How many times have you told yourself that you’d exercise and get fit, if only you had the time?
I have lost track the amount of times I’ve heard the I-don’t-have-time excuse…
The old way of exercising at a slow speed, for long periods of time, is over and done (who has that much time???).
Short and intense exercise sessions that utilise High Intensity Interval Training get you better results with way less time invested. So there goes the ‘time crunch’ excuse. You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to get amazing results. A simple 30 minute workout done right, is all you need.
So what does this magical 30 minute workout consist of?
High Intensity Interval Training
This means rather than doing the same cardio exercise your entire workout, you’d alternate between short, high-intensity bursts of exercise with slower, low-intensity periods of recovery.
The research makes it clear that this method of training burns more calories and builds fitness quicker with less time invested.
Some of the listed benefits are:
1. Shorter time frame of sessions
2. No fancy equipment needed (if you are going to a trainer or Boot Camp, the trainer should be able to set you on the right track)
3. Burn more calories over a 24 hour period (not everyone agrees with this)
4. Easy to modify to meet your goals: intensity of intervals, duration of intervals, duration of recovery intervals, and the number of interval repetitions
There are no real hard-and-fast rules with interval length. Varying lengths bring varying benefits, so it’s important to find which length works best for you.
• Please note: Beginners should aim for no more than 30 seconds of high-intensity bursts
Here is an example of interval training:
Start by walking, then add short bursts of jogging or alternate slower walking with brisk walking. If you walk outdoors, then jog or walk faster between certain landmarks such as mailboxes or street signs, then slow down for a short distance. The more popular, and effective, form of interval training includes alternating between resistance training exercises and high intensity cardio exercises (this is where a Boot Camp or CrossFit Programming really come into play and why they are some of the fastest ways to train at the moment).
So it turns out that we all really do have enough time to get a workout each day!!
By Scott Williams
CrossFit Coach and Founder of
Succeed Personal Development &
Succeed Overhaul
www.succeedoverhaul.com
