HIIT - What it is & Why you should be doing it

High Intensity Interval Training - HIIT

Optimal muscle building & optimal muscle retention combined with fat loss and increased calorie burn 

What is it?

HIIT is a training technique which requires 100% effect through quick, intense bursts of exercise which is then followed by short recovery periods. HIIT alternates between thorough short spurts of exercise and low intensity exercise. This form of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in a shorter time period. HIIT workouts enhance the body's need for oxygen during maximum effort. This creates an oxygen shortage and leads the body to want an excess amount of oxygen during recovery. 



As an extra bonus to HIIT, there is an after-burn effect known as EPOC. This stands for excess-post exercise oxygen consumption. EPOC is the reason why high intensity workouts burn more fat and calories than regular weight training or aerobic exercise.EPOC speeds up your metabolic rate which translates into a metabolic boost for up to 48 hours post your HIIT workout. This means that once your HIIT workout is complete, your body will continue to burn fat.

Additional Benefits of HIIT:

~ Increased Aerobic Capacity: Your oxygen uptake (amount of oxygen your body can use) is increased, therefore your overall aerobic capacity can increase faster with HIIT than with low intensity endurance exercise

~ Increased Lactate Threshold: The ability of your body to handle increased lactic acid buildup in your muscles increases

~ Improved Insulin Sensitivity: Your muscles more effectively suck in glucose, rather than the glucose ending up in your fat stores

~ Quick & Convenient: HIIT workouts do not require a gym or lots of time. HIIT workouts can be performed anywhere - your living room, the park, at the gym, on the beach or even in a hotel room. Time wise, 30 minutes or less is the average duration of HIIT workouts so there are no excuses!

~ No Equipment Necessary: HIIT workouts do not require dumbbells, medicine balls or weights. As HIIT workouts focus on getting and keeping your heart rate up, the only thing essential for this form of exercise is your body weight.



Sample HIIT workout 1:
*Note, HIIT workouts should begin with a 3-5 minute warm up and a 3-5 cool down to prevent dizziness, nausea and muscle tear

• 30 seconds sprint
• 60 seconds walk/slow jog

For this HIIT workout, aim to complete 5-10 rounds. This HIIT workout has a work/rest ratio of 1:2. For those well trained athletes with high fitness levels, aim to complete this workout with a 2:1 work/rest ratio (30 seconds sprint and 15 seconds rest). This HIIT can be performed in any sports. Swimming is a good alternative as it has lower impact on your joints than running.

Sample HIIT workout 2:
*Note, HIIT workouts should begin with a 3-5 minute warm up and a 3-5 cool down to prevent dizziness, nausea and muscle tear

• 50 crunches
• 40 jump squats
• 30 push-ups
• 20 split jumps 
• 10 tricep dips
• 30 seconds burpees

For this HIIT workout, perform each exercise with a 30 second rest/recovery period in between. Ensure you give 100% effort for the duration of each exercise.

Keep training people,
Georgia

The Tough Mudder Workout Challenge

Some days you might find yourself struggling to find the motivation to workout. That's why were giving you a new and exciting source of motivation - the Tough Mudder Workout Challenge. 

Tough Mudder is not as simple as the Wipeout course you've seen on reality TV, it is a true test of your physical and mental ability. To successfully complete the 20 km course you'll need to overcome obstacles like the Mud Run, Electroshock Therapy where you sprint through a field of live wires, the Ball Shrinker where you must cross and icy body of water by walking on a tight rope and much more. Many people fail to complete the course due to its treacherous terrain - but rest assured - we'll get you in the right physical and mental shape with our one month workout challenge. (Check it out below)

Weeks 1 to 4:

• Monday-Workout A followed by stretching

• Tuesday-Workout B followed by stretching

• Wednesday-Off 

• Thursday-Workout C followed by stretching

• Friday-Workout D followed by stretching

• Saturday-Workout E followed by stretching

• Sunday-Off 

Workout A

1. Horizontal squat rows, 10 times each
2. Lateral jump squats to front reverse jump squats, 20 times each
3. Vertical walks up and down, 10 times
4. Burpees, 20 times each
5. Pushup-plank switches, 20 times each

