When I was doing Insanity, often I was trying to pace myself to some degree, making sure that I could get through the whole thing without bonking. This summer, I'm doing a new program called Focus T25. It's designed by the same trainer (Shaun T) as Insanity, but it's a very different approach. First of all, the workouts are 25 minutes long, compared with 40 minutes - 1 hour for Insanity. There are no breaks - the idea is to push through the entire workout, using proper form to most effectively work out the various muscle groups. It's not as intense as Insanity, but I'm still seeing good results (down 5 more inches overall during the first four weeks).
In T25, Shaun T repeatedly makes the point that you should use the fullest possible
range of motion when doing the exercises. He talks about this during one
of the push-up sets, asking you to get your chest to the floor to the
best possible results.
For me, the "fullest range of motion"
concept is the key to T25. Its true that the workouts are shorter and
less "intense" than Insanity, but if you push through every move with
correct form, you will get a good burn and see real improvements in
muscle tone.
Take squats, for example. Shaun T clearly loves
doing squats, since there's all kinds of them in T25. It's easy to cheat
when doing them, by dropping just half way down and leaning into your
toes. But do them right every time - back straight, weight in your
heels, knees behind the toes, dropping into it so your thighs are as
close to perpendicular to the floor as possible - and they will burn and
fatigue your quads (in a good way). When you come up, squeeze the
gluteus muscles and bring your buttocks back under your hips. You'll be
sure to see results.
So, regardless of which kind of fitness program you are doing, always mind your form and technique. Even if you wind up doing fewer reps, you'll most likely see greater benefits from your program if you commit to practicing proper form!
Laura
No comments:
Post a Comment