It stands for High Intensity Interval Training and from what I have read it’s the best type of workout to burn the most fat. Sweet, count me in!

I have made up my own fast workout before and it was a good workout but I like to have a plan to follow so I’m excited to be able to share with you some various HIIT workouts today.

In HIIT training you repeat moves quickly in less time than you would perform a normal workout.  There are various types of HIIT where you could do 30 or 60 seconds or if you are advanced go for the Tabata HIIT method which is the most intense and shortest interval training of all.  It’s 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off.

So basically for me, I would go all out for 30 seconds and then rest for about 30-60 seconds (or more if you need to).  I think for the beginner, repeating it 3 times is good if you can make it that long.  Some people repeat the workout sequence 5-10 times but that’s a bit extreme for me right now since I am just starting out.  I’m thinking 2-3 days a week would be good for the beginner.  These numbers might change once I start to experience this training method more so I’ll be sure to check in and let you know how it’s going.

Make sure you have an interval timer for these workouts.  I was using the Gymboss iPhone app but now I have an actual Gymboss interval timer to try out.  And don’t forget your heart rate monitor so you can tell me exactly how many calories you burned!  With this type of training you are burning calories hours later like with most workouts but with this you obviously burn more for a longer amount of time!  Sounds good to me.

I do want to remind you to go with your gut and only do what you feel comfortable doing. This is like anything else, if you take it too far, you could injure yourself.  Be careful!

You want to get fit fast?  Do HIIT training.

Some of my FitFluential peeps have shared their videos, radio episodes and tips on HIIT training.  Go check them out!

Training With Jess HIIT training video

Jess also has some HIIT training workouts on her blog.

And we have Janetha’s go to 20 minute HIIT workout.

Clare at Fitting It All In has a few awesome HIIT training workouts as well.

HIIT on treadmill

and

20 minute HIIT workout

Check out Tina’s interval workout gold mine.  Some HIIT workouts are mixed in too.

Carissa and Kyle, husband & wife team & personal trainers from Fit2Flex share more about high intensity interval training and the EPOC benefits of it.

And for a laugh (but also some good info) check out this fun blog post about moving your duff if you want to get buff!

Here are two radio episodes:

Metabolic training (a type of HIIT) and Fast Track to Lower Fat with HIIT

And lastly, from Bex, check out this series of tabata for beginners called You have 4 minutes!  Bex is amazing…you must get to know her.

From the amount of links above, I think we are pretty much set to get our HIIT training ON! I’m so thankful to be a part of FitFluential with all these awesome fitness lovers.  Becoming a FitFluential ambassador has really given me the opportunity to connect with such awesome, supportive and strong women and men. They inspire me every day!

Along with National Nutrition month in March (yes that is tomorrow!), I am going to focus on some HIIT training workouts a few times a week. I need to do something to get things moving in the right direction again if you know what I mean *wink*

Do you do any HIIT training?

 

What did you think of that workout! Crazy good…

A lot of my work at home friends have an exercise ball as their chair so it would work just as well, I think.

Thanks Mike!

Make it a great day,

 

So in case you are wondering the same thing, wikipedia says, “The term “Apple Bottom Jeans” refers to a woman whose curvaceous figure is elegantly revealed by her tight-fitting jeans, resembling the shape of an apple”.  So there you have it…now it’s time to go workout!

Enjoy!

5 Exercises to Achieve an Apple Bottom

Mike Donavanik, CSCS, CPT, Creator of Extreme Burn: Total Body Interval Training

1. Ten – Fifteen – Twenty

Start with feet shoulder width apart and descend into a squat; keeping knees in line with your toes. From the bottom of the squat jump up a few inches above the ground; land softly on the balls of your feet and repeat. Perform 10 repetitions.

Immediately after performing the 10 jump squats, perform 15 regular squats.

Immediately after performing the 15 regular squats, descend into the bottom position of a squat and hold for 20 seconds.

Perform 3 sets.

2. Reverse Lunge to Front Kick

Starting with feet hip width apart, step backward with your right leg into a reverse lunge. As you drive up, start bringing your right leg forward and kick it out in front of you. Immediately go back into a reverse lunge; repeat.

15-20 reps each side, 3 sets

3. Side Lunge to Reverse Curtsy

Start with feet hip width apart. Lunge out left, while keeping your right leg straight and extended, back straight, both toes facing forward. Drive up through your left leg and step back diagonally, to the right, and go into a reverse curtsy. Repeat.

