There’s nothing wrong with an occasional jog to release stress or enjoy the outdoors. After I kicked the bottle, I often went for a jog to keep my mind off of the constant alcohol cravings that seemed only to get worse for several months.
With that said, way too many people seem to think that low intensity cardio is going to magically transform their bodies. If your goal is to be lean and toned, you’re much better off combining strength training with several sessions per week of high intensity exercise. This is true regardless of age or gender.
“High intensity interval training” – or HIIT – simply means alternating short bursts of intense exercise with a period of rest. A great example of this is doing 10 sprints with a minute of rest between them. We don’t always have access to a field or a gym. But there’s a simple solution to this dilemma.
I call this workout my “Rainy Day HIIT” – I can do it in my living room, and it lasts 10 minutes max. I often do this first thing in the morning, and it’s incredible how much more prepared for the day I feel after only 10 minutes of exercise. Make sure you’re going all-out – at the very least, 90% effort – on the intense portion of this workout. And make sure to catch your breath during the rest interval.
- Push-ups – Do one quarter of the maximum number you can do
- Tuck Jumps – 10 of these in a row
- Rest for 1 minute (I use my iPhone to time this), then repeat these steps 3 more times
Check out this video if you’re unfamiliar with tuck jumps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URKY0QXuO38
If you can’t do a full tuck jump, then don’t worry about tucking your knees – just squat and jump!
I showed my roommate this workout, and came home later in the day to find him sweating and sprawled out on the couch. I seriously thought he’d gotten beat up. He said “Nah man, I just did your HIIT.”
Enjoy this quick and invigorating workout.
