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Top 10 for Health and Wellness

By: Rob Duggan    Tags: , , —
  1. Start your day off right.  Eat breakfast
  2. Take Fish Oils
  3. Drink out of Polycarbonate water bottles
  4. Train in intervals! Workouts should be high intensity, no more than 35 minutes and explosive!
  5. Eat organic as much as possible.
  6. Drink LOTs of water
  7. Avoid cooking with plastic.
  8. Consume a variety of veggies, fruits, and nuts.
  9. Don’t waste time doing endless cardio!  Strength train and you’ll burn more calories.
  10. Focus on building LEAN muscle if you want to be lean and strong.

HIIT For Fat Loss

By: Matt    Tags: , , —

Many people dutifully slog away on the treadmill and/or elliptical at a slow to medium pace for weeks or even months on end, yet never quite reach their fat loss goals.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)-along with NLF-style full body resistance training— is a much more efficient and effective way of reaching your fat loss/body composition goals.  

That’s not to say that lower intensity cardio can never be a part of a well-rounded healthy lifestyle, because it certainly can and does have its place.  However, if you want to lose the most bodyfat possible in the least amount of time, HIIT should be prioritized for a number of reasons:

  1. Your metabolism is stimulated to a much greater degree during HIIT than during low intensity cardio.
  2. Result=increased metabolic rate, and more calories burned throughout the day.
  3. Even when you are not working out lean muscle is spared during HIIT, as opposed to longer duration lower intensity cardio that can tap into muscle glycogen stores
  4. The increased fitness/conditioning level you achieve will carry over to every activity you perform, including weight/resistance workouts, endurance events, sports, etc.
  5. Increased mental toughness—-if you can get through a tough HIIT session, you can get through any workout!
  6. Much more efficient workouts—A HIIT workout usually doesn’t last more than 10-15 minutes!  

HIIT workouts to get you started:

Outdoor Sprints:  choose a predetermined distance (50 to 100 yards, depending on fitness level); sprint chosen distance, then rest for 45 to 60 seconds; repeat for 10-12 intervals.  In subsequent workouts, strive to increase sprinting pace/distance and reduce rest times.

Jump Rope Intervals:  Choose an appropriate length/weight jump rope; jump for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds; repeat for 12-15 intervals, depending on fitness level; in subsequent workouts, strive to increase the jumping time while reducing the resting time;  advanced jumping techniques can also be introduced.

Bodyweight Calisthenics Intervals:  perform the following exercises in a 30 seconds on/30 seconds rest format:  burpees, followed by mountain climbers, followed by power jumps; repeat interval circuit 3-5 times.

These are some basic workouts that can be performed on your off days from weight/resistance workouts or even immediately following a resistance workout.  If you have any questions or need a greater challenge, feel free to contact a NLF staff member!