You may be wondering, “ Is 30 minutes enough time for a workout?” Well when you’re moving at a quick pace, mixing up strength, and cardio, performing compound and power exercises, a lot can be accomplished.
- Angelica Hahn
“Good things come to those who sweat.”
Nothing compares to that feeling when you’ve just completed a class, and you’re on top of the world! I mean, why wouldn’t you when you have sweat dripping down your face, completed the many “last sets” of squats, and burned so many calories that you’ve already met your goal for the day. All you members out there that are hardcore class takers, you know what I mean.
Lately, I’ve been hooked on interval training, a form of training where you mix low and high-intensity exercises. I’ve seen that alternating the two or adding short bursts of cardio helps create a well-rounded workout. Plus, you’ll be burning more calories in the same amount of time! There are a ton of classes that fall under this category, and I myself teach one on Wednesday mornings, Cardio Strength. After a short warm-up, I create a circuit including two strength or low-intensity exercises (ex. shoulder press, bicep curls, lunges) and one cardio or high-intensity exercise (ex. jumping jacks, mountain climbers, jump squats). The circuit is repeated 2-3 times followed by a fresh new circuit with new movements, all completed in just 30 minutes. It’s the perfect combination of fitness, power, and strength.
Only 30 Minutes?
You may be wondering, “ Is 30 minutes enough time for a workout?” Well when you’re moving at a quick pace, mixing up strength, and cardio, performing compound and power exercises, a lot can be accomplished. What you want to make sure is that your executing each movement correctly and maximizing each repetition. Let’s focus on strength and weighted movements first. A top compound exercise I use in my class is a squat with a single-arm shoulder press. Some things you want to keep in mind is keeping your weight in your heels, hips back, chest up, and being careful not to let your knees pass your toes. Then with a straight back, and your core engaged, hold the dumbbell out from your shoulder and press it up above your head as you complete your squat. This movement targets multiple muscle groups, and if executed correctly, those muscles will fire up!
High Intensity!
Now let’s touch on high-intensity movements. This is my favorite part of the class, the cardio push! It really gets everyone pumped up, and that heart rate increase we’re looking for. I’ll choose one movement for the circuit, such as mountain climbers, which are another great compound exercise. With hands-on the step, directly under shoulders and neck in line with the spine, quickly alternate one knee at a time into chest. Our goal is to keep a fast steady running motion for the full 20-30 seconds. This allows the heart rate to shoot up, which results in more calories burned throughout the class and even overall for the day.
Why IT? Try IT!
There are so many types of training that have multiple benefits, but Interval Training just happens to be a new favorite of mine. Is an elevated heart rate the only way to have a successful workout? Of course not. Does a low-calorie expenditure mean you didn’t work hard enough? Definitely not the case! Every workout of yours is different and will have different results. So don’t worry if you have your “go-to” workouts that may not particularly fall under this category. But I will say if you haven’t tried this style of training, pop in a class and see if you like it. I can assure you, you’ll leave with a killer sweat, a great burn, and those extra calories you shed will just be the icing on the cake!
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About the Author
Angelica Hahn
Angelica Hahn is an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, as well as a certified instructor in Group Exercise, Cycle, and Zumba. Angelica brings over a decade of experience as a dance teacher and choreographer and has also danced professionally as a New York Jets Flight Crew Cheerleader.