Burn Fat Not Time
Have you ever heard the term EPOC?
Excess Post exercise Oxygen Consumption
This phenomenon is the key to long term effective fat loss results. The best thing about it is that it really does not require a lot of time to take effect. In a nut shell high intensity – short duration workouts may increase body’s need for oxygen for hours after the workout. With increased oxygen flow in the system the body could burn more calories from fat. The harder is the workout the higher is the EPOC.
One of The Training Methods Used is The Tabata Protocol
Client would perform a prescribed exercise for duration of 20 seconds with 10 second rest period for the total of 6-8 sets depending on his/her current fitness level. The total time necessary to accomplish the exercise is 4 minutes (on an 8 sets protocol) 8X20 sec work=160 sec +8x10 sec rest=80 sec - 160 sec +80 sec = 240 sec/4 minutes
Each 20 seconds of work would be performed with the highest possible intensity the client can achieve followed by only 10 of rest which does not allow the muscle to fully recover from the 20 sec work set.
This type of training creates a huge need for the oxygen (EPOC) in the body upon the completion of the 8 sets. The client may not burn a huge amount of calories during the exercise but the increase requirement for the oxygen could be prolonged for hours thus the body could burn more calories.
We have noticed that muscular tonus has been significantly increased among the clients who were trained using this protocol. Since the exercises are performed with high intensity at the high pace, the emphasis is placed on the fast twitch muscle fibers (responsible for strength and speed). These muscle fibers are mainly found in ‘visible” muscles like biceps, triceps, quadriceps etc.
I understand your time concerns and this is why High Intensity Interval Training and Tabata Protocol are natural choices in designing our training programs. Most of our training sessions are scheduled just for 30 minutes per client. Once you try it you will know why.
These types of training cannot be applied to every client. They are designed for healthy individuals who want to achieve a low body fat physique and improve the way they look.
For other individuals with specific needs our trainers design training programs that are less intense and focus on other areas until client is ready to participate in the high intensity training.