Pre- and Post-workout Nutrition for High-Intensity Interval Training

 

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has become hugely popular thanks to real results in shorter periods of time and extensive benefits. With busy schedules the norm, it’s no wonder so many clients and potential clients are now seeking out these kinds of workouts.

HIIT, which involves repeated sessions of relatively brief, intermittent exercise, usually performed at very high intensity, can be easily modified for various client needs and fitness levels. When combined with an expert nutrition program, personalized HIIT programs can elicit serious results and health benefits, including: 

Improve blood pressure and cardiovascular health
Improved insulin sensitivity
Improved body composition

Whether you’re adding HIIT to your own personal fitness program or ramping up client results and health benefits with this style of training, it’s important to understand the nutritional needs to support it from start to finish. While nutritional needs do vary by individual and training program, these nutrition plans and meal ideas for pre- and post-workout nutrition can help.
General Nutrition to Support a H.I.I.T. Program 

To get the most out of any fitness program, you should follow a healthy meal plan in general. Effective and well-rounded nutrition programs are based on a variety of healthful ingredients such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. The best nutrition plans provide adequate calories and macronutrients such as carbohydrates to fuel the body and provide energy stores for workouts. It’s important that these are expertly created programs that allow you to stay within your scope of practice and prevent clients adopting a restrictive diet that may inhibit their success. Adequate water is also a must to ensure complete hydration during workouts.
 

Pre-workout Nutrition for HIIT

Due to the intensity of these workouts, it’s vital to follow a healthy nutrition plan with adequate nutrition in the days and hours leading up to a workout. Plan on a moderate- to high-carbohydrate meal that also includes protein approximately three to four hours before the HIIT workout, and then another high-carbohydrate snack within an hour after the workout. Good options for a pre-workout meal include: 

Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and banana
Non-fat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit
Dried fruit and almonds
Post-workout Nutrition for HIIT

The biggest nutritional concern post-workout is replacing energy stores (glycogen) and repairing muscles that have been broken down during the intense workout. Again, a combination of carbohydrates and protein has been shown to be most effective. Research shows that a 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein within 30 minutes of completing a HIIT workout is best for replacing energy stores in preparation for the next high-intensity workout. 

 

Suggestions for post-workout nutrition are similar to pre-workout meals and include:
Whole-grain cereal with fruit and soy milk
Whole-wheat crackers with fruit and cheese
Hummus and pita bread

The best pre- and post-workout nutrition boosts energy and results—and motivation. 

Reference Gibala, M.J. (2007). High-intensity interval training: New insights. Gatorade Sports Science Institute Sports Science Exchange, 20, 2.

Cross Fit - How To Ace The Rowing Machine

Looking for the most comprehensive of workouts? CrossFit gyms offer the most intense and interesting of exercise options for your daily fitness needs. And for those of you have just been introduced to the amazing rowing machine, I can assure you that you are about to get an all round workout of your muscles in the most effective way possible.

There is a reason why rowing machines are extensively used and recommended across CrossFit gyms in the entire country. This amazingly versatile piece of fitness equipment offers many different options for a trainee to take advantage of, ways to use the machine to get an intense workout on targeted parts of your body. This machine is ideal for use by newbie's and experienced trainees alike. And depending upon your experience and manner of handling it, your CrossFit Box  trainer will select the best exercise format for you. Trust me when I say this- he/she will have many options up his sleeve as far as rowing machines are concerned.

 

Need help in mastering this beast of a fitness machine?
Here is a list of some of the many exercises that you can be expected to perform on a Rowing Machine. Know all about them and practice hard to impress your CrossFit gym trainer.

Steady Rowing
Steady Rowing is one of the easiest workouts possible with this machine, conveniently paced at around 18-24 strokes per minute. Although it isn't all that effective for fitness or weight loss, this type of a workout is good for beginners or as a warm-up before a more intensive routine. Your CrossFit gym routine will most probably begin from this exercise.

Interval Training
This is a more intensive type of exercise routine that you will be expected to follow with a rowing machine. It involves rowing for a set duration of time, generally around 2 minutes at a high pace of around 30 and then slowing it down for say 20 strokes for the same period. There have been many researches that suggest that alternating between high and low intensity workouts helps burn fat faster. It totally confirms with the Crossfit fitness philosophy!

