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Top 3 Benefits of Interval Training

Top 3 Benefits of Interval Training

Do you ever feel like your fitness routine is stuck in a rut, or that you're not getting the results you desire? If so, it might be time to shake things up and give interval training a go. This science-backed workout strategy has taken the fitness world by storm in recent years, and for good reason too. Interval training (IT), offers a dynamic and effective way to transform your fitness level, but how do we get the most of this approach and howโ€™s best to use IT to get fit? Understanding the Science of Interval Training: Interval training is all about alternating between short bursts of intense exercise with brief periods of active recovery or rest. This cycle is repeated, and is what makes this training a powerful way to improve physical fitness, physiological functions and cardiovascular disease risk. High-intensity interval training (HIIT), whereby efforts elicit โ‰ฅ90% of maximal oxygen uptake or >75% of maximal power. Sprint interval training (SIT), a more intense version of HIIT with efforts above VO2 max or maximal power. Repeated-sprint training (RST), characterised by performing a high number of sprints with a shorter recovery interval. The Top 3 Benefits of Interval Training: 1. Fat Burn Furnace: Current research is in favour of the elevated burning of calories in HIIT based exercise to that of its steady-state counterparts, especially if it combines both weight based and aerobic activities. This is thought to stem from the effect of HIIT on our metabolic rate, and itโ€™s pretty neat ability to shift our bodyโ€™s metabolism to burn fat as opposed to carbs even after weโ€™ve completed the workout. Meaning along with a healthy-balanced diet, the inclusion of this super strategy couldbe the perfect accomplice for weight loss. 2. Cardiovascular Supercharge: Interval training is not just about torching calories; it's also a bonus for your heart health. Those intense intervals help improve your cardiovascular fitness by bettering your heart rate and strengthening your heart's ability to pump blood effectively. This translates to improved cardiovascular function and decreased risk of disease. 3.ย Time-Efficient Workouts: In today's fast-paced world, time is precious. The beauty of interval training is that it offers these great results in a short amount of time. A typical session can range from just 20 to 30 minutes, making it a highly efficient choice for busy individuals. With it being so short and snappy you are also more likely to get a sense of enjoyment out of this training type, with its constantly changing stimuli and short length. Getting Started with Interval Training: So, how can you harness the power of interval training for your fitness journey? Here's your action plan: 1. Warm Up: Always begin with a thorough warm-up to prepare your muscles and joints for theintensity ahead. A warm-up session of 5-10 minutes can include light jogging, dynamic stretching, or mobility exercises. 2. Choose Your Intervals: Determine the duration and intensity of your high-intensity intervals.These should push you to around 80-90% of your maximum effort. The recovery periods should be less intense, allowing you to catch your breath. 3.ย Variety is Key: Keep things interesting by mixing up your exercises. Whether it's sprinting, cycling, or bodyweight exercises, the key is to engage different muscle groups to prevent monotony and keep your body challenged. 4. Safety First: Pay attention and listen to your body. While pushing your limits is essential, safetyalways comes first. Ensure proper form and alignment to reduce the risk of injury. 5.ย Cool Down: Wrap up your session with a cool-down period to gradually lower your heart rate and prevent dizziness or fainting. Stretching and controlled breathing are excellent ways to achieve this. Adding an interval-based training to your weekly workout can revitalise your fitness routine and improve overall wellbeing. The science-backed benefits and the time-efficiency of interval training makes it an ideal choice for today's busy lifestyles. So, gear up, embrace the intensity, and let interval training unlock your fitness potential. Your body will thank you, and you'll be well on your way to achieving your fitness goals.ย ย 
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Woman kickboxing with coach

The Best Sports For Getting Lean: Here's Our Favourite Sports That Get You Ripped

Looking for the best sports to get ripped? Top sportsmen/women are lean, toned and muscular. Although they hit the gym for strength, they didnโ€™t get their physiques by spending all their time there. Here are 3 of the top sports for getting lean.
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Navigating Indulgence with Chloe Thomas