*Each week progressively do an extra round of each exercise

Workout B

Run Interval day

1. 100 metre run-burpees
2. 100 metre run-alternate split squats
3. 100 metre run-diamond push ups
4. 100 metre run-high knees

*Each week progressively do an extra round of each exercise

Workout C 

Sandbells or Kettlebells

1. sandbell jumpsquats x10
2. sandbell thrusters x10
3. sandbell overhead oblique slams x10
4. pushup sandbell flip/row x10
5. sandbell burpees x10
6. sandbell swings x10
7. sandbell box jumps x10

*Each week progressively do an extra round of each exercise

Workout D

Long run day 

Week 1: 300 - 500 metre run with optional lightweight dumbell burpees
Week 2: 400 - 600 metre run with optional heavier dumbell burpees (no jumpsquat)
Week 3: 500 - 700 metre run with optional Boxjump burpees
Week 4: 600 to 800 metre run with optional Burpee pyramid

Workout E 

Body weight day

1. Pullups (until failure)
2. Jumpsquats (until failure)
3. Walking planks 20 to 30 metres there and back 
4. Walking lunges with weighted twists 20 to 30 metres each way 

Goodluck!

-Keven

Superfood Salad

Salads are generally great ways to monitor your calorie content for the day (as long as you know what's in the salad!). To be safe, here's a great healthy salad that we've play-tested for you!! This salad is full of great veggies, it's super nutritious, it's delicious and super satisfying! 

Ingredients
700g Sweet Potatoes
1 pinch dried chili flakes
1 pinch ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
200g quinoa
320g broccoli
35g variety of walnuts, almonds and brazil nuts
1 pomegranate
2 limes (juices of)
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
40g mixed sprouts
1 punnet cress
1 ripe avocado

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Scrub and chop the sweet potatoes into 2.5cm chunks. Place into a roasting tray with the chilli flakes, ground coriander and cinnamon, a drizzle of olive oil and a little salt and pepper, then toss well. Spread out into an even layer and place in the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp. 

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions in a medium pan of boiling salted water. Click off and slice the broccoli into small florets, then halve and finely slice the stalk. Place into a heatproof colander and rest it over the quinoa pan. Cover and steam for 3 minutes, or until just tender. Once cooked, drain and rinse the quinoa under cold running water, then leave to cool along with the broccoli. Remove the sweet potato from the oven and leave it to cool, too.

Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a pestle and mortar and crush lightly. Halve the pomegranate and squeeze the juice from one half into a large bowl. Add 3 times as much extra virgin olive oil, the lime juice and balsamic vinegar. Whisk well and season to taste.

Add the cooled broccoli and sprouts to the dressing, then snip in the cress. Roughly chop the coriander (stalks and all) and add to the bowl along with the quinoa and sweet potato. Toss well, spread out on a serving platter, then scoop out and dot over the avocado flesh. Bash the reserved pomegranate half with a wooden spoon so the seeds come tumbling out and scatter these over the platter along with the nuts, snip the cress on top, then serve with a crumbling of feta cheese. 
Enjoy!

- Ben

How to get the best and effective arm results!!

ARM WORKOUT

The arm workout is another widely popular workout. The arm workout is so popular in nature due to its easy to perform ability along with the quick noticeable results associated with it. Similarly, due to these reasons the arm workout can also be an over trained and over used workout, which can be consequential to your physique and also lead to over use injuries in the long run. The main muscle groups targeted in the arm workout are the triceps and the biceps. It should be noted with this workout that supersets and drop sets are used in order to work the muscle to breaking point and also get the muscles in over drive with optimum blood flow being directed to these muscles. The following workout is: 

1. 3 x 8 reps of bicep curls
2. 3 x 8 reps of tricep rope pull down supersetted with tricep bar pull down
3. 3 x 8 reps of seated dumbbell biceps curls supersetted with 1/2 weight of first 8 reps
4. 3x 8 reps of bicep pull ups
5. 3 x 8 reps of skullcrushers supersetted with tricep benchpress

WE HOPE THIS WORKOUT PROVIDES OPTIMUM RESULTS!!!