High Intensity Workout
High Intensity rowing is something that will be introduced into your CrossFit gym routine in the later stages of your training. It involves rowing at a fast pace, around 30 strokes per minute or more, at a steady pace for a long duration of time. There is no alternating between fast and slow pace. This type of a workout is quite strenuous and should be attempted only when you have achieved a good level of fitness already.

Pyramid Training
This is for the elite users of the rowing machine who have achieved the level of fitness they wished to attain and now want to maintain it. It includes training for progressively shorter periods at a fast pace, like rowing for 4 minutes at 22 strokes per minute, 3 minutes at 24, 2 at 26 and 1 at 28. You can then reverse the routine to get build up the activity again.

Source Megan Ryan  NYC Crossfit

10 Steps on Improving Your Metabolism

Get 10 tips on how you can increase your metabolism, naturally. You'll be surprised at how little things can affect your metabolism in a big way.

Are you sluggish and low on energy?

Do you feel like you work and work toward your weight loss goal and never seem to make any dramatic improvement?

You could be suffering from a slow metabolism. Even though you may have a slow metabolism, it does not have to destroy your weight loss efforts. You can dramatically improve your metabolism, and boost your energy levels without taking supplements.

Your metabolism simply refers to the conversion of food to usable energy by the body. It is the biological process, by which energy is extracted from food, and the net result is how fast or slowly the body burns those calories.

A few steps you can take to improve your metabolism naturally are:

Drink Water – Water is great to drink and you should be drinking a minimum of 8 to 10, glasses daily, of course, more is better. It will help increase your metabolism and flush out sodium, toxins, and fat. Drinking water before meals will fill your stomach so you feel full and prevent overeating. Avoid excess colas, coffee, teas, and sugary juices. Caffeine will dehydrate you, and the sugar will do more damage than good in the long-run.
  

 Eat Every Three Hours – Eat a small balanced meal every three hours, including snacks. Meals and snacks should be balanced, meaning they should contain a complete protein, carbohydrates, as well as natural fat. Failure to eat consistently can lead to a slower metabolism and fat storage. Also, skipping meals slows down your metabolism. To ignite fat loss you need to be consuming the right foods in a balanced manner throughout the day.

Don't Skip Breakfast – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gets your metabolism running in high gear. You wouldn't drive your car to work on an empty tank, and you shouldn't start your day without adequate nourishment. Your first meal sets your metabolism for the day and keeps it going, as long as you eat every three hours. If you get up early and eat a late breakfast, you miss out on several hours of burning calories.

Don't Fear Fat – Fat has developed a bad reputation. Many people think fat makes you fat. This is false. The type of fat and how much fat you eat impacts your body fat composition. Fat is needed by the body. Those who follow a very low-fat diet have a harder time ridding their body of fat. Choose natural healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, various nuts, flax, and natural peanut butter to receive your necessary fats.

Omit Trans Fat – Trans fat is the bad fat, the cause of weight gain, low energy, depression, cancer, and heart disease. You will never get the body you desire by eating "healthy" fast food, frozen dinners, and other processed choices. If it's man-made, it's not the best choice, and will halt fat loss endeavors. Eat the foods Mother Nature has provided to meet your fat loss goals.

Be Active Daily – Stay active at least six days a week. Take the stairs when possible or park further out to get that little bit of extra movement to keep the heart and lungs working optimally. The more movement you get daily, the better you will feel overall.

Do Cardiovascular Exercise – Cardio exercise is necessary for heart and lung health. It also burns calories. Doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach can tap into fat stores, and keep your body burning calories at a high rate for about an hour after cardio is finished. If you fail to eat adequately daily, first morning cardio on an empty stomach can work against you. Doing morning cardio on very low calorie diet can burn muscle. Another good time to incorporate cardio is in the evening after your last meal. This allows you to burn calories so you are not sleeping on them. You do not have to implement a morning and evening session, choose one or the other or cycle between the two to prevent staleness and boredom.

HIIT It – Blend some High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) into your cardiovascular program from time to time to give your body and metabolism a good shock. The body is programmed for adaptation. Therefore, doing the same cardio format day in and day out can become stale really fast. Take one or two days a week and implement some HIIT to give the body an added shock.

 

HIIT is basically alternating low intensity and moderate to high intensity cardio training.  For example, a 20 minute HIIT session would look similar to this:

Minute 1 and 2 – Low Intensity (Walking) Minute 3 and 4 – High Intensity (Light jogging or running) Minute 5 and 6 – Low Intensity Minute 7 and 8 – High Intensity and so on…

 

Weight Train – Resistance training builds muscle, which is metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you acquire, the faster your metabolism will be.  Adding more lean muscle tissue to your body will put curves in the right places and allow you to eat more calories a day.

