If you walk in to your local fitness club and ask one of their personal trainers what the best abs exercise is they will probably tell you crunches. Though the trend is finally changing to more efficient ab exercises I am still amazed at how little some professionals know. Realistically, how often do you find yourself lying on your back, mustering all of the strength that you can gather, in order to get off of the floor and to a standing position? My guess is that you answered, rarely. Then why do so many personal trainers and magazine experts seem to think that you need to spend your time doing millions of crunches to uncover your cleverly disguised six pack abs? Personally, I think it is ridiculous and a waste of time. So, I am going to give you 4 basic litmus tests you can apply to any exercise to determine whether it is the best abs exercise.

First, in order to understand what the best abs exercise is, we must first understand how the abdominals really work and what they were designed to do. When you look closely at the structure of the abdominals you notice that they are oriented much like a corset. We have muscles that run up and down, diagonal and side to side.

The rectus abdominis runs up and down and is responsible for the six pack look and for preventing excessive hyperextension of the trunk. They are also responsible for flexing the trunk or bending forward. However, this is not that difficult when you are standing upright because gravity helps. The two groups of oblique muscles run diagonally and help with stabilization of the spine and with rotation of the trunk. And finally, the transverse abdominis acts like a belt to stabilize the spine and aid with rotation of the trunk.

So basically, the abdominals stabilize the spine, rotate or prevent rotation of the trunk, flex the spine and prevent hyperextension of the spine.

I am now going to uncover for you 4 ways to determine whether the best abs exercise you like to do is, in fact, the best abs exercise.

1. The best abs exercise works the entire body. Therefore, abdominal exercise should be a total body movement. To ensure that your abs exercise is the most effective you should make sure that you are standing or that your feet are at least on the ground. There are still some quality abdominal exercises where you are not standing straight up, like a push up or mountain climbers. These are effective because your feet and hands are on the floor and you have to stabilize your trunk in order to perform the movement. Most movements that we do with our arms and legs require that we stabilize our trunk with abdominals first. The bottom line is to stick with exercises that put your feet on the floor.

2. The best abs exercise will stabilize the trunk while allowing movements with either the lower body or the upper body. The degree to which the abdominals are worked depends on the intensity of the activity and how many of the roles that the abdominals perform are used. For example, an upper extremity movement that requires stabilization of the trunk is going to be less demanding than an upper extremity movement that requires stabilization and rotation of the trunk.

3. All of the muscles of the abdominals will need to be recruited to work properly – NO isolation (crunches). In order to achieve maximum stabilization and efficiency the abdominal muscles will fire together. Our bodies rarely ever work in isolation, so why would we train in isolation if what we want is a fully functioning body that is ready to take on the stress and challenge of everyday life? The only exception that I see is if you are training in bodybuilding, but realistically that is a very small population.

4. The best abs exercise will require multiple planes of movement. Do you want to know how to increase the intensity of any abdominal exercise? Add another direction of movement to it. That means that it challenges our forward to backward motion (sagittal plane), side to side motion (frontal plane), and rotational motion (transverse plane) all at the same time. I call this 3 dimensional abdominal training.

Now compare your best abs exercise to the 4 qualifications that I just gave you and see how it compares. Just because an exercise doesn’t meet all 4 requirements doesn’t mean that it is a bad exercise, it just means that it can be improved or that there are more effective ones. An exercise that does meet all 4 requirements is going to work you harder. That means better results in less time.

Here are 4 of my best abs exercises:

1. Sprints: I know you are probably thinking that isn’t even an abdominal exercise. I would agree that it typically isn’t thought of as an abdominal exercise. However, how many sprinters do you know that don’t have ripped abs? This is also a great interval training exercise to reduce the amount of fat that is disguising your six pack abs.

2. Push Up Variations: From the most basic to the most advanced version of push ups, this is one of the best for training abdominal stabilization. Add intensity to a push up by introducing a new plane of motion.