What your Food Cravings say about you

When you constantly crave the same type of food, it usually means your body is in need or deprived of an important vitamin or mineral. So let’s see what your food cravings say about you.

CHOCOLATE – if you are constantly craving chocolate, it normally means your body is lacking Magnesium, instead of picking up high calorie chocolate squares, opt for nuts, seeds, veggies and fruit that are all rich in magnesium.

SUGARY FOODS – if you are craving sugary foods, it may mean your body is in need of a number of vitamins/minerals, read below to see what you may be lacking and what to eat instead of grabbing high sugary unnecessary foods;

Chromium – eat broccoli, grapes, cheese or chicken instead.

Carbon – fresh fruits

Phosphorus – eat foods like chicken, beef, fatty fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, veggies and/or grains

Sulphar – Cranberries, horseradish, cabbage, caulifrlower

Tryptophan – Cheese, raisins, sweet potatoes, spinach

 

BREAD, PASTA & OTHER CARBS – craving carbs such as bread or pasta can indicate a need for your body to gain more nitrogen. Instead of pigging out on carbs, your body is really craving high protein foods such as meat, fatty fish, nuts, beans and chia seeds

 

OILY FOODS – if you are craving oily foods, your body may be lacking calcium. Ditch the oily foods and opt for things such as organic milk, cheese and/or green leafy vegetables

SALTY FOODS – if you are craving salty foods often, it is likely that you are lacking chloride and silicon, in which case opt for foods such as Fatty fish, goat milk, nuts and seeds.

It is important to always maintain a healthy well-balanced diet so that your body gets the correct amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals daily. Not only will you look great, you will look great too and your body will thank you for it.

 

Keep Fit! - Mel

Healthy, Low-cost and Low-impact activity --- Swimming

SWIMMING ~

Swimming is one of the most popular sports in Australia. Swimming is a healthy, low-cost activity that you can continue throughout your life, as it is a low-impact activity. Swimming has multiple physical and mental health benefits. It is a great way to workout as swimming requires the whole body to move against the resistance of the water. 
Health Benefits of Swimming 


Increase muscle tone & strength -
A swimmer has to propel themselves through water, a substance roughly 12 times as dense as air. This means that every kick and every arm stroke becomes a resistance exercise & as we know, resistance exercises are the most effective way of building muscle tone and strength

Weight Control -
Swimming is one of the most efficient forms of calorie burning. Swimming is also great for weight control. The amount of calories burnt whilst swimming depends on the individuals physiology and intensity to which you train. To boost the calorie-burning component of swimming, incorporate intervals into your training. Intervals will work your body hard for short bursts, then allow it to recover during short breaks. Then repeat. 

Improved Flexibility -
Unlike exercise machines in a gym which tend to isolate singular body parts at a time, swimming requires the entire body to move. Swimming puts the body through a broad range of motion, which helps joints and ligaments stay loose and flexible.
The Arms -- move in wide arcs
The Hips -- are engaged as the legs kick through the water
The Head & Spine -- twist from side to side and up and down
Additionally, with every stroke, as you reach forward, the body is lengthening not only making it more efficient in the water but also providing the body with a good stretch from head to toe

A Healthier Heart -
As swimming is an aerobic exercise, it strengthens the heart. Swimming helps the heart become larger and also makes it more efficient in pumping; leading to better blood flow throughout the entire body



Swimming sessions can be done at your local aquatic centre or if you want to mix things up a bit, why not use the rock pools down at the beach! 

