Train Like the Sprinter
Our fitness perspective focuses on moving our bodies in such a way to enhance our physical prowess, supporting our nervous system & our ability to adapt to the demands of our environment. Burst training is the most cutting edge way of developing a strong, fit body naturally. The critical hormones for this natural enhancement include testosterone & human growth hormone (HGH). This is exactly what you secrete, allowing you to burn fat & build muscle for the next 24-36 hours, when you correctly engage in a bout of burst training.
Kick start your metabolic fires, burn fat, & build lean body tissue like never before with a limited time investment. Burst training, when done correctly, is great for people of all ages.
Burst Training Guidelines
Activity Any large rhythmic motion – run/jog/walk, biking, rowing, elliptical machine, dancing, hiking, swimming, etc. Remember to alter the incline and the resistance when necessary to provide a further challenge.
Pace: Preferred ratio – 1:1 – 1:3 – The first number (1) represents the time spent in your effort phase, the second # (1, 5) represents the amount of time spent in the recovery phase.
Ex. 1:1 ratio – Run for a minute and then walk/jog for a minute.
1:3 ratio – Sprint for 15 sec and then walk/jog lightly for 45 sec
*Try a 1:1 ratio with 30 sec in effort phase followed by 30 sec in recovery phase for 5 full sets or 5 minutes all together.*
Frequency: 2-3x a week – with a minimum of 1 rest day in between. Best results come with a balanced exercise program consisting of burst training, resistance training, and functional training
Intensity:
Borg Scale : 1 – barely moving, 10 – as hard as you can go
Effort phase: 8-10 (a very, very challenging pace)
Recovery phase: 3-4 (a pace you could do for a very long time)
Time: Always get at least a 5 minute steady pace warm-up before engaging in intervals. Try beginning with 5 sets of intervals. Begin by doing this for 5 total mins before I would cool down.
Total Time: 5 min warm-up, 5 min intervals, 5 min cool-down = 15 min max (Yes that is all you need – more is not necessarily better – for many body types and conditioning levels, more is worse)
Athletes: Be careful not to do more than 20-30 mins of intervals due to the “over-training” affect that will cause an increased surge of cortisol and tissue degradation.
Special Conditions; Arthritis, meniscal issues, low back/knee/foot/ankle trouble – discuss with doctor before engaging in burst training activities. May be able to handle low impact activities such as swimming, biking elliptical, and/or rowing.
Effects: These high intensity bursts create an “oxygen debt,” and burn up all the stored sugar (glycogen) within your muscles and liver. The following adaptation that your body goes through over the next 24-36 hours is to store sugar in the muscle and liver (not in the fat cells) and to burn fat for energy. Therefore, you burn fat while you are sleeping!