3. Mountain Climber (a push up with a twist): This is a variation of a push up that can be a really intense exercise. Not only does this involve a traditional push up but you are adding a transverse movement with your legs while minimizing the width of your base at your feet. Try this one with your feet on a stability ball and tell me you don’t get a good workout. Another variation is called the Spiderman.

4. Kettlebell Swing: This one involves swinging a kettlebell, dumbbell, or weight plate up and down in front of you as if you were going to launch it straight up in the air. Add a diagonal movement to it and you have a woodchopper.

Now for the ultimate abdominal workout – Interval Training Style!

Pick your favorite 4 best abs exercises.

Choose an appropriate work to rest ratio and time.

Rotate from one exercise to the next during your work session.

It’s essential that you give a maximal effort during the work period.

Here’s an example using the above exercises.

Interval training workout protocol

20 second work

40 second rest

8 cycles / reps

Sprint for 20 seconds then active rest for 40 seconds

Push ups for 20 seconds then active rest for 40 seconds

Mountain climber for 20 seconds then active rest for 40 seconds

Kettlebell swing for 20 seconds then active rest for 40 seconds

Repeat this cycle 2x for a total of 8 minutes. I guarantee that if you are working hard you will get an amazing workout. Try changing the work to rest ratio or time and see what results you get.

The fun thing about using interval training as your workout protocol is that you can add enough variety that it seems like you are never doing the same workout.

What if I were to tell you that you could throw out your 60 minute cardio training workout and get even better results in just 4 minutes using HIIT (high intensity interval training)? Could you get excited about it?

What if I told you those 4 minute HIIT cardio workouts were even more effective at burning fat for a longer period time than low to moderate intensity cardio training?

The good news is you can stop wasting so much time on the elliptical trainer and get a more efficient workout using interval training. In this article, I am going to explain why high intensity interval training is more effective and give you 2 ways you can modify your elliptical training workouts to be more efficient.

One important reason interval training is more effective – Excess Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). When training at low to moderate intensity your body utilizes fat as its primary fuel source, thereby leaving its reserve of emergency fuel known as glycogen virtually untouched. Glycogen is simply a form of carbohydrate that is stored in the liver and in muscle.

The body utilizes incredible amounts of its stored carbohydrate when you exercise at high intensities. When your glycogen stores run low or completely out while exercising at very high intensity, you “hit the wall” and slow down in a hurry.

The body has to replenish the glycogen that was used during your interval training workout as quickly as possible. So, it has to work overtime long after your workout is complete.

How does it replenish its glycogen stores? It converts fat to glycogen. So really, you burn fat a lot longer after your hiit cardio exercise routine has ended than you would with a low to moderate intensity workout.

The effect of this post workout utilization can be measured by determining the amount of excess oxygen you are consuming after exercise. Your body is working hard to convert your stored fat into glycogen so that you can be ready to perform at a high intensity again. Who knows when you might have to run away from that bear?

So how do you modify your cardio workout on the elliptical to make it a super charged fat burning hiit cardio workout?

1. Crank Up the Incline: Raise the incline of the elliptical trainer so that you are working at your maximum. Do this for 20 seconds and then return to a normal level for 10 seconds. Repeat this cycle 8 times and you have yourself one butt kicker of a workout known as a Tabata interval training protocol.

2. Increase the Resistance: By increasing the resistance you are making your muscles work as hard as possible. Just like with the incline, maintain the resistance for 20 seconds and then reduce it to a lower level for 10 seconds. Repeat the cycle 8 times and your 4 minute Tabata workout is complete.

Hiit cardio on the elliptical is more effective for burning fat fast than lower to moderate intensity exercise and requires much less time. The glycogen that you use up during your interval training session will need to be replaced fast. So, long after your workout, your body will be working overtime burning fat in order to restore what was used. Some research suggests that you continue to burn fat at an elevated rate for up to 24 hours after your interval training workout ended.

