The Get Micah Ready For Hawaii Project: Week 5 & 6 Recap

We're at The Final Countdown! One more week to train until Micah's off to Hawaii! This means we need to get the biggest bang for our buck during the hour-long sessions we have left to help Micah lose fat and gain muscle. Here's how we're doing it: straight-up metabolic training. Metabolic training is essentially working with intervals. Very simply put, the combination of doing exercises with some intensity (low/moderate/high depending on how fit the individual is) followed by specific periods of rest can lead the body to a state of "oxygen debt". This makes the body work ultra hard AFTER the workout to get back to its resting state which means the body will need to burn calories until it gets there. This can sometimes take up to 48 hours. Talk about getting the biggest bang for your buck! (By the way, this is formally called EPOC: excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.) 

Intervals have been our bread and butter since Week 1. They can be done in a variety of ways including: 

1. Sprinting for x seconds and resting for y on a treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical (which you can see in previous videos); 
2. Performing explosive total-body movements for x seconds with a rest of y afterwards (seen when Micah performs High Knees to Jumping Jacks to Lateral Shuffles which were all performed for 60 seconds each back-to-back followed by a quick 1-2-minute break); and 
3. Alternating lower body and upper body (or even anterior chain followed by posterior chain) exercises so that one muscle group can rest while another works, eliminating long rest periods between sets (seen when Micah alternates between a set of chest presses immediately followed by a set of squats or a set of reverse flies immediately followed by burpees).

The great thing about interval training is that it can be done by anyone! The key is to know the appropriate intensity, work:rest ratio and proper exercises so that your training doesn't lead to injury. Done improperly, interval training can be incredibly harmful, so always seek out the opinion of a health professional before you incorporate this into your workout regimen.  

Speaking of injuries: everyone needs to avoid them (duh) so getting a good dynamic warmup in and incorporating "maintenance" exercises (like the tube internal and external rotations at the beginning of the video) are super important. High-intensity exercise takes a toll on the body so it needs some TLC before jumping into the meat of the workout.  Cool downs and stretching post-workout are also key.

The next video will be the final one and in that blog entry I'll outline the complete method to the madness. In the meantime, enjoy Weeks 5 & 6!