A typical cardio sessions would be on the stepper on level 10-12 for about 45 minutes. Its tough, but manageable, and once a week myself and my friend Trev Dog will do a 60 minute session at this level whilst catching up on the weeks scandal. To be honest its never a chore because he's the funniest person I have ever met and always full of stories that leave me blushing and hysterically laughing! I digress.....
But from the reading I've done and advice I've been given, I gave up the steady state cardio for the far more beneficial high intensity interval training (HIIT). Even though the facts are there in black and white, and the experts are raving about the fat burning benefits of HIIT over steady state cardio, psychologically its a battle to to give up my long stepper sessions.
My idiot guide to HIIT: Working at high intensity stresses your muscles more. More energy is used up in recovery increasing your resting metabolic rate therefore more calories burned. Happy days.
The result: Good lord! It hurt, it was hard, very very hard! I'm used to doing a 20 minute blast at the end of my weights session but increasing this to 30 minutes and knocking it up a level took it to an entirely different place. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill doing 30 second sprints and 30 second rests, by jumping onto the side of the treadmill, at 14.5 km an hour and 1% incline. To be honest I probably could have made this harder by reducing the rest period but it was the stepper after that killed me - 10 minutes of 30 second blasts at level 18 then 30 second rests at level 8.
I was counting down the number of blasts I had to do and frantically searching my iPod for something that was going to zone me out and get me to the finish line. Tonight Britney's new one Hold It Against Me did the trick....it will soon become clear I have an unhealthy obsession with Britney. I got off the stepper and was informed very eloquently by my friend Matt that I looked like I was dying - I was!! Puffing, panting and hoping that I wasn't going to be sick.
I'm forever telling people who ask for advice that you need to push yourself each and every session and boy tonight I ate my own words. I've genuinely believed that I've been making the most of my cardio workouts but given the exertion level I worked at tonight vs double the amount of time I usually spend doing cardio - just another league. Highly recommended!!
Diet has been exceptional today and I plan on posting this next week. Gold star for me :-)
A typical Friday night for me would be out for dinner and drinks and I have to admit I'm feeling particularly hard done by tonight staying in as its my work Christmas Party (cancelled in December because of the snow) - passing up a free bar, I must be mental!!!! But I suppose I won't manage this without sacrifice. My lary antics and horrific alcohol induced chat will have to wait for a "special occasion".
Have a lovely evening everyone x
My idiot guide to HIIT: Working at high intensity stresses your muscles more. More energy is used up in recovery increasing your resting metabolic rate therefore more calories burned. Happy days.
The result: Good lord! It hurt, it was hard, very very hard! I'm used to doing a 20 minute blast at the end of my weights session but increasing this to 30 minutes and knocking it up a level took it to an entirely different place. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill doing 30 second sprints and 30 second rests, by jumping onto the side of the treadmill, at 14.5 km an hour and 1% incline. To be honest I probably could have made this harder by reducing the rest period but it was the stepper after that killed me - 10 minutes of 30 second blasts at level 18 then 30 second rests at level 8.
I was counting down the number of blasts I had to do and frantically searching my iPod for something that was going to zone me out and get me to the finish line. Tonight Britney's new one Hold It Against Me did the trick....it will soon become clear I have an unhealthy obsession with Britney. I got off the stepper and was informed very eloquently by my friend Matt that I looked like I was dying - I was!! Puffing, panting and hoping that I wasn't going to be sick.
I'm forever telling people who ask for advice that you need to push yourself each and every session and boy tonight I ate my own words. I've genuinely believed that I've been making the most of my cardio workouts but given the exertion level I worked at tonight vs double the amount of time I usually spend doing cardio - just another league. Highly recommended!!
Diet has been exceptional today and I plan on posting this next week. Gold star for me :-)
A typical Friday night for me would be out for dinner and drinks and I have to admit I'm feeling particularly hard done by tonight staying in as its my work Christmas Party (cancelled in December because of the snow) - passing up a free bar, I must be mental!!!! But I suppose I won't manage this without sacrifice. My lary antics and horrific alcohol induced chat will have to wait for a "special occasion".
Have a lovely evening everyone x
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