If you desire an efficient workout, meaning done in a short amount of time, and effective at burning fat, building muscle and sculpting your entire body, interval training is the way to go. You can get started with just a few moves and add on as you learn more exercises and build up endurance for it. In interval training, there are literally intervals of high intensity and reduced or low intensity intervals. The low intensity intervals can be replaced with rest intervals depending on the exercise. The flexibility and variety is endless and so good for any fitness level. The other plus with interval training is that it can be done anywhere. In fact, I tend to do more interval training at home than at the gym. Having a few tools can add to the fun. Exercise bands, bars, balls, light dumbbells, medicine balls, kettle balls, or even chairs, steps, water jugs, and broom handles can be used. Interval timers can be helpful or you can count to yourself. Some watches, smart phones, and internet sites may have timer options as well. To get into this, start with a 10 minute workout. Do something familiar to you such as squatting in place for 15 seconds. Then rest for 10 seconds. Now alternate this with a plank exercise to work your core. Hold the abs in to your naval for 15 seconds. Then rest for 10 second. Next run up and down your stairs for 15 seconds, rest for 10, then repeat the sequence To intensify this, lose the rest interval and just use the plank exercise as the low intensity interval. So it would look like this: squat 15 seconds, plank 15 second, stairs 15 seconds, repeat two more times. Here it is again: 1. squat, 15 seconds, 10 seconds rest 2. plank 15 seconds, 10 seconds rest 3. stairs, 15 seconds, 10 seconds rest
Next time, increase to 20 seconds intervals with 10 seconds rest and add another exercise. How about jumping jacks?
1. squat, 20 seconds, 10 seconds rest 2. plank, 20 seconds, 10 seconds rest 3. stairs, 20 seconds, 10 seconds rest 4. jacks, 20 seconds, 10 seconds rest REPEAT one or two more times.
You get the idea. Do this anytime, almost anywhere...