Tag Archives: HIIT

Printable Workout: Pyramid Bootcamp Workout

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I love pyramid workouts and if you ever ran track in high school you might remember them (fondly or maybe not so fondly) as ladders. The principle is that you start with a short interval (in this case 20 seconds), climb up the pyramid to the longest interval (50 seconds) and then work your way back down to a short interval again (20 seconds). Take note that all the intervals here are less than a minute:)  Not only does this format make the time fly, but it’s also totally motivating to see the intervals get shorter as the end of the workout gets closer!

You don’t need any equipment so just clear some room in your living room, turn on some good music (you can check out a playlist I’m loving here) and you’ll get a full body cardio/toning interval workout!

Plus, you can get your printable version of the workout here. Printable Pyramid Bootcamp Workout

Happy Bootcamping!!!

Printable Workout: The “All The Cardio You Need” 15 Minute Workout

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My cardio workouts usually consist of running so when I hit the gym I’m always hopping on the treadmill. Not too surprisingly, being on the same piece of cardio equipment for 40 minutes gets a little boring so I’m always looking for ways to spice it up. Recently I paired the recumbent bike with some kettlebell swings and a killer 15 minute workout was born! I love this since my idea of a great workout is one that gets me in out of the gym as quickly as possible and is still burns enough calories to keep my in my skinny jeans.

Print it here…Recumbent Bike Wkout

WORKOUT DETAILS

  • Warmup for 5 minutes. Start on a recumbent bike at a level 2.
  • Bike for one-quarter-mile (.25) as quickly as you can once you’ve completed the quarter mile hope off the bike.
  • Grab a kettelbell double the  number corresponding to the resistance on the bike  and do that many kettlebell swings. So do 4 swings.
  • Increase the resistance by 1 so move from a level 2 to level 3 on the bike. Bike one-quater-mile then move back to kettlebell swings. Do 6 swings. (Double the resistance number)
  • Repeat this back and forth Level 4 on bike 8 swings, Level 5 on bike 10 swings, Level 6 on bike 12 swings and so on until the resistance is so high you can’t pedal the bike anymore. (or until 15 minutes is up since this workout is pretty intense).
  • Tip: take breaks when you need them especially with the swings so you keep good form.

MODIFICATIONS

In case you don’t have access to a recumbent bike or  kettlebells I’ve added a few modifications. (FYI kettlebell swings are a great exercise but they’re also super intense so make sure you’ve had a professional teach you the correct form before you try them in order to avoid injury)

  • Replace the recumbent bike with a regular bike, the elliptical trainer or the treadmill. If you’re using the treadmill just increase the incline.
  • Replace the kettlebell swings with burpees (squat thrust) or squat jumps
  • To make it harder start at a higher resistance

Workouts that Burn 300, 400 and 500 Calories

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I’m always curious how many calories different workouts burn…Should I do yoga or go for a run? Take a barre class or try Zumba?  Well if you’re like me and you’re dying to know how many calories that spin class is worth I’ve taken  the guesswork out for you. Here I’ve compiled a few different workouts that burn 300, 400 and 500 calories and you’ll notice within each “calorie section” the workouts last for different amounts of time. Calorie burn is all about intensity so you can burn 300 calories either by taking a walk with a friend or if you’re short on time and you want to work off those potato skins from last night’s happy hour try some High Intensity Interval Training for 20 minutes. This breakdown is kinda cool since you can rest easy if you hate the impact of things like kickboxing and would rather get zen with some yoga…both are going to torch about 500 calories!

300 Calories

  1. Walking with a few hills for 1 hour
  2. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for 20 minutes. Try this tabata workout video here.
  3. Ballet Barre Class or Workout for 1 hour

400 Calories

  1. Running 9 min/mile (6.7 mph) for 35 minutes
  2. Zumba Class for 45 minutes
  3. Circuit Training or Bootcamp for 40 minutes. Try this toning circuit workout here. Both are living room friendly…no gym required!

500 Calories

  1. Bikram Yoga for 45 minutes
  2. Kickboxing for 40 minutes
  3. Spin Class for 40 minutes. Try this spin workout if you can’t make it to class…playlist included!

Cardio Workout Video: High Intensity Training, Tabata Workout (HIIT)

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I love workouts that get you in and out of the gym quickly and this high intensity training (HIIT) tabata training workout does just that. So here is how it works….Tabata protocol has you do 20 seconds of high intensity work followed by 10 seconds of rest and you can do any kind of intense interval from sprints to burpees to pushups. You complete that pattern back and forth for a full four minute block, take a much needed break then put those four minute blocks together to make up an 8, 12, 16 or 20 minute workout.

