*Disclaimer: results may vary.
You may have seen me sprinting a time or two on Instagram or Facebook and thought, “Why in the world is she always sprinting?” Sprints are a regular part of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss because they are an effective way to burn fat. Sprints and other types of burst training (like HIIT and Tabata) are an essential part of the program because when they’re paired with strength training workouts and a dialed-in nutrition plan, burst training is like the icing on a fat-burning donut.
Now, wouldn’t a fat-burning donut be amazing?? A girl can dream!
What is Burst Training?
Burst training is a form of interval training which, simply put, is short periods of intense work followed by short periods of intentional rest. Burst training is extremely versatile because it can be done with no equipment. You can use bodyweight exercises, a treadmill, stationary bike, jump rope or elliptical machine. It really is something you can do anywhere! Additionally, if you are working at an all-out intensity level, you are not going to be working for very long, which makes burst training highly time-efficient as well.
Why Is Burst Training Effective?
Burst training requires your body to go into oxygen debt during your intense work periods. Once you are done “bursting,” your body has to then repay that oxygen debt. This means, in order to recover, your body will need to use more energy. Where will your body go for that energy? Your fat stores. Burst training will have your body burning fat way past the end of your workout! Research has shown that those who participate in interval training burn fat up to 48 hours after a workout. In addition, burst training raises your human growth hormone (HGH) levels. HGH is critical to burning fat and can also boost your immunity and reduce inflammation.
Is Burst Training Better than Regular Cardio?
Your body is always working towards efficiency. When you do long-form cardio, like running steady-state on a treadmill for 45 minutes, your body gets better at utilizing oxygen; it becomes more efficient. The more efficient your body is, the less you’ll burn during your workouts. Steady-state cardio doesn’t require your body to go into any type of oxygen debt, which means you won’t be reaching into those energy stores after your workout, either. So, regular cardio burns calories for a while. As your body becomes more efficient, it burns fewer calories, with no after burn. Additionally, studies have shown that burst training burns 3 times more fat than steady-state cardio and that after two weeks of interval training people saw a 36% increase in fat burning!
Don’t believe me? Look at a marathon runner’s body as compared to a sprinter’s body. Which one has more lean muscle? Who looks stronger and more toned? It’s the sprinter, every time.
How Can I Incorporate Burst Training into My Workouts?
A typical burst training workout can be nothing more than a 20 second sprint followed by a 40 second rest period, repeated 8 times. There are several different ways to time your intervals depending on your ability level and the type of exercise you are doing. The important thing to remember with burst training is that you really need to work at your highest intensity level during work periods. Because you aren’t working for very long, you have to go all out in order to get your body into that oxygen deficit zone!
It is entirely possible to turn your body into a real fat-burning machine. Adding burst training into your workouts will truly take your strength training, intermittent fasting, and carb cycling to the next level.
Learn how to put it all together in a simple, sustainable way when you join the FASTer Way to Fat Loss! We’ll teach you exactly what to do and how to do it so you can live life the way YOU want!