High intensity workouts are not for the faint of heart. If you’re serious about burning calories and want to see some serious results right away, using high intensity workouts can be one fast shortcut to your destination.
Using high intensity workouts requires concentration and determination. Your muscles, lungs and heart are going to be screaming for you to stop, but you need to keep going anyway.
Here’s how to use high intensity workouts to blast some calories off your body in a single exercise session.
==> Start with Stretching and Warm-Up
A lot of people consider stretching and warming up optional. If you plan on doing high intensity workouts, however, these two steps cannot be optional at all.
The risk of injury without stretching and warming up are quite high. Also, you won’t be able to work out as hard if you’re not properly warmed up beforehand.
Start by stretching your entire body for 3-5 minutes. Then get on the treadmill or stationary bike and exercise at a moderate pace for 7 minutes.
This will get your blood pumping and your body ready for your high intensity workout.
==> Go at 90% of Maximum Heart Rate
High intensity workouts typically involve going at about 90% of your maximum heart rate. Use the heart rate monitor on your gym’s workout machines or your own heart rate monitor to gauge how hard you’re working out.
How long should you go for? The goal is to push your body until your body is so tired that it’ll need the entire rest of the day to recover from the workout.
This gets your body into a state called EPOC or “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption.” In other words, you’ll be burning weight for the entire rest of the day.
In the beginning, your ability to push yourself hard might not be that high. However, as you get more practice with high intensity training, you’ll be able to go longer and longer periods of time at this 90% heart rate.
==> A Few Exercises You Can Try
What kinds of exercises are well suited for high intensity training?
Running and cycling are two of the most popular choices. These two choices are easy to perform and easily get your heart rate up. A lot of people also find them to be the most enjoyable exercise for them.
On the other hand, you’ve got more fringe exercises that also work quite well.
Boxers find that jump ropes work great for high intensity training. You can push yourself very far using just a single jump rope.
Another possibility is rowing. Rowing equipment is underused in most gyms, but it really works out your cardiovascular system along with many major muscle groups.
Again, high intensity workouts aren’t for everyone. They get results and they get results fast, but you need some serious determination to even attempt these kinds of workouts.
For your endurance / aerobic conditioning I would recommend that you continue to run, bike, swim, use a rowing machine, or jump rope. However, it would also benefit you to add more high intensity interval type of training to your program.
On a bike, or any other machine, you would sprint for 30-60 seconds, then back off for 15-30 seconds, then sprint again. Alternate this pattern for several minutes or for the entire workout.
I am also a big advocate of sprinting, especially up hills or stadium steps. This type of high intensity training, with little rest in between sets, is extremely effective in developing strength and endurance in all types of athletes.
Keep up your endurance training, but add this type of high intensity training 1-2 times a week for an added boost to your program. Once you do, you will notice the difference in your riding.
Once you decide on your exercises, it’s time to set up a workout. Here’s a sample workout that would be good for someone who has completed several weeks of basic strength and conditioning as described previously:
Strength Workout – *Keep rest times between sets under 60 seconds
- Jog in place or bike for 5 minutes
- Stretching for the upper and lower body – 5-10 minutes
- Stability Ball Pushups – 4 sets of 10-20 reps
- Towel Pullups – 4 sets of 5-10 reps or hang on for 30 seconds
- Situps – 4 sets of 20
- Leg Lifts – 4 sets of 10
- Stepups on a Bench or Stairs – 4 sets of 20
- Lunges or Bodyweight Squats – 4 set of 10-20 reps
Endurance Workout
- Jog, Bike, Swim, Rowing Machine, or Jump Rope (or any other endurance / aerobic activity) for 30+ minutes, or
- Interval Training as described above, or
- Hill / Stadium Sprints
If you don’t have time to do the entire strength workout in one session, then divide it into upper and lower body workouts and do them on alternating days. Strength training should be done 2-4 times per week. Endurance training can be done on the same days or on alternating days with the strength training.
Add or subtract exercises according to your personal needs. If you also like to lift weights, you can include them in your program. Remember – adjust the workouts to work on your weaknesses and maintain your strengths.
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