Listen to Your Body – Killing yourself with workouts is just as dangerous as not working out at all. Listen to your body and get proper rest. Don't train if you are ill, still sore from the previous workout, or just simply too tired. Training in such a state can cause more problems than it solves.

If any of the above fails to prove results in 4 to 6 weeks, there could be an underlying problem, such as a food allergy, sluggish thyroid, hormonal imbalance, toxins, parasites, etc. If so, I recommend searching for a natural healer in your area to determine the cause. and work from there. For the most part, proper diet, detoxifying, and herbs can correct any ailments.

Damian@FitnHealthy

Circuit Training Explained

Combining several exercises in to a single, high energy, workout can lead to great results for anyone looking for a quick, intense, method of building muscle and losing weight. When you combine targeted exercises for women in short intense, limited break workouts, you are circuit training!

What is it?

In Circuit training you perform a series of exercises with a very short rest period between exercises. The point is to not allow enough time between sets for complete recovery.

Why Circuit Training?

- increased work capacity 

- increase in cardio fitness 

- increase in endurance

- mental toughness 

- positive changes in body shape and composition

Why does it work?

Circuit training falls under the metabolic training category of exercises. Metabolic training refers to the amount of work done over time. For example, Cardio training is just one type of metabolic training. In contrast, strength exercises such as maximum strength and maximum speed training are not considered metabolic types of training. Generally speaking, metabolic training and max intensity training are not compatible with each other. This is why circuit training does not make you faster or stronger.

However, it can accomplish these two things:

1. It helps release growth hormones. It is hypothesized that growth hormone release allows for rapid fat loss with limited muscle atrophy. This is why circuit training can be effective at helping you burn fat while maintaining your muscle size.

2. It also leads to an increased buildup of lactic acid. The accumulation of lactic acid is not a pleasant feeling and even makes some athletes feel nauseous. We've all seen the people in the gym, or even doing physical work, that push so hard they become physically sick.

The benefit is that your body learns to deal with and compensate for the acidosis and this leads to increased strength endurance. In simple terms, this allows you to perform at maximum exertion for longer periods of time.

 When is it most effective?

Circuit training works best:

- in the pre-season to increase work capacity 

- in the off season to maintain work capacity, 

- if you are out of shape and want to improve your overall fitness

Building a Circuit Training Routine

Circuit training combines a group of strength training exercises with limited recovery time between each exercise. In many exercise routines up to 2 minutes is allowed, in circuit training it can be as little as 30 seconds. Barely enough time to move to the next exercise. The primary goal of a circuit training workout is to build up lactic acid and trigger the release growth hormones in your body. Done properly, you should see an increase in capacity and endurance but not an increase in either strength or speed.

When you design a training circuit, choose exercises that work large muscle groups such as back or legs and that do not require much coordination or skill. This is because your form will be a challenge to maintain as you become more fatigued. If you feel nauseous, stop. The goal is not to make yourself become sick. When you have completely rested, on your next workout, increase you amount of time you rest between exercises until you can complete your circuit. Once you can complete the entire circuit you can begin to reduce the rest intervals.

Circuit Training VS Weight Lifting:

The Benefits of Circuit Training

One of the least appreciated advantages circuit training has over weightlifting is simply time management. When you less than an hour to get in a good workout, a well thought out and designed circuit or two can be done very quickly and still provide you with huge health benefits.

Additionally, since there is so little rest time between exercises your heart rate stays elevated and you continue to burn calories long after your workout is over and you have moved on to other parts of your day.

This is on top of being able to lose weight while improving your strength endurance and maintaining your overall strength and muscle size.

The Benefits of Weightlifting

Weightlifting builds strength and size. Done through high reps and sets with low weight exercises, you build your overall strength. Done through low reps and sets with higher weight exercises, you build your overall size and mass. Weightlifting also increases bone density and strength, creates greater energy and higher metabolic function, better balance and often you perform better at sports.

The exercises you put together into a training circuit can create an effective workout routine for any woman looking for results that deliver and a body that you dream of. Hard work and staying on the program is also a huge factor when trying to achieve the desired results, but a solid, well put together workout routine is paramount.

Source Flavia Del Monte | GO 

Circuit Training Explained

Combining several exercises in to a single, high energy, workout can lead to great results for anyone looking for a quick, intense, method of building muscle and losing weight. When you combine targeted exercises for women in short intense, limited break workouts, you are circuit training!

