Whether you believe in the “New Year, New You!” adage or not, it’s always a good idea to mix things up with your workout routine. Trying out a high-intensity interval training class is the perfect way to add a little spice to your gym flow. New research has shown that high-intensity interval training can help to decrease overall fat mass for obese or overweight women. According to the Journal of Sports Sciences, thirty women completed two different high-intensity interval workouts, with one group performing ten high-intensity intervals for one minute, and another group performing five high-intensity intervals for two minutes. A control group was used to compare the testing results. After three weeks of training, with participants exercising for three days a week, the study revealed that participants showed a decreased amount of overall fat mass. If you haven’t already tried out high-intensity interval training, affectionately known as HIIT, now is the best time!
The fitness team over at Life Time has decided to combine high-intensity interval training with a yoga class format, creating a fun workout that’s designed to challenge participants in the best way. In the winter, sometimes just mustering up the motivation to hit the gym can be a workout in itself. For those living in areas where the temperatures are freezing, it’s always important to give yourself a proper warm up before starting your exercise routine. One of the best parts about the new FIRE HIIT Yoga class is that participants are able to complete the class in a heated room, so you won’t have to worry about being cold and prone to injury before embarking on your workout.
According to Life Time Athletic, the class is described as, "a fusion of high-intensity interval training and yoga. High-intensity interval training is 30 seconds of hard work followed by 30 seconds of rest." During each class, instructors provide helpful cues for participants and offer corrective tips to help aid with technique. Explaining the benefits of the class, Life Time Athletic shares, "The benefit is to get your heart rate up, to burn fat, and to get an awesome sweat. We then bring in the yoga to move all of the lactic acid that has a tendency to build up in our body. We'll hold the postures for three or four little breaths until we move on and we do the high-intensity interval training again. The two come together and they center around simply the breath." After taking the class several times, this writer has personally experienced the burn, and can certainly vouch for the physical and mental benefits from FIRE Yoga.
For those who love HIIT and yoga, the class is a fun physical challenge for people of a variety of fitness backgrounds. In Laguna Nigel, California, Eric Jeffers of Life Time Athletic told ABC 7, "In the nature of yoga it's all about coming back to the breath so that the end of high intensity interval training we ask people to stand still and notice how quickly they can come back to nose breathing."
During the class, instructors offer gentle reminders with themes of self-empowerment, reducing judgment and being kind to others. Remember, the intervals are self-paced, so you don’t have to feel like you need to compete with others around you. Simply focus on your own journey on your mat, and you’ll be ready to take on the day. Ready to feel the burn? Try this new FIRE Yoga class format at a Life Time Athletic gym near you.
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