Total body exercises are the best and most effective way to lose fat and train your body for the stresses of everyday life.  The front squat and the dead lift require not only lower body strength but strengthen the core muscles that help to support the whole body as well as ripping the six pack that so many times is cleverly disguised.  Enjoy!  Train Fast!  Explode!

The Ultimate Hard-Body Exercise

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

Author:  The Truth About Six Pack Abs

The Front Squat

As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man. Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises.

In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are the ultimate solution.

If you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment.

Squats can be done with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or even just body weight. Squats should only be done with free weights – NEVER with a Smith machine! My ebook, The Truth About Six Pack Abs contains the full story on why machines are so inferior and even potentially DANGEROUS compared to free weights.

The type of squat that people are most familiar with is the barbell back squat where the bar is resting on the trapezius muscles of the upper back. Many professional strength coaches believe that front squats (where the bar rests on the shoulders in front of the head) and overhead squats (where the bar is locked out in a snatch grip overhead throughout the squat) are more functional to athletic performance than back squats with less risk of lower back injury.

I feel that a combination of all three (not necessarily during the same phase of your workouts) will yield the best results for overall muscular development, body fat loss, and athletic performance. Front squats are moderately more difficult than back squats, while overhead squats are considerably more difficult than either back squats or front squats. I’ll cover overhead squats in a future newsletter issue.

If you are only accustomed to performing back squats, it will take you a few sessions to become comfortable with front squats, so start out light. After a couple sessions of practice, you will start to feel the groove and be able to increase the poundage.

To perform front squats:

The front squat recruits the abdominals to a much higher degree for stability due to the more upright position compared with back squats. It is mostly a lower body exercise, but is great for functionally incorporating core strength and stability into the squatting movement. It can also be slightly difficult to learn how to properly rest the bar on your shoulders. There are two ways to rest the bar on the front of the shoulders.

In the first method, you step under the bar and cross your forearms into an “X” position while resting the bar on the dimple that is created by the shoulder muscle near the bone, keeping your elbows up high so that your arms are parallel to the ground. You then hold the bar in place by pressing the thumb side of your fists against the bar for support.

Alternatively, you can hold the bar by placing your palms face up and the bar resting on your fingers against your shoulders. For both methods, your elbows must stay up high to prevent the weight from falling. Your upper arms should stay parallel to the ground throughout the squat. Find out which bar support method is more comfortable for you.

Then, initiate the squat from your hips by sitting back and down keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet. Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel to the ground, then press back up to the starting position. Keeping your weight more towards your heels is the key factor in squatting to protect your knees from injury and develop strong injury resistant knee joints.

Keep in mind – squats done correctly actually strengthen the knees; squats done incorrectly can damage the knees. Practice first with an un-weighted bar or a relatively light weight to learn the movement. Most people are surprised how hard this exercise works your abs once you learn the correct form.

For complete descriptions of over 50 of the most effective full body exercises for stripping away body fat while developing a rock-hard body, download my e-book The Truth About Six Pack Abs

For a long time I have been a believer that the best way to train your abdominal muscles is through natural movements.  It always seemed that there should be a better way to get six pack abs then spend hours doing crunches and variations of crunches.  I found it difficult to believe that lying flat on your back training your abdominal muscles would be the best way to train for quick side to side and rotational movements.

Over time I learned that the best abdominal exercises mimic athletic movements similar to those involved in sports.  The following article by Mike Geary is a great example of exercises that strengthen the entire core group of abdominal muscles.

The 3 Best Abdominal Exercises that Are Not Traditional Ab Exercises
by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

Instead of the typical ab routines that we see so often with crunches, situps, leg lifts, etc… I like to give my readers better options for metabolism-boosting high intensity workouts that work their entire body while also working their abs… thus building rock hard abs & core, but also creating a much better fat-burning workout than a typical ab workout.

I’m going to show you an example today of one of my favorite “ab workouts” that doesn’t include any direct “ab exercises” at all. It’s in a tri-set format (similar to a super-set but alternating between 3 exercises).

