WHAT IF…we told you that there is a way to make cardio SHORTER and at the same time MORE BENEFICIAL? Not only that but you do NOT need to spend endless hours pounding away on a treadmill to blast fat and help your heart? Sounds too good to be true … BUT IT’S NOT!
There really is a specific type of cardio that will get you in and out of the gym in 10-15 min tops and burns more calories than endless amounts of steady-state.
It’s called High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT. Basically, you are doing cycles of short bursts of all-out intense exercise followed by short recovery periods.
The reason it works so well is that it not only burns calories while you are doing it, you experience something called the AFTERBURN EFFECT (EPOC.) In scientific terms, this is because of something called Excess Post Oxygen Consumption. To keep it simple for you, this basically just means your body continues to burn calories at an accelerated rate even after your workout is over.
How long will you continue to have that revved up metabolism resulting in more significant fat burn? Research is conflicting on this. Some say the afterburn effect lasts for up to 24 hours, while others believe that it only lasts for 2-3 hours. Either way, science seems to lean more toward HIIT when it comes to the afterburn effect because it requires more EPOC than a lower intensity steady state session. Some studies have calculated that this results in up to 15 percent more calories burned than traditional moderate-intensity exercises.
1 hour or 24 hours … if it helps us blast more fat in a shorter amount of time, we will take it!
There are many ways you can create your own HIIT workouts. But if you don’t want to put much thought into it, one foolproof (and very effective) HIIT workout is simply hopping on a treadmill or a bike.
If you are doing the high intervals at the right pace, you will NEED every second of recovery that follows.
The keyword to remember with this type of cardio … ALL OUT.
You can not give this type of cardio half effort and see optimal results. If you are not giving those HIGH INTERVALS your all (we are talking 80-90% of your max heart rate ) then you probably are better off sticking with steady-state.
HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR MAX HEART RATE?!
Here is an easy formula to calculate your personal Max Heart Rate.
220 – your age = your max heart rate
*For example, that means if you’re 35 years old, you subtract 35 from 220 to arrive at the fastest your heart should beat: 185 beats per minute. This can vary slightly from person to person based on their fitness level*
There are many different high/low cycles that you can use for HIIT. Depending on your fitness level and what exercises you choose to do, you may need to lower the duration of your HIGH interval times and/or lengthen the REST times.
Some examples of interval cycle times could be:
10 seconds on – 20 seconds off
20 seconds on – 20-40 seconds off
30 seconds on – 30-90 seconds off
Anything longer than 30 seconds for the HIGH interval and you likely will not be going ALL OUT, which will make it more of a MIIT workout (moderate intensity interval training.)
To give you an idea of how HIIT is done, Vince did a video showing us his favorite HIIT workout. He also shows us a different method for determining your HIGH INTERVAL speed that doesn’t involve calculating heart rate.
The bottom line with HIIT … WORK HARD when it’s time to work and RECOVER when it’s time to rest. In this video, Vince is going to show you the BEST cardio workout for fat loss. This workout is great for anyone looking to lose weight, reduce stomach fat, or get absolutely shredded.
Following this routine style will make your cardio routine only 10-15 minutes max and burn more calories than standard steady-state ever could! For this workout, we’re going to need a treadmill and a bike, and we’ll be doing 5 rounds on each. Get ready to sweat!
Exercise #1: Treadmill
20 Second MAX Intensity
Rest 20 Seconds
Repeat 5 Rounds
Exercise #2: Bike
30 Second MAX Intensity
Slow Pace for 30 Seconds
Repeat 5 Rounds
As with any workout, you want to maximize your time. Don’t just train harder, train smarter!! Want to make the metabolic disruption caused by your workouts last all day long?
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