3 quick tips
1. Hormone balance
When we engage in short intense workouts, generally 30 to 45 minutes, our hormones undergo some amazing changes. These changes include an increase in short term acute testosterone levels, increase in growth hormone and insulin growth factor one, both of which help us build bigger, stronger muscle muscles. We also receive the benefits of cortisol regulation meaning we don’t produce as much cortisol long-term which spares muscle breakdown as muscle breakdown is a negative side effect of excessive cortisol.
2. Increase muscular strength and endurance
When engaging in short duration, high intensity exercise sessions we increase neural adaptation. This means your muscles get more efficient at the given movement due to an increase in neural recruitment and refinement for an almost instantaneous increase in strength. Secondary to neural adaptation, hypertrophy increases. Hypertrophy refers to our muscles getting bigger. We also receive the benefits of increased mitochondrial and vascular density. This allows our muscles to work longer and more efficiently . One factor that often times get overlooked when we engage in high intensity, short duration strength training is the release of Myokines. Myokines are a peptide released from the muscles during resistance exercises that cross the blood brain barrier. Once across the blood brain barrier these Myokines help fight brain inflammation and cognitive decline.
3. Increased insulin sensitivity.
3. Finally, with the short intense workouts we increase our sensitivity to insulin. As a result, the body needs to produce less insulin to move the same amount of glucose into the muscles. This keeps our insulin levels lower, reducing our the amount of glucose we convert to fat as well as reducing our likelihood of type 2 diabetes. As we engage in the above mentioned style of exercise, we empty out the muscle stores of glucose to sustain repeated muscular contractions. After the glucose is utilized and insulin sensitivity is improved, our muscles can clear any new glucose introduced to the bloodstream. This also helps in reducing the likelihood of converting the glucose into fat storage. It’s important to remember that the muscles are second only to the liver for glucose storage. Additionally, GLUT-4 translocation occurs. The amazing thing about GLUT-4 translocation is that it allows us to absorb glucose into the muscle without the assistance of insulin!
4. How do we go about creating an efficient short duration, high intensity workout?
My absolute favorite short workout for the upper body is the push-up matrix. The push-up matrix is highly beneficial because it works all three fiber orientations of the pectorals major muscle while also working all three heads of the tricep muscles. To perform the matrix you:
A. Start with your hands above your clavicles in internal rotation with your fingertips touching if possible, if not just widen the hands as needed. Perform 3-5 push ups.
B. Keeping your hands above the clavicle and move them shoulder width, keeping your finger pointed forward. Perform 3-5 push ups.
C. Keeping your hands above your clavicles move the out as wide as you can with your fingertips pointed to the side (external rotation of the shoulder). Perform 3-5 pushups.
D. Repeat the above with the hands below the clavicles.
E. Repeat with your hands parallel to your clavicles.
F. Place one hand above and one hand below the clavicles. Perform 3-5 pushups and switch hands.
G. Repeat F but this time point your fingertips away from the body (external rotation)
The push-up matrix involves somewhere between 50 and 65 repetitions so it insures that you work all muscle fiber types.
5. For the lower body, I absolutely love the wall sit matrix. The wall sit matrix is the wall sit exercise with segmental positioning of the legs. This matrix works all four fiber orientations of the glute maximus muscle. It also works all of the leg muscles and as an added bonus is scientifically proven to lower blood pressure.
How to do it:
A: Place your back against the wall and move your feet forward far enough that you can comfortably squat down.
B. Put your feet and knees together as though you are holding a towel between them.
C. Squat down to 1/4, 1/2, or a full squat. A full squat is considered squatting until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold for :15-:60.
D. Stay at the same depth, keep your feet touching, push your knees apart. Hold :15-:60.
E. Maintaining the depth, squeeze the knees back together and walk the feet to shoulder width apart. Hold :15-:60.
F. Maintain the depth and push your knees apart to they are aligned with your feet. Hold for :15-:60.
As an added bonus after my short-term high intensity workouts, I like to incorporate 2 to 3 ELDOA. The ELDOA exercises improve posture, strengthen the spinal muscles, increase space between vertebrae and have been shown to decrease pain while improving overall well-being. https://piercefamilywellness.com/eldoa-to-alleviate-lower-back-pain/
The purpose of my blog is always to provide you with highly detailed, cutting edge and practical information. Feel free to leave a comment and for another take on the benefits of HITT training please visit: https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/fast-workout-formats-for-big-results-in-less-time.html
To helping you understand your body in all things health and fitness,
TJ Pierce
BS Exercise Science, LMT, CHEK, ELDOA
