest to have in terms of managing your weight and overall fitness. We will tell you how to know if you have an endomorph body type and the best way to eat and train to achieve the best results. 

WHAT IS AN ENDOMORPH BODY TYPE

If you find yourself to be more round and on the heavier side, hold on to more body fat than muscle, tend to gain weight fast and lose it slowly, and/or weight loss has been a struggle most of your life — you are likely an endomorph.

Here are a few key traits of ENDOMORPHS:

• High levels of body fat
• Big-boned, stocky, wide, or curvy
• Round or apple shaped
• Wide waist and hips
• Shorter arms and legs
• Can’t “get away” with overeating or eating whatever you want
• Trouble losing and/or keeping weight off
• Puts on weight or muscle easier in the lower half of the body 
• Can develop strength much easier than losing fat
• A slower metabolism

If you are an endomorph, that doesn’t automatically mean you are less healthy than other body types, but it does mean that you may have to work a little harder to lose excess body fat. 

Endomorphs may also benefit from supplementing with quality thermogenics that can help boost the metabolism and aid in helping burn stubborn fat faster and easier.

WHAT TYPE OF DIET IS BEST FOR AN ENDOMORPH

Endomorphs often need to be a little bit more strict with their diet than other body types, and because of a potential overproduction of insulin, the endomorph body type likely doesn’t manage carbs as well as the other body types.

In short, this means if you are an endomorph, you may function best by eating high protein, moderate to high fat, and lower carbs. 

That is NOT to say you should avoid carbs if you are an endomorph! You just need to be mindful of how many calories come from carbs and focus on eating whole-grain fiber filled carbs instead of refined ones. 

Some examples of these types of carbs include:

• Sweet potatoes
• Quinoa
• Brown rice
• Beans
• Oats
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Low/Moderate GI Fruits

You can see the best calorie range and macro breakdown for an endomorph body type by using the macro calculator in the V Shred app for iOS or Android.

In addition to a higher protein and lower carb diet, some excellent supplements for endomorphs include:

• A quality thermogenic to help give boost the metabolism
• A nighttime thermogenic to keep fat burn going virtually 24/7
• A pre-workout to help bring intensity and extra calorie burn to workouts
• Turmeric to help speed up recovery time and aid in fat burn

To take out all the guesswork of which supplements are best for an Endomorph and get the best bang for your buck, you may want to look into going with a Fat Loss Stack — like this one.

WHAT TYPE OF EXERCISE IS BEST FOR AN ENDOMORPH

If you are an endomorph, it is key to include a proper weight training program that will help you build more calorie-burning muscle. You will also need to include a little more high-intensity cardio than other body types.

Don’t let this discourage you! It’s still totally possible to reach your goals in a healthy, sustainable, and timely manner — you just need to be strategic. 

For endomorphs, some research concludes that it is most beneficial to include compound exercises and circuit style training.

Compound exercises utilize several muscle groups at once.  Some compound exercise examples include:

• Deadlifts
• Squats
• Pushups
• Bench Press
• Lunges

Circuit training isn’t a specific exercise; it’s a training style where you use short but intense bouts of exercise routines with very brief resting periods in-between.

Doing your workouts “circuit style” gets your heart rate up higher than other training styles. The higher your heart rate, the more calories you burn – which is vital for endomorphs! 

Being an endomorph means you have low muscle mass, so you CANNOT neglect resistance training!! But because fat loss is a priority for the endomorph body type, you will need to prioritize cardio.

Any cardio is better than none, but the best cardio for an endomorph is said to be HIIT (high-intensity interval training.) 

Here are a few examples of short HIIT cardio workouts that are perfect for beginners but can also be adapted to all fitness levels. 

The V Shred programs Fat Loss Extreme for Women or Fat Loss Extreme for Men are  great examples of this combo of training and cardio.

ARE YOU AN ENDOMORPH?

One of the best ways to determine your body type is to look in the mirror and, without judgment, give yourself a good honest look. 

That said, our eyes can play tricks on us, making it hard to decipher what we really see in the mirror. Some people can even fall into two different body types.

That is why we created a FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ that anyone can take that will help you determine what body type you have.

It’s only a few questions; you get your results instantly and will even be given free tips for the ideal workout style and diet for your lifestyle and goals!

You can take it HERE! 

WHAT IF YOU AREN’T AN ENDOMORPH?!

Make sure and check the blog over the next couple of weeks! We are going to talk in-depth about the other two body types – Mesomorph and Ectomorph! 

The post The Influence Body Type Has On Weight Loss appeared first on V Shred.

We have a killer 4 exercise – 4 minute – no equipment HIIT workout for you to bookmark! 

Yes, this workout is less than 5-minutes! That’s not a typo!

But before we give you this quick and simple (but certainly not easy) workout, we want to make sure you know that this IS NOT a workout most people should do as their primary form of exercise!!

When it comes to getting in a workout, of course, something is better than nothing. But it doesn’t matter if your goal is to lose fat, gain muscle, or increase endurance — 4-minute workouts will never be enough to reach those goals! 

We like to call this one an “In Case Of Emergency” workout. 

• Oversleep?
• Get off work late?
• Kids forget to tell you about their art project due in the morning?
• Stuck in a hotel with no equipment and very little time? 
• Just not feeling like going in for your typical hour at the gym?

We all have days when a workout seems impossible…

This 4-MINUTE HIIT WORKOUT is perfect to have on standby for times when life throws hurdles your way, and a “real” workout just isn’t gonna work out. 

It wastes NO time, and while it may not be ideal for daily exercise, we promise if you give every second 110% all-out effort — you will break a sweat, feel the burn, and blast a lot of calories!!