What is it?

In Circuit training you perform a series of exercises with a very short rest period between exercises. The point is to not allow enough time between sets for complete recovery.

Why Circuit Training?

- increased work capacity 

- increase in cardio fitness 

- increase in endurance

- mental toughness 

- positive changes in body shape and composition

Why does it work?

Circuit training falls under the metabolic training category of exercises. Metabolic training refers to the amount of work done over time. For example, Cardio training is just one type of metabolic training. In contrast, strength exercises such as maximum strength and maximum speed training are not considered metabolic types of training. Generally speaking, metabolic training and max intensity training are not compatible with each other. This is why circuit training does not make you faster or stronger.

However, it can accomplish these two things:

1. It helps release growth hormones. It is hypothesized that growth hormone release allows for rapid fat loss with limited muscle atrophy. This is why circuit training can be effective at helping you burn fat while maintaining your muscle size.

2. It also leads to an increased buildup of lactic acid. The accumulation of lactic acid is not a pleasant feeling and even makes some athletes feel nauseous. We've all seen the people in the gym, or even doing physical work, that push so hard they become physically sick.

The benefit is that your body learns to deal with and compensate for the acidosis and this leads to increased strength endurance. In simple terms, this allows you to perform at maximum exertion for longer periods of time.

When is it most effective?

Circuit training works best:

- in the pre-season to increase work capacity 

- in the off season to maintain work capacity, 

- if you are out of shape and want to improve your overall fitness

Building a Circuit Training Routine

Circuit training combines a group of strength training exercises with limited recovery time between each exercise. In many exercise routines up to 2 minutes is allowed, in circuit training it can be as little as 30 seconds. Barely enough time to move to the next exercise. The primary goal of a circuit training workout is to build up lactic acid and trigger the release growth hormones in your body. Done properly, you should see an increase in capacity and endurance but not an increase in either strength or speed.

When you design a training circuit, choose exercises that work large muscle groups such as back or legs and that do not require much coordination or skill. This is because your form will be a challenge to maintain as you become more fatigued. If you feel nauseous, stop. The goal is not to make yourself become sick. When you have completely rested, on your next workout, increase you amount of time you rest between exercises until you can complete your circuit. Once you can complete the entire circuit you can begin to reduce the rest intervals.

Circuit Training VS Weight Lifting:

The Benefits of Circuit Training

One of the least appreciated advantages circuit training has over weightlifting is simply time management. When you less than an hour to get in a good workout, a well thought out and designed circuit or two can be done very quickly and still provide you with huge health benefits.

Additionally, since there is so little rest time between exercises your heart rate stays elevated and you continue to burn calories long after your workout is over and you have moved on to other parts of your day.

This is on top of being able to lose weight while improving your strength endurance and maintaining your overall strength and muscle size.

The Benefits of Weightlifting

Weightlifting builds strength and size. Done through high reps and sets with low weight exercises, you build your overall strength. Done through low reps and sets with higher weight exercises, you build your overall size and mass. Weightlifting also increases bone density and strength, creates greater energy and higher metabolic function, better balance and often you perform better at sports.

The exercises you put together into a training circuit can create an effective workout routine for any woman looking for results that deliver and a body that you dream of. Hard work and staying on the program is also a huge factor when trying to achieve the desired results, but a solid, well put together workout routine is paramount.

Source Don Pascoe | EZINE 

Guide To Perform HIIT Workouts

High Intensity Interval Training, otherwise known as HIIT, is a category of cardio exercise that is primarily worked out to melt the excess fat as well as calories off from your body. However, HIIT exercises are not just worked out to burn calories and lose weight. They are also considered beneficial to improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance, strength building, and enhance BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).

In fact, HIIT training programs are regarded as effective for anyone who wants to lose their weight by burning off unwanted calories and increase the metabolic rate. Further, this type of exercise is also indispensable for athletes who want to participate in sport activities whose intensity differs persistently, such as basketball, soccer, boxing, and wrestling. But HIIT workouts could give you the expected results only if it performed in a proper way. Discussed below are some important tips that help for the appropriate performance of HIIT workouts.

Since HIIT is not recommended for beginners and people with heart diseases, it is important to consult with a registered medical practitioner and make sure that you are fit to perform HIIT workouts. 

