Ever wondered if there was a short cut to spending hours on end on the treadmill day in day out? Well say hello to High Intensity Interval Training! 

High Intensity Interval Training, abbreviated to HIIT, is a combination of high-intensity exercise followed by a period of recovery or reduced intensity. The “on” phase, or high-intense phase may last between 10 seconds to 4 minutes and the “off” phase may last the same amount of time, less, or more dependent on the goals of the program. HIIT training may elicit many health benefits, including increased cardiovascular fitness, improving abdominal and body fat, increasing lean muscle mass, improving metabolic rate and many more.
 
So how does HIIT save time in the gym? The benefits of HIIT are very similar to that of continuous aerobic exercise; however they can be achieved in half the time due to the higher intensity bouts of exercise where the body burns more calories during your session and after. By increasing your heart rate, your body will continue to burn more calories even after you finish your workout to restore your body back to resting levels.

 The physical activity recommendations for adults include 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five days per week or 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise three times per week, or a combination of both, in conjunction with two strength training sessions per week. High Intensity Interval Training works the vigorous end of guidelines spectrum, therefore saving time and frequency of your weekly sessions.  

Professor Martin Gibala from McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario conducted a study that looked at the benefits of 10 minutes of interval training cardiovascular. His protocol included a 2 minute warm up, a 20-second sprint followed by 2-minutes of recovery three times through and finishing with a couple of minutes cool down. He compared this protocol to the benefits of 50-minutes continuous moderate-intense cycling and found very similar benefits in cardiorespiratory fitness and insulin sensitivity in 12-weeks despite the fact that the interval training group exercised 5 fold less than the continuous group.
 As interval training involves high intensity exercise, it is important to receive medical clearance from your GP to prevent any adverse events from a sedentary lifestyle and a base level of cardiorespiratory fitness is recommended. However this form of training is easily modified and appropriate for all ages. 

Written by May Warrick (Exercise Physiologist/ Corrective Exercise Practitioner)
 

Regular strength training is vital across the lifespan to prevent muscle loss and increase strength.  The benefits are particularly beneficial in older adults to counteract the degenerative effects of aging, reduce the risks of chronic disease and improve strength for daily activities of living.
 
Each decade from the age of 30 you lose on average around 3 – 5% of muscle; however we can reduce and prevent this loss through strength training. Muscular strength is essential for everyday living, balance, bone health and general wellbeing as well as management of many chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.  Strength training is different to aerobic exercises as it can prevent muscle loss.

Strength training is important for all ages. If you have never engaged in strength training before not to worry, now is still a good time to start and experience positive changes!  Two to three strength sessions per week is enough to achieve adequate strength gains. As you progress through your training it’s important to gradually overload your weights to continue to see benefits from the training.

Free weights and cable machines are a fantastic way to increase muscle strength because they also challenge your neural system to improve stability.  Using free weights challenges your stability in 3 dimension of movement – and thus enables you to carry over the strength you develop in the gym to your movements in the real world
There are many different ways to progress you strength training, if you’re unsure about the most appropriate exercises for yourself seek out an Accredited Exercise Physiologist for the best advice.  While the benefits of strength training are unequivocal; it’s important for you to exercise right for the unique needs of your body.

Time to get started!

Written by May Warrick (Exercise Physiologist/ Corrective Exercise Practitioner)

When you start an exercise routine your individual differences should be taken into consideration.  There are differences in your posture, biomechanics, injuries and medical background.  All these differences have an influence on the types of exercise you should OR shouldn’t be doing.  Our team of Accredited Exercise Physiologists are tertiary qualified health professionals trained to assess, prescribe and supervise your exercise program to ensure it is right for you!