Navigating Indulgence with Chloe Thomas

Chloe is a life, nutrition and fitness coach from the South East Of England. She has been a coach for 7 years now, working mainly with women. Her goal is to help women become their healthiest and become the best version of themselves, Innermost helps to achieve this.ย  ย  View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHLOE THOMAS || ONLINE COACH ๐Ÿฆ‹ (@_chloeinspires_) Our topic for July is Indulgence. Tell us what indulgence means to you, and what are your favourite ways to indulge. Indulgence for me is having time away from the chaos of life - relaxing in nature, reading a book, going on a hike, seeing a friend or family. I love being outdoors and going on adventures like kayaking or surfing and I love to travel! It brings me back to โ€œmeโ€ and allows me to re connect with myself and my values. I do also like to indulge in some yummy unhealthy food every so often too- on my holiday recently I indulged in a delicious pizza and yummy scones! How do you strike a balance between indulging in something you enjoy and overindulging to the point of excess? I think this is important as it can become unhealthy if you over indulge too much as this can lead to an addiction. If you are indulging in something excessively it may be because you are unhappy in your life elsewhere, and are using that thing to avoid the pain or discomfort you are feeling in your life. For example, I see sometimes in my clients over-eating due to emotions (emotional eating), which is where they are over-indulging to try and avoid uncomfortable feelings - which inevitably doesn't work and leaves you feeling uncomfortable and guilty. In what ways can indulging in something be beneficial to our mental health and well-being? I guess it is important to take time out from our โ€œgo-goโ€ lives where our brains are constantly being stimulated - especially due to our phones. So taking time to indulge in having time out with your friends or alone is important. I also think it is important to indulge in nice foods from time to time - especially in social situations. ย  View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHLOE THOMAS || ONLINE COACH ๐Ÿฆ‹ (@_chloeinspires_) How can indulging in certain activities, such as eating or drinking, have negative impacts on our physical health? Over eating or drinking can leave us feeling low in energy, low in mood and tends to exacerbate anxiety, aka โ€œhangxietyโ€ when it comes to alcohol. It can also cause weight gain and inflammation within the body which can lead to auto-immune diseases and illness. It is important to be conscious of not over-indulging in these two things too much - it's about striking that balance between a healthy amount and an excessive amount. How can we practice self-control and limit indulgences in order to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle? I think it is important to think about our future and what damage over indulging can do to our health long term. I try and remind myself of this. And even thinking of how you will feel the next week or day if you over indulge. For example, when I drink too much alcohol I sleep bad, it effects my training, my mood, my cravings etc - so I donโ€™t drink often or in excess. I remind clients to think of their โ€˜whyโ€™ and also where they want to be in 5 months and 5 years time. Can indulgence ever be considered a form of self-care, or is it always a potentially harmful behaviour? I personally think itโ€™s about that balance I mentioned before. For example, on my recent holiday I had a big pizza to myself which was overindulgent BUT I rarely have pizza - think the last time was February! So itโ€™s fine for me to do it once in a while. I think too much indulging in anything is a sign that you may be not content in your life and are looking for something on the outside to soothe something uncomfortable on the inside (mentally speaking). What Innermost product(s) have you been loving recently? Definitely the The Digest Capsules I love them and so do my clients! They help with my bloating and IBS massively. I also love The Relax Capsules for around my period when i have PMS and trouble relaxing. They are great! Our final question is ... Whatโ€™s your innermost desire that youโ€™re hoping comes true this year? To reach even more women across the world to join my community of women and reach their healthy and fitness goals, build a better relationship with food and learn how to love their body again! I want to get women off fad diets and know there are easier ways to be healthy and lose weight! I would really like to be at the point where I can hold retreats for them by the end of the year. That's a wrap on this months interview questions. Thank you so much Chloe for your time! itโ€™s been a pleasure chatting with you! To keep up with Chloe be sure the follow them on _chloeinspires_
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The 4 Steps To Take Immediately After A Workout To Aid Recovery

The 4 Steps To Take Immediately After A Workout To Aid Recovery

Wondering what to do after working out? Looking for advice around how to integrate protein after a workout? Never fear. From steps to take immediately after your workout, to an hour after and so on, weโ€™ve simplified the list into four essential steps to take after a workout.ย ย 
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9 Easy Stretching Exercises That Will Increase Flexibility

9 Easy Stretching Exercises That Will Increase Flexibility

Stretching might not be the most exciting part of your workout, but it's the most important in preventing injury. These simple flexibility exercises will help with posture, pain and tightness.
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The Best Exercises To Improve Your Rowing PB

