Tabata Style Boxing Workout #3: HIIT it!

The way this workout is used requires some dedication and determination. It’s focus is the shoulders with some cardiovascular active rests. It won’t feel exactly like the other two workouts we’ve done this month because it’s boxing focused AND it has active recovery segments rather than 10 seconds of stopping and resting. Because it won’t take our heartrate to the max, the high intensity needs to come from a non-stop, all out punch behind every boxing move. To make sure this happens, do these things:

• Squeeze your fist tightly. This will engage more arm muscle.
• Contract your core muscles to initiate, control and guide your movement. Power in punching comes from the core. If this workout is done correctly, your shoulders won’t be the only thing burning. You should feel your abs and obliques!
• Visualize your target and hit the target every punch. As you get tired, you’ll tend to shorten your reach and by doing so, you won’t be working the muscles as hard.
• Bend your knees, be light on your feet and think about your punch being like the tongue of a frog; it goes out and quickly retracts and comes back. This thought will help you utilize your upper back muscles and not over fatigue your smaller muscles of your shoulder and forearm.

Depending on how conditioned your shoulders are and dependent upon how long you’ve built your cardiovascular base, you might need to repeat the workout 1-8x. How do you know when you are done? You are no longer keeping good form, your arms feel like noodles and your shoulders are on fire!

Here is a brief explanation of each move (you can google the names of the punches to see them in action.)

• Jab- Starting with your fists by your face, extend your arm straight out to your imaginary opponent’s nose, mouth or chin as a target. Your thumb should point down, your knuckles should hit your target and your elbow should face out not down. Extend it quickly and retract your fist back to your face.
• Uppercut- Your target is underneath your opponent’s chin. To get underneath, you’ll have to bend your legs, drop the shoulder of the punching arm then drive through the legs up and under the target. When performing the uppercuts on the right and left alternating, you’ll feel a “rolling” through the rib cage as you rotate and drop your shoulders to get under the chin. Thumb will face you when you punch and elbow will be pointing down.
• Hook- This is a small range of motion punch. The strength does not come from a big wind up, but from a strong rotating core. The elbow lifts up, your arm is held in a 90 degree angle and your knuckles hit the target of the jaw or the temple of the opponent. As you punch, rotate your body to follow through and release the heel of the punching side. Think power from floor to fist.
• Cross Jab- If you start with your left foot forward and fists at the face, bring your right fist across your body from the back to the target. It’s similar to the jab except you are extending the “line of power”. Because you are bringing your fist from the back to the front, there is a longer line and more time for momentum and power. Use your body as you rotate to put more power in the punch. Release the heel of the punching arm as you bring it through. You’ll feel your abs on this one if you are doing it correctly.

http://www.zentofitness.com/tabata-style-boxing-workout-3-hiit-it/

HOW TO DO HIIT WITH A JUMP ROPE

http://highlifeworkout.com/2013/03/19/how-to-get-ripped-and-cut-up-fast-as-hell-with-jump-rope-hiit-cardio/

WHAT IS HIIT? Another Perspective

HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has become a popular way to burn more fat. It's a training method that has been effective for many people.

WHAT IS HIIT?

HIIT is a training idea in which low to moderate intensity intervals are alternated with high intensity intervals.

HIIT can be applied to running or to exercises such as squatting. HIIT is considered to be much more effective than normal cardio because the intensity is higher and you are able to increase both your aerobic and anaerobic endurance while burning more fat than ever before.

"In research, HIIT has been shown to burn adipose tissue more effectively than low-intensity exercise - up to 50% more efficiently." It has also been shown to speed up your metabolism which helps you burn more calories throughout the day. (www.musclemedia.com)

HIIT improves both energy systems for endurance:

ANAEROBIC ENERGY SYSTEM

Anaerobic literally means "Without oxygen." The anaerobic energy system is what provides energy in all out efforts of up to 1 minute. For the first 10-15 seconds, the phosphate pool is used up and after that, glycolysis and lactic acid are involved in the effort.

During 10-15 second bursts, there is a very small amount of lactic acid produced. Rest periods of 30 seconds to a minute will provide complete recovery of the Adenosine Triphosphate-Creatine Phosphate (ATP-CP) system. During efforts of more than 10-15 seconds, a large amount of lactic acid is produced and such efforts are extremely taxing on both the athlete's muscles and their Central Nervous System (CNS).

