Let me put it like this….if fitness was a popularity contest, doing lots of interval cardio would make you super cool….who doesn’t want to be cool? Oh, and thin isn’t bad either…

Here are 5 awesome reasons interval cardio will change your body fast and make you colder than a polar bear’s toenails (now that’s cool)….

1) It’s quicker. If you are constantly reassuring yourself you’re too busy to workout…and if 45 minutes sounds like an eternity to commit to exercise, then start working out for 7 minutes using high intensity intervals.

I won’t bore you with technical research that backs up this recommendation. Instead, I’ll just say I’ve maintained a single digit body fat percentage working out as little as 7-11 minutes 3-4 times per week using interval-based training!

If you think this sounds too good to be true and there has to be a catch, let me say that this will be pretty much the most uncomfortable 7ish minutes of your life.

The key is INTENSITY and extremely short rest periods, which force you to repeat these demanding ’rounds’ over and over again when you’re nowhere near ready to be doing them. The bright side is as soon as you start, you only have a few minutes left.

2) Mental toughness.  You’re probably starting to see a theme to my workouts- challenging, intense, efficient, effective and confidence-building! It’s hard to explain until you’ve actually done it….but, pushing yourself way past your comfort level really changes the way you view life.

All of a sudden that annoying phone call you have to make Monday afternoon is a piece of cake because your brain becomes programmed to conquer these challenges that are thrown at you.

You realize that nothing you do in a given day is near as hard as the workout you put your body through and this really opens you up to becoming more productive and positive in other aspects of life.  That’s a pretty sweet secondary effect to working out if you ask me….

3) More fat loss. Again, intervals do a nice job of burning calories and fat during a workout, but the really cool thing is the calories and fat this type of training burns up after you finish the workout.

I compare this to making money while you’re not actually at work. Wouldn’t you like to lose body fat while you’re at home hanging out with the fam, watching a movie? Intervals done the right way will grant you this luxury.

4) Won’t STRIP lean muscle. Because interval training is generally performed in short, intense spurts of 30 sec to a couple of minutes….you are actually working your body in a way that favors muscle growth.

This type of anaerobic training is very similar to weight training. Also, because the duration is much shorter, you will be less likely to burn valuable muscle tissue for energy. On the other hand, long, slow-paced cardio workouts can strip your body of metabolism boosting muscle mass (think marathon runners) if you overdo it.

5) Keeps things refreshing. Intervals can be performed in so many different ways, making it ideal for anyone who is bored with their standard exercise regimen.

My favorites include sprinting, explosive jumps, shadow boxing with dumbbells and using the ‘old-school’ exercise bikes (the ones with moving handles to work the upper body as well).  Any activity you can think to do HARD for a short duration, follow with a rest period and repeat several times…works great.

If you’re new to interval training, start slow and perform the ‘working’ part of the interval workout at about 60% effort. After 2 weeks, increase this to 70%, and so on until you can perform the intervals at near 100% effort.

I recommend using intense intervals in conjunction with total body (highly metabolic) weight training workouts and 1 or 2 standard (slow and steady) cardio sessions for a comprehensive, “body fat can kiss your new and improved skinny butt goodbye” exercise program.

For an exact outline of how to schedule your weekly workouts for best results, just check out this video:  weight loss workouts.

Okay, so having said all of that…is high intensity interval training the ONLY way to go for EVERYONE out there?  Absolutely not.  There are still major benefits associated with long, slow cardio workouts that cannot be matched with interval training.

On top of that, intense interval training is just not practical for everyone.  True beginners, extremely overweight people, those with certain injuries and others who really enjoy the more traditional (long and slow) cardio workouts….all would be best suited to stay with the slow-go cardio.

For everyone else, however, make sure interval training becomes a staple in your overall exercise program!

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

P.S. BE COOL and grab your FREE gifts by clicking the coupon below…

Posted in Fat Loss | Burn Fat Fast by Brad Campbell | 8 Comments