Most of us live life at a breakneck pace. Who has time to work out – make breakfast – go to work – pick up the kids – make lunch – go shopping – walk the dog – make supper. By the time you’ve finished your day all you have energy for is staring at the TV. You want to be healthy and fit but it’s hard to find time and motivation to exercise. If this resonates with you, then maybe it’s time to try 4 minute intense resistance training workouts.
4 Minute Workouts
Does 4 minutes sound too good to be true? A study from the University of Utah shows that small bursts of energy that exceed a certain level of intensity throughout the day can have an impact on your overall health and can help with weight loss. Even one minute of brisk movement has an impact. The study shows the key is the intensity and not the duration.
Resistance Training and Metabolism
To make your 4 minute workout more effective, make sure it includes resistance training. Resistance training is where a muscle or muscle group works against some resistance. This can be water, dumbbells or even body weight. These exercises have the ability to increase your lean muscle mass and increase your metabolism. A higher metabolism means your body converts food into energy at a higher rate. This results in your body burning more calories just to keep itself functioning. To understand how this works think of your body like a car that is idling. The engine is constantly burning fuel to keep itself running. An engine that idles at a fast rate will burn more fuel over time than an engine that runs slowly. The fuel our bodies consume is the calories found in the food we eat.
Post Workout Burn
Another benefit of short high intensity exercise is what happens after your workout is finished. Imagine this: You have just completed a high intensity workout. You are hot, your heart rate and breathing rates are up. Your body needs to repair any muscle damage that occurred during the workout. Your blood needs re-oxygenation and your energy resources need replenishing. Your body needs to return itself to a resting state. Returning to a resting state requires energy resulting in your body burning calories. This is called EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). Research has shown that with high intensity resistance training EPOC can last up to 72 hours after the workout. That means if you are working out intensely enough during your workout your body can continue to burn calories long after the workout even while you sleep. The key to making this work for you is to focus on intensity that produces fatigue.
Super Short Workouts
There is really no shortage of short workouts you can find online. Here are a few you can try at home. No gym required:
- 4-Minute Fat Burning Workout | Tabata for Beginners by The Fitologists
- 4 Minute Standing ABS – Tone Your ABS & Shape Your Waist – Equipment Free -Start Now by Lucy Wynham-Read
- 4-Minute Workout That Replaces 1 Hour in the Gym by Bright Side
- V Shred by Vince Sant
Armed with 4 minute workouts and a little will power, there is really no reason a person can’t find the time to work out. What are you waiting for? Just get moving.
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