15 reps each side, 3 sets

4. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

Start with feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand. Slightly bend both knees and lift your right leg up behind you. With a straight back, left knee still slightly bent, push your hips back and hinge forward/downward; reaching your right hand for your left foot. Keeping a straight back, slowly return to the starting position, trying not to let your right leg touch the ground the entire set.

15 reps each side, 3 sets

Medium to heavy weight dumbbell.

5. Jumping Lunges

Stand with feet under hips. Take a large step forward with your right foot and sink down into a lunge. Jump up, launching both feet off the floor, and switch legs mid-air so you land with your left leg in front and your right leg behind. Immediately sink into another lunge and alternate legs.

 

Please help me welcome Mike to the blog.  I reviewed his Extreme Burn workout (linked below) and it was awesome.  Happy to have him contribute some easy steps to help us stay active.

Airplane Workout

by Mike Donavanik, CSCS, CPT, Creator of Extreme Burn: Total Body Interval Training

These 4 moves will help minimize discomfort and keep you loose, limber and healthy for the flight ahead.

Neck Stretch

• Stand up and bring your right hand to your left ear. As you exhale, slowly pull your head to your right shoulder while reaching your left arm to the floor.
• Hold for 30-60 seconds, then switch sides; repeat 2-3 times each side.

Abdominal Breathing

• Sitting down comfortably with a straight spine, slowly take a deep inhale through your nose; as you in inhale have your stomach expand. Slowly exhale through your mouth and have your stomach collapse while tightening your tummy to push out the air.
• Consciously breathe this way for 5-10 minutes; repeat as necessary.
• This type of breathing will allow you to breathe deeper, allowing you to get more oxygen in with each breath. This type of breathing will also produce a calming effect and help reduce anxiety.

Squat to Reach

• Head to the back of the plane where you have more space. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, hands at chest level, and descend into a deep squat. As you ascend from the squat, stand all the way up onto your toes and reach your hands up towards the sky. Slowly lower your heels to the ground, bring your hands back down to chest level, and repeat.
• Perform 15-20 reps; repeat 2-3 sets.
• This will allow you to get blood moving throughout your entire body.

 Standing Glute Kicks

• Stand in the aisle or head to the back of the plane where you will have more space. Hold onto a wall or seat and lift your right leg off the ground, keeping both knees soft. Hold your abs in tight and kick your right leg back a few inches; leading with your heel. Hold and contract your right glute for a second or two, return to the starting position, and repeat.
• Perform 20-25 reps on each side; repeat 2-3 times each side.
• After sitting down, especially for an extended period of time, your glutes become weak from being in a stretched position – this can cause lower back and ‘butt pain’. Glute contracting exercises such as this one will help prevent ‘butt pain’ and lower back pain.

Thanks Mike for your guest post.  I look forward to sharing the other fun article and video that you sent to share on the blog.  These airplane exercises sound easy enough although some of them might be a little awkward to do in front of other passengers.

So the question to you all is would you do this airplane workout?

 

This is Part 2 in the lesson on Resistance Training for Women written by guest blogger, Claire.

Resistance Training Exercises

If you want to turn yourself into a lean, mean, fat melting machine, then you need to start by doing 3 sessions of strength training each week. To burn the most fat you need to do a total body workout which targets all of your major muscle groups, e.g. your arms, legs, abs and back. Do this by choosing exercises which work several muscle groups, e.g. squats are great as they target the front and back of the legs compared to leg extension which just work the front of the thigh.

You should also try to do 3 sets of 10-12 reps of each exercise and if using free weights or machines, select a weight which is heavy enough so it feels hard to complete your last rep. If you can do 10-12 reps with ease than the weight is too light or if you are unable to complete the set number of reps then the weight is too heavy.

To get you started, here are some resistance training exercises. I have divided them into two categories depending on whether you are working out at home without equipment or in the gym.

Home Resistance Exercises

• Wall Squats – Wide stance and Normal Stance (Working the Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes)
• Abdominal Crunch (Abs)
• Push-Ups – Without knees on floor if unable to do full push-up (Chest, Triceps)
• Triceps Dips (Triceps)
• Standing Calf Raises

Gym Resistance Exercises

• Dumbbell Bench Press (Chest)
• Dumbbell Standing Curls (Biceps)
• Seated Row (Back)
  Standing Cable Pushdowns (Triceps)
• Dumbbell Lateral Raise (Shoulders)
• Leg Presses (Thighs and Glutes)
• Leg Extension Machine (Quads)
• Leg Curl Machine (Hamstrings)

Now that you know how to start losing weight, make sure that you incorporate resistance training into your exercise plan!

