Monday Challenge: Surge Training

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by simonglucas

I hate to spend long periods of time running on a treadmill, so I was really glad when I learned that research is now showing that exercising in short, intense bursts has even higher benefits than exercising at a medium intensity for longer periods of time. (Yay for me!) I don’t have hours and hours of time to devote to exercise, and quite honestly, even if I did have more time, I wouldn’t spend it working out.

I will tell you, though, that as my body shifted from burning sugar to burning fat, my desire to get moving increased. A lot. My energy and endurance exploded. I now actually enjoy going out to the garage to exercise. Part of this is because of my increased energy. Part of it is because I know the workout will be nice and short, and it won’t really take much time away from my day!

Surge Training (also known as burst training) takes very little time. Don’t be misled, though. It’s no cake walk. It’s hard work. Sometimes I experience sore muscles. I always experience fatigue, and I’m definitely wiped out when I finish.

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by Kenna Takahashi

Today, I’m going to give you some basics on how to surge train, but I’m not an expert—please follow the links below and/or research surge training on your own to understand all of the important information, such as maximum heart rate, before you start.

Basically, when you surge train, you push your heart rate up near its maximum for short bursts of time. This gets oxygen deep into your muscles and can actually raise your resting metabolism for the rest of the day to burn more fat and build lean muscle. It also helps fight depression, and raises your body’s level of HGH (human growth hormone).

To begin surging, choose an exercise, such as running in place. For 20 seconds, perform that exercise full out. Push as hard as you can, holding nothing back. If you’re really pushing, you will feel fatigued before you hit 20 seconds, but keep pushing.

When you reach 20 seconds, stop and rest for 20 seconds, then start over. You will complete this process 3 times, which takes 1:40. Then, rest for 2 minutes, and repeat the process again 2 more times, for a total of 3 sets. The entire process, including rest periods, takes 9 minutes.

Your time will look like this:

0:00 Surge
0:20 Rest
0:40 Surge
1:00 Rest
1:20 Surge
1:40 Rest (2 minute rest between sets)

3:40 Surge
4:00 Rest
4:20 Surge
4:40 Rest
5:00 Surge
5:20 Rest (2 minute rest between sets)

7:20 Surge
7:40 Rest
8:00 Surge
8:20 Rest
8:40 Surge
9:00 Finished!

Today’s Monday Challenge is for you to start surge training this week! Make sure to leave a rest day in between surge days, for a total of 3-4 surge training sessions per week.

Check out these links for more information:

Lose Weight with a Short, Powerfully Effective Workout

Proper Exercise

Are You a Muscle Building, Far Burning Machine?

Workout of the Week: Split Squats

Learning How to Surge Train

If you want an even more intense workout, Maximized Living has started a newer surge program, Max T3. This program takes surge training up a notch, for a total of 12 minutes, and takes away the 2 minute rest periods.

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