Are you Insane?
Bite This: According to several studies, High Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT), especially those involving plyometrics, has major benefits including increased agility, increased aerobic fitness and is even used to treat patients with pulmonary and cardiovascular issues.
Remember when P90X and Insanity were the ultimate DVD workouts? They made big promises about how your body is going to change in just a few short weeks. You know those infomercials with Tony Horton and Shaun T. sweating profusely with veins popping out of every crevice while shouting "c'mon, keep going, keep moving, push it!"? They showed millions of infomercials with regular old Joes with incredible body transformations. So, does this really work? And do you have the guts to stick it out?
HIIT is, in fact, a very effective way to train for any sport or event in a shorter amount of time. I am a big fan of interval training and have seen some of those body altering effects from using this kind of method. Plus, it is so much easier to get out of bed in the morning when you say to yourself, "okay, I only have to do this for 20 minutes."
According to Runner's World magazine, fifteen minutes of interval training can deliver the same benefits - increased endurance, reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases - as 3 hours of a long slow run. I don't know about you, but when it comes to sweating and working out, I'd much rather sweat for 15 minutes than 3 hours. (Disclaimer - I am not sure if they mean 15 minutes of actual vigorous intensity, or 15 minutes of regular intensity plus 30 second bursts of vigorous. My guess is that it means 15 minutes of vigorous intensity per week - so 5 minutes per workout.) Plus, you know, it prevents chapping and chaffing and all that.
Interval training is easy to add to your workout, hard to actually do, but provides amazing results. In order to add interval training to a workout, just increase the intensity for 30 seconds 2-3 times during your workout. You can change your speed or incline - anything to just get your heart rate up to the "vigorous intensity level." There are a couple of ways to determine "vigorous level. " One way is subjective - if it seems hard, and you cannot carry on a conversation, it's vigorous. The other is more subjective - your heart rate. There is an equation to figure out your heart rate - 220-(age) * 0.85 is the upper range for your target heart rate - above that is vigorous level intensity. Once you're used to 30 seconds of giving it your all 2-3 times during a workout, try for 1 minute. Yeah, that's a dare. And it has been shown to be safe for pretty much everyone.
I have recently started Insanity... for the second time. The first time, I did the program the whole way through and I have to say that I was in the best shape of my life...but it was also November, and Thanksgiving and the rest of holidays happened. And I also had to take a hiatus from running and other vigorous activity - so the best shape of my life went to waste. (But, it would have been odd if I wore a swimsuit around in November in Kansas. I did it around my house anyway.) Except to say that I did it. Anyway, my point is to try interval training and see what transformations happen to you. I started Insanity again and after only 3 days of Insanity and 1 recovery day (yes, it's that Insane that after 3 days you need a recovery day- don't worry, there's a recovery DVD), I already notice results. Yeah, it's that good. So, in the words of Shaun T. , "That shit is bananas, yo."
Do you sweat? Do you like to sweat? How do you add interval training to your workout?
You can learn more about Insanity here. I'll tell you who is insane...this girl.
Remember when P90X and Insanity were the ultimate DVD workouts? They made big promises about how your body is going to change in just a few short weeks. You know those infomercials with Tony Horton and Shaun T. sweating profusely with veins popping out of every crevice while shouting "c'mon, keep going, keep moving, push it!"? They showed millions of infomercials with regular old Joes with incredible body transformations. So, does this really work? And do you have the guts to stick it out?
HIIT is, in fact, a very effective way to train for any sport or event in a shorter amount of time. I am a big fan of interval training and have seen some of those body altering effects from using this kind of method. Plus, it is so much easier to get out of bed in the morning when you say to yourself, "okay, I only have to do this for 20 minutes."
According to Runner's World magazine, fifteen minutes of interval training can deliver the same benefits - increased endurance, reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases - as 3 hours of a long slow run. I don't know about you, but when it comes to sweating and working out, I'd much rather sweat for 15 minutes than 3 hours. (Disclaimer - I am not sure if they mean 15 minutes of actual vigorous intensity, or 15 minutes of regular intensity plus 30 second bursts of vigorous. My guess is that it means 15 minutes of vigorous intensity per week - so 5 minutes per workout.) Plus, you know, it prevents chapping and chaffing and all that.
Interval training is easy to add to your workout, hard to actually do, but provides amazing results. In order to add interval training to a workout, just increase the intensity for 30 seconds 2-3 times during your workout. You can change your speed or incline - anything to just get your heart rate up to the "vigorous intensity level." There are a couple of ways to determine "vigorous level. " One way is subjective - if it seems hard, and you cannot carry on a conversation, it's vigorous. The other is more subjective - your heart rate. There is an equation to figure out your heart rate - 220-(age) * 0.85 is the upper range for your target heart rate - above that is vigorous level intensity. Once you're used to 30 seconds of giving it your all 2-3 times during a workout, try for 1 minute. Yeah, that's a dare. And it has been shown to be safe for pretty much everyone.
I have recently started Insanity... for the second time. The first time, I did the program the whole way through and I have to say that I was in the best shape of my life...but it was also November, and Thanksgiving and the rest of holidays happened. And I also had to take a hiatus from running and other vigorous activity - so the best shape of my life went to waste. (But, it would have been odd if I wore a swimsuit around in November in Kansas. I did it around my house anyway.) Except to say that I did it. Anyway, my point is to try interval training and see what transformations happen to you. I started Insanity again and after only 3 days of Insanity and 1 recovery day (yes, it's that Insane that after 3 days you need a recovery day- don't worry, there's a recovery DVD), I already notice results. Yeah, it's that good. So, in the words of Shaun T. , "That shit is bananas, yo."
Do you sweat? Do you like to sweat? How do you add interval training to your workout?
You can learn more about Insanity here. I'll tell you who is insane...this girl.
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