High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) is a form of intense short exercise bouts followed by shorter rests.  They are designed to reduce training time and increase your VO2 max, which is the amount of oxygen you can uptake during exercise.  It is also proposed that you are able to maintain more muscle mass as opposed to more steady-state, cardiovascular exercise.  The reason is that slow twitch fibers are more compatible with endurance training, whereas fast twitch fibers are more compatible with short, intense bouts of exercise (weightlifting or sprinting).  

The specifics of H.I.I.T. Training are as follows:

- Warm up for 5 minutes

- Give maximum effort for 15 to 30 seconds, followed by a 2 minute recovery

- Perform 6 to 10 of these intervals 

- Cooldown

This is a great way to mix things up as a personal trainer or in one of our bootcamps.  Keep the body guessing and results will come!

According to the American Heart Association, Americans are consuming way too much sugar which is, of course, a big component of the increasing overweight and obese population.  The average American ingests 22 teaspoons of sugar each day.  Women should get 6 teaspoons while most men should get 9.

Sugar is in so many products these days and may even be difficult to avoid.  Soft drink, candy, energy drinks, etc are all bad sources.  This increasing consumption, coupled with decreased activity is leading to increased obesity.  

There is enough sugar in natural foods such as fruits to fulfill an average persons intake.  Pay close attention to the ingredients for added sugar including sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, molasses, or evaporated cane juice.  Also, get moving- try a bootcamp, a personal trainer, a cycling group, anything active!  If you are in need of specific help beyond that, contact a qualified Registered Dietician for some individualized Nutritional Counseling.  I know of a place who has a great one!

The Piriformis is a muscle that is deep with the gluteal region.  The piriformis muscle assists in abducting and laterally rotating the thigh. Quite often, the piriformis becomes irritated due to overuse from a weakness in hamstrings or glutes.  It takes on the role of much larger muscles.  In the personal training industry, we are asked questions about irritating pain in this region frequently and how to alleviate it.

The piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve, causing pain in the buttocks and referring pain along the course of the sciatic nerve. This referred pain, called “sciatica”, often goes down the back of the thigh and/or into the lower back.

There are methods of improving this condition which consist primarily of stretching.  Executed properly, specific stretching can relieve the tightness and take the pressure off of the sciatic nerve.  There are a couple of ways to stretch this area

1) Sit on a chair and cross one leg over the other with the crossing ankle of one leg resting on the bent knee of the other.

2) Sit into the “pigeon pose” yoga pose.  There are several variations of this.  Look it up on google.

3) Have a personal trainer apply manual resistance.  You will find it difficult to experience the same stretch level on your own.

Cross Training is the act of incorporating several methods of exercise into your program to address a more complete, balanced overall plan.  This method of fitness training has been shown to reduce the likelihood of your being injured as the result of exercising “too much.”  It also has been shown to have a very positive effect on an individuals long-term adherence to a specific type of activity.

As personal trainers, we employ the use of cross training with our clients to provide a program that better addresses the specific demands of particular sports.  We have many runners who come to us in hopes of becoming stronger as runners.  Resistance training specific to the sport of running is added into their regimen and the results are usually very positive.  Running, alone, cannot provide some of the mandatory training necessary to reaching that next level.

One of the more common exercises, the squat, is sometimes misunderstood.  Squats are commonly used by personal trainers and physical therapists.  A high percentage of people have this assumption that squats are “bad” for your knees.  I would argue that “bad squats” could hurt your knees.

The basic squat, when performed correctly, is a natural human movement.  There is a great deal of evidence from numerous studies that shows how squats can be used in a rehabilitation sense to treat ACL issues in particular.

People with healthy knees can benefit by incorporating squats into their fitness program and by squatting down until the knees bend 90 degrees. This is known as a parallel squat because the knees bend until the thigh is parallel with the ground. This exercise technique stabilizes the knee and ankle by strengthening the hip, thigh, and calf muscles.