Bio

Claire Hampson is the co-founder of the Active Health Academy, a website designed to give its members all the information needed to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. This includes a wide range of information in articles, blogs and free resources to help members find and achieve their weight loss target.

Claire is a fully qualified physiotherapist and together with her fellow co-founder Ben Lewis a personal trainer, weight loss coach and lifestyle consultant, she now dedicates her time to the Active Health Academy. Her passion is to help people both online and offline through weight loss seminars in the UK with her partner Ben.

The Active Healthy Academy is constantly developing new essential resources and products for their members to lose weight in the fastest time possible.

Contact Details
Active Health Academy
19 Tramways 135 Otley Road

Leeds LS20 8LY United Kingdom

Email: support@activehealthacademy.com
Website: www.activehealthacademy.com

 

Please help me welcome Claire, one of our guest bloggers this week.  She is going to spend two days teaching us about resistance training.

Resistance Training for Women

Okay girls we all know that exercise is good for us! But most of us have very busy lives so we have to find really clever ways to fit physical exercise into our daily routine to lose weight fast and easy.

Most of you have probably been told that cardio workouts are the way forward to help you lose weight and although this is true you have to balance it with a good amount of strength training as well. Now, I know some of you might be reading this thinking, “Do you mean lifting weights? Surely that is what guys do!”

Well while we are on the subject of guys, please don’t think that if you do strength training you will end up looking manly! This is impossible as women don’t have as much testosterone in their bodies naturally compared to men so you can still look feminine and have a hot toned figure to boot!

If you want to know how to lose weight fast and you’re not doing any strength training at the moment, then you are missing out on a key element which will reduce your body fat, make you more lean and help you to burn more calories. Sounds good doesn’t it!

Before we get into the ‘Nitty Gritty’ let me just tell you some of the many benefits that strength (resistance) training can give you:

Stronger Bones - This is very important for women and especially for anyone over 40, as resistance training does not only just strengthen your muscles but it also increases your bone density and can reduce the risk of osteoporosis significantly.

Weight Control - As you gain more muscle your metabolism will also increase throughout the day, so this makes your body more efficient at burning calories. This is because muscle needs a lot of energy, which causes your body to burn more fat to supply this.

Less Injury - By building more muscle around your joints, they will be better protected from injury and your overall balance will also improve.

Hopefully you are now realizing that strength training has to be a part of your exercise program, but I know that some of you are members of a gym and others choose to work-out at home.

That is why resistance training is great as there are so many different options and they all have the same great benefits:

Body weight - There are lots of exercises you can do using your own body weight as resistance. Such as abdominal crunches, leg squats and push-ups. All of these exercises need no equipment as they all use your own body weight as resistance. Perfect for home workouts!

Resistance Bands - Available in a range of colors each providing a different level of resistance, they are not expensive and are widely available. There are lots of different exercises for the whole body as resistance is created from stretching the band.

Free Weights - Whether you are using weights in the gym or at home they are a classic strength training tool.

Weight Machines - Most fitness centers offer a range of resistance machines and some of you may also have them in your home gym.

Keep your eyes open for Part 2: Resistance Training Exercises

Bio

Claire Hampson is the co-founder of the Active Health Academy, a website designed to give its members all the information needed to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. This includes a wide range of information in articles, blogs and free resources to help members find and achieve their weight loss target.

Claire is a fully qualified physiotherapist and together with her fellow co-founder Ben Lewis a personal trainer, weight loss coach and lifestyle consultant, she now dedicates her time to the Active Health Academy. Her passion is to help people both online and offline through weight loss seminars in the UK with her partner Ben.

The Active Healthy Academy is constantly developing new essential resources and products for their members to lose weight in the fastest time possible.

Thank you Claire for a great lesson in resistance training for women!

 

Love the home gym chalkboard walls!

Today I set up my own (and first) circuit training at home workout. Since Kev gets the treadmill on Thursday, I had to figure out something for me to do other than spin. So I quickly threw together this workout today. Now, I am NOT a personal trainer so I have no clue if this workout was even a good one but I burned over 400 calories in 30 min. so to me it went well.  Here’s what I did.

