Byrne - Kick and Punch to Fitness Cardio and HITT Training: Cardio and HITT Training

As a result of the recent explosion of circuits being used in commercial gyms, this can also be the most popular form of Metabolic Training today. Different forms of energy circuits have been used for decades in sport preparation, but now a number of forms are becoming commonplace in gyms around the world. During an energy circuit, a number of different exercises are performed back to back with little rest for a set time period. A circuit commonly uses anywhere from three to ten exercises. If there are multiple repetitions of that circuit, there is often the use of rest in between. An energy circuit is an excellent opportunity to utilize a good bit of variety since almost any exercise can be thrown into the circuit. Whatever exercises you choose, it is important to make sure that you utilize the good form on every exercise. Although variety is a good thing to stimulate both the mind and the heart, this is not an excuse to sacrifice technique for intensity. All too often, practitioners use poor technique as a result of moving too quickly, increased fatigue, or improper motor patterns caused by inadequate practice. As Ive mentioned, the goal is to create a cardiovascular stimulus, but the quality of exercises should not suffer at the hand of intensity.

An energy circuit is an excellent opportunity to utilize a good bit of variety since almost any exercise can be thrown into the circuit. Whatever exercises you choose, it is important to make sure that you utilize the good form on every exercise. Although variety is a good thing to stimulate both the mind and the heart, this is not an excuse to sacrifice technique for intensity. All too often, practitioners use poor technique as a result of moving too quickly, increased fatigue, or improper motor patterns caused by inadequate practice. As Ive mentioned, the goal is to create a cardiovascular stimulus, but the quality of exercises should not suffer at the hand of intensity.

There are a number of ways that circuits can be performed. In training for a system, the most common energy circuit we perform is one that mimics the specific time demands of an MMA fight, so each circuit round lasts 5 minutes. To keep the variety high, we perform five exercises during each round for 1 minute each.

There can easily be a 10-to-15-second transition from one exercise to another, but the aim is usually to finish so much work as you can during every one of the 1- minute intervals during the 5 minute round. After the round is completed, we typically use a 2 minute rest period in between energy circuits and rarely perform over three complete rounds. You are able to use shorter or longer work-to-rest ratios in between rounds to either increase or decrease the intensity of the training session.

1. Thou shall not sacrifice technique for intensity. Working hard or being fatigued is not an excuse to use terrible form. Although the workouts in this book ask for high intensity, you must also make sure that the exercises are performed well.

2. Thou shall not confuse fatigue or soreness with being productive. The goal of the training is not complete exhaustion or the search for fatigue. Yes, these sessions may produce soreness and fatigue, but that is not the goal. The goal of the sessions is an improvement.

3. Thou shall make sure that there is ample recovery between sessions. In addition to monitoring the work/rest ratio, you must also make sure to recover in between sessions. Many of the workouts contained in this book are both physically and mentally demanding. Although they are fun, that is not an excuse to do them too often. Make sure you find the amount of recovery your body needs and stick to it.

4. Thou shall monitor and record heart rate and HRV during every metabolic session. A huge reason to do Metabolic Training is to affect the cardiovascular system. Why then would you not monitor that system during the workout? Your heart rate and its ability to recover (which is known as heart rate variability or HRV) are critical to understanding the sessions performance level and whether you are improving. Make sure to check it and record it for every session.

5. Thou shall become proficient in the exercises required before making them into a circuit. You should demand that before you throw a new exercise into a circuit, you are already very good at that exercise. Exercises added to the circuit it should be ones you are the best at, not the worst.