There is a lot of debate about the best way to get results from your training. The “power is king” or “cardio hard, yo” tend to go to the gym on both sides while trying to reach their goal. Strength workouts focus on increasing muscle mass using free weights and / or machines, whereas HIIT (high-intensity interval training) focuses on training the cardiovascular system using work explosions after rest periods.
When it comes to losing weight, HIIT is great for burning calories during and shortly after a workout, but energy workouts have a long-term burning effect because the body has to expend more energy in the days following a strenuous workout. Although each type of workout has its advantages and disadvantages, combining the two will have the best overall effect on weight loss and your overall health and performance.
Power
Time
Planning ahead of your workout helps keep your strength training time efficient. Many gym commuters spend time wandering around the gym floor trying to decide what to do next. Creating a plan that hits all of your movements (squats, hip hinges, lunges, push, pull) will give you the right to avoid and work out in the gym several times a week.
Strength resistance training can range from 25 minutes to 75 minutes, depending on how many exercises are chosen and the time remaining in the working set. For pure energy (1-6 repetitions per set), two to four minutes of rest time is required for best results. If you are concentrating on muscle endurance or hypertrophy, repeat 12+ for at least six sets and rest 30-90 seconds between sets. Also consider how you are splitting your strength training: upper / lower body splitting, body splitting, whole body training, etc. Spread out the workouts within a week. The more workouts you do throughout the week, the fewer they can be!
Equipment
You can use a variety of tools for strength training. Body weight training is great for beginners or for those who are working to perfect the form, but it can quickly become too easy. Resistance training typically uses dumbbells, barbells, wire stacks, pin-selected weight machines, and other functional training equipment. Before you plan your workout, walk to the gym floor to understand the equipment your gym has to offer. You may need to be more flexible during your workouts if other members of the gym use your preferred equipment for your next set.
Focus and results
When training for strength, the focus is only on that strength. For the lower extremities the increasing intensity with time leads to the overall improvement of challenging muscle growth and coordination. While there is nothing that will prevent all injuries, resistance training does a great job of preparing the body for unexpected stress, usually the culprit of acute injuries.
HIIT
Time
Most HIIT workouts range from 20 to 30 minutes but can be extended to 45 minutes for more advanced practitioners. Your work time interval (heart rate between your maximum 80% or more) and rest (heart rate between your maximum 60% and 70%) may also vary. Long rests are required at long intervals. Smaller work spaces allow for more total rounds of the same amount of work. A good rule of thumb for a work-to-rest ratio is 1: 3-5, which means for every one minute of work, spend three to five minutes recovering before starting the next break, this will help you maximize your work output. Since the goal of a great HIIT is to keep your body active during intense work and active recovery periods, planning your workout in advance not only helps protect you from horrible gym walks, but it is essential for a successful HIIT session – make sure Schedule all the tools (if any) you need to complete your workout before you start.
Equipment
HIIT tools may vary: determining what factors are available and what your fitness level is going to be. HIIT can include dumbbells, kettlebells, ropes, treadmills, bikes and many more small and large tools available on the gym floor, making it a good choice if you enjoy variety. And as opposed to strength training, the difficulty of posing at home or in the hotel when it comes to equipment access is great for HIIT travel – bodybuilding exercises without any equipment can be quite challenging.
Focus and results
HIIT improves the cardiovascular system and the ability to quickly recover from a heart attack. Side effects of HIIT workouts include high calorie burning and muscle endurance (mostly due to the high-representation nature of HIIT workouts). However, HIIT workout seven days a week is not recommended; Aim for three to four days per week and mix the days for recovery and strength training. Mixing up your workouts and doing a variety of exercises will help prevent your plateaus and injuries.
Keep the balance
Although there are usually minimal errors in moving your body, sticking to one type of training can often lead to plateaus or stalls advancing. For the average adult, having a baseline of strength, cardiovascular capacity, strength and mobility should be the ultimate goal. Even if your goals become more precise and specialized, good round fitness is still important.
Strength training two to four times per week has been shown to improve metabolism, body composition, muscle size / definition, and overall function. You can do full body lifting sessions, upper and lower body days, or even split the body into specific parts.
Cardiovascular capacity is affected by different types of training, two important ways of training this system are HIIT and zone 2-steady state-cardio. Zone 2 cardio should be done at a rate that gets your heart rate between 60-70% of your estimated maximum heart rate. Maintaining this heart rate zone will help improve your body’s ability to recover from the hard work done during HIIT or strength training workouts. Although HIIT training is efficient, it also puts a lot of pressure on the central nervous system. Working out at high intensity is great for burning calories, but it should be done at a lower intensity a day to allow the body to recover so you can continue pushing harder into the next workout. Low-intensity work, including NEAT (non-exercise activity), helps restore your central nervous system and muscles.
Training schedule
Creating a schedule that combines strength training and HIIT will help you achieve integrated fitness.
- Monday: Full physical strength
- Tuesday: Treadmill HIIT
- Wednesday: Full physical strength
- Thursday: Mobility and Zone 2 Cardio
- Friday: Full physical strength
- Saturday: Body weight HIIT
- Sunday: Sabbath or light activity (outside the gym, weather permitting)
The best way to achieve your goals is to incorporate HIIT and strength training. Focus on maximizing both efforts so that you can become stronger and recover faster from the workout. VASA offers options for both strength and HIIT-style workouts Check out our Strong Performance Lifting and Free Weight Areas, as well as our strength-based group fitness classes such as Pumps. Studio Red is a nice (and fun!) HIIT class, but you can also create your own workout using one of the different pieces of our cardio equipment. If you have specific goals that you want to reach, working with a personal trainer will help you stay focused so that you can reach your goals quickly and without injury.