Here goes:

1a. Renegade Dumbbell Rows
1b. Front Squats with Barbell
1c. Mountain Climbers on Floor

A good rep scheme to use with this could be 3-4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, or more sets for less reps, such as 5 sets of 5 reps of each exercise. Mountain climbers can be done for a time interval (such as 30 seconds) instead of “reps”.

Exercise Pics & Descriptions:

Renegade dumbbell rows are done starting in a pushup position with the hands on 2 dumbbells. You then row one dumbbell up while stabilizing your body with the other arm. Bring the dumbbell back to the ground and alternate the rowing arm while stabilizing with the opposite arm. This stabilizing effect during the rows creates incredible work for your entire midsection core area. Trust me… you’ll feel it in the abs!

Front squats are done similar to back squats, however with the barbell in front of your body on the front of your shoulders instead of resting on the upper back as in back squats. You stabilize the barbell on your shoulders by crossing your arms and pushing your fists into the bar against your shoulders while keeping your elbows out in front of the body.

This takes a little practice at first, so you will want to seek a professional trainer at your gym to help you with the form. Front squats require extreme stabilization strength from the abs due to the barbell weight being shifted to the front of the body instead of the back. Even though this is mostly a leg exercise, you’ll feel this one in the abs big time!

Mountain climbers are done by starting in a pushup position and then shuffling your feet in and out so that your knees are moving in under your chest and then back out to starting position. It sort of resembles climbing a mountain but flat on the floor. If you want an advanced version, you can also shuffle your hands 8-10 inches forward and backward in addition to the leg movements. This really makes it a full body exercise and MUCH more difficult than standard mountain climbers.

After finishing each exercise, rest about 30 seconds before starting the next exercise. Rest about 1-2 minutes after completing each “tri-set” before repeating.

This will give you one of the best ab workouts you’ve ever had without even doing any direct ab exercises. You’ll see what I mean after you try it!

This is just a sampling of some of the killer ideas you’ll discover in my internationally best-selling ebook program, The Truth about Six Pack Abs, currently the #1 most popular abs program on the internet (as ranked by clickbank.com) with 10’s of thousands of users in over 150 countries. If you don’t already have a copy be sure to pick one up today…

Not only will you receive a complete blue-print for challenging full-body workouts that will thoroughly define your entire body in addition to your abs (can be adjusted to beginners or advanced levels), but you’ll also gain a thorough understanding of what types of nutritional strategies and other lifestyle aspects that it takes to reduce your belly fat to the level where your abs are visible.

Check out what other users are saying about their results with the Truth about Six Pack Abs program

Don’t be lazy… Be lean.

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author:  The Truth About Six Pack Abs

Now that I pissed off all of the treadmill and elliptical machine worshipers… let me say that if you truly enjoy mindlessly pumping away on a treadmill or elliptical (or exercise bike for that matter too), then by all means, keep doing what you enjoy, because enjoying your exercise is one of the most important aspects to sticking with any exercise program…

However, don’t say that I didn’t warn you that you were wasting your time with all that mindless cardio machine boredom.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, I don’t believe in cardio machines, and to be quite honest, I don’t think I’ve personally used a treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike for at least the last 7-8 years or so.

As a matter of fact, I don’t even use cardio machines anymore for warmups before a workout (did before occasionally)… Nowadays, I prefer to do dumbbell or kettlebell snatches and swings mixed with bodyweight exercises as the perfect full body warmup at the beginning of my workouts.

So why do I have such hatred for cardio machines?  Well, here goes:

1) Treadmills, ellipticals, and exercise bikes are mind-blowingly BOOOORING!

2) Mindless steady state exercise while watching tv or reading creates a mind / body disconnect resulting in poor results from your exercise routine

3) I’ve seen studies that indicated that treadmill running may be less effective than outdoor running for various reasons such as stride abnormalities on treadmills vs natural running, slightly less caloric burn compared to outdoor running, etc.

