Morning Monkeys,
One thing I've gathered from the postings is that bankers have shit for time on their hands, and that they're membership at Equinox goes unused thanks to 80-6,000 hour work weeks. This can obviously wreck havoc on someone's fitness and force you to constantly buy new pants as your fatness keeps putting holes in the crotch (no, it's not because you're "sitting" all the time, you all buy nice pants, that's nonsense).
Exercise, as I'm sure you all know, benefits you in multiple ways including (but not limited to) better mood, more energy, and statistically significant increases in the "models" portion of "models & bottles." Suffice it to say, exercise is important, and I'm going to take some time here to introduce you to something I'm sure many of you have heard about: The Tabata Protocol.
The Tabata Protocol is particular method of "High Intensity Interval Training" which focuses on interval training at high VO2Max (170% in this case), which is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can utilize during exercise. Sadly, measuring VO2Max is tricky, so as a proxy, we'll use heart rate beats per minute (bpm). The general theory is that 8 intervals of 20 seconds of high intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest will give you more bang for your buck than 60 minutes of moderate activity. Remember, while the workout itself only takes 4 minutes, make sure to warm up and warm down. I know none of you have shit for time, but it's worth the extra 8-11 minutes.
The original design of the study done by Izumi Tabata utilized a stationary bike but this is not the only way of accomplishing this workout. This can be done with any exercise that you can achieve a heart rate of 190-200 bpm. Here are some ideas of workouts that you can incorporate into a Tabata Protocol without having to buy too much equipment (unless NYC apartments have gotten larger...):
Running in Place: Good place to start if you've fallen out of shape long ago, easily done anywhere.
Jumping Rope: Also an easy place to start, and especially effective if you hate your downstairs neighbor.
Climbing Stairs: NYC is littered with giant buildings and with them, long flights of stairs.
Air Squats/Squat Jumps: If you're still starting out, air squats (doing a squat with no weight) may get you up to the desired heart rate, otherwise, squat jumps (exactly what they sound like) are your winner.
Burpee (Squat Thrust): My personal favorite and not for the faint hearted. Burpees suck. But, they're very effective.
Thrusters: Utilize low weight here, the bar or a couple of 20# db/kbs. I've read that you shouldn't use weights with the Tabata Protocol but screw that, if adding some weight to your workout is the worst thing you do today, you've had a great day.
Clean & Jerk: Again, keep the weight low, the key is to get your heart rate up, not your pump on. Also, make sure you're going to the ground, none of this hang clean and jerk nonsense.
Remember, you can mix and match if you'd like, even within the set of 8. For instance, this is a perfectly reasonable workout:
Warm up
20 sec Running in Place + 10 sec rest
20 sec Squat Jumps + 10 sec rest
20 sec Running in Place + 10 sec rest
20 sec Burpees + 10 sec rest
20 sec Running in Place + 10 sec rest
20 sec Squat Jumps + 10 sec rest
20 sec Running in Place + 10 sec rest
20 sec Burpees + 10 sec rest
Warm down
Remember, wear a heart rate monitor (keeping your heart rate at 190-200 bpm) and time your sets properly to get the most out of the workout. If you're doing it properly, you'll have a heart rate of 190-200 bmp during the 20 second high intensity, then it'll raise slightly during the first part of the 10 seconds of rest. Lastly, and I can't say this enough: DON'T OVER DO IT! For the most fit of the group, start with the full workout 3 times per week and see how you feel, for the least fit, start with 2-4 sets instead of 8, tops 3 times per week.
tl;dr - High intensity workout over a short time period > being fat.
p90x version for bankers huh.
Cannot see an average banker who typically sits on his ass 80 hours a week completing 8 sets of constant jumping and running. At the end they would be doing 1 shitty burpee due to exhaustion. Being a weightlifting addict, there are other ways to burn fat. Lifitng weights at high repititions + low rest times can burn fat and make you stronger/more functional. Weights > cardio
Don't underestimate bankers' motivation to shed some fat after they realized they went from 22 year old tones body to 40 year old pot belly in 1 year.
Can vouch for its effectiveness. Still, find a spot to do all of this is probably the hardest part.
(Make bank + pay for a 10 ) > (Get fit and settle for a 8).
People who suggest workouts to busy people fail to grasp that because we are busy, we wont follow your somewhat complex workout routine (Maybe 20% of us will).
Instead, I've realized that the simpler the routine, the easier to follow. I might make a post about how I approach working out in the future but I can guranatee that what the OP posted will not be followed consistently by the majority of the WSO population (Even if most of us 'want' to).
Sounds like the OP does CrossFit. If not, well, this is CrossFit. But to clarify I will say that CrossFit incorporates all these things and not that all these things incorporate CrossFit. Not trying to say its the end all be all and start a big battle.
Disclaimer: I drink the Kool-Aid and spend 2 hours a day at my CrossFit gym.
The easiest way to get quick workouts is to Google: Crossfit road/travel workouts. It's a compilation of great routines that can be done when traveling so, with no equipment. They all last between 10-30 minutes and a majority are in the 10-20 minute range.
My advice = grab a coffee 30 min before you know you will have a chance to workout, pound out one of these HIIT workouts as described by the OP or by me or by whatever you want to find, and reap the benefits.
EDIT: To help the OP as well, if you go on an app store I'm sure there are tons of Tabata timers. Download one because then it beeps at you when to start and when to stop. Very helpful.
I took the Vo2max (treadmill) test 5 times during my college career and I can safely say that each and every time it was the worst day of the year. Having said that, getting your heart rate up to 190(and you say to 200 but most peoples max will be lower than that, I think mine was like 198 and I was in pretty good shape at the time) and keeping it there is pretty damn hard.
Yes, lifting weights is a fantastic option, but the advantage of this is the amount of time spent. You don't (necessarily) have to go to the gym, and it doesn't take very long.
20 seconds on, 10 off, 8 times through is pretty simple. I realize the example workout is a bit complex but you can make them as simple as you want, i.e. only running in place. But I'd be interested in hearing more about what you do.
Yep (notice all the links go to a CF demo on youtube), used to be into it a lot more, then followed Gym Jones for a bit, now I just do a few key exercises at home when I get the chance. I've kind of fallen off the wagon, and I need to get back into it. CF is pretty great though, until you try "Fran" then it's immediately the worst thing ever :).
Read the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris and start doing HIIT workouts with KBs . 15-20 mins a day in your bedroom, eat well and don't drink 30 beers on the weekend. It is enough to stay in great shape.
I've never read Ferris' book, but the Tabata Protocol is HIIT, not surprised you're getting good results. Congrats! And, sorry about the >30 beers, haha.
Been doing Tabata on the treadmill for a while now - 15 mins of 20 sec sprints and 10 secs rests + follow up with HIIT strength exercises. The results are good, but need to figure out a balanced strength training program.
Warm up, stretch out and do lift specific stretching, then hit one or two large compound lifts for high volume at high percentages of your 1 rep max, 3 rep max or 5 rep max, then hit a HIIT workout to finish the session.
For example: Stretched out legs and hip flexors for squatting. Did 3 rep sets at 135, 155, 185, then 205 and then at 215 it constitutes a working set. Did 3 at 215, 225, 235, then 2 at 245, 255, then 1 at 265 and 270. Then did a workout doing 10 135# back squats, 15 pullups, 20 situps, for 3 rounds and do it as fast as possible. This is how I balance strength and HIIT.
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