New type of cardio to burn fat, live longer, and bulletproof your body from injury
Read this on Dango.co Let me get one thing straight: I hate cardio. The idea of running for 30 minutes to hours on end is the equivalent of locking myself in a room and listening to William Hung belt out "Take me out to the ballgame" on repeat for 24 hours. But the worst part? Cardio is GOOD for you (go figure). For this reason, I'm excited to share a new cardio type with you that isn't boring and benefits your body in a unique way. This new type of cardio has elements that will improve your chances of living longer while helping you get lean and protect your lower body from injury—all in 15 minutes or less. The new type of cardio I'm talking about is called... Reverse Sprint Intervals: Get Lean, Boost Energy, and Live Longer
IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT attempt to do this type of training if you are de-conditioned, dealing with health issues/injuries/chronic pain, or overweight. The body needs to be conditioned first before training at high intensities. If that's you, I suggest using a program like Lean Body 90 or reading the articles on my website to prepare for intense exercise.
At a glance:
Every week, I hit the track to do some sprint intervals. One day, I took my daughter with me so she could run around while I was doing my sprint workout. In true dad fashion, I would challenge her to a race, and in complete honesty, I would smoke her every time. Don't get me wrong. She's four years old and fast, but she's obviously no match for me 😉 But after her sprints, she would do something peculiar and walk backward to the finish line. No one told her to do this—it was pure child-like imagination. After watching this a few times, I decided to try it out for myself, and it was a REVELATION. Reverse Sprint Intervals are a combination of sprint intervals and backward walking. You see, after a round of sprints, the most logical thing to do is walk back to the starting point. But when you think about it, it seems like a wasted opportunity. Why not take advantage of that time and do something equally good for your body? Here's what I mean... Sprints are the heavy lifting of cardioSprinting is like cardio on steroids—quick, intense, and insanely effective (yet totally legal). It builds explosive strength and burns fat fast, all in a fraction of the time. You activate your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for power and speed, leading to better muscle growth. Sprinting also torches calories even after you stop, thanks to the afterburn effect (EPOC), where your body keeps burning fat to recover. Plus, it can improve your V02 max and lung capacity, increasing heart and lung capacity. As a bonus, sprinting improves insulin sensitivity and metabolism, helping you stay lean and energized. I wrote an entire article on sprinting and how to prepare for them, which you can access by clicking here. Walking backward is like adding Kevlar to your lower body while stimulating your brainBackward walking engages muscles you don’t typically use, like your calves, quads, and lower back. Compared to walking forward, this movement can reduce joint impact, especially on your knees. Walking backward also improves coordination and balance because your brain has to work harder to figure out where you are in space. Finally, walking backward can sharpen your focus and mental clarity as you're more mindful of your surroundings. It's a simple but effective way to mix up your routine and challenge your body in new ways. When you do sprints and backward walking, you combine two excellent longevity exercises in one short session. How to do Reverse Sprint IntervalsStep 1—Find an open field or track. If you can't find one or it's too cold, you can supplement this with a treadmill. Typically, you don't want to jump into doing sprints, especially if you're deconditioned. Sprints are intense, and doing anything with intensity can lead to injury if you're not careful. As with everything, you want to gently build your body up to an intense sprinting level. Here's how I do my sprint intervals: Let's say I'm doing five sprints total for the workout, so each sprint leads up to sprints at maximum intensity.
The percentages are arbitrary and subjective. The idea is that the final round is done at or close to max intensity. Tips for walking backward:
Tread Lightly and GO!If you're anything like me, I get excited when I get a new workout, but I must remind you (and I) to tread lightly. If you haven't done sprinting or backward walking, you want to work yourself up intelligently. Your body is a beautiful machine, but you must give it time to adapt to a new response. This new type of cardio is fun and has too many benefits to count, but you must give yourself time. Either way, you have a new toy in your cardio toolbelt. Let me know how it works. Onwards and upwards 🚀 - Dan When you're ready, here is 1 way I can help: 1. Promote yourself to 343,357+ subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter.
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