AEROBIC ENERGY SYSTEM

Aerobic literally means "with oxygen." This energy system is utilized during prolonged exercise over a period of at least 3-4 minutes. As long as there is enough oxygen to provide energy, the fatigue that you experience will remain at a low level.

This is the reason why many track and field athletes train at higher altitudes where there is less oxygen. By training at high altitudes, they can increase the number of red blood cells which will help them to perform for a longer period of time with little to no fatigue throughout.

WHAT IS THE BEST HIIT WORKOUT? BE SPECIFIC AND MAKE SURE TO LIST EXERCISES, REPS, SETS, ETC.

HIIT can be used with a few different goals in mind - to lose as much fat as possible while cutting or bulking, or to improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance as much as possible. Diet will mostly determine how these goals are achieved by manipulating calories and macronutrient ratios.

HIIT during a Cutting Phase:

• 500 Calories under maintenance daily
• High Protein (40% of total calories)
• Low Carbs (20% of total calories)
• High Fat (40% of total calories)

It has been proven in studies that during a low carbohydrate and high fat diet, the oxidation of fat is increased during exercise, especially cardio such as HIIT (more fat is burned). Additionally, fat is a much more highly concentrated source of energy than carbohydrates.

"A review by Hultman (1995) found that during a diet where carbs are restricted and a lot of fat is consumed, up to 70% of the energy requirement (even during high intensity activities) comes from the oxidation of fat (where during a high carbs diet, such activities would derive 80-90% of the energy from glycogen)." (Thibaudeau)

Sample: 2000 Calories Daily

• 200 Grams of Protein
• 100 Grams of Carbs
• 90 Grams of Fat

Staple Supplements:

• Whey Protein [Suggested: Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey] (Post Workout and Post-HIIT)
• BCAA + Glutamine [Suggested: SciVation Xtend] (Pre- and Post Workout/HIIT)

HIIT during a Bulking Phase:

• 500-1000 Calories over maintenance daily
• High Protein (30-35% of total calories)
• High Carbs (45-50% of total calories)
• Low-Medium Fat (15-25% of total calories)

Sample: 4000 Calories Daily

• 300-350 Grams of Protein
• 450-500 Grams of Carbs
• 70-110 Grams of Fats

Staple Supplements:

• Whey Protein [Suggested: Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey] (Post Workout and Post-HIIT)
• BCAA + Glutamine [Suggested: SciVation Xtend] (Pre- and Post Workout/HIIT)
• Creatine [Suggested: Prolab Creatine or Higher Power Creatine Ethyl Ester] (5 g Pre- and Post Workout/HIIT)

HIIT to improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance, maintain bodyweight:

• Maintenance Calories daily
• High Protein (35% of total calories)
• Medium Carbs (40% of total calories)
• Medium Fat (25% of total calories)

Sample: 2500 Calories Daily

• 215-220 Grams of Protein
• 250-275 Grams of Carbs
• 70 Grams of Fat

Staple Supplements:

• Whey Protein [Suggested: Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey] (Post Workout and Post-HIIT)
• BCAA + Glutamine [Suggested: SciVation Xtend] (Pre- and Post Workout/HIIT)

Pre-Workout: 30 Minutes Before
Post Workout: 30-45 Minutes After, Creatine immediately after workout

For all three of the aforementioned options, high water intake (1.0 - 1.5 gallons daily) should be prioritized. Also, you should get at least 8 hrs of sleep daily to help you recover well from the weight training and HIIT.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw40.htm

Benefits of HIIT

Benefits

Aerobic benefits

Studies by Tabata,^[8] Tremblay^[14] and others have explored the effectiveness of this method compared to traditional endurance training methods. A 2008 study by Gibala et al.^[15]demonstrated 2.5 hours of sprint interval training produced similar biochemical muscle changes to 10.5 hours of endurance training and similar endurance performance benefits. According to a study by King,^[16] HIIT increases the resting metabolic rate (RMR) for the following 24 hours due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, and may improve maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) more effectively than doing only traditional, long aerobic workouts.^{[17][18][19][20]} Tabata's 1997 study concluded that "intermittent exercise defined by the IE1 protocol may tax both the anaerobic and aerobic energy releasing systems almost maximally."^[10] Around 20% of participants in Timmons' 2010 study showed less than 5% improvement in aerobic capacity.^[21] Conversely, about 20% of participants were described as "high-responders".^[13] A complex mixture of genes are involved, but differences in 11 single-nucleotide polymorphisms alone could predict 23% of the total variance in VO₂max.^[21] Timmons was able to demonstrate that about half of the responsiveness of aerobic capacity to HIIT was genetically determined.^[21]