Order The Truth About Six Pack Abs

(although I never recommend just “jogging” anyway… variable intensity walks / runs or sprints are so much more effective, training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of just the same pace during the entire workout).

4) Treadmills and ellipticals are ridiculously expensive and a waste of money for people that workout at home… there’s so many better options for home workouts you could have spent your money on rather than wasting it on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical.

The perfect home gym setup is MUCH cheaper… there’s no reason you need anything other than a jump rope, bodyweight exercises, a few dumbbells, stability ball, maybe a few kettlebells (if you want to get fancy), and perhaps high tension bands for some more variety.

By the way, here are some great adjustable dumbbells such which can save you big time cash if you’re setting up a home gym.

5) Treadmills and elliptical machines are just a very ineffective way to workout compared to other options.  Why should you do treadmill or elliptical workouts when you can get better results by doing more interesting forms of training that actually stimulate a fat-burning hormonal response and stimulate your metabolism to a greater extent.

So what are the alternatives to treadmills and ellipticals? Here are some of my favorites:

* jumping rope – great mind / body connection (try speed jumping, crosses, double jumps once you get skilled at it)
* bodyweight training – bodyweight squats, pushups, lunges, jumps, bear crawls, mountain climbers and jumpers, planks, and the list goes on and on
* kettlebell training – nothing will get your heart pounding like high repetition KB swings and snatches or clean & presses (can be done with dumbbells too, but I prefer KBs)
* outdoor wind sprinting (the ultimate for a rock hard ripped body… just look at the chiseled powerful bodies of world class sprinters, and compare that to the weakling withered physique of a typical marathoner… nuff said!)
* hill sprinting (yet another classic for a rock hard powerful body)
* rowing machine (ok, I don’t really lump this in as a “cardio” machine like treadmills and ellipticals… I think the rowing machine is actually a great full body workout that actually uses resistance)
* sprint style swimming workouts (a more muscular workout than steady state distance swimming… I actually love the upper body pump I get from sprint style swimming) – this is the same concept as sprinting vs jogging but in a pool instead
* heavy bag punching / kicking workout, speed bag, rebound bag… all great forms of training and much more interesting than boring cardio machines (requires an intense mind / body connection)
* shadow boxing… awesome workout, but if you’re shy, this is best done at home since you’ll get some crazy stares doing this at a typical gym from people who think they’re “too cool” for stuff like that.

Well, I hope that helps give you ideas on how you can get away from all of these mindless and ineffective treadmill and elliptical (and exercise bike) workouts that are just wasting your time and energy that could be better spent on more effective workouts.

best full body and ab workoutsIf you don’t already have a copy of my Truth about Six Pack Abs program, you can see some of the incredible reviews and results people are getting with Truth about Abs here

You can check out the common questions and answers about this super-effective fat loss program here

Have a great one, and get out there and actually ENJOY your workouts!

Don’t be lazy, be lean.

interval training

Some strategies work better than others for getting rid of belly fat and showing off the six pack abs underneath.  Unveiling the six pack doesn’t need to be a complicated or tricky process.  However, it seems that it has become more complicated as more and more advice is thrown around without sound science to support it.  Here are 3 proven ways to reveal the six pack abs that are waiting to be discovered.

1. Control the diet
The first and most important strategy for gaining a six pack set of abs is to take control over what you put in your body.  Nobody will notice the ripped abdominal muscles you have if you cover them up with unwanted fat.  Exercise is certainly very important, but if have the strongest and most toned abs ever and nobody can see them, it doesn’t help you look good.

There is a lot of confusion in the diet world right now because so many different programs and opinions are out there about losing weight and what a healthy should consist of.  Just pay attention to the headlines of magazines and mainstream media – the newest and greatest method seems to be revealed weekly.

The truth is that a healthy diet is one that comes directly from the ground.  It is best to consume whole fruits and vegetables with as little processing as possible.  Whole grains are a great source of healthy fiber.  Eating good quality meat will give the right types of fat and vitamins in order to produce the hormones and energy that is needed to recover from a workout.

