Benefits of High Intensity Training

If you casually read about fitness and exercise, you probably have seen the term “high intensity training” commonly used. Let’s first start with a few definitions:

- Frequency: the number of exercise sessions completed during a week, month, or year

- Volume: how many exercises you perform during one session, or over a certain period of time

- Intensity: in cardio, this means how fast you run, walk or move on the elliptical. In weight training this means how heavy you lift, or how difficult it is to perform each rep or set.

When you hear about “high intensity training”, this doesn’t mean you need to overwork yourself and add to your frequency or volume. High intensity training (HIT) simply means to increase the difficulty, or intensity, of each individual workout. HIT means doing a number of short bursts of intense exercise with short breaks in between. Whether you’re looking to run a marathon, or get stronger and gain muscle mass – HIT will help you get there if done properly.

So, now that we’ve covered the basics, what are the benefits of HIT?

Benefits of HIT include:

- Revving up your metabolism so you burn more calories after the workout when you’re at rest.

- Workouts are short, no need to spend hours at the gym. Studies show that 2.5 hours of sprint interval training produced similar biomechanical muscular changes as 10.5 hours of endurance training.

- Burn fat more effectively than longer, less intense workouts.

Try these workouts:

- Cycle as fast as possible for one minute, then rest one minute. Repeat for a total of ten rounds.

- Run 400 meters as fast as possible, then rest for 3 minutes. Repeat for a total of five rounds.

- Circuit training – choose 5 different exercises (pushups, situps, squats, pull-ups, thrusters, burpees, etc.) Complete as many reps as possible in one minute of the first exercise, then immediately move to the next exercise and perform as many reps as possible in one minute. Move through all 5 exercises, then rest for one minute. Repeat for a total of three cycles.

As with all forms of exercise, consult with a doctor if you have any health issues that may interfere. HIT will cause you to sweat more than traditional low intensity workouts, so be sure to drink lots of water and stay hydrated. It is also important to consult with a trainer to ensure proper form and mechanics. The trainers at Cosmic CrossFit in Pearland, TX would love to offer their help.

Rest Days

Most athletes know that getting enough rest after exercise is essential to high-level performance, but many still over train and feel guilty when they take a day off. The body repairs and strengthens itself in the time between workouts, and continuous training can actually weaken the strongest athletes.

Rest days are critical to sports performance for a variety of reasons. Some are physiological and some are psychological. Rest is physically necessary so that the muscles can repair, rebuild and strengthen. For recreational athletes, building in rest days can help maintain a better balance between home, work and fitness goals.

In the worst-case scenario, too few rest and recovery days can lead to overtraining syndrome – a difficult condition to recover from.

What Happens During Recovery?

Building recovery time into any training program is important because this is the time that the body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Recovery also allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. Exercise or any other physical work causes changes in the body such as muscle tissue breakdown and the depletion of energy stores (muscle glycogen) as well as fluid loss.

Recovery time allows these stores to be replenished and allows tissue repair to occur. Without sufficient time to repair and replenish, the body will continue to breakdown from intensive exercise. Symptoms of overtraining often occur from a lack of recovery time. Signs of overtraining include a feeling of general malaise, staleness, depression, decreased sports performance and increased risk of injury, among others.

So kick your feet up and relax once and a while!

Is Breakfast Important?

Many people skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight. Some people just don’t make time for breakfast each morning. Did you know that this practice is more likely to cause weight gain than weight loss? There is a strong link between skipping breakfast and obesity. Studies show that overweight and obese adolescents and adults skip breakfast more often than thinner people do.

Skipping breakfast can actually make weight control more difficult. Why is this? People who skip breakfast tend to over indulge at their next meal, or snack on high-calorie munchies to stave off hunger until lunch time. Without eating breakfast you’re more likely to give into cravings and make unhealthy choices throughout the day. Many studies have shown that we accumulate more body fat when we eat only a few large meals, rather than when we eat several small meals throughout the day.

In addition to the added weight loss benefits, breakfast simply makes you feel better. It will prevent your blood sugar from bottoming out and leaving you feeling hungry several hours before lunch time. You’ll be more focused, alert, and productive at work, have fewer mood swings, be more likely to make healthy choices at your next meal.

What should you eat for breakfast? Avoid “breakfast bars” and sugary cereals. Substitute them for lean proteins like turkey, eggs, chicken , or sausage; and high fiber, low glycemic options including fruit and vegetables. A wonderful start to your day would be an omelet filled with your favorite vegetables and meats. Don’t have time to cook an omelet? Turn it into a breakfast casserole that you can microwave and take on the go. Here’s a link to one of my favorites. http://www.crossfitnorthatlanta.com/wod/2010/3/25/jesss-paleo-breakfast-casserole.html If you get bored with these ingredients, make your own combination with some of your favorites: broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, sausage, bacon.

If you REALLY don't have time to make breakfast in the morning, buy some of our Meal Replacement shakes. They're yummy! And they leave you with no excuses about time!

Make breakfast a habit starting now. You’ll see the benefits immediately.

CrossFit Shoes?

I've been getting lots of questions about what kind of shoes are best for CrossFit? Vibrams? Inov8's? Nike Shox? (Heck NO!)

If you're going to buy ONE PAIR of shoes, here's my opinion...

You're going to want a shoe that has a flat sole for olympic lifting, power lifting, and correct Pose Method running. But you're also going to want a shoe that has a SMALL amount of cushion for things like box jumps and double unders (your feet will hurt after a WOD in Vibrams with 150 box jumps).

A general rule of thumb when you're shopping for shoes - squeeze the heel between your index finger and thumb. If you feel a really squishy sole, don't buy those!

Here are a few of my favorite ALL AROUND CrossFit shoes:

Inov 8 F-lite 195 or F-lite 230




New Balance Minimus Road


Nike Free Run