-
Advertorial
-
FOCUS
-
Guide
-
Lifestyle
-
Tech and Vogue
-
TechandScience
-
CHTF Special
-
Nanshan
-
Futian Today
-
Hit Bravo
-
Special Report
-
Junior Journalist Program
-
World Economy
-
Opinion
-
Diversions
-
Hotels
-
Movies
-
People
-
Person of the week
-
Weekend
-
Photo Highlights
-
Currency Focus
-
Kaleidoscope
-
Tech and Science
-
News Picks
-
Yes Teens
-
Budding Writers
-
Fun
-
Campus
-
Glamour
-
News
-
Digital Paper
-
Food drink
-
Majors_Forum
-
Speak Shenzhen
-
Shopping
-
Business_Markets
-
Restaurants
-
Travel
-
Investment
-
Hotels
-
Yearend Review
-
World
-
Sports
-
Entertainment
-
QINGDAO TODAY
-
In depth
-
Leisure Highlights
-
Markets
-
Business
-
Culture
-
China
-
Shenzhen
-
Important news
在线翻译:
szdaily -> Lifestyle -> 
Metabolic conditioning workouts: A new trend to try
    2015-01-23  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    CAN you transform your body in 20 minutes? Unlikely. But can short, but intense workouts get you results over the course of several weeks? The answer is yes.

    There’s more than one way to improve your cardio fitness. Study after study has shown that interval training, the art of alternating high-intensity with low-intensity efforts, can be beneficial for your heart and lungs.

    According to Ben Booker, DailyBurn trainer and owner of a sports product company, the goal of metabolic conditioning is to train your body to work at a higher intensity and increase the efficiency of storage and delivery of energy. The methods behind the protocol involve pushing your heart and body to the max before allowing a brief period of recovery and then repeating. As Booker explains, the more you do this, the more efficient you become, meaning your body is able to deliver oxygen, pump blood, and meet the demands of exercise with less work.

    One thing to remember before getting started: selecting your work-to-rest ratio. A 30-on/30-off ratio would mean you’re going all-out for 30 seconds, followed by a 30-second rest. Not quite up to speed? Move to 20/40 or 15/45 until you build up your fitness level.

    Repeat the entire sequence five times for a total of five minutes before moving on to the next exercise. Booker also advises doing no more than two 10- to 30-minute sessions a week. Here are the recommended movements:

    1. Bodyweight squats

    How to: Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and begin to lower the body, sitting back on your heels as if you’re sitting back into a chair (a). Keep your upper body tall and avoid letting your knees pass your toes. Try to get low enough so that your upper thigh comes below parallel with the ground before pushing through your heels to drive back up (b).

    Modification: Use a chair or a box as a target when you’re sitting back in the squat. If necessary, just sit down on the box. Then, stand up by driving through your heels with good squat form.

    2. Box push-ups

    How to: This is just like a traditional push-up, but instead of placing your hands on the ground, place them on each side of a box (a). The goal is to squeeze the box throughout the entire exercise as you lower your chest all the way to the box (b). Then, be sure to keep the body in a straight line the entire time while you push back up (c).

    Modification: As you continue to build strength, you can modify this exercise in two ways. First, you can drop down to your knees and continue with the push-up rather than being on your toes. In this variation, you’ll still want to keep your body in a straight line (from your head through your knees). Second, you can shorten the range of motion by not lowering all the way down to the box.

    3. Frog jumps

    How to: You’ll ideally want to use a low box for this one, but you can use the floor if necessary. Start in a push-up position with your hands planted firmly on top of the box (a). In one explosive movement, hop your feet forward around each side of the box so you land in a squat position with your feet in line with your hands (b). Then, spring back to the starting position (c).

    Modification: Rather than explosively jumping back and forth, step one foot forward at a time, then step each one back to the starting position. The key is just to keep moving at your own pace!

    4. Burpee box jumps

    How to: Start by bending your knees slightly and exploding up onto a box like a traditional box jump (a). Then, jump off, place your hands on the box, and hop your feet back so you’re in a push-up position (b). Perform a push-up touching your chest to the box (c). Then, hop your feet back underneath you and perform another box jump (d).

    Modification: You can modify this exercise in multiple ways. First, you can step up on the box instead of jumping. You could also remove the push-up. Finally, you could step back into push-up position as opposed to hopping back. (SD-Agencies)

深圳报业集团版权所有, 未经授权禁止复制; Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved.
Shenzhen Daily E-mail:szdaily@szszd.com.cn