The Best Exercises To Improve Your Rowing PB

Whether a seasoned gym addict, first-time fitness enthusiast, or avid water goer, thereโ€™s nothing quite like smashing your rowing PB. While it might look intimidating to begin, itโ€™s much simpler, addictive, and most importantly, beneficial to your body than beginners might think. Like any workout PB however, there can reach a point where your best time seems to plateau. After all, there are only so many times you can improve right? Well not necessarily. In addition to a high protein diet and the use of fitness supplements like The Power Booster to aid performance, there are a wide range of exercises to try that can improve rowing endurance, power, and technique. By the end, getting a faster rowing PB should be a breeze. The Benefits Of Rowing Firstly, itโ€™s important to ask; should you go for a PB in the first place? Short answer: absolutely! Rowing offers a complete high-intensity exercise all without skipping a beat; just a single session will train 9 of your muscle groups and around 85% of your bodyโ€™s muscles. Compared to other workouts, this builds strength and endurance within key muscles in the upper and lower body. While achieving that rowing PB can be tough, being able to endure the challenge and feel the muscle growth is an unmatched workout joy. The versatility of rowing means everyone from cardio lovers to arm day enthusiasts can look forward to smashing their next PB. Rowing workouts are also low-impact and kind to your individual joints. This makes it the perfect PB challenge for those recovering from, and looking to avoid persistent injury - or perhaps even the dreaded shin splints. The exercise also provides mental benefits for the individual through the release of endorphins (the bodyโ€™s feel-good hormones). ย  Exercises To Improve Your PB So how do you go about improving your PB? Well because rowing utilizes a complete range of muscles, getting a better time is all about targeting these individual parts of the body. This requires a mix of all types of workouts from cardio and core to strength training. Cardio Workouts To bring rowing performance to the next level, itโ€™s almost essential to incorporate a strong aerobic focus into your exercise. Given the repetitive and continuous motions required with rowing, itโ€™s easy to get stuck in the trap of pushing yourself too much โ€“ especially when it comes to striving for a PB. Cardio performance exercises are a fantastic method to build your rowing endurance, improve your heart health, and simply just lift your mood. For the best results, weโ€™d recommend a mix of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and steady-state cardio (SSC) workouts. High-Intensity Interval Training HIIT exercises are all about raising the heart rate and building strength and stamina. They balance short but maximum-intensity workouts with rest intervals โ€“ think short sprints, fast cycling, and squat jumps. This makes HIIT an important tool to improve cardio capabilities and smash that rowing PB goal. Steady State Cardio SSC workouts on the other hand focus on continuous but long-term workouts. Instead of 2-minute short sprints of high intensity, you might take a light 30-minute jog for a consistent heart rate. These exercises have the benefit of improving your endurance levels and making it easier to continue rowing until hitting your distance target.ย  ย ย  Strength Training While debates continue to rage about whether rowing is a cardio exercise โ€“ weโ€™re firmly of the it is camp โ€“ strength plays just as vital a role as endurance. Regardless of whether you row 500, 1000, 2000 metres, or beyond, there will always be a mental balance required between the rowing strength you exert per rep and the overall distance remaining. By improving key muscles through strength training, you can reduce the effort and difficulty on each row to improve speed and overall performance. Given the full body sequence of actions used in rowing, weโ€™d recommend you focus your workout on 3 key areas: legs, core, and arms. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Leg Exercises Your leg contains some of the strongest muscles in the body. Given its importance to strong rowing performance, itโ€™s not exactly surprising that weโ€™re recommending you incorporate leg exercises into your fitness routine. This is especially true at the rowing catch point - the end point of each row โ€“ where the greatest leg force is required. To improve leg muscle strength, we recommend simple but effective exercises like squats, lunges, and targeted deadlift sessions. ย ย ย  Core Exercises While it might not be completely obvious, your core muscles โ€“ the stomach and lower back muscles - play a pivotal part in maintaining your posture and improving your rowing PB. They are especially important in supporting rowing form toward the end of the workout when you begin to tire. A strong core also minimises the workload on other muscles that would otherwise have to work harder to compensate for a weak core. Core workouts are also simple to do whether at home or the gym. Just some ideas include plants, hip bridges, and Pilate ab crunches. Arm Exercises Arm strength also plays a significant role in maintaining rowing form, albeit slightly different depending on whether youโ€™re at the gym or treading the waters. For water goers, the arms act as a messenger of sorts. They transfer the power generated from the leg and core muscles into the rowing oar and push the boat forward โ€“ a fairly important element to achieving any sort of distance. For the motivated gym goer, strong arms can provide well-defined concentric and eccentric muscle movements that benefit form. To focus on improving arm muscle strength, there are plenty of exercises you to try. Just some effective choices are bicep curl and triceps extension workouts, but you can even try something as simple as home push-ups (which will also help in improving core strength). The Importance Of Technique, Rest, And Recovery With all this said, a key and often overlooked part of improving a rowing PB is simply getting the basics - effective form and technique before, during, and after any exercise โ€“ down. Consider adding some simple and easy stretches before a session to effectively warm up your muscles and best prepare your body. Likewise, you could have all the endurance tools you need to succeed, but a poor rowing technique could see you waste unnecessary energy. Efficiency is key here. The other added benefit of good form is that it greatly reduces the chance of any injuries which letโ€™s face it, is quite important to training and smashing the next PB. As someone who has gone for a personal best on many occasions, I can agree that this last part can be the most difficult, but achieving a PB is all about planning rest and recovery days into your training. Listening to your body here can be crucial. Pushing too hard increases the risk of overtraining, potentially leading to injury. To this end, it can make it easier to think of recovery as another stage of the workout process. Remember, rest days donโ€™t necessarily mean you have to do nothing all day. Gentle exercises like walks and even yoga can work wonders for body recovery. Interested to discover more about Innermost Power Booster Supplements? Looking for the best ways to fuel your next workout? Perhaps you have some amazing and inspired ideas to share? Donโ€™t hesitate to message us on our Instagram @liveinnermost.
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What Is CrossFit And How Do I Get Started?

