Healthy High Achiever Blog

In Train not Drain part 1, you learned what happens when you subject a body under major stress to the stress of high intensity training.

I want to emphasize the point that I love high intensity training and espouse all of it’s benefits; that’s why I used terms like "warranted hype".

There are so many benefits to high intensity training there are too many to list; not the least of which is this - 4 minutes of high intensity interval training is equal to about 1 hour of regular low intensity aerobic training. And it is great for conditioning and fat loss, because of a principle called EPOC. More on that later, but for now just know that it’s the workout that keeps on working for you.

For busy people that’s a big deal.

Here are some examples: I was at a local gym when I did these, but the truth is, you can do a high intensity workout anywhere, at home or outside.

  The principle of the 4 minute workout was discovered by a Japanese researcher named Tabata. Doing more than 4 minutes can have additional benefits, but not if your body is in a depleted state, overstressed.

We don’t need a research study to figure out what happens when you subject a depleted body to high intensity training. It can have a destructive "catabolic" effect. In other words your body will break down, not build up.

If you ever wonder why your body is not responding to your training its usually because your body is in a depleted state, overwhelmed and exhausted, for some, fatigued.

The Performance Lifestyle formula solves this dilemma in a successful way. When it comes to training, here are some key tips to keep in mind…

1) If you are not seeing an anabolic "building" effect, from your training, it doesn’t mean you can’t engage in high intensity training.

Just remember you only need 4-8 minutes of high intensity training. Then it is all about "recovery". Subject yourself to too much training and you are working against yourself.

2) If you are feeling strong, for sure, engage in high intensity training, just remember more is not always better. What matters is what you can recover from successfully. That’s how you gauge a successful plan.

3) Reduce uncomplimentary stress, if you want to begin training more.

4) If dealing with a great deal of stress, switch gears to a less intense form of exercise to get your energy back in balance or greatly reduce the duration of your training.

The thing to keep in mind, especially today, is recovery. It’s the key to success.

More to come on this fascinating subject to come.

JAM

John Allen Mollenhauer is the Founder of Performance Lifestyle Solutions, the better healthier ways to achieve your goals. As a a former worn down workaholic turned Healthy High Achiever John Allen (aka “JAM”) will teach you how to Live Like a Pro; how to look, feel and perform better optimizing your lifestyle the way athletes do. Achieve your goals in life, business and sport and take your life to the next level!

Learn more at www.PerformanceLifestyleSolutions.com

Another day, another round of obesity statistics flying around the Internet, this time in my home state. I’ve never seen NJ ever singled out for obesity rates.

Why is this happening?

Well it’s because we don’t understand the real problem… the downward energy trend.  

Eating less and exercising more don’t solve this problem they make life harder. It’s no wonder most people don’t do it and millions of attempts at "sticking with the program" just fail. Human beings don’t like to stick to programs.

All the discussion about fat loss and weight loss are great, but if you don’t have a lifestyle reinforcing your health and success, you have a problem will continue to chase your tail.

Yes, it is.

It takes time, like anything else, but it is simple. The problem is, most people and I mean the majority of people don’t understand the problem. That’s why they have so much trouble solving it.

In today’s day and age, "solutions" are often not solutions to a problem.

Take the problem of weight loss. Fat Loss, weight loss, losing weight… what ever you want to call it, is of course, not the problem but an important thing to consider as the symptom. There are many solutions to the problem of how to lose weight, but these solutions almost never solve the problem. They may be dealing with one of the consequences of poor lifestyle, like eating poorly or lack of exercise, but they still don’t solve the problem.

Lack of exercise and eating poorly are part of the problem, but not the problem.

How you manage your energy is a big missing piece of the problem and it goes even deeper than that. By the way, if you think Personal Energy Management is "woo woo" or somthing you can’t grasp at the moment, it’s no wonder you "may" be suffering from the overweight condition.  This is what it’s all about and I’m not just talking about sleep. 

Do you want to solve the problem of being overweight? Then you’ve got to understand lifestyle. Lifestyle Training is the new weight loss program, because it actually solves the problem.