Thursday, February 20, 2014

Fast Interval Workout

Today's workout was a short one for me because I have a busy day of meeting with top fitness and nutrition pro's, John Rowley and Joel Marion, as we help John find ways to help America lose 52 Million Pounds in 2014. 
 
Fortunately, I discovered a research study that shows us how to get the fitness benefits of interval training in just 2 minutes. It's another Excuse-Busting Exclusive that you'll only hear about from Turbulence Training.
 
Now I know it sounds easier just to go for a jog than to do intervals, and you probably think you'll burn a lot of calories when jogging, but realize this: 
 
"Overestimating calorie burn is the Big Daddy of runners' weight-loss mistakes," says Lisa Ellis, M.S., R.D., a nutritionist in New York.

The average man burns just 124 calories per mile and the average woman burns 105, which means jogging a mile-and-a-half in 20 minutes doesn't even burn 200 calories. And most folks drink over 200 calories per day in soda, juice, or flavored coffees. That's why jogging doesn't get you results.
 
As you also know, intervals are superior to slow cardio for fat loss, and are even better at increasing your fitness levels (as are bodyweight workouts).
 
"Research has shown that high-intensity interval training can burn 15 to 20 percent more calories than a moderate, steady workout of the same duration," says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise.
 
That's why we get more results in less time with intervals.
 
And researchers at the Universities of Leeds, Glasgow, and Cambridge, now show us a faster way to get fit. Here's what they studied:
  • Group A: 4 intervals of 30 seconds with 4.5 minutes rest between each
  • Group B: 1 interval of 2-minutes straight, no rest
Group B tried to maintain the intensity of the short intervals for 2 minutes. Eventually they got tired and slowed down, but they kept going.
 
Results showed the SAME health benefits from doing the single interval.
 
(Ref: Whytea, L.J., et al. Effects of single bout of high-intensity exercise on metabolic health in overweight sedentary men. Metabolism: 62: 212, 2013.) 
 
That saves a lot of time.
 
So here's what I did this morning:
 
Bodyweight Warm-up Circuit of Squats, Mountain Climbers, & Planks.
 
Then 2 minutes straight of SlamBall Slams. I have a 20 pound slamball here at Joel Marion's house in Florida (where I'm on a "working holiday"), and I picked it up overhead, and using my entire body, I threw it with both hands as hard as I could into the ground. Then I squatted down, picked it up, and repeated. Over and over.
 
It's so much fun and so hard. I was exhausted by the end.
 
You could also do your 2-minutes on a bike, pedaling as hard as you can, or running a hill as fast as possible, or doing kettlebell swings, or even bodyweight squats or advanced jump rope.
 
That 2-minutes will keep you fit on super-busy days.
 
If you want maximum fat loss, researchers suggest 16-minutes of interval training done 3 times per week (but NOT more...do NOT exercise too much).
 
 
Now I'm ready for lots of meetings.
 
Tomorrow or Saturday I'll hit the weights again at Powerhouse Gym in Tampa with pro bodybuilder, Ben Pakulski and hopefully my good friend, Vince Del Monte (and even his wife Flavia!)
 
More details on that workout next week,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer
 
PS - The intervals sale ends...
 
...in just a few hours. 
 
Grab all those interval methods for faster fitness here:
 
 
Have a great weekend!
 
PPS - Read this yesterday, it's fantastic...

"It's mid-February now, the time when diets crash and gym memberships fade away. It gets easy, amid the snow and cold, to lose focus and start asking those questions that Resistance loves to hear rattling around in our heads. Hang in there. I will if you will. You might not realize it, but you're getting better. Trust me. I know." - Steven Pressfield
 
Brilliant words.
 
So...
 
Start Strong. Stay Strong. Finish STRONGER!  

 

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