I teach Tabata training in my classes all the time and everyone loves it since it makes class fly by. (In fact this particular workout is one of the ones I recently taught:) Another great thing, Tabata protocol has been scientifically proven to be the workout that burns the most calories in the least amount of time and high intensity interval training is one of the best ways to flatten your abs and reshape your body. (I’m not kidding, click here and check out the benefits section.) The whole workout is complete in 16 -24 minutes. Oh yeah, and if that wasn’t enough to make you fall in love with Tabata, it also raises your metabolism for the next 24-36 hours so you burn an additional 1o0-150 calorie watching Emily take down the Graysons on Revenge (my new obsession) or someone start a fight on Real Housewives (my forever obsession). Who doesn’t love that? :)

Here is the workout breakdown

Round 1

  • 20 second interval: high knees
  • 10 second rest
  • 20 seconds interval: squat press
  • 10 seconds rest
  • repeat for 4 minutes

Take a break

Round 2

  • 20 second interval: spider knees
  • 10 seconds rest
  • 20 second interval: plie with an upright row
  • 10 second rest
  • repeat for 4 minutes

Repeat Round 1 and Round 2 two to three more times to make a 16-24 minute workout

Fitness Class Review: High Intensity Training (HIIT)

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ABOUT

Interval training is all the rage now, and for good reason! It helps you burn more calories in less time (love this), helps improve your speed and endurance and recent studies have shown it can actually reduce belly fat (double love this!). High Intensity Interval Training (or HITT as it’s sometimes called) is a full body cardio workout and involves alternating short bursts of super intense work with a low intensity recovery. These intervals are usually performed in a 2:1 ratio so for example,  20 seconds of work followed by 40 seconds of rest and repeated for 9-20 minutes. However,  you can take these intervals up to about one minute long just make sure the work interval is very hard since one thing that sets HIIT apart from other interval training programs is the short duration and  high intensity of the intervals.

WORKOUT

I’ve taken several HIIT classes and I also happen to teach one. One of my student’s favorite classes involves a 5-10 minute warm up (since the intervals are so intense I like to make sure everyone is totally warmed-up for the class) followed by 4 / one minute intervals with 90 second recoveries using jumprope, burpee, alternating front kicks and shuffle intervals. Then we move onto 4 /:45 second intervals with one minute recoveries using mountain climbers, high knees, flying lunges and squat jumps and finally 4/ :30 second intervals with :30 second recoveries using wide knee run, air jacks, hitch kicks left leg and hitch kicks right leg. If the class really wants to turn it up I’ll add 30 second relay sprints between the interval groups. This workout usually burns 550 calories in about 40 minutes.  

I’ve taken HIIT classes that alternate one minute of intense cardio like sprints on the bike or jump squats with one minute of full body strength training like pushups or squat presses. The class lasts anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and makes a nap afterwards absolutely necessary.

TONE ZONE

  • HIIT training is so demanding and intense that it’s proven to change your body and lower your body fat composition. You become a fat burning machine and if that’s not reason enough to try it then I don’t know what is!
  • Flat abs and a strong core
  • Plyometrics like jump squats will tone your legs and literally lift your butt inches higher
  • If you incorporate pushups and burpees get ready for ripped arms and sculpted shoulders

WHAT I LOVE

  • This workout is short and flies by which I love since I’d rather be catching up on my Bravo TV than spending all day in the gym.
  • The intensity means you get an after-burn so you’ll burn and extra 100 calories trying to decide if you’re on team Teresa or team Caroline and wondering what happened with Dina…?
  • Pushing yourself past your comfort zone is always a rewarding experience. You’ll feel tough and like you can overcome anything after one of these classes or workouts.
  • Get out the skinny jeans because 2-3 of these workout per week will have you tight and toned in no time!

CROWD CONTROL

Every celeb does this kind of training…Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Jessica Biel, Giuliana Rancic, every Victorias Secret model, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna and Beyonce to name a few. If you see someone who has a lean toned body I bet they do interval training!

THAT’S WHERE IT’S AT

My HIIT class is at the University of Washington Intramural Activity Center so (bummer) you have to be  UW student or staff to take it…but if you live in Seattle I’d give these a try…

Club Zum in downtown Seattle: The class is called Hard Core

David Barton Gym in Bellevue: The class is called Melt

Elite Fitness Bellevue: Drop in Bootcamp Class on Sunday mornings at 9am or Wednesdays at 1pm.