Fitness: high-intensity continued

In the last issue the topic turned to high-intensity exercise and noted that genuine gains can be made with workouts that last for about two to three minutes.

The issue of being ‘time poor’ is not really one that should be of concern to most Pattaya-based expat residents, but, then again, why would you want to push yourself any harder for longer than you really need to in order to have a positive affect on your physical shape and well-being?

There are those who, for example, will spend two or three hours cycling around the city and its environs. That’s fine if you enjoy doing it, but if the effort is really aimed at losing weight or staying fit, then why not consider a training protocol that can do the same job in about one-tenth of the time?

Cardio is an important element in all training regimens. You can walk, jog, run, you can ride a pushbike, go to the gym and get on a treadmill or stationary bike or rowing machine.

The key to combining effective cardio within a restricted time frame however is to train at a high intensity for no more than 15 to 20 minutes at the most. As mentioned in the last issue, it is possible to achieve great results with as little as two or three minutes of intense effort.

The following is a series of examples of possible high-intensity cardio workouts that should last no more than 15-20 minutes.

Stationary Bike: 10 seconds fast followed by 20 seconds slow. Do this for around 16 minutes in total.

Treadmill: 30 seconds fast followed by two minutes of jogging. Do this for around 15 minutes.

Rower: 15 seconds fast followed by 45 seconds slow. Do this for around 20 minutes.

Another form of high-intensity training is known as Tabata. It’s a kind of training which has gained popularity in recent years and basically follows a four-minute pattern with a trainer selecting either one exercise (say the rowing machine) or a series of exercises (say, leg raises, bicep curls and skipping rope) to perform. The first 20 seconds is intense, then there is a 10-second break. You do this for a total of four minutes and then have a full one-minute rest. This is followed by another four-minute session and another one-minute break. All told the aim is to do a workout that lasts for 30 minutes in total.

As mentioned last time, diet still remains a key factor in whether a trainer makes very quick and solid gains or simply makes what might be called acceptable gains.