High-intensity interval training has also been shown to improve athletic performance. For already well-trained athletes, improvements in performance become difficult to attain; increases in training volume may yield no improvements. Previous research would suggest that, for athletes who are already well-trained, improvements in endurance performance can be achieved through high-intensity interval training. A 2009 study by Driller and co-workers^[22] showed an 8.2 second improvement in 2000m rowing time following 4 weeks of HIIT in well-trained rowers. This equates to a significant 2% improvement after just 7 interval-training sessions. The interval-training used by Driller and colleagues involved eight 2.5 minute work bouts at 90% of vVO₂max, separated by individualized recovery intervals.

Metabolic benefits

Long aerobic workouts have been promoted as the best method to reduce fat, as it is popularly believed that fatty acid utilization usually occurs after at least 30 minutes of training. HIIT is somewhat counterintuitive in this regard, but has nonetheless been shown to burn fat more effectively. There may be a number of factors that contribute to this, including an increase in resting metabolic rate. HIIT also significantly lowers insulin resistance and causes skeletal muscle adaptations that result in enhanced skeletal muscle fat oxidation and improved glucose tolerance.

Timmons' group showed that two weeks of HIIT can substantially improve insulin action in young healthy men.^] In the aforementioned Horizon documentary, Michael Mosley, a borderline diabetic, saw a 24% improvement in insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks of Timmons' regimen, exactly in line with Timmons' larger studies.^[13] Gibala's group reported a 35% increase in both insulin sensitivity and muscle oxidative capacity among seven sedentary people after two weeks on the lower-intensity regimen outlined above.^[12] Timmons believes that this response is because HIIT uses 80% of muscles in the body, compared to 40% for gentle jogging and cycling.^[13] In young women, HIIT three times per week for 15 weeks compared to the same frequency of steady state exercise (SSE) was associated with significant reductions in total body fat, subcutaneous leg and trunk fat and insulin resistance.

Cardiovascular disease

A 2011 study by Buchan et al. assessing the effect of HIIT on cardiovascular disease markers in adolescents reported that "brief, intense exercise is a time efficient means for improving CVD risk factors in adolescents". A meta-analysis by Weston et al. (2013) has identified that HIIT has more physiological benefits than moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) in patients with lifestyle-induced chronic disease. Indeed, the improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness after HIIT are almost double that of MICT.

Utilization of HIIT training

HIIT technique can be applied either as a separate exercise plan in case that you are in a hurry, or as an intense complement to your existing plan. HIIT training can literally have hundreds of forms. Depending on your objectives, combine exercises, tools and time intervals to obtain the optimal result.

For example: 20 seconds of intensive workout and 10 seconds of rest. Whole process shall be repeated for 4 minutes.

Benefits of moderate intensity exercise

In one study of participants who were obese and sedentary, researchers compared the benefits and results of sustained cardiovascular exercise at the moderate intensity thought optimal for fat oxidation with results from a eucaloric interval training program (one that burned the same number of calories). They found the sustained moderate intensity workouts were more effective in burning fat: "A continuous exercise training protocol that can elicit high rates of fat oxidation increases the contribution of fat to substrate oxidation during exercise and can significantly increase insulin sensitivity compared with a eucaloric interval protocol."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

What is HIIT?

 High Intensity Interval Training

A HIIT session often consists of a warm up period of exercise, followed by three to ten repetitions of high intensity exercise, separated by medium intensity exercise for recovery, and ending with a period of cool down exercise. The high intensity exercise should be done at near maximum intensity. The medium exercise should be about 50% intensity. The number of repetitions and length of each depends on the exercise, but may be as little as three repetitions with just 20 seconds of intense exercise.

There is no specific formula to HIIT. Depending on one's level of cardiovascular development, the moderate-level intensity can be as slow as walking.^[4] A common formula involves a 2:1 ratio of work to recovery periods, for example, 30–40 seconds of hard sprinting alternated with 15–20 seconds of jogging or walking.

