H.I.I.T CIRCUIT #1
WHEN IT
COMES TO EFFECTIVE AND FAST FAT BURNING INTENSITY IS KEY.
By
Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2
H.I.I.T or High Intensity Interval
Training has been very popular lately and for a good reason. It has shown to
deliver effective workouts in a much shorter time than most people care to
spend exercising. It is a great fat burner, and can also increase strength and
develop nicely shaped muscles. It can be done as a cardiovascular workout, training
with weights or just body weight, or even a combination of the two.
The beauty of H.I.I.T is not only
better results with shorter time commitment, but the reason behind it. Any
workout produces certain hormonal responses in the body. A few main hormones
that are of importance when we talk about fat burning and growing muscles, are
cortisol, growth hormone and testosterone. With longer workouts (even though
they are less intense) the body gets too taxed, and after about 40-45 minutes
cortisol levels rise pretty high. This has a catabolic (breaking down muscle) effect
on the body rather than anabolic, as most exercisers desire. Growth hormone and
testosterone, which stimulate muscle growth and fat burning, and are released
in higher amounts as a result of exercise, get suppressed if the workout is too
long and stressful on the body. However, shorter workouts, but with higher
intensity, seem to create an ideal situation for a much lower cortisol release
and, at the same time, no suppression of either growth hormone or testosterone.
In fact, these two hormones seem to respond amazingly well to this kind of
scenario. There may be many reasons behind it, the main one being that humans
evolved to use high intensity movements only for short periods of time, as in “fight
or flight” situations, and otherwise move a lot but in a low intensity fashion,
and our bodies are simply better adapted to handle this kind of exercise on a
hormonal level than workout sessions that are medium/medium-high intensity and last
forever.
(The final levels of the above
hormones will also depend on your pre and post workout nutrition, but that’s an
entirely separate subject. Please, see my article on post-workout meals from 07/11/2011
if you are interested: http://fitness-science.blogspot.com/2011/07/post-workout-meal-dilemma.html).
This video is designed for pretty
advanced and experienced exercisers. Please, make sure to watch all the
instructions carefully. The length of the H.I.I.T circuit can easily be
adjusted to suit anyone with a limited amount of time, from as short as 3
minutes all the way to 30. You probably wouldn’t want to do just 3, but all the
circuits in this series (there are 5) range from 2 ½ to 5 minutes. All you need
to do is repeat them as many times as your endurance and level of conditioning
will allow, up to a maximum of 30 minutes total. They will give you a great
fat-burning full body workout, addressing most of the muscle groups. H.I.I.T is
great for toning and shaping, as well as overall muscle conditioning. You don’t
really need a lot of additional abdominal exercises since your core is used to
a great degree in most of the exercises shown.
Please, always do a 5-10 minute
warm-up before any exercise.If you’re not used to working out at a very high intensity you may need between 1.5 to 2 minutes of rest before repeating each circuit. If you find that your level of fitness and conditioning allows you to move faster through the whole routine, then take only 1 full minute of rest between the circuits.
Each circuit consists of 5
exercises and all exercises are done in sets of 6 repetitions, using moderate
weights that are still challenging, but that will also allow you to perform
full range of motion and complicated multi-joint movements. You will have to
figure out yourself what amount of weight you feel most comfortable with that
will let you finish the whole set with good form. The sets are short since you
are not resting at all during each circuit, and anything longer would be too
taxing on the body given the choice of exercises.
Make sure that you get enough
recovery between sessions. Most of the exercises in these videos are strenuous
and demanding, and you will need a minimum of 48 hours recovery time. For many
people a schedule of 2 days of rest afterwards is a better option to avoid
overtraining.
DON’T LET THE LOOKS FOOL YOU. IF
YOU DO THE EXERCISES CORRECTLY AND WITH A FULL RANGE OF MOTION, YOU CAN GET
VERY SORE FROM THIS WORKOUT, SO BE SMART ABOUT PROGRESSION AND DON’T START WITH
7 OR 8 CIRCUITS, AS YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO MOVE THE FOLLOWING DAY.
I would highly recommend a good
post-workout recovery meal, which should have good quality protein and
carbohydrates and a small amount of fat. It could be just a regular meal, or a
protein shake. To get protein shakes ideas and recipes please refer to my
earlier article:http://fitness-science.blogspot.com/2011/07/post-workout-protein-shake-recipes.html
Please, always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.
