Hey Fusers! Isn't it crazy that January is almost over?! How does time get away so quickly? While I never can quite figure out the answer to that question, what I do know is that there have been lots of awesome, challenging and rewarding workouts in 2016 thus far!
The year is off to a great start at The Fuse--you all have been kicking ass and working really hard! And I know, because we haven't been easy on you :) As you all know, this month's focus has been high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and we have really been pushing the envelope. I remember the first week of the month, and everyone seemed to really be huffing and puffing more than usual through the intervals (especially coming off of the holidays). However, heading into the last week of the month, I can easily say that the focus on HIIT is really showing, and you are all doing amazing! We're at a normal rate of huffing and puffing, and out of the "I'm going to die!!!!" place we were all living at the first week of January. So, great job everyone, the hard work is paying off ;)
So let's talk about why HIIT works. First off, it's efficient--you truly only need 15 minutes to get in a solid, sweat-inducing workout. HIIT utilizes short (generally under a minute), intense (hence the name) bursts of movement, followed by a short rest interval. Generally it's just enough time to take the edge off and let your heart rate drop a bit, so that you can go all out in your next interval. Because the workouts are short, you can really push yourself. It is proven that just 15 minutes of HIIT is more effective and will have much greater results than one-hour of steady rate cardio. Short and sweet. Who doesn't love that?
Secondly, it's extremely effective for fat loss. According to Eric Salvador, NASM and NSCA certified personal trainer and head instructor at The Fhitting Room in NYC, “A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery. This afterburn effect is referred to as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and is the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts.” In other words, it really ramps up your metabolism, burning more energy thus leading to fat loss. Winning.
Lastly, HIIT is convenient. Meaning you can do it anywhere. Also meaning you can no longer make any excuses. Seriously. Here's what I mean: let's choose 5 bodyweight exercises. We'll make it easy (not easy to do, easy to choose) and go with jump squats, skater jumps, mountain climbers, push-ups and burpees. Remember, I didn't say easy to do. We'll create the interval--30 seconds of all out, balls to the wall movement followed by 15 seconds of rest, 4 rounds total. All in all, we're talking 15 minutes total from start to finish. That's it. Which is why you are going to push as hard as you can. And you're not going to complain about it!! Because it beats running on a treadmill for an hour, remember that!
So Fusers, keep up the awesome work through the rest of January, and start getting excited for our February focus, which will be speed. Weather permitting, we'll have a couple scheduled track workouts, which are going to be fun! And by fun, I mean hard. But in the best way possible :)
Yours in health,
Kristin at The Fuse Fitness