Now before I begin, let me start by putting this disclaimer out there:
I’m not totally discrediting low intensity exercise. It has its uses. It’s great for active recovery, watching TV while you stroll on the treadmill, wasting time and generally being boring as hell. If any of those sound like your goal (or lack thereof) then, hey, I’ve got great news! Low intensity exercise is your golden ticket.
If you happen to be one of those strange people who want to see results and don’t mind putting in a little work to get them, then high intensity work (can low intensity exercise even be called “work” anyway?) is the way to go.
The debate over high vs. low intensity exercise has been raging for as long as people knew about high and low intensity exercise. The low intensity people say that you burn more fat doing low intensity exercise. While this may be true, it’s not the whole story. Ok, I’ll concede that you do burn more fat during low intensity exercise. That’s because at lower intensities your body relies primarily on fat for fuel because it the most convenient source of energy for that level of activity.
Now this is where the low intensity group loses their momentum. Sure you burn more fat when you are working out at low intensity, but as soon as you stop working out, you stop burning those calories. This is where high intensity work comes in.
When you work out at high intensities not only do you burn calories while you workout, but after you’re done you actually raise your metabolism for the rest of the day. So now you’ve burned all those calories from working out, plus a whole lot more calories that you wouldn’t have burned if you did low intensity work without doing a thing. The result? Grand total calories burned for the day is higher from doing high intensity work.
The benefits of high intensity work don’t stop there though. In addition to this metabolic boost you increase your work capacity, anaerobic fitness, aerobic endurance and, depending on the exercises you choose, your strength and power as well.
So why don’t more people work out with high intensity? Quite frankly, it’s hard. That’s just the nature of the game. Remember, though, that “high intensity” is a relative term. What is high intensity for you may not be high intensity for me. Just remember that you need to push yourself to your own limits. That’s what makes something high intensity – it’s hard for you. Don’t go and try to push yourself to someone else’s limits. That’s a surefire way to get injured. Only you know what your body is capable of doing. Once you know that, you can push yourself to those limits. This takes some mental toughness, but in the end it is worth it.
Here is a simple workout that you can easily adjust to your own “high intensity level”.
3-5 Sets of:
Sprint 1/4 Mile
15 Pushups
10 Pullups
The sprint should be done at a fast pace for you. This can be any speed – for some it may be a 6 on a treadmill, for others it may be an 11. Find what’s right for you. Adjust the pushup/pullup numbers as necessary. Keep the numbers relatively low compared to your maximum – trust me it will still tire you out.