Angie’s 1st Circuit Training At Home Workout

Warm up on the rebounder (mini trampoline) 2 minutes

Then 3 sets/rounds of the following:

1 minute: Squats (Set 1= 32) (Set 2= 36) (Set 3= 26)

10 second break

1 minute: Jumping Jacks

10 second break

1 minute: Upper body medicine ball workout (8 lb ball)

10 second break

1 minute: High knee jumps (on rebounder)

10 second break

1 minute: Fast feet (like football drill on rebounder)

10 second break

1 minute: Pushups (floor & wall)

10 second break

1 minute: Rebounder work

After each round there was a 2 minute break before starting the next.

So there you have it my very 1st circuit training workout!

After 3 rounds of the above, I took time to cool down on the rebounder by just bouncing and then walking.  I do think I need to bump it up to a 15-20 second break though because I was having a bit of a time getting to the next move while still catching my breath.  And the 8lb medicine ball left my arms feeling like 10 lbs of bricks afterwards so I’m not sure if that was a good choice.

For any of you that are personal trainers, please do let me know what you think.  I really had no clue what I was doing, just picking some moves that I have done and enjoy that were a challenge in the past.

Do you do circuit training at home workouts?

 

Benefits of Heart Rate Monitor Training

A lot of people think that heart rate training is too hard and only used by elite athletes but I am here to show you that is not the case. It’s actually really easy and a wonderful tool for weight loss and building general fitness.  It’s important to measure the intensity of your workout.  I am still learning all about my newest Polar heart rate monitor but here are some reasons why you should pay attention to heart rate monitor training.

A heart rate monitor:

1. optimizes your workout efforts
2. helps you listen to your body
3. helps aid in workout recovery
4. improves your performance
5. tracks your progress

Remember heart rate monitors are not only for athletes. Anyone can benefit from using one!

Why Train With a Heart Rate Monitor?

Here are two more Polar videos that talk about the benefits of heart rate monitor training.  Enjoy!

As most of you know, I represent Polar as one of their Ambassadors. You can follow Polar on Facebook and Twitter too.

Do you have a heart rate monitor?

 

Choosing Personal Fitness Trainers

As you have read in past posts, my personal training contract ended and I have chosen not to renew.  This is NOT due to the trainer but rather the gym.  We have since moved on to join a new gym and although they offer personal training sessions, I have decided to go at it on my own.  For now at least.

Today I wanted to share with you tips on what to look for in personal fitness trainers.

Not all area created equal

When I first started at the gym, I ‘shopped around’ for a personal trainer.  The first one, Karen was absolutely awesome.  But I wanted to give some others a chance too just to see how we meshed together.  The 2nd trainer they put me with was definitely not for me.  He didn’t look at me when he talked, talked under his breath so I could hardly hear, had me lift weights that were obviously way too heavy and I knew the next day that I did not need to shop around any longer.  I had Karen as my trainer for a while but then she moved.  I liked her because she incorporated boxing and did a variety of different things. She changed it up and made it fun.  I also liked that she talked about healthy eating and she would give her clients printouts with healthy recipes, tips, and more.

But when she left, I started working with Scott and wasn’t sure how that would go. At first, I was sure it wouldn’t work because I was under the impression that all he focused on was the weights at the back of the gym where the big buff guys are and I did not know what to expect.  It was a bit intimidating at first however Scott made me realize that I could lift with the best of them just at a much smaller weight.  He is a trainer that makes sure all the settings, form and weight is perfect. He is also someone who paid attention and listened well.

I was most impressed that he agreed to do some things that were out of the norm for him (boxing, Bosu, etc.).  Another thing he did that stood out to me was that he came in each day sharing what he learned from trainings outside of the gym. He watched videos, read books and brought his own equipment to use in our personal training sessions.

Those are just a few things that stood out most to me and that I would recommend others look for in a trainer.  I would also highly suggest that you watch the trainers in action.  I personally got on a treadmill to workout and watch the personal trainers as they worked with their clients and it was very telling in what I did and didn’t want in a personal fitness trainer.  If they can’t connect with eye contact or they talk to others during a client session, you might want to move on.

Male Personal Trainers vs. Female Personal Trainers

As for choosing a male personal trainer or a female personal trainer, I think it’s really your personal preference.  I would meet with a few and go with what you feel most comfortable. I have had both and although each brought something different to the table, I felt very comfortable with both.

In Home vs. Gym

I only had experience with a certified personal trainer from a gym chain however I would recommend that if you are looking into having someone come to your home to train that they not only have  personal trainer certification but also CPR/First Aid and insurance.

