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Since learning that the best way to burn fat is through intervals, I think I’ve actually developed a hatred for the word cardio. “It’s just a little word, what’s it ever done to you” I hear you say. Well, I have become annoyed with the word because it has been used to describe and represent inefficiency in the gym. I still see a disturbingly high number of people go into the gym with their favorite magazines or books and stay on the cardio machines for hours just ” going through the motions” and not really benefitting from their workouts. But the word cardio, remember, is short for cardiovascular (I know you already knew this) and it means any pursuit done to improve one’s heart and lung capacity and health. I just hate the media’s portrayal of it to be a long, arduous task when it doesn’t have to be. I am biased in favor of interval training because of how effective it is for fat loss. It’s efficient, challenging, time-saving and frankly, the best-proven way to gain maximum results.
High-Intensity Interval Training ( HIIT )
When most people think of intervals, they immediately see sprinting on a treadmill in the gym and soaking in sweat. There is nothing wrong with this whatsoever, in fact, I have used this method on several occasions to get rid of some stubborn fat and I have no complaints yet ( I am overly fussy in what I choose to use, it’s a fault I cant shift LOL). However, treadmill intervals are but one in many forms of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Let’s take a look at some other forms of HIIT. Tabata ProtocolA Tabata workout is a timed workout that is only 4 minutes long. It consists of 20 seconds of very intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, and then you repeat this 8 times. It seems simple but the devil is in the details with this one, literally. It is a killer! This form of interval training was invented by a Japanese researcher called Izumi Tabata,
Aerobic Workout
who found after researching, that this protocol improved the aerobic and anaerobic systems of the trainee just as well or better than the traditional 60-minute aerobic workout. It is a great exercise for revving up your metabolic rate after the workout is completed. It gives a lot of flexibility because it gives a range of exercises you can use it with an even can be adapted to your specific sport e.g. a basketball player could slap the backboard a number of times for 20 seconds and then rest for 10. The only drawback with this exercise is that beginners may not be able to use it because it requires a certain standard of fitness that some people may not have achieved yet. But all in all, it is one of the best and most challenging methods of HIIT.
Best Cardio For Fat Loss
This is interval training in its essence in my opinion. You, the outdoors and the stretcher to carry you home. All jokes aside, this method also gives as much as it gets. You will challenge your body and oftentimes, your mind but it will build up oxygen debt and lactic acid as well and will help you burn calories. Most sprint interval work is performed on a track of some sort or just at a park and can be adjusted accordingly to the individual. It usually involves sprinting a certain distance and then walking or jogging back. Anything from 30 to 400 meters and you could start with 2 rounds per workout with 3 to 5 minutes rest between rounds. You can gradually increase the number of rounds per workout as you improve. This is a nice change if you want a different approach to fat loss but with the same effectiveness as sprints. If we look at it technically, running is a form of bodyweight training and it’s only used as the primary way of intervals because it is the most common but if we included other bodyweight exercises in place of just running, we could burn fat and keep it interesting as well. I first heard of them from Craig Ballantyne and here is a video showing you how they are done.
Upper Body Exercises
(This circuit is tougher than it looks, believes me! But what I like most about is that I can make it specific to a sport for example, for spiderman pushups I could use pushups with or on a basketball)With bodyweight intervals, your only limited by your imagination because if you find out how to order the exercises anyone can pretty much create their own circuit, you can start off by just alternating between upper body exercises and moderate-intensity lower body. Stair running This is also a sports drills I had used for a while but never truly appreciated it’s fat-burning capabilities till recently. This exercise is excellent because it torches fat and trains you to be efficient at short distance sprinting in all fields, whether it be running to get to the office on time or in a sport when scrimmaging or dring a game. You perform it as you would regular intervals, sprinting up the stairs and then walking back down. Pretty simple, right?
Running Stairs
Remember to engage your whole body, not just the legs. Try and swing your arms into the movement and also try and keep your abs braced throughout. And for the legs try and engage your gluteal muscles and quads by staying low pushing off the ground hard. Run using the balls of your feet and not your heels as this is a way of slowing down and running stairs is all about speed and explosion. Have fun! LOL(at 0:40, I like the use of dynamic exercises to warm up the body for activity. If you want to learn more on how to get warm for activity, see my post on The Best Way to Warmup)It’s only the Beginning These are just a few different forms of intervals that you can use. Like I said before, with interval training your only limitation is your imagination. The sky really is the limit. So go out there, have fun and let’s see if we can’t get more people torching fat!.
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