spice up your cardio and get more results:
Are you tired going for long runs or doing hour long elliptical workouts that just don’t seem to deliver the results you’re working for? You’re not alone if you’re just plain tired of doing long cardio sessions where you either run from one neighborhood to the next or stare at the DirecTV feed on a 7″ screen at your local gym. Either way there’s nothing wrong with doing what I call “straight cardio”. It’s really good for keeping a strong ticker, and it does help to burn some body fat but only while you’re doing it. Yes, that’s right. Cardio workouts that raise the heart rate and keep it raised for over 22 minutes (give or take a few minutes depending on the individual) are only effective for fat and calorie burning while you’re doing the workout. This is exactly the reason you need to start doing interval training instead of, or at least in addition to straight cardio.
Interval training such as spring/jog/walk (a simple example) broken into 30 second sets done for 30+ minutes will stress the muscles in a totally different way than cardio jogs or elliptical workouts. The result of this different kind of muscle stress and a rise and fall of your heart rate forces a completely different type of recovery for your body. A recovery that takes 24 to 48 hours in fact. And during that day or two of recovery your metabolism is boosted and your body is burning more fat than you ever would from regular cardio routines. Add some plyometrics to the mix and you’ll be burning more fat than you ever thought possible.
My Boot Camp classes in Long Beach and Los Angeles are designed with interval training and plyometrics incorporated into every single workout. I also use plenty of mixed intervals with my personal training clients. When people are surprised that they can achieve weight loss so quickly I make sure they understand that the principles of interval training play a huge role in their results because I make sure their muscles are in a constant state of repair. This would never happen from straight cardio, no matter how many miles they run or how often they hit the elliptical. At the Level 9 Boot Camps we are always focused on the aftermath of the workouts and the healing process. Results are further enhanced by a diet consisting of whole foods and the correct combinations of carbs, protein, veggies and good fats.
To learn more about interval training contact me or join my Boot Camp.
Jed Miller