DISCLAIMER: Please consult with a physician before beginning any new exercise program.
There is a fantastic trend in fitness...efficiency...less time with better results. My clients often ask how to find time for strength training, cardio, Pilates, work, athletics and family. This High Interval Training (HIT) method is the solution; we can do it all! In addition over the past decade, interval training workouts are replacing steady pace altogether and some fitness pros even suggest HIT's impact is superior.
One of my favorite exercise physiologists, Michele Olson, PhD, a professor of Exercise Physiology at Auburn University (WDE), explains: " It's especially effective at banishing belly fat. My 40-50 year-old clients are thrilled with how interval training has helped fight the muffin top." Studies in the publication Medical Science and Sports Exercise show that HIT elevates resting metabolic rate for a full 24 hours after the workout.
Olson has always been a strong proponent for Pilates and has used Auburn athletes for much of her Pilates and core-based research. Olson states,"HIT training provides a strong cardio stimulus that compliments the muscle conditioning and flexibility enhancing nature of Pilates. Because HIT does involve strenuous exercise the benefits of a strong core and joint enhancing benefits of Pilates help prevent injuries." Just like Pilates, it's about quality over quantity. Significant cross-training benefits within performance sports like tennis are also noted in HIT research.
The major element that makes HIT different from other forms of interval training is that the high-intensity intervals involve nearly maximum effort. Alycea Ungaro, of New York City's Real Pilates Studio says, "By definition HIT is at 90-100% of maximum exertion. You go for short bursts until you can't possibly go any further." This does not necessarily have to involve high impact. Some routines can be based on exercise machines at super-heavyweight levels. Some programs could incorporate a stationary bike working on bursts of 10-50 seconds with a perceived exertion rate of 8-10. You can do a HIT session within Pilates by simply adding 90 second sets of explosive exercises using your own body as resistance (lunges, squats, football shuffles, jump ropes). Because the intervals are so short you cannot necessarily rely on a heart rate monitor, otherwise by the time the monitor actually registers max intensity you're flat on your back! Thus you have to be responsible for going all out 30-60 seconds, pushing yourself so hard that at the end of the interval you simply have to stop and walk. If you are at 80% of your maximum you should have a difficult time speaking. If you feel like you can go faster or longer you need to push yourself harder within the moment.
A basic program by Alycea Ungaro in this month's Pilates Style magazine uses only a jump rope.
Warm-up 3-5 minutes marching or skipping rope
Jump rope at a pace that leaves you breathless for 60 seconds
Recover 1-3 minutes marching or skipping rope. Repeat until you have done 20 minutes total.
A couple of weeks ago I consulted with a Pilates mentor regarding her response to clients' who need a "recipe" to meet their weekly exercise requirements with the necessary stregth, core, cardio ingredients. I loved her response: Layla Khashoggi, of Pilates Anytime replied, first, with an appropriate disclaimer that we should ALWAYS CONSULT A PHYSICIAN BEFORE BEGINNING ANY NEW EXERCISE PROGRAM and then, "Tiffany, I am in the camp that enduring cardio can be counterproductive. I am now strongly in favor of interval training. It is both time efficient and metabolically stimulating, as well as physiologically activating at a cellular level. Do internet searches on "Peak 8," "Tabata Protocol," or "P.A.C.E." to get a sense of short, high intensity intervals, alternating. The secret is HIGH intensity (max) for anywhere from 20-60 seconds. This saves lots of time when applied to a week's workout."
Personally I have been sprinting more just because research shows sprinting to be a premier method to tone and strengthen the glutes. I have enjoyed ramping the tempo between the 8.5-9.5 MPH range. Having read more this week about the HIT method I will try to adhere to the protocol closely--twenty minutes with short (30-60 sec) bursts of all out, butt-kicking, don't stop until you drop maximum effort. Tell my kids I love them!
The HIT method is recommended 2-3 times a week to give your body time to recover. They are strenuous but short and push us past our comfort zone. I relax in comfort zones but realize they are over-rated...we grow by moving beyond them! Challenge yourself to move beyond a certain comfort zone this week.
Thank you for reading.
