By Gabe Sanders Ph.D., NSCA-CSCS
Fat burning, muscle building workouts are all the rage in health and fitness. The goal of high-intensity workouts is to drastically increase your heart rate and overall workload for a brief period of time, rest, and then do it all over again, and again, and again.
The problem with this type of workout is that it is very physically challenging and it is difficult to know where to start if you are a novice exerciser or perhaps you exercise, but do not know how hard to push yourself? If this is you, here is where to start!
Learn the technique, master the technique
First, find four multi-joint exercises such as basic squats, shoulder presses, or even push-ups in which you can easily learn the technique and then master the technique. It is ideal, but not necessary to pick two upper body and two lower body exercises or a combination exercise like the squat and press exercise.
Once you feel comfortable with the exercise technique of four different exercises, choose a light-to-moderate weight (yes, bodyweight is appropriate) or resistance that you can complete 15-20 reps in a single set.
At the end of each set you should feel fatigued. The goal of this type of workout is to do a lot of repetitions with little recovery time between sets. Lifting heavy weight is not the goal here.
Start your workout!
Once you have figured out the appropriate weight or resistance of four different exercises, start your work out! Start with a light-to-moderate 10- minute warmup that gradually gets harder and more challenging.
After the warm-up, start your exercises. Do 15-20 reps of each exercise with no rest between exercises. After all four exercises are completed, rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat this craziness for 3-4 rounds!
You will feel good, your heart rate will be racing, and you will feel fatigued, which is good! Check out the example workout below and just know you can change out exercises daily or weekly!
Workout- 4 multi-joint exercises- Try this!
- 15-20 Push-ups or modified push-ups
- 15-20 Lunges total
- 15-20 Squat and press with dumbbells
- 15-20 Kettlebell swings
Rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat 2-3 more times for a total of 3-4 rounds
For more examples of other variations/exercises look under Multimedia-VDF Exercise Tips
**Consult with a physician and/or medical healthcare provider before starting any exercise regimen
Article’s Sources
Nicholson, Vaughan P., Mark R. McKean, and Brendan J. Burkett. “Low-load high-repetition resistance training improves strength and gait speed in middle-aged and older adults.” Journal of science and medicine in sport5 (2015): 596-600.
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