Cityfit Fitness Club has just launchd a new group fitness program this week, Les Mills Sprint. It is a 30-minute-High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout, using an indoor bike to achieve fast results.
"It's a quick and hard style of training that returns rapid results with minimal joint impact," said Cityfit General Manager and Sprint Coach Alisha Pollard.
"This workout is perfect for people that are short on time, want a high calorie burn during and post workout, or need to increase the intensity of their exercise but don't want a choreographed class or high impact moves".
"Though you don't get all those benefits without working hard for them," Alisha added.
"The focus of the class (like all HIIT programs) is to have periods of exertion over 85% of maximum heart rate, followed by periods of recovery. This allows you to reach your maximum training zone again and again, and this is when the benefits of Sprint HIIT training really kick in," she said.
Alisha referred to a six-week long study at Penn State University of 36 physically fit adults. During the study half the participants replaced one of their three 60 minute workouts for the week with two 30 minute Sprint classes on non-consecutive days.
"The results of participants that did two Sprint classes instead of a 60minute cardio session were striking. 'The Sprinters' saw REDUCED body fat mass, blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration. Participants also had INCREASED their cardio fitness, lean body mass, glucose tolerance and strength!" said Alisha.
A 2014 American College of Sports Medicine report also found that HIIT programs tend to burn more calories than traditional workouts.
"Especially after the workout," added Alisha, "following HIIT the body uses more energy for a longer period to restore itself to pre-exercise levels, this is referred to as the excess post exercise oxygen consumption period (EPOC)."
"We have been incorporating HIIT style programs at Cityfit for a while now, in our group fitness studio, functional training program and even in our pool. We are excited to be the first fitness centre to bring this program to Bathurst.
"Where Sprint stands out amid other HIIT programs is the fact that there is no complex technique to master and participants have the ability to manage their own resistance.
"You will be coached to your limits in Sprint," added Alisha. "Literally the Sprint coaches get off their bikes to motivate the room and ensure people are training with great technique."
CLICK HERE to find SPRINT on our new Timetable.