Cost

The price to hire a certified personal fitness trainer is going to differ every where you go.  When I signed up last year we got a great deal on the sessions (from what I heard anyway).  I had 1/2 hour sessions which I would not do again.  Towards the end when I had to use up my hours before we left the gym, I had hour long sessions and I enjoyed those a lot more.

As I stated above, I would make sure to verify the personal trainers credentials, whether or not they are CPR/First Aid certified and also ask for references before making a final decision.  Most contracts are year long so be sure you can afford to keep up the training before you hand over your credit card.

Personal fitness trainers are great for motivation if you don’t feel you can motivate yourself.  I had a really good experience and overall would recommend hiring a certified personal fitness trainer.

Do you have a personal fitness trainer and if so what is your best tip for choosing one?

 

Five Ways To Spice Up Your Cardio Training

There’s no question about it, one of the most boring forms of exercise for most people is the dreaded cardio training.  While cardio is definitely not necessary for fat loss if you have a good diet in place, it’s important to know about heart health and all the benefits regular cardio can provide.  If you aren’t looking after your overall health and well-being, this could come back to get you in the long run so along with achieving your body weight goals, it’s something else that you must take into consideration.  Fortunately, if you’re willing to get a bit creative there are many ways that you can spice up your cardio training so you can take your results to the next level. Let’s take a look at what you should consider so you can stay away from those boring cardio routines.

Add Intervals Of Varying Lengths

If you currently aren’t on the interval bandwagon, now is definitely the time to do so. This variety of cardio passes by quickly and will take your fitness to a whole new level.  All you have to do is alternate between higher intensity exercise with lower intensity ‘active rest’ periods, forming an effective workout that takes just twenty minutes to complete.  Since you are working at such a high intensity during the intervals, you’ll see significant benefits to your fitness as well as your metabolism at the same time.  Aim for intervals of varying lengths, anywhere from twenty seconds to one full minute to really spice it up and prevent boredom.

Create A Mini-Triathlon

Another great way to boost your interest in your cardio sessions is to do a mini-triathlon.  Choose three varieties of cardio training – swimming, jogging, cycling, using the elliptical, or rowing and then aim to perform 10 minutes on each.  At the end of the workout, you’ll have finished 30 full minutes of training but it’ll have gone by much faster than your regular 30 minute session would have.  Plus, since you’re getting more variety with the cardio training in there, you can be sure that you’re working every muscle group in the body.

Add An Incline Session

Moving on, another great way to up the intensity of your cardio training if you’re someone who enjoys walking on a regular basis is adding an incline session while hopping on the treadmill.  This will really up your overall calorie burn while also stimulating the glutes, hamstrings, and quads to a much larger extent, so will really help to take your overall progress up a notch.  Incline walking is almost as good for burning calories as running is, so for those who want intensity, it’s a great way to go.

Add Skipping To The Mix

Skipping is another way to mix up your cardio session while having fun at the same time.  While it will take some skill to get good at it, over time this is simply one of the best calorie burning varieties of cardio to perform.
Best of all is that it incorporates both the lower and upper body at once, thus providing a full body workout.  If you can work your way up to skipping for ten minutes straight, this is a fast and very effective way to whip your body into shape.

Try A Group Class

Finally, the last method to help spice up your cardio training is to try out one of the group class varieties that are out there.  Group classes are great for providing plenty of variety and also the social benefits that most people crave during their workouts.  Group classes come in many different varieties, ranging from boot camps to spinning to aerobics, so make sure to think carefully as to what will best meet your goals and preferences.  If you haven’t tried a group class before, it’s definitely something worth considered to check out for.

So next time you find yourself bored with the same old workouts, make sure that you consider each of these activities.  If you can think of little ways to add the intensity while having fun, the chances that you stick with that cardio training will definitely go way up, thus moving you closer to your ultimate goal.

This is a guest post from Wozniacki. Wozniacki is the co-author of an ebook titled Ripped Cut Buff, which offers tips & workout routines on how to get ripped.

Thank you Wozniacki for a fun guest post.

I like the idea of a mini triathlon (maybe the spin bike, rowing machine and treadmill at the gym).  That would be fun! We already know I like group fitness classes so that is a great suggestion for spicing things up.  How about everyone else?

Which of the 5 ways do you think might help you spice up your cardio?

*Photo credit photo credit: DJ-Dwayne