For best results, it would be even better if you can seek the assistance of a professional physical trainer to help you choose and devise the most effective HIIT workout regimen. Further, when you begin the HIIT program, make sure that you do not overstrain or injure yourself, as these workouts are intensely demanding. Hence, prior to starting any HIIT fitness program, it is important to check that you will be able to work-out for at least 30 minutes without any problem or strain.

Once when you begin the HIIT exercises, it is vital to warm up as well as cool down for at least five minutes, after every HIIT workout session. This, in turn, will minimize the chances of injuries. Further, to help for speedy burning of fats, ensure that you workout as hard as you can in between the HIIT routine intervals. The success of a good HIIT routine depends on proper timing. As such, curtail your work intervals or elongate the recovery intervals on the basis of your heart rate during recovery intervals. Above all, if you feel any kind of difficulties in the form of pain or breathing problems, it is advisable to stop the exercise and calm down instantly.

Bodyweight Calisthenics: Give Your "Cardio" A Kick In The Pants

If you are one of the people who believe steady-state aerobic exercise is the only way to improve cardiorespiratory endurance and burn fat, you're in for a treat. Bodyweight calisthenics are an excellent way to get a full body workout that includes the heart and lungs. I'll show you how to use bodyweight exercise in a second, but first let's talk a little about cardiorespiratory endurance.

Cardiorespiratory endurance is the level of ability your body has to gather, process, deliver and sustain oxygen to produce energy for use in physical activity. Basically, the respiratory system gathers and starts to process the oxygen. The cardiovascular system continues to process and distributes the oxygen. So, your cardiorespiratory endurance is the level of efficiency your heart and lungs have to sustain and deliver oxygen for energy.

So, when most people want to improve their endurance they do cardiorespiratory conditioning exercises (cardio) to improve endurance by "conditioning" the heart and lungs. Unfortunately, the form of cardiorespiratory conditioning usually takes the form of aerobic exercise. And bodyweight calisthenics are completely ignored! But the fact is, any activity can improve cardiorespiratory endurance if they are done properly, and bodyweight exercises and calisthenics are an excellent choice.

There is something important I should mention. The type of cardio conditioning you do improves over-all endurance. But, the increased endurance is most closely related to the activity used. This means if you ride an exercise bike, your cardiorespiratory endurance will primarily be improved for bike riding. This is fine if you ride a bike in your normal, everyday life. But this has limited application for most people who are involved in a wide variety of activities both in and out of the gym.

If, on the other hand, you use bodyweight calisthenics for your cardio conditioning, you are using a wide variety of movements and muscles. Bodyweight exercises and calisthenics more closely represent the movements of highly random movements encountered in sport, work and life. So, you could make a case that cardiorespiratory conditioning using bodyweight calisthenics is better for endurance improvement that can be used in and out of the gym.

Plus, bodyweight calisthenics use all the muscles in your body. Compare this to the predominately lower body exercises of jogging or riding a bike. So, using bodyweight exercises allow you to build a strong, lean physique while improving cardiorespiratory endurance and burning fat!

Just think about it. Let's say you do a fast paced bodyweight workout consisting of a circuit of bodyweight exercises and calisthenics. You'll simultaneously build strong muscles and burn fat while improving heart and lung function. You wouldn't even have to do a long, slow aerobic workout to supplement your training.

I hope this article has opened you eyes to the wide variety of possibilities available to improve cardiorespiratory endurance. You don't always have to do long-slow aerobic exercise. And the truth is, using other forms of training to simultaneously improve heart and lung power can prepare you better for the challenges of sport, work and life. Bodyweight calisthenics are an excellent choice for both building a strong, lean, athletic physique and building a strong heart and lungs.

Damian@FitnHealthy 

Cardio Wothout Burning Muscle

 

Cardio training is beneficial for your health. However, it is hard for a person to determine the perfect combination of training, diet and recovery time. Most athletes are aware that too much cardio can come at the price of muscle loss.

If you want to keep your fat percentage rate under control, you have to strike a healthy balance between diet and exercises. Both cardio and strength training are integral parts of a well balanced fitness program. However, can we say how much cardio is enough?

How long should it be?

The longer the cardio session continues, the more fat the body burns. This myth is still widespread among people who want to lose weight. In reality, a long cardio session, lasting an hour or two, will not burn the fat you want to get rid of; on the contrary, it may put your body in a catabolic state. Such a state poses the risk of muscle breakdown, which in turn leads to a slower metabolism. To put it in layman's terms: burning fat will become mission impossible or at least it will be very hard to achieve.