What Is CrossFit And How Do I Get Started?

Thereโ€™s plenty of discussion around CrossFit exercise at the moment and for good reason. We at Innermost have put together our complete guide on CrossFit.
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The Exercise Ball Workouts You Didn't Know You Needed

The Exercise Ball Workouts You Didn't Know You Needed

Fitness trends come and go, the exercise ball in particular is a fad that has stuck, with its popularity sweeping through homes, gyms, physical therapy sessions and even workplaces and here's why...
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Beginner lifting heavy weights

The Ultimate Beginner's Guide To Weight Lifting

Want to start pumping iron but too intimidated to step foot into the weights room at the gym? We got you. Check out our guide to building muscle and altering your body shape for the better via our weightlifting plan.
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Seeking Adventure With Zara De Haldevang

Seeking Adventure With Zara De Haldevang

We sat down with Innermost Insider and personal trainer Zara de Haldevang to discuss the beautiful of adventure. From its importance amongst busy day to day life, to the personal impact it can have on us, and the lessons we can learn from adventuring more.
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Close-up of man meditating

The Innermost Series: Meditation Unlocked with Lululemon Day 2

Partnering with Lululemon Marylebone High Street, this event aims to dispelย common myths around meditation followed by a guided session led by Meditation: Unlocked.ย 
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We've Created The Perfect Full Body Summer Workout

We've Created The Perfect Full Body Summer Workout

With so much going on, itโ€™s easy to forget that summer is in full force. Everyone has been affected by the lastย year in some way or another, andย for many people, their fitness goals and healthy eating plans have been thrown off track or are the last things on their mind. We're here to change that.
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Man hiking over bridge outdoors

The Health Benefits Of The Great Outdoors

Getting yourself out and about in nature is one of the easiest (and cheapest!) forms of exercise, and one of the best things you can do for your mental and physical wellbeing. Here's exactly why.
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PLAYLISTS

Adam Husler Workout Playlist

Adam Husler Workout Playlist

 Adam is one of the leading yoga teachers in London. When we asked him to create a workout playlist, he came up with a deeply soulful mix of tracks that won't fail to get a smile...
Claire Fountain Workout Playlist

Claire Fountain Workout Playlist

 Claire knows yoga. Claire also knows music. Here's her selection of workout songs compiled just for Innermost.health
Bethany Duckworth Workout Playlist

Bethany Duckworth Workout Playlist

 Bethany knows a good track when she hears one. Buckle up and get this workout playlist into your ears pronto.
Dan Morgan Workout Playlist

Dan Morgan Workout Playlist

 Dan getting zen on the decks. Here's his playlist for your next yoga session or if you need to kick back and drift away.
Elisa Rossi Workout Playlist

Elisa Rossi Workout Playlist

 Elisa's most comfortable creating works of art in the kitchen. Here are the songs that help her do just that.