TIME SAVING CARDIO INTERVAL & RESISTANCE TRAINING – PART 2

Welcome back Total Gym Team! Let’s start with a quick review of our discussion in Part 1 (if you missed it, here’s the link): Part 1

WORKING OUT DOESN’T TAKE TIME, IT CREATES TIME

Time. Lack thereof tends to be the biggest excuse for missing workouts. Think about it. Time is the most precious resource in the world. Even the richest people on earth can’t get more. As I eluded to in Part 1, I believe exercise doesn’t take time, it creates time! How? I’m glad you asked:

It increases your physical energy

You don’t need to read a study to know this. If you do a heart pumpin’, muscle thumpin’ workout in the morning, I guarantee you you’ll feel more energy the rest of the day. If you use that energy to get more done, you’ll be more productive right? Repeat consistently, and you will be much more energetic than someone who does not workout.

It heightens your mental energy.

Exercise has been proven to release a slew of feel good, mood enhancing, brain stimulating chemicals like serotonin, adrenaline, and dopamine just to name a few. Use this increased focus and sharpness to slay your projects more efficiently.

It decreases sick time.

Exercise strengthens your muscles, your heart, AND your immune system. My favorite client, my wife, hasn’t used a sick day in her 21 years as a dental hygienist. How do we know? Every year the dentist cuts her a big fat check for all those allotted sick days. It’s always a nice juicy bonus at the end of holiday spending!

INTERVAL TRAINING WITH DYNAMIC RESISTANCE EXERCISES WORKOUT

Today’s Part 2, Interval Training with Dynamic Resistance Exercises workout, will target your pulling muscles: The Back and Biceps. Here is a review of the format:

- A 5 to 8-minute warm-up to get your heart rate into your cardio training zone.
- Around 10 Dynamic Resistance Exercises with your Total Gym set at a level that will take the muscle you’re working to fatigue at around 15 repetitions.
- 30 seconds of stretching the muscle you just fatigued.
- 45 second Cardio Blasts in between your Dynamic Resistance Exercises.

As promised, let’s learn a Pilates principle that will have you strengthening and toning your core with every repetition, with every breath, on every exercise. It’s very simple, but it takes focus and practice.

THE IMPORTANCE OF INHALING AND EXHALING AT THE RIGHT TIME WHEN EXCERCISEING

Breath is a pillar principle in Pilates and especially important when doing resistance training. Remember, you exhale on the exertion of an exercise. Another way to remember this is you exhale when you’re working against gravity. The Total Gym makes this easy! Every time your body is moving up towards the tower, it’s an exhale.

So here’s the deal: Every time you exhale, you draw your belly button towards your spine. This contracts your Transverse Abdominis. This awesome muscle not only supports and protects your lower spine throughout your life but it keeps our stomach flat.

Here is how I have all my new Pilates clients know this muscle. Do this right now as you read: Dig your fingers into your tummy. Now force yourself to cough a few times. Did you feel that muscle involuntarily contract? Now relax and take a deep inhale and when you exhale, gradually draw your navel to spine throughout your exhalation. Bam, you got it!

Check out the video and enjoy your vibrant energy, added health, and all that extra created time! Also, this workout involves pull-ups so for additional ideas check out my recent blog: Pull-Up Palooza Party On Your Total Gym

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