How much is too much?

There is no formula to measure what is the optimal duration of a cardio session.
It is very specific and it is determined not only by individual characteristics but by the fitness goals of the athlete as well.

If you design your fitness program, so that you have a low-intensity cardio session, it may not be as effective as you wish. On the other hand, if you overdo it with a high-intensity cardio, you may lose muscle tissue.

More than 2 hours a day is too much unless you are preparing for a marathon or for the Olympics. Half an hour will do you much more good than an endless session on the treadmill. You should pay attention to what you eat and how intensive is your workout. Consume sufficient amounts of proteins and calories, that will give your body fuel to endure the intensity of the workout.

Interval training

Some Fitness gurus claim that interval training is the best option for athletes that want to retain their muscle mass intact. Interval training combines the best of low and high intensity training. It is simply a series of intense activity intervals followed by intervals of lighter activity. It is a great addition to your workout because you can shake up the routine a little bit. The benefits are considerable: you will improve your aerobic capacity, burn more calories and less muscle and most importantly keep the boredom at bay

Last but not least, don't forget to eat healthy food rich in proteins. The fastest way to gain muscle without burning the muscle tissue you already have is to choose a balanced program and to take some kind of body building supplements that will give you energy, help you burn more calories and gain mass faster.

Source Ellie Dan |Go

How You Can Get Your Body In Its Best Shape Ever With HIIT Fitness

HIIT Fitness is a growing fitness trend in the US. Hit Fitness, or High Intensity Training Fitness, is a fitness system built around a unique combination of science and sport.

HIIT Fitness in the Spokane Valley, WA area is a growing trend

Hit Fitness , or High Intensity Training, is a fitness system built around a unique combination of science and sport.

Hit Fitness is definably an "alternative" way to personal fitness, but it is a method that is worthy of a look.

What Will I Really Be Doing In HIIT Fitness?

Hit Fitness combines a unique combination of typical fitness along with sporting elements, such as the practice of Fencing or Kenpo.

Some of the activities that are included in HIIT Fitness include:

*Circuts

*GRIT

*Personal Fitness

*Other Sporting Activities

The types of activities that you participate in depends on the type of HIIT Fitness Spokane program that you join.

Different instructors of the HIIT Fitness way have different methods. Regardless of the methods that your fitness coach uses to teach you Hit Fitness, you will experience a unique exercise technique that will benefit your body more than a traditional fitness plan can accomplish.

HIIT Fitness Sporting Events

Participating in sporting events in the Hit Fitness program is a big part of your training. Not only will these sporting events help you to achieve your fitness goals at a faster pace, but several of the sports can be used later in life, even after you complete your fitness goals.

Sounds Fun. What Does Hit Fitness Spokane Concentrate On? Well, the HIIT Fitness program is quite the unusual exercise system. The HIIT Fitness program focuses on the following aspects of the fitness world:

Anaerobic Threshold Balance Body Composition Strength VO2 Max (maximal oxygen consumption)

Hit Fitness Anaerobic Threshold

A basic definition of the Hit Fitness Anaerobic Threshold is that it occurs when muscles "burn" glucose without the use of Oxygen. Anaerobic Threshold is ideal for those who need that short extra burst in their life. On the flip side, Anaerobic Threshold would not be ideal for a distance runner.

Hit Fitness Balance

Another important part of the Hit Fitness way is the aspect of balance. A majority of people who participate in the Hit Fitness exercise plan are athletes. These people require a great amount of agility and balance to succeed at what they do best. By having great balance, you can even increase the efficiency of your Spokane workout.

Hit Fitness Body Composition

Hit Fitness Body Composition is a way of describing the percentage of bone, fat, and muscle in your body. The Hit Fitness Spokane system puts a lot of attention on the aspect of body composition, as it is vital to balance the mass percentages of bone, fat, and muscle in ones body.

Hit Fitness Strength

Hit Fitness works with your overall body strength. Since the Spokane Hit Fitness way of exercise revolves around sporting activities, it is important to have strength as it will give you the opportunity to push your body to the next level.

Hit Fitness VO2 Max

What is VO2 Max? Basically, VO2 Max is another meaning for the maximal amount of oxygen consumption. It plays a very important role in Hit Fitness as your VO2 Max directly determines how physically fit you are. Each person has a different VO2 Max.

Damian@FitnHealthy

The Exercise Afterburn Effect

The Afterburn Effect; Burn Calories While Doing Nothing!

