Results from a shortened workout
WHEN losing weight, people will tell you that you need to work very hard in the gym and be disciplined with your diet. But while this is true, there are others who will promote shortened workout times, saying they can yield the same results.
Gisel Harrow, a personal trainer at Gymkhana, told All Woman that exercise has evolved over the years, with continuous research and proven results in many aspects supporting a shortened workout.
“Individuals are now seeking quick results using shorter workout times as opposed to longer method aerobic exercises. These so far have proven to be very effective, yielding greater or similar results,” she said.
Harrow said to get the most out of a shortened workout period, it is best to use high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
“Doing short but intense bouts of exercise for up to 15 minutes can be just as effective as cardio and weight-training sessions for one hour. These can be done with or without free weights or machines,” Harrow said.
“HIIT is a training technique in which you give all-out, 100 per cent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time.”
Harrow added that HIIT workouts can also boost both short-term and long-term exercise capacity, resulting in more efficient workouts that take a fraction of the time.
The personal trainer explained, however, that there is no formula to this exercise as it depends on an individual’s cardiovascular development.
She said HIIT exercise sessions generally consist of a warm-up period, then several repetitions of high-intensity exercise separated by medium-intensity exercise for recovery, then a cooling-down period.
Harrow explained that the high-intensity exercise should be done at near maximum intensity. The medium exercise should be about 50 per cent intensity.
“The number of repetitions and length of each depends on the exercise, but may be as little as three repetitions with just 20 seconds of intense exercise. The specific exercises performed during the high-intensity portions vary. There is no specific formula to HIIT. Depending on one’s level of cardiovascular development, the moderate-level intensity can be as slow as walking,” Harrow explained.
But before switching from your regular workout regimen to HIIT, Harrow advised that you should get clearance from your doctor as it’s a strenuous workout that includes some technical exercises, so for those who are not physically fit the risk for injury is high.
— Kimberley Hibbert
