So today was the first day of a month or two of High Intensity Training, in an effort to start boosting that metabolism for more fat burning and hopefully the addition of some lean muscle mass too. Remember, the benefits don’t end there: Anaerobic capacity increase, as well as cardiovascular benefits come as part of the package too, as does (hopefully) a better understanding of your muscular system.

Why the change?

Change is good in training. It is called ‘periodising’ and it allows your body to adapt to different stimuli presented to it at different periods in time. Each period offers its own benefits; some focus on strength, others on explosive power, others on overall condition and fat loss and others on active rest and recovery – all are important for a healthy physique, and all are accessible to pretty much anyone healthy.

Today was a lower body emphasis workout, using exclusively compound movements (no isolation exercises) as well as a few tough core movements thrown in to boot. The high intensity in this workout comes from the weight used, the reps attempted and the rest (or lack of) between exercises. This is only one way to increase intensity and by no means the holy grail of HIT training (if there even is such a thing). We’ll be looking at other forms of HIT or HIIT (interval) training on BodyBytes as time goes by.

Workout plan:

Monday/Tuesday : on

Wednesday: Off (or very low intensity cardio for improved recovery)

Thursday/Friday: on

Saturday/Sunday: Off (or very low intensity cardio for improved recovery)

Today’s lower body/core workout:

3 circuits, each circuit consisting of 4 exercises performed back to back, for 3 sets. Each set is followed by 1-2 mins of rest. Each circuit completion is followed by 5 mins of rest while you set up the next circuit.

Circuit 1:

Walking lunge  x 20 (30 kg)

Stiff leg barbell deadlift x 15 (60 kg)

Box jumps x 20

Toes to hands x 20 (yeah right!! I’ll get there by the end of the month )

That was the 3rd and final set in this circuit! 6 measly ‘toes to hands’…pathetic.

Circuit 2:

2-hand kettlebell swing x 20 (25kg)

Leg press x 15 (120 kg – I can press about 300 kg for 10, but not in a workout like this)

TRX hamstring curl x 15

Kettlebell ab extensions x 15-20 (20kg)

Again, the 3rd and final set.

Circuit 3:

Split jumps x 24-30

Leg press calf raises x 15 (80kg)

Side plank, extended arm, leg raised x 40 seconds (right)

Side plank, extended arm, leg raised x 40 seconds (left)

Unfortunately, there is no video available for this circuit. My camera man had left the gym by this point (but thanks for the first two Andreas – you were born to be a cinematographer ).

The workout took about 50 – 55 minutes (including a 15 minute warmup – cardio, stretching and light movements), plus  a good stretch at the end.

In the second video you’ll notice my little notebook (that I have on occasion had the piss taken out me because of – but I will have the last laugh ) in which I note down all the weights, reps, and rest times of my workout. This is how you can objectively keep track of your workouts, and it puts you in a position to know if you are improving – even if by a rep or two, or a few seconds shaved off your workout each time.

Feel free to give the workout a go. You can tweak it, swap exercises in and out, start with less reps or sets and obviously, use a weight that you are capable of handling for good form for the exercises. The idea is to find an intensity that you can ‘just about’ maintain for the duration of the circuits. You don’t want to collapse halfway through, but you don’t want to finish a circuit and feel under-worked. For the record, I was on the floor for 2-3 minutes after each trio of sets in a circuit (the lactic acid build up is extreme). Also, it’s been about 8 hours since I finished, and I ‘still’ feel stimulated from the workout. I haven’t done this for a while now (some months) and well….we have to start somewhere!