Get in shape within the comfort of your own house using bodyweight workouts and the SmartWOD Generator App.
So you're stuck at home. No access to the gym, minimal equipment, and a lackluster amount of motivation. Does that mean you shouldn't continue to work out? Of course not, instead, you could be using the time to learn new bodyweight workouts, and how you can get in shape without any weights.
Utilizing bodyweight, high-intensity workouts, you can get fit and in shape in as little as 20 minutes a day. Personally, I can't spend hours on end in a gym lifting weights, and on most days I don't even want to work out. I bet you feel similar to that, right? Who has time to spend 2 hours a day int the gym? That's where the beauty of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) comes in to play.
High-Intensity Workouts
High-Intensity Interval Training involves short bursts of intense exercise combined with small amounts of rest. A HIIT workout will typically last 10-20 minutes in duration, and can produce more health benefits than a moderately paced workout twice the length. By working consistently at a high intensity, at about 80% of your maximum heart rate, just a few times a week, you'll quickly begin the notice the benefits of this type of workout. Here's what you can expect.
Burn Calories and Fat. High-Intensity workouts have the ability to burn fat quicker than any other workout. When comparing a 20-minute high-intensity workout to an hour of jogging, biking, and lifting, studies have shown that the high-intensity workout burned on average 25-30% more calories than the other forms of exercise. A smaller time commitment paired with better results, definitely a win-win.
Heart Health. When you're performing a workout at about 80% of your maximum heart rate, you're training your heart to work in the anaerobic zone. By working out in the anaerobic zone, you will get your body used to a higher anaerobic threshold. Meaning, over time, your cardiovascular system will become better at getting oxygen to your muscles, your endurance will increase, and your resting heart rate will lower.
Improve Oxygen Consumption. Along the lines of heart health, high-intensity training can increase your oxygen consumption in half the time of typical endurance training. For example, one study found that you can increase your oxygen consumption by about 9% by performing high-intensity workouts for 20 minutes a day, 4 times a week. That's only an hour and 20 minutes of working out per week!
Efficient - Time Saving. By now, you now that this point is a given. By working out for just 80 minutes a week, you can burn calories and fat, increase your heart health, and improve your oxygen consumption. How does spending hours on end at the gym sound now?
Secret Weapon - The SmartWOD Generator App
Planning out your own workouts can be challenging, even if they are only for 20 minutes. This is where the SmartWOD Generator App comes into play. (This is a completely free app. I am not an affiliate - I get nothing out of you signing up for the app). It's a tool I use every day I workout and it is a huge motivator for me, as it handles the hard work of creating a workout plan.
WOD stands for Workout of the Day. The way the app works is simple. You plug in the equipment you have to use (if you don't have any that is totally fine!), and the app will generate a high-intensity workout for you. For example, a bodyweight workout might look like this:
The app keeps track of all of your workouts and time it takes you to complete them, so you can always reference your workout log to see where you are improving. It is an amazing tool and will make your life 10 times easier when it comes to creating workouts, I highly suggest it.
Final Thoughts
High-Intensity workouts can be rather life-changing. You really don't have to spend hours at the gym, or drop a lot of cash on a fancy class, to reap the benefits of working out. Start small and take 10-20 minutes out of your day to do a high-intensity workout. Use the WOD Generator App to make your life easier in coming up with the workout, and slowly start to see the feel the benefits for yourself.
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Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts on high-intensity workouts? Let me know in the comments below!
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