What Is The Afterburn Effect?

- Exercise after-burn, also know as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), is when the body continues to burn calories after the exercise session is over. For example, let's say you go for early morning jog for 30 minutes. After you have finished the 30 minute jog, your body will continue to burn calories for the next 15 minutes to 48 hours! EPOC represents the amount of oxygen consumption needed to bring the body back to a pre-exercise state. The amount of calories burned from EPOC is directly related to exercise intensity and duration. The harder and longer you exercise, the more calories your burn via the exercise after-burn!

Exercise Intensity!

- Exercise intensity, according to all the studies conducted to date, is the most important determinant of the effect of EPOC. The harder and more intense you exercise, the greater the effect of EPOC is.

In a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, the effect of exercise intensity on EPOC was studied in 8 trained men and 8 trained women. The subjects were examined after completing 3 separate exercise bouts of different intensities. The intensities were 40%, 50%, and 70% of their VO2 maxes. Your VO2 max is the greatest amount of oxygen your body can take in and use for exercise. Your VO2 max is a good measure of your fitness level. The more oxygen you are able to use, the more energy you will be able to create, so the higher your VO2 max, the higher your fitness level is. 

 

So let us get back to the study. The study showed that the intensity levels had a great effect on the duration of EPOC. In both men and women, the effect of EPOC was greater as intensity increased. 

The study also showed that even low levels of exercise intensity still have a positive effect on EPOC. The results of the study were as follows:

- For the men

40% VO2 max - EPOC was 31.2 min;

50% VO2 max - EPOC was 42.1 min;

70% VO2 max - EPOC was 47.6 min

- For the Women

40% VO2 max - EPOC was 26.9 min;

50% VO2 max - EPOC was 35.6 min

70% VO2 max - EPOC was 39.1 min

In another study published in the Journal Of The American College Of Nutrition, the effects of low and high intensity exercise on calories burned during exercise and after exercise were studied in 8 active women, ages 22 to 31. Although both groups burned 500 calories, the effect of the exercise after-burn was much greater for the high intensity group (45 extra calories) versus the low intensity group (24 extra calories).

Effect Of Duration On EPOC!

Duration also has been shown to play a big role in the energy after-burn effect. In one study conducted in 1988 published in the Canadian Journal of Sports Science, subjects were divided into 3 groups.

Although all three groups exercised at 70% of their VO2 max, the duration was different for each group. One group exercised for 3o minutes, another group for 45 minutes, and the final group exercised for an hour. The results of the EPOC values of the studies were 33 calories lasting 128 minutes, 74.5 calories lasting 204 minutes, and 165 calories over 455 minutes for the durations of 30, 45 and 60 minutes, respectively. This study showed that increasing exercise duration has a great effect on EPOC.

 

In another similar study (1), 6 healthy male subjects exercises at 70% of their VO2 max for 80 minutes, 40 minutes, and 20 minutes. The results of EPOC were 55.5 calories, 73.5 calories, and 159.5 calories for 20 minutes, 40 minutes, and 80 minutes respectively.

There have also been studies that have combined high intensity exercise with longer durations.

There are more studies such as these that show similar effects of duration's effects on EPOC. In a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 8 trained males performed 164 minutes of treadmill running at 70% of their VO2 max. The average EPOC effect was 162 calories, which is a significant contributor to overall energy expenditure.

So it's pretty simple then, right? Just exercise harder and longer and you'll burn more calories from the exercise after-burn! Unfortunately, that may not be entirely correct. There have been studies that show different exercise after-burn effects from exercise. Some studies showed a low EPOC effect after exercise of long and short duration even with high intensities. From all the research done, the effect of EPOC varies from person and person. It seems that many factors such as gender, age, fitness level, etc. may be playing a role in the effect of EPOC.

Interval Training!

If you really want to maximize your calories burned from the exercise after-burn, the I would highly recommend performing intermittent training, which is a form of interval training. Intermittent training consists of shorts bouts of all out exercise followed by a rest period. You would repeat this over and over throughout the course of the workout. The Fields Sprints workout video is an example of an interval training workout.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology consisted of 8 males performing 20 1-minute intervals at 105% VO2 max with corresponding 2 minute rest periods between intervals. The same 8 males also performed 30 minutes of continuous exercise at 70% VO2 max to allow for comparisons. The results showed a significant increase in the EPOC effect for the interval training (75 calories) versus the continuous running (34.5 calories).

Resistance Training!

