High Intensity Training, All Hype!

High Intensity Interval Training…Is it Hype?

How DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training Works with HIIT

by 

Michele Decerio

High intensity training has been around for decades. The fundamental principles of High Intensity Training (HIIT) are that exercise should be brief and intense. Exercises are performed with a high level of effort, or intensity, where it is thought that it will stimulate the body to produce an increase positive hormones that help burn body fat and promote functional lean body mass.

A recent study done at Queen’s university School of Kinesiology and Health Studies in Kingston, Ontario, which was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, confirmed that high intensity training is the most absolute route to getting leaner, fighting type 2 diabetes, and improve cardiovascular fitness. 

Even better is that you don’t have to be incredibly fit to benefit from this style of training. The study I mentioned above wasn’t performed on elite athletes, rather, on “middle-aged, sedentary and abdominally obese” individuals. 

To summarize the study, results found in lower intensity exercise programming, an individual may burn the same amount of calories in twice the time with less intensity, but when it came to glucose tolerance or blood-sugar management, intensity mattered very much. In addition, high intensity exercise also proved to be superior in cardio respiratory fitness or in other words, aerobic capacity.

Now, the challenge with people beginning fitness programs, “high intensity” can seem quite intimidating. How do you get people to not just perform high intensity work, but high quality and safe work as well? After all, exercise can be incredibly intimidating when you are starting out.

One of the things I like so much about training with the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag is that a short amount of time and a limited number of reps is required to achieve this type of training. Why is that? The number of muscles recruited is far greater than that of a more stable implement such as a dumbbell, or straight bar in addition to kettlebells and even resistance tubing.

In addition, the DVRT system is built around regressions and progressions that can also challenge stability at an appropriate fitness level. What does that mean? Anyone can use the DVRT system performing high intensity training and experience great results! What does that translate to for the average Joe…moving better throughout your day, boundless energy, the ability to do things like shovel snow, carry suitcases, lift small children, care for an aging parent and heck, even putting away your groceries.

One of my favorite workouts is actually a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Workout) called the Ultimate Sandbag Immortal workout to which I added a nice energy system ‘finisher’, which resulted in a 732 calorie expenditure in 34 minutes, using a 20 pound core bag! Say WHAT?!?!? Thump Thump Thump…that’s the sound of my heart! Now, I wouldn’t recommend this for beginners (video for beginners starting is below), but I wanted to show you one of my favorites because I like to demonstrate to people where DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training can go.

Here it is:

4 rounds 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest of the following exercises:

Tornado

Sprinter Stance with Shoulder Squat with Arc Press

Lateral lunge swing to chop

Single leg grip row (from T-stance)

Lateral bag drag

And the finisher…16 flights of stairs with a shoulder held 66 pound strength bag! TORCH!!!

Beginner Workout

Need even another reason to pick up an Ultimate Sandbag? We are offering 30% off of our Pink Sand Power Packages with coupon code “pink30” HERE

Study: Robert Ross, Ph.D., professor, Queen’s University, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Timothy Church, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., professor, preventive medicine, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; March 3, 2015, Annals of Internal Medicine