Fitness Workouts Are Better With Higher Intensity

In the past, people thought Fitness Workouts were best when done with low intensity. It was believed more fat was burned when the intensity was low and workout length was extended as long as possible. Most people were concerned about exercising too hard because they did not want to fall out of the Fat Burning Zone.

To-days research has proven this theory of burning more fat when duration is long and intensity is low is incorrect. You actually will burn more fat when your fitness workouts are shorten and intensity is raised.

When you workout with high intensity, you will generate EPOC = Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. EPOC is why you will burn more fat with high intensity fitness workouts compared to low intensity workouts. After a high intensity workout, your body has increased its oxygen intake. Your body has to expend more calories when you are in this state to help its recovery.

Some of the reasons why your body has to increase its oxygen intake after any high intensity fitness workouts are…

• Hormone balancing
• Refueling fuel
• Cell repair
• Stimulating the nervous system
• Anabolism.

Low Intensity Fitness Workouts Are Not Beneficial For Fat Loss

A few serious issues will be addressed about Low Intensity Fitness Workouts which have put this type of training out of date. And, I will explain why it doesn’t produce the best results for fat loss.

Time

The first issue being time. To get results with low intensity cardio, each workout must be increased in time. This is not realistic for people who have a life outside the gym.

Muscle Mass

Muscle Mass is the second issue which is lost when cardiovascular exercise is perform over an hour. This means your metabolism will slow down and you will not burn as many calories throughout the day.

Hunger Levels Increase

The third issue is that low intensity cardio increases your hunger levels. When an activity makes you want to eat more, it will hinder your goals for fat loss.

So with the combination of less calories burned because of slower metabolism, increased hunger levels and long hours to get results, it is no wonder this type of fitness workout doesn’t work for fat loss.

High Intensity Fitness Workouts

In this high intensity workout example, timing is key. For beginners, rest 20 seconds after each exercise. For the more advanced, no rest between exercises. Instead rest 60 seconds after the completion of the set.

The number of sets you do will be determined by your fitness level. Try not to go over 20 minutes when performing any high intensity fitness workouts…

• Bench step up = 20 seconds
• Pull ups = 20 seconds
• Bodyweight squats = 20 seconds
• Push ups = 20 seconds
• Lunges = 20 seconds
• Burpee = 20 seconds.

Final Thought For Fitness Workouts

Keep the intensity high. For these fitness workouts to be fat loss workouts, you need to give it your all for as long as you can. Then rest completely until you can repeat that same level of high intensity.

Some variables you can change to increase the difficulty of these fitness workouts are…

• Decrease rest time
• Increase exercise time
• Add more exercises
• Add weight
• Increase speed of the exercise.

The type of fitness workouts you choice to perform is up to you. However, by keeping the intensity high and total workout time short, you will see results for fat loss and improved fitness.

Henry Chervenka

Fitness Workouts related information.