Do you think getting fit is hard? Do you have a measly twenty minutes to spare each day? If you do, then getting in shape will turn out to be as simple as pie. Earlier this week I published a post about the time waster that was traditional slow cardio. I raised a few eyebrows like a newbie would. People are still stuck in things that don’t work. So I got a ton of responses asking me to break down what I suggested to my clients as an alternative. It’s a simple interval workout for your days off when you’re not training with me.

The dictionary defines an interval as: a period of temporary cessation; what that means to you in terms of exercise is rest, work, rest, work. We are all aware of the bodies, the ability to adapt to their environment. While that’s good for survival, it’s a big no-no for fat loss. Gone are the days of hour-long walks on the treadmill, riding your bike until your nose is brushed against it. Apart from being a huge waste of time, who has time to do it? Most people who come to the gym only have a limited amount of time during the week to work out, so the last thing I’m going to recommend is long, laborious “cardio” sessions that will get you out the door. People want results! Here is how to get it.

Interval training workouts are not new concepts; in fact, they have been around since before personal training existed. By nature we are in a state of interval if you really understand the definition, from the day we were born; our life was full of starts and stops, fight or flight, jumps, runs and climbs. Apart from sleeping, there is very little we do in a steady state. Unless, of course, you have a sleep disorder that keeps you awake at night. There is plenty of research supporting interval training and its fat burning effects. Interval training works because you are constantly forcing your body to work harder and avoid plateaus. Some of the ways you can change your intervals to keep “shaking” your body are:

1. Go longer than last week’s hard segment, for example (instead of 20 seconds, go 30 or go up 45 seconds).

2. Add 3-4 sets of work to your current interval program

3. As your fitness improves, reduce your rest periods.

4. And the best thing of all time if you’re using dumbbells for intervals is to use more weight.

Here are some examples that are great for interval activities in and out of the gym.

1. Running and running in the stands

3-4 resistance or bodyweight exercises in a row.

2. Treadmill with high inclines or run/walk

3. Stationary cycling or group cycling classes (but be careful, you can adapt quickly, so constantly vary your tension or speeds)

4. The step mill or as I call it the Gauntlet

Boxing or Kickboxing

5. Plyometric exercises

6. Last but not least, kettlebells, sandbags, farmer walks, tractor tire lifts, and your favorite old school push cars.

After figuring out which activity suits your situation and which appeals to you the most, the next question is how, for how long, and at what intensity.

An easy level for beginners is to use a simple system where 1 is a basic level and 10 is extremely difficult to hold for more than 5 seconds (I didn’t create this method myself, but I find it easy to teach)

After preparing your body for interval training. Start with 3 to 4 as your work level, for 10 to 20 seconds, then recover (rest) back to 1 for one minute. And repeat for as long as you reserve for the exercise.

As you progress over a few weeks and start to adjust to that workload, the challenge becomes easier to complete. Upgrade to level 4 or 5 by adding a longer work period or shorten your rest period to 45 seconds.

And finally, for the advanced learner, go for 8-20-30 seconds, then rest for 1 minute or reverse. Go for 1 minute (if you can) for one minute, then rest 30 seconds. This works well for athletes as I have trained many athletes and taken them to 90 seconds at high levels. Make sure you can handle that, and don’t be afraid to scale back. Listen to your body!!! Now, I’m not trying to scare you, but if it sounds crazy, what I’m saying is all relative to your fitness level. For really obese clients, walking for more than 5 minutes could bring them down to a level 8! Discuss how you and your fitness professional can work with your level. I’ve gotten people’s heart rates up just by having them sit up and down, up to 400 meter sprints followed by box jumps. How hard can we push ourselves? The sky is the limit of what we can do to challenge ourselves. The idea is to never become complacent. This is how you burn stubborn body fat. So remember burn 500 calories in an hour or 750 in 20 minutes and become a fat burning machine you decide.

See you on the thin side

clarence ferguson

Ferguson Physicists

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