2. Intensity
Focusing on the intensity of the workout is the second most important thing to consider.  Workouts should consist of high intensity, short duration exercises with equal rest periods in between. You should also focus on working the whole body rather than isolated muscles.  This gives you the most metabolic challenge possible and will therefore stimulate your body to make the changes necessary to become more efficient at burning fat and slimming down.

3. Abdominal training
It may come as no surprise that working your abdominal muscles would be the third component.  To train the abdominal muscles correctly and get real results, forget about crunches and situps.  These exercises have their place for those that are deconditioned and need a basic way to get started.  They are not the most effective abdominal exercise.

Effective abdominal training involves exercises that focus on rotation, stabilization, and deceleration of the trunk.  Ideally, if you can combine all three of these into one exercise you will have yourself a great abdominal exercise.  Most of the time, if you are performing a whole body exercise, you are also training your abdominal muscles the way they were intended.

Getting rid of excess body fat is going to be the most effective way to show off definition in the abs and midsection.  The most effective exercises to burn fat are complex, whole body movements such as swings and snatches, combinations of squats or lunges with a push or pull movement.  To look good, focus on these 3 things and you will get the body that you deserve.

interval training

I am a little bit of a people watcher.  I look to observe the techniques and methods that people are using to try and get in shape.  Over the years I have observed some mistakes that many people seem to make that really get them nowhere.  In this article, I discuss 2 of the biggest mistakes that people make and how to fix it.

It is very important to train your abdominal muscles, there is no doubt about it.  However, if they are “cleverly disguised” and nobody can see them, it doesn’t do you much good.  Having a visible six pack of abs is mostly about getting your body fat  percentage to a level that will reveal the hard work that you have put in to strengthening your abdominal muscles.

Getting rid of body fat is a combination of nutrition and the right kind of exercise.  You need to stoke the fat burning furnace in order for the body to want to burn fat.  That just doesn’t happen by working small muscle groups.  You must work the whole body with complex movements rather than focus on bicep curls.  Focus more on using a combination of large muscle groups like the legs, back and chest.  These complex motions create a lot of demand on the body to produce energy and adapt to the overload.  Some researchers suggest that high intensity exercise stimulates hormones that burn more fat and build more muscle.

As far as the diet goes, it should consist of the most natural form of foods possible.  Focus on foods as unprocessed as possible.  Instead of consuming fruit juices, eat the whole fruit.  Whole fruits have a lot of fiber and good sugar that will actually help to regulate your blood sugar correctly.  Additionally, whole fruits and vegetables pack a punch when it comes to vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants necessary to repair damaged cells and create healthy new ones.

Choose whole grains over refined grains.  Whole grains also contain a great supply of fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and essential fats.  Yes, you need fat in your diet.  Hormones are dependent upon them.  Other good sources of healthy fat are nuts, avocados, fish, eggs, organically grown meat, etc.

There really is nothing complicated about how to show off your six pack.  Don’t be fooled by the latest gimmick or device, diet, etc. claiming to be the newest and best thing.  A balance of ALL of the macronutrients is necessary for a healthy diet.  The combination will provide all of the necessary building blocks your body needs.

interval training

In case it gives you any ideas, here’s a killer high intensity fat burning workout that I did with a friend today… the entire sequence was done in 11 minutes and we were drenched in sweat from the intensity. You can do more or less based on your current fitness level:

a. 1-arm dbell swings (alternate arms every 5 reps) – 3 minutes straight as many reps as possible.

rest 1 min

b. 1-arm dbell snatches (alt arms every 5 reps) – 3 minutes straight as many reps as possible.

rest 1 min

Truth About Six Pack Abs

c. Dbell renegade rows (alt arms after each rep) – 10 reps each arm.

rest 30 seconds

d. Floor mountain climbers – 30 seconds max reps.

rest 30 seconds

e. Floor mountain jumpers – 30 seconds max reps.

Total workout time = 11 minutes of metabolism boosting insanity!

