2019-08-01_Men_s_Health_South_Africa

MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019 43

STRENGTH

The treadmill, rower and Wattbike are HIIT’s holy

trinity. Our experts explain how and why they can

take your weight-loss endeavours to the next level.

SLIM PICKINGS

The Low-down

on High Intensity

GEEK TWEAKS

Spike your bpm

to pump up your

kilojoule burn.

MIND TO

MUSCLE

During slow

eccentrics and partial reps, you

can vividly feel the targeted

muscles working. This improved

connection between your mind

and muscles carries over well

when it comes to lifting.

DAMAGE

LIMITATION

In contrast to plyometric

training or heavy sets, the lighter

weights used in TUT methods –

such as drop sets – cause less joint

damage, yet still build muscle. You’ll

be able to recover more quickly

between your sessions.

FAULTLESS

FORM

Because you’re

concentrating on controlling the

weight, you’re better able to focus

on your technique. Enhancing

your lifting form leads to improved

muscle contractions, greater

growth, and fewer injuries.

WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS; ILLUSTRATIONS: FLYING CHILLI

W A T T T O

WORK

“The bike lessens

the impact on

your joints, so you

can focus on your

work rate. The

RPM (cadence)

and power (watts)

keep track of

your efforts,” says

Dan Little of

Digme Fitness.

HIIT AND

RUN

“Controlling speeds

on the treadmill

makes it easier

to keep pushing,

and helps you

to torch through

more kilojoules,” says

Rory Knight, creator

of Track Life LDN.

01

02

THE WORKOUT

90 sec

@ 75-80% effort

Let your HR drop

to 100bpm, then...

30 sec sprint

@ 100% effort

90 sec walk

Repeat for three

more rounds

THE WORKOUT

4 X 40 sec sprint

@ 100-110rpm

20 sec easy

@ 60rpm

1 min slow pedal

4 X 30 sec

sprint

@ 100rpm

30 sec easy @

60rpm

1 min slow pedal

THE WORKOUT

1km @ 24 strokes/

minute

(rest 4 min)

750m @ 26 s/m

(rest 3 min)

500m @ 28 s/m

(rest 2 min)

250m @ 30 s/m

03

DONE RIGHT, HIIT IS AN UNBEATABLE

WAY TO GET LEAN. HERE WE REVEAL

THE EXACT KIT AND WORKOUT

PROTOCOLS THAT WILL REAP THE

MOST FAT-BURNING BENEFIT FROM

EACH SECOND OF MAXIMUM EFFORT.

TIME UNDER TENSION

Upping your time

under tension

(TUT) will fast-track

your gains. We’ve

weighed up the

heavy science.

WHY IT WORKS:

ROW YOUR

B OAT

“Rowing is a full-

body movement

that works nearly

every muscle

group,” says PT

Adam Wakefield.

“Basically, you’ll

burn a lot of

kilojoules in

minimal time.”