So we have pretty much covered everything about the exercise after-burn effect on cardiovascular exercise, but what about strength training?!

Although it is difficult to compare cardio to resistance training because of just the sheer difference of the type of workout and exercise intensity, there have been studies trying to compare them.

In a study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Science Research, the subjects were broken down into 3 groups. One group performed 40 minutes of cycling at 80% of their maximal heart rate. Another group performed 40 minutes of circuit training (50 percent of individuals' maximum lift [1 RM] x 15 repetitions x 4 sets) and the final group performed 40 minutes of heavy resistance lifting (80 to 90 percent of 1 RM x 3-8 repetitions x 3 sets). Heavy resistance training produced the greatest EPOC ( 53 calories) compared with circuit training (51 calories) and cycling (33.5 calories).

So what did we learn from all this? 

To exercise! More important than any of the details of the exercise afterburn is the exercise! Find something you enjoy doing and do it! Above all else, just make sure to exercise and be active. If you really want to maximize your training program and burn the most calories from the exercise after-burn response then I would recommend doing the following:

Tempo Training:Continuous aerobic exercise at a high intensity for half an hour to an hour.

Long, Slow Distance Training:Continuous aerobic exercise at a moderate intensity for an hour.

Split Training:2-4 high-intensity exercise bouts for a period of 15-25 minutes with a 5 minute rest in-between.

Continuous Interval Training:Alternating 3-minute bouts of low-intensity and high-intensity exercise for a period of 30-60 minutes. An example of this would be to walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 3 minutes, then walk for 3 minutes, etc. Or if you are in very good shape, you would jog for 3 minutes, sprint for 3 minutes, jog for 3 minutes, etc.

Supramaximal Interval Training:15-20 of really high intensity exercise (the hardest you can exercise) for a period of 1 minute, with 2- to 5-minute rest periods in-between.

Heavy Resistance Training:2-4 sets, 8-10 exercises, 3-8 reps of 80%-90% of your 1-rep max with 2- to 3-minute rest periods

 Source : Danny Maman

Metabolism for the Fit Individual

The dictionary defines metabolism as the sum of all biochemical processes involved in life, or the sustaining of life.  In application concerning our health, metabolism is related to the intake and use of food.  In reference to the case in point it is our ability

The dictionary defines metabolism as the sum of all biochemical processes involved in life, or the sustaining of life.  In application concerning our health, metabolism is related to the intake and use of food.  In reference to the case in point it is our ability to utilize our food to the fullest extent.

Right now, the greatest results in raising our metabolism come from exercise and building our muscle mass, while reducing our body fat.  Adding more muscle to the body, in turn causes us to burn more calories, and this helps to elevate our metabolic rate.

Our metabolism functions also depend on how well we have taken care of our nutritional needs. Some people have really high rates of metabolism.  In other words, when they consume food, their bodies burn it up almost as fast as then consume it.  Then there are those of use who use our food intake so slowly, as to not even notice that we’re burning calories.  These people who burn quickly are often slim and trim, the people who burn more slowly are the people with a tendency toward obesity.

The body’s metabolism is a unique process for each individual person.  No two people metabolize food at the same rate therefore no two people have the metabolism.  We all use our calories at different rates, with different results.  Our metabolism, like our fingerprints is unique to each of us.  But the need to understand and accommodate this metabolism is an issue that we all face.

All of this metabolic process is related to our calorie intake, our vitamin and nutrition needs, our thyroid and endocrine production, and how well all of these processes come together.  For years, people have sought ways to raise the metabolic rate.  If you can raise someone’s metabolic rate, you are then better able to control the burn of calories, especially for overweight or obese people.  This would make the goal of better or improved health a much easier reality for those people.  Efforts to date have produced very little results.  There are foods that we can consume that naturally raise our metabolic rate, but not to a great extent.  What we need is a way to directly alter the rate.  We need to be able to raise our metabolism to a point where we can actually see a benefit.

 This is where the effort to stay physically fit and active provides tremendous payoff. Over the course of your life, if you stay active, exercise, and maintain optimal health for your muscles, you will see a tremendous difference in the rate that your body metabolizes food.  As people age, their metabolism quite naturally slows down.  The greatest way to prevent this from happening is through exercise and staying fit.

I believe through careful analysis, exercise, and attention to each person’s unique needs, we could bring about a more natural balance of the metabolic burn vs. the calorie intake. To a level where optimal health and weight control are in equilibrium.  

Damian @ufitnhealthy