High Intensity Benefits
The weather has finally cooled off, so we can all head outside for some exercise without any excuses! Whether it’s high-intensity fitness, hiking, biking or running, what is the best mix of activities for fat loss?
Short-term, high intensity training has not only been shown to kick the body’s repair cycle into overdrive and burn fat during the work-out, but also burns fat for up to 24 hours following the exercise.
There are benefits to those of us with busy schedules…the work-outs are efficient. A “short” work-out could last anywhere from five to twenty minutes, but it will be the hardest, most intense five minutes of your life. Using a simple heart rate monitor that includes calculations for weight, height and age, calorie loss in a high-intensity WOD of ten minutes will be equal to a jog on the treadmill for 30 minutes.
Studies have shown that after eight weeks of WODs that stay in the anaerobic zone, where you are completely out of breath, heart health is substantially improved and you can see endurance fitness double.
You will also lose weight and NOT muscle! Simply dieting and then performing the same routine every day doesn’t promote overall strength. High-intensity, constantly varied, exercise targets the fat stores and builds muscle.
Following this routine, an increased metabolism results from higher levels of HGH released during the exercise, and again, for the subsequent 24 hours.
So! If you are already sold on the high-intensity fitness method, but want to add more endurance sports for fun, go ahead and complete those exercises first thing in the morning, or at least three hours before the high-intensity WOD. Check out CrossFit Endurance for more information about how to structure your schedule to incorporate both endurance and high-intensity exercise during the day.
