Hey Mama, welcome back! I hope you had a great start into the new week…
Interval workouts, HIIT, Tabata – so many names for one and the same principle of training: Intense workout intervals followed by short breaks. The promise? Increased efficiency and effectiveness for your workouts, a boost for your metabolism and successful weightloss. Sounds good – doesn’t it?
Let‘s discover the benefits of interval training today and find out if those workouts suit you…I hope you enjoy reading!
Interval training – What is this all about?
The basic principle is easy: Short and intense workout intervals in alternation with a quick break – then repeat. The length of the intervals can vary, depending on the intensity of your workout. Taking Tabata as an example: Here we have amongst others 20:10, 30:10, 20:20 or 40:10 intervals (20 seconds workout – 10 seconds break, 30 seconds workout – 10 seconds break, …) that are repeated for 8 rounds. The chosen exercise is besides the timespans the other relevant factor that make up the intensity of your workout. There are nearly none exercises that cannot be used within an interval workout – Burpees, Squats, Lunges, … You name it!
So how to loose weight with interval training?
Sounds good but how why is interval training potentially more effective than other training methods? One reason for that is for sure the high intensity of those workouts. The afterburn effect does add up on that. This effect has yet been not fully researched, but so far we know, that our body does not only need energy during the workout but also after it. Physical activity is in first place stress for our body – the regeneration from that stress does also burn energy, so calories or fat. The amount of energy needed after the workout seems to be even larger for interval workouts than for other methods – making interval workouts even more effective!
Is interval training for everybody?
The high intensities are for sure great to burn calories and loose fat but they are also the reason to why interval workouts may not be perfectly suited for everybody. You should already have some expertise in training and know your body. It is also very important to kn ow how to perform all the exercises properly before you start with an interval workout – due to the short intervals and quick changes there is not enough time to focus on technique, it is therefore even more important, that your body already knows the correct technique and can retrieve it automatically. Very important, since we are here amongst mamas (to-be): High-intensity interval training is mostly not suitable for you as a pregnant woman! Rather, choose workouts with a longer rest and pay attention to the exercise selection. Don’t worry, at MOVE IT MAMA we have already done this work for you.
…and there are even more benefits to interval training!
Besides weightloss interval workouts have many more benefits, also with regards to you health. High blood pressure, diabetes and stroke are only some of the diseases that are correlated with obesity and can therefore easily be prevented with interval training and of course an in general healthy lifestyle. We all know, that workouts are not the only component of living healthily, but they are one important cornerstone…
Pssst – my personal secret…
I looove Tabata! Those workouts challenge me each time, even if I’d describe myself as sportive and do regurarly exercise. And they never bore me because there is always so much room for variation. This is great also to adapt workouts to your personal needs. My tip for the extra burn: Use the breaks to intensify your workout: Push ups can be combined with the plank, burpees with high knees, … You are totally free to choose your exercise here. With that being said:
Keep it moving!
Birte
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