Reference: Pilates Style Feb. 2011
There is a fantastic trend in fitness...efficiency...less time with better results. My clients often ask how to find time for strength training, cardio, Pilates, work, athletics and family. This High Interval Training (HIT) method is the solution; we can do it all! In addition over the past decade, interval training workouts are replacing steady pace altogether and some fitness pros even suggest HIT's impact is superior.
One of my favorite exercise physiologists, Michele Olson, PhD, a professor of Exercise Physiology at Auburn University (WDE), explains: " It's especially effective at banishing belly fat. My 40-50 year-old clients are thrilled with how interval training has helped fight the muffin top." Studies in the publication Medical Science and Sports Exercise show that HIT elevates resting metabolic rate for a full 24 hours after the workout.
Olson has always been a strong proponent for Pilates and has used Auburn athletes for much of her Pilates and core-based research. Olson states,"HIT training provides a strong cardio stimulus that compliments the muscle conditioning and flexibility enhancing nature of Pilates. Because HIT does involve strenuous exercise the benefits of a strong core and joint enhancing benefits of Pilates help prevent injuries." Just like Pilates, it's about quality over quantity. Significant cross-training benefits within performance sports like tennis are also noted in HIT research.
The major element that makes HIT different from other forms of interval training is that the high-intensity intervals involve nearly maximum effort. Alycea Ungaro, of New York City's Real Pilates Studio says, "By definition HIT is at 90-100% of maximum exertion. You go for short bursts until you can't possibly go any further." This does not necessarily have to involve high impact. Some routines can be based on exercise machines at super-heavyweight levels. Some programs could incorporate a stationary bike working on bursts of 10-50 seconds with a perceived exertion rate of 8-10. You can do a HIT session within Pilates by simply adding 90 second sets of explosive exercises using your own body as resistance (lunges, squats, football shuffles, jump ropes). Because the intervals are so short you cannot necessarily rely on a heart rate monitor, otherwise by the time the monitor actually registers max intensity you're flat on your back! Thus you have to be responsible for going all out 30-60 seconds, pushing yourself so hard that at the end of the interval you simply have to stop and walk. If you are at 80% of your maximum you should have a difficult time speaking. If you feel like you can go faster or longer you need to push yourself harder within the moment.
A basic program by Alycea Ungaro in this month's Pilates Style magazine uses only a jump rope.
Warm-up 3-5 minutes marching or skipping rope
Jump rope at a pace that leaves you breathless for 60 seconds
Recover 1-3 minutes marching or skipping rope. Repeat until you have done 20 minutes total.
A couple of weeks ago I consulted with a Pilates mentor regarding her response to clients' who need a "recipe" to meet their weekly exercise requirements with the necessary stregth, core, cardio ingredients. I loved her response: Layla Khashoggi, of Pilates Anytime replied, first, with an appropriate disclaimer that we should ALWAYS CONSULT A PHYSICIAN BEFORE BEGINNING ANY NEW EXERCISE PROGRAM and then, "Tiffany, I am in the camp that enduring cardio can be counterproductive. I am now strongly in favor of interval training. It is both time efficient and metabolically stimulating, as well as physiologically activating at a cellular level. Do internet searches on "Peak 8," "Tabata Protocol," or "P.A.C.E." to get a sense of short, high intensity intervals, alternating. The secret is HIGH intensity (max) for anywhere from 20-60 seconds. This saves lots of time when applied to a week's workout."
Personally I have been sprinting more just because research shows sprinting to be a premier method to tone and strengthen the glutes. I have enjoyed ramping the tempo between the 8.5-9.5 MPH range. Having read more this week about the HIT method I will try to adhere to the protocol closely--twenty minutes with short (30-60 sec) bursts of all out, butt-kicking, don't stop until you drop maximum effort. Tell my kids I love them!
The HIT method is recommended 2-3 times a week to give your body time to recover. They are strenuous but short and push us past our comfort zone. I relax in comfort zones but realize they are over-rated...we grow by moving beyond them! Challenge yourself to move beyond a certain comfort zone this week.
Thank you for reading.
Reference: Pilates Style Feb. 2011
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