The entire HIIT session may last between four and thirty minutes, meaning that it is considered to be an excellent way to maximize a workout that is limited on time.^[5] Use of a clock or timer is recommended to keep accurate times, number of rounds and intensity.^[6]

Peter Coe regimen

A type of high-intensity interval training with short recovery periods was used in the 1970s by the athletics coach Peter Coe when setting sessions for his son Sebastian Coe. Inspired by the principles propounded by the German coach and university professor Woldemar Gerschler and the Swedish physiologist Per-Olof Astrand, Coe set sessions involving repeated fast 200 metre runs with only 30 seconds recovery between each fast run.^[7]

Tabata regimen

A version of HIIT was based on a 1996 study^[8] by Professor Izumi Tabata (田畑泉) et al. initially involving Olympic speedskaters.^[9] The study used 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at an intensity of about 170% of VO₂max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 cycles). The exercise was performed on a mechanically braked cycle ergometer. Tabata called this the IE1 protocol.^[10] In the original study, athletes using this method trained 4 times per week, plus another day of steady-state training, and obtained gains similar to a group of athletes who did steady state training (70% VO₂max) 5 times per week. The steady state group had a higher VO₂max at the end (from 52 to 57 mL/(kg•min)), but the Tabata group had started lower and gained more overall (from 48 to 55 mL/(kg•min)). Also, only the Tabata group had gained anaerobic capacity benefits. It is important to note that in the original study from 1996, participants were disqualified if they could not keep a steady cycling pace of 85RPM for the full 20 seconds of work. Implications for popular exercise regimes that advertise as Tabata training should include overall analysis of the original study.

Gibala regimen

Professor Martin Gibala and his team at McMaster University in Canada have been researching high-intensity exercise for several years. Their 2009 study on students^[11] uses 3 minutes for warming up, then 60 seconds of intense exercise (at 95% of VO₂max) followed by 75 seconds of rest, repeated for 8–12 cycles (sometimes referred to as "The Little Method"). Subjects using this method trained 3 times per week obtained gains similar to what would be expected from subjects who did steady state (50–70% VO₂max) training five times per week. While still a demanding form of training, this exercise protocol could be used by the general public with nothing more than an average exercise bike.

Gibala's group published a less intense version of their regimen in a 2011 paper in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. This was intended as a gentler option for sedentary people who had done no exercise for over a year. It included 3 minutes of warm-up, 10 repetitions of 60-second bursts at 60% peak power (80- 95% of heart rate reserve) each followed by 60 seconds of recovery, and then a 5-minute cool-down.^[12][13]

Timmons regimen

Jamie Timmons, professor of systems biology at the University of Loughborough, is a proponent of a few short bursts of flat-out intensity. In a BBC Horizon programme in February 2012, he put Michael Mosley on an exercise bike regimen consisting of three sets of about 2 minutes of gentle pedalling followed by 20 second bursts of cycling at maximum effort. This was done three times a week for a total of 21 minutes of exercise per week (3 minutes of intense exercise), plus warm-up and recovery time. Measurable health benefits were reported, including significantly improved insulin sensitivity.^[13]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

High Intensity Interval Training

Welcome to the H.I.I.T series. High Intensity Interval Training is fast being recognised as one of the best methods of losing weight that exist.

Let's begin by understanding clearly what it is. Well in fact to some extent it's exactly what you want it to be!

Simply take any cardio exercise and alternate between all out activity for a few seconds and then rest or go very slowly. Then repeat. How long you do each set for depends on the activity itself as well as your level of fitness. 

Don't burst your lungs  - start very unambitiously and gradually pick the pace up. To begin with perhaps pick 3 exercises and do say 3 -5 sets - 10 seconds all out and 50 seconds minimal / rest.  Each week gradually increase the all-out time to 30 seconds and reduce the rest to 30 seconds. Then start increasing the number of sets and then start adding the different exercises. Ultimately you are looking for a workout capable of lasting 20 - 30 minutes. And that's it for the day!

The point here is to avoid the gym-hoggers who spend half a day on a treadmill or elliptical machine going at the same steady pace. Not only are they irritating to other would-be users who can't get on the machine, but the are largely wasting their time (any movement is better than none at all but if you're investing time travelling to and from the gym and getting changed, why not do it properly and have a hope of losing weight?

Watch the series on this and happy exercising

Andy

Pain Free Pull-ups | Build Your Back | No Elbow Pain