Lately, I have been reading up on high intensity, short workouts. As opposed to long duration jogs or lifting routines. This is something that as a Scottsdale personal trainer, I have always been a believer in and I am so glad that it is getting more and more media spotlight and scientific support.

Short, yet intense workout sessions incorporating resistance training, sprints, and plyometrics are the way to profoundly effect your hormonal and structural makeup so that you can build muscle, and blast fat off. Plus, this style of working out saves you time.

Human growth hormone and testosterone are two of the biggest biochemical factors that get released during short, yet intense exercises. The hormones do a number of things…check it out:

1. add lean muscle

2. cut fat off

3. will help to stabilize blood sugar levels

4. they are anti-aging and anti-inflammatory

5. they increase your metabolism and get you burning more calories longer.

5. increase bone density

6. better sleep

7. stronger immune system

That’s a look at the biochemical side of short, yet intense workouts, now let’s look at the biomechanical side.

What is actually happening when you sprint, or jump, or do heavy, intense weight training is that you recruit type 2(fast twitch) muscle fibers. Theses type of fast twitch fibers stimulate muscle growth and fat loss quicker and better than type 1(slow twitch) fibers. Type 1 fibers are used during medium intensity weight lifting and aerobics such as light walking or jogging. Obviously we want to do what works “quicker and better”.

Sprints, intense weight training and plyometrics are all type 2 exercises that tighten and firm your skin by pulling on subcutaneous tissue and collagen just below, reducing cellulite and bringing shape, tone, and lines to the muscle.

As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I am always using this method on my clients and of course, the intensity is all subjective depending on the persons ability and level.

Try this short, yet intense workout :

1. Squat with a shoulder press on the top of the movement.

Pick a weight that will get you to failure by 20reps.

Feet hip width apart, toes and knees forward, squat down and back like you are sitting in a chair and on your way up, bring your arms above you head into a shoulder press. As you squat back down, lower your hands back down to shoulder level.

2. Pushups incorporated into Burpies 20 reps

Jump up as high as possible, put hands on the floor in front of you and jump back into pushup position, complete a pushup(going to knees when you need to is fine) then jump your feet back to your hands and jump up to start the motion over again.

3. Walking Lunges with bicep curl(pick a weight that will exhaust you by 12 reps) 24 lunges

With one dumbbell in each hand, lunge down on your right leg and curl your left arm while at the bottom of the lunge, step up and lunge on your left leg and curl your right arm on the bottom of the lunge, stand up and repeat

4. High knee sprints. for 30 seconds straight run in place as fast you can, drawing your knees as high as possible.

Start at the top and move as fast as possible with little to no rest. 3 times total. Time yourself. Stretch after wards!

Make it intense, push yourself to failure.

As a personal trainer I encourage you to not be scared of the words “intense” and “failure”. In the gym, theses words are a good thing. It’s when you can’t possibly push one more rep out of your set…it’s when you’re pushing yourself to YOUR limit.

Intensity will give you results…failure will only make you stronger. Muscle must be broken down, before you can build it back up.