Cardio…HIIT…..TABATA?? What’s that?

To cardio or not to cardio?

When it comes to working out, longer isn’t always better.

Wait, what?

Believe it or not, there is quite a bit of (comforting) research supporting shorter, more intense workouts—for both performance and health benefits.

I had the opportunity to attend a cardio training with coach Zul at the Royale Chulan Hotel, Seremban and it was an amazing session. There were beginners as well as professionals combined during our workout session.

Coach Zul gave us an hour cardio workout and it is one of the best ways to get fit quick – not just looking fit, but feeling fit, as well. It’s a great workout for burning fat, boosting endurance, toning up all over and building explosive speed and strength. If you’re looking to get or stay lean, cardio workouts should show up in your routine between 1-3 times a week, depending on your goals, training intensity and fitness level, or how quickly you recover in between sweat sessions.

Cardio workout is a fat burning powerhouse; the short intervals ask you to push yourself much harder than you would be able to if you were doing longer duration bouts of movement. Because it only lasts 20 seconds each time, you’re basically seeking out discomfort in the form of a pace that is not sustainable for much more than that short interval.

This unsustainable, intense burst of energy output revs up the metabolism because the body does not instantly return to the normal rate of expenditure. Instead, it slowly normalizes itself over the next hours and sometime even days (depending on the intensity of the workout). While it’s returning to normal, you get the benefit of burning calories at a higher rate than normal – even while you’re just sitting around. It’s a great example of working smarter, instead of harder, though no one is about to argue that HIIT is not difficult.

My lower body was so thoroughly sore after this workout! Definitely sore in the glutes, inner and outer thighs, quads and hamstrings. It really pushed me and though I struggled my way through the workout, I still felt really great by the time it was all over. Thank you, Miss Sofiah for the invitation. I will be back for more, if given the opportunity!