Sample Swim Session

• 200m freestyle
• 4 x 50m
  • Freestyle up, Backstroke back
• 4 x 50m
  • Freestyle sprint up, Breastroke back
• 2 x 100m
  • IM (individual medley = butterfly, backstroke, breastroke, freestyle)
• 3 x 50m
  • freestyle sprint up, freestyle slow back
• 200m freestyle, warm down

Happy swimming people,
Georgia

Summertime Beach Workout

Do you really enjoy going the same gym week after week? Why not mix it up and soak up the Aussie summer with our Summertime Beach Workout!

Lunges

Why? Lunges will do you wonders. Whether you're trying to increase muscle, tone your body or develop core strength, lunges can help you achieve your goals.

• 10 walking lunges + 10 sit-ups
• 10 walking lunges + 10 push-ups

Sets and reps: 3-5 rounds in total.

Burpees

Why? Burpees are hands down the most effective and complete, whole-body conditioning exercise there is. No other exercise on this planet works as many muscle groups at once, whilst improving your stamina, endurance and cardiovascular conditioning.

How? Find a flat section of sand and mark out two lines 30 metres apart. Stand behind one line while facing the other and perform a long jump, starting and landing on two feet. As soon as you land, drop all the way down until your chest touches the sand. In a fast and fluid push up motion jump back up to your feet. Repeat until you reach the other line.

Sets and reps: 3-5 sets.

Boxing and sprints

Why? Sand adds a whole new dimension to your workout through intensively targeting your lower-body

How? With a partner, mark out 3 lines 15 metres away from each other. Both you and your partner begin standing at the centre line. The boxer then performs 40 straight punches and then both run in the opposite directions to your lines, turn around and run back. Then perform 60 hook punches, then run again. The boxer then does 50 uppercuts and that's one round completed. Alternate.

Sets and reps: 3-5 rounds in each role.

Beach sprints

Why? Running on sand is super difficult. That's because your foot is working against a soft surface with much more 'give' than a harder surface. This forces you to engage more muscles in your lower body and with no surprise burns more calories than running on a hard surface.

How? Mark out two lines in a flat section of soft sand about 30 metre apart. Lie down flat on your stomach behind one line facing the other. Interlock your hands and place your palms flat down on the sand under your chin. On "go", explode off the sand and sprint as fast as you can until you reach the other line. Walk back slowly and repeat.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 6-10.

- Keven

Breakfast Banana, Apple, Cinnamon & Almond Smoothie Recipe

With the mentality for fitness, it is essential that you start off your day with something to kickstart your metabolism, allowing for you to get the most out of your day. This breakfast smoothie has all the beneficial nutrients to push your body into overdrive and get the max out of whatever you have in-store for that day.

Ingredients
2 Bananas
1 Red Apple
10 Raw Almonds
1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Skim Milk

Method
1. Finely slice fruits and nut into a size appropriate to be blended.
2. Place fruit and nut into blender.
3. Pour 1/2 cup of milk into blender.
4. Place teaspoon of cinnamon into blender.
5. Blend until desired consistency.
6. Enjoy!


- Ben

Chest workout for the best results

The workout for the best chest!

The most common and popular workout routine at the gym is the chest workout. The chest workout is all about targeting, burning and pushing to the maximum the pectorals. The secondary muscles that get used and worked on during this workout are the biceps and triceps. Below is a typical chest workout that all individuals of all skill levels and experience can use as the exercises are easy to perform and simple to follow. It should be noted that the form of the exercise is much more important than the actual weight used. Having bad form causes injuries and doesn’t work the muscle to its full potential. 
-  

All exercises are performed in set of 3 with 10-12 repetitions :

• 3x Dumbell Benchpress, 10-12 reps
• 3x Dumbell Benchpress, 10-12 reps
• 3x Pullovers,10-12 reps
• 3x Chest dips, 10-12 reps
• 3x Cable flys, 10-12 reps

13 Ways to Burn More Body Fat

 

The human body is extremely adaptable. Losing body fat isn’t necessarily about starving yourself or eating less; it’s about eating more – more nutrient dense foods. Follow these 13 easy tips on simple ways to burn more fat.