It may sound like an easy and short workout, but those first 6 minutes of non-stop swings and snatches will leave even the leanest and meanest trainee gasping for breath.

If you’re not sure what any of these exercises are or how to do them, they are all outlined in detail along with over 50 other of the most effective full body exercises to give you a tight lean body in my Truth About Six Pack Abs program…

interval training

Traditionally, we have been told by many so called experts that if we wanted to burn fat then we need to train in the “fat burning zone.”  According to these experts, training in the fat burning zone is the only way to burn fat when you exercise.  Well, they are right.  If you want to burn fat during your workout, do some long boring cardio in the fat burning zone.  But, if you want to triple the amount of fat that you burn, do interval training workouts.  Some basic physiology tells us how interval training burns fat long after you finish your workout.

High intensity interval training exhausts your supply of immediate carbohydrates that are stored in the muscles.  This supply is known as glycogen.  The phosphocreatine system and the glycolytic system are dependent upon glycogen stored in the muscles and the liver.

Interval training demands energy so quickly that fat stores are not able to provide energy rapidly enough to keep up with demand.  Interval training requires carbohydrate stores, glycogen to be specific, to supply the fast energy that is needed.  During your recovery period and the hours after your workout when there is plenty of oxygen present and the demand for energy quickly has slowed down, your body utilizes your fat stores to convert that fat into glycogen for the next time you workout with a high intensity.  This process of replacing the fast energy stores that you used up during your interval training workout may take hours to completely restore the glycogen stores.

So, the secret to burning fat is to not burn fat during your workout.  Burn for hours afterwards by exhausting your glycogen stores.

interval training

The comparisons between high intensity short duration exercise (HIT) and low to moderate intensity long duration exercise (LSD) continue to spark conversation and controversy.  While there is no doubt that research suggests long, slow endurance type training does have some benefits, can high intensity training be more effective for the average person?

This article is meant to outline why high intensity interval training workouts are the effective alternative to long, slow exercise.  I will outline 6 reasons why interval training is so effective for fat loss, increased cardiovascular conditioning and general health.

1.    Muscle changes:  As the intensity of a particular activity  increases, more muscle fibers are needed to perform the activity.  The highly intense nature of HIT elicits rapid changes in muscle chemistry to be able to tolerate such an increase in recruitment.
2.    Increase fat utilization:  HIT contractions stimulate nerve pathways that increase the amount of energy producing structures (mitochondria) in muscle fibers.  These are the structures responsible for burning fat.
3.    Time efficient:  Some studies have used training protocols as short as 4 minutes of total workout time and produced similar, if not better, results than LSD training.  The average HIT workout usually lasts about 20 minutes. That is 40 minutes less than the recommended time to complete an LSD workout.  I do not about you but I would rather be finished in 1/3 of the time and get even better results.
4.    After burners:  HIT has been shown to increase metabolism for hours after the workout ended.  LSD effects usually stop after you are done with your workout.  Though it is difficult to get an exact number, some research suggests that even more calories are burned in the hours after a workout than were burned during the workout.
5.    Range of populations:  HIT can be performed by a range of populations from the elite athlete to someone recovering from coronary artery disease. Research is now showing effective results for cardiac rehabilitation by using HIT.  Granted the intensity is not going to be the same for the cardiac patient and the elite athlete, but the principle remains.  Even the out of shape, obese person is more likely to tolerate 30 seconds of high intensity than 60 minutes of running on a treadmill.
6.    Long-term adherence:  Because HIT workouts can be done quickly and show results within as little as 2 weeks, those that use HIT are more likely to continue a training program than those who start an LSD training program. Not to mention, there are more exercise possibilities to reduce boredom with HIT program.

HIT has been shown consistently to effectively reduce fat, get in shape, and make necessary changes within the muscles to allow for greater well being.  HIT can be used by nearly everyone in one form or another and provides enough variety to prevent boredom and increase the likelihood of long term adherence.

interval training