H.I.T. IT!

H.I.T., or High Intensity Training, is one of the best ways to get a great workout and overcome weight loss or strength gain plateaus. Essentially, it means packing a big punch of effort into little packages throughout your training. HIT stresses intensity over repetition. Additionally, adding higher intensity, more powerful effort bursts into your cardio program can also have huge benefits. Twenty minutes of high intensity interval cardio increases your aerobic capacity (VO2max) dramatically, maintains lean muscle mass, boosts your metabolism during and after exercise, and potentially burns more fat calories than 30-45 minutes of low intensity cardio.

Here are some tips to add high intensity into your program:

1) Choose a weight for an upper body exercise that you can only lift 6-10 times, lower body would be closer to 8-15 times. Use a 3-1-4-1 cadence for the lift. For instance, on a seated row: Pull bar toward your ribs for 3 seconds, pause 1 second at end range, spend 4 seconds allowing bar to return to start, and finish with a 1 second pause prior to repeating.

2) Finish your lift with a hold at mid-range to force the muscle to near complete failure.

3) For an intense cardio interval program try this:

• 3-5 minute warm up at easy pace
• 30 seconds at a sprint followed by 30 seconds rest
• Add 30 seconds to each sprint and rest interval until you reach 4 minutes total for your "sprint" interval
• After your sprint interval, take 4 minutes rest, then reverse the order back down to 30 seconds for each "sprint" and rest interval.
• Finish with a 2-3 minute walk or cool down followed by a great stretch!

**you should always either consult with your physician for clearance or have worked up to a high level of fitness so that you are able to work at a high cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscle intensity without risk of injury

How often? 2-3 days for interval cardio training and 2-3 days for your weight training. See expert Yuri Elkaim give you specifics.