• If you need to do this workout, chances are you don’t have gym access. So we also made sure you can do it ANYWHERE!
  
• It doesn’t require any equipment, only a small space!
• If you oversleep – do while your shower heats up!
• If you’ve gotta work late –  do it in your office between meetings!
• If you’re waiting on your kids – do it in the parking lot! 
• Do it while dinner is in the oven or while your morning coffee is brewing!

You get the idea!! Even on your busiest day, we know you can find (less than) 5-minutes! 

Instead of making TIME an excuse
and canceling your workout altogether …
HIT PLAY
and do this short “IN CASE OF (exercise) EMERGENCY”
4-Minute Follow Along

4-MINUTE HIIT WORKOUT

Structure
Do each exercise below for 45 seconds. Take 20 seconds of rest between exercises. Once all four exercises are done – so are you!! 

Of course, if you have more than 5 minutes to spare, you can take about a minute to breathe and do another round or two! 

Exercises
Reverse Lunge to Knee Drive
Double Plank Jack to Jumping Jack
Spiderman Pushup
Plank Up Downs

Workout Tips

• If you aren’t sure how to do any of these exercises, we show you how to do each one with proper form HERE!
• Make sure you are going all out during the entire 45 seconds!! HIIT workouts, especially really short ones like this, are only effective if you get your heart rate in that 80-90% max range for the entire “work” time! 
• No timer? Use this video! It is a real-time follow-along, so all you have to do is hit play!!
• Only use this workout as an occasional substitute or an “extra” little boost if you want some additional calorie burn! Most days, you should be following a full-body training plan that is best for your goals and body type! 

If you don’t know what your body type is… check out this FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ!! It guides you through six easy questions about yourself. Then based on your answers, it tells you what body type you have and the type of dieting, training, and cardio that you should do to get the BEST RESULTS based on YOUR genetics!!

And …
If you like “backup plan” workouts like this one
(or just short workouts in general)

Take a second and go comment HERE and let us know; that way, we know what kind of workouts you want us to film and post in the future! 

And while you are there, if you have any questions about this 4-Minute HIIT Workout – you can post them there, and one of our expert team members will get back to you asap! 

The post 4-Minute No Equipment HIIT Workout appeared first on V Shred.

It is that time of year!! 4th of July is upon us!!

Burgers on the grill … fireworks in the sky … and for many .. an excuse to skip the gym and eat thousands of calories .. in one sitting!

It can be tempting to throw your diet and training mindset out the window when holidays come around. But you must treat holidays just like you would any other day.

Have fun .. enjoy the time with family … and even enjoy all the food .. but keep your goals in mind. One of the best things you can do .. is still get in a solid workout!

We’ve got the perfect 4th of July PRE PARTY PUMP!

The workout we’re giving you below will not only burn a ton of calories .. the endorphins released from this short HIIT workout will boost your mood .. which will help you keep your healthy food habits in mind when it’s time to fire up the grill!

We will never tell you that you need to “earn” your calories .. that is not the kind of relationship with food we promote here at V Shred & Sculpt Nation.

Food should never be seen as “the enemy” or “a reward” .. and exercise should never be viewed as punishment.

Diet culture makes us feel bad about having a nice dinner with friends, and it makes us fall into the mind trap that holidays will make us gain weight.

What happens next?

We feel guilt .. and view exercise as “punishment” we “have” to get up and do the next day .. or as justification that if we burn a ton of calories pre-feast .. it’s okay to eat that extra serving of ice cream or calorie-filled cocktail.

Once you get this mentality, you will begin an endless (and very unhealthy) relationship with food. You will start to believe you ALWAYS have to earn food .. and will only feel okay about enjoying yourself .. if you have exercised.

Instead, look at your patriotic pump as a FREEDOM that you are blessed to have! You have an able body that GETS to move!!!

And view all that 4th of July food as FUEL! Getting in a workout before a big meal is a great way to rev up your metabolism and prepare your body to USE (instead of store) any extra calories you may consume!

Don’t fall into this food guilt trap..But also don’t go to the totally opposite end of the spectrum and make the holidays an excuse to be lazy and throw all your food mindfulness out the window! Use the short 15-minute workout  below and then ENJOY your day!

Alright .. let’s get our PATRIOTIC PUMP ON!!

Here is a quick fat blasting FOLLOW-ALONG cardio workout that won’t interfere with your day full of fun with friends and family!

The video above is a FOLLOW ALONG! Just press play and get to work! This fat-blasting workout consists of only 5 exercises. You will do each exercise for 40 seconds and take a quick 20-second break before moving on to the next exercise.

Explosive Squat with Calf Raises – 40 Seconds
Speed Skaters – 40 Seconds
High Knees – 40 Seconds
Alternating Toe Taps – 40 Seconds
Bicycles – 40 Seconds

It only takes 15 minutes and can be done from home with NO EQUIPMENT! You don’t even need a mat or a timer! Since it’s a follow-along .. we’ve got everything taken care of for you!

Fill up your shaker with some Sculpt Nation PRE Workout , and let’s get our Independence Day sweat on together… more calories burned means more BBQ to enjoy later, right?

And to help you burn off those extra calories from your 4th of July festivities and achieve your best results possible we are offering a MASSIVE discount code for our blog readers our entire Sculpt Nation supplement line!!!

For a LIMITED TIME we are giving you a whopping 40% off our entire Sculpt Nation supplement line! CLICK HERE TO SHOP! 

But these mega-savings are only going to be available for a limited time! Just use the code JULY40 at checkout and stock-up on all your favorites before this promotion expires!

The post 4th of July Fat Burning Cardio Workout appeared first on V Shred.