1.       Stay hydrated – Water is extremely important

2.       Get more vitamin D

3.       Eat iron enriched foods

4.       Fight fat with fibre

5.       Drink coffee or tea

6.       Eat Breakfast

7.       Eat the heat

8.       Drink cold water

9.       Stand rather than sit

10.   Eat organic

11.   Eat more protein

12.   Go to bed earlier

13.   Don’t starve yourself

 

Tee these up with regular exercise (at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week) to remain fit and healthy.

Hope you guys can put these quick and easy tips to use,

Stay fit, talk soon – Mel xx

Raw Performance Protein Balls

Raw Performance Protein Balls ~

• Dairy & Soy free
• Weight control
• Sugar free
• Vegan & Paleo friendly
• No preservatives
• Delicious
• Nutritious

Raw performance protein balls help build lean muscle mass, sustain sugar levels, keep you fuller for longer and aid muscle rejuvenation after exercise. These protein balls are best taken within 20 minutes of finishing your fitness routine. They are also a great healthy snack to take mid morning and mid afternoon.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1 cup medjool dates
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup cacao nibs

Method

1. Place seeds in a food processor, blend until finely ground
2. Pulse in cacao powder
3. Add in the chopped dates and water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together nicely
4. Process until all ingredients are distributed evenly
5. Pulse in cacao nibs
6. Roll small amounts of mixture into small, tablespoon size balls
7. You may then roll the balls into cacao powder or shredded coconut
8. Place balls into a container and place in refrigerator for 30 mins

Note: Balls will last for up to 5 days!

Enjoy, 

Georgia 

Top 5 Fitness Myths

“Lots of Cardio is the key to losing weight”

Don’t get me wrong cardio is great for losing weight but it isn’t a standalone option for an individual wanting to lose weight. Cardio can lead to a loss in muscle mass, which can slow your metabolism, making it difficult to achieve a healthy body-weight.

“I’m doing (insert exercise) to lose weight in my stomach”

It is impossible to isolate where you lose weight. When you lose weight, you lose it from all around your body. So forget about the Ab King Pro and exercises that claim to help you to lose fat from a certain area but focus on various forms of cardio and a healthy diet in order to lose weight all over your body, including those trouble areas.

“This diet/exercise plan works for anyone”

I’ve tried multiple exercise plans and diets that promise you a bigger, tighter and stronger figure in a few months but none of these would work if I followed them precisely. Not everyone has the same body type as you so you need to listen to your body to find out what exercises and eating habits will help you achieve your goals. Be careful of people who pitch an amazing diet that works for all as more than likely you can count on them being full of it.

“Fit looks like ______”

The fitness industry heavily advertises how ripped and toned people are an ideal representation of someone who is “fit” or “healthy”. The fact of the matter is that fit comes in different shapes and sizes, and even in a wide variety of body-weights. There’s roughly 6 billion people on this earth, therefore there are six billion different ideas of what “fit” looks like.

“You need supplements”

Almost every free fitness plan out there, whether it be in men’s or women’s health magazines, say that you need all these supplement to achieve your goals e.g. multivitamins, amino acids, protein, etc. Instead of spending excessive amounts of money on expensive supplements you can easily source all the vitamins and all the protein you need from healthy foods.

.- Keven 

Post #1 - Introduction

Hello!

Welcome to our blog. 

Throughout this blog, you will learn a variety of fitness tips, exercise routines and any little knick-knacks that we feel you should know about fitness. 

The blog will be updated daily, and each day, a different member of our blogging team will write the post.

Fitness is essential to maintaining a balanced, healthy lifestyle and we want to share our knowledge with you.

On Mondays, I (Ben) will write the blog, on Tuesdays is Keven, Wednesdays is Georgia, Thursdays is Melissa and to bring the week to an end, Tom will discuss fitness on Fridays.

We hope you learn a lot while reading this blog and stay tuned each day to develop your fitness lifestyle.

Cheers.

Ben