The Life Plan (51 page)

Burns more calories while you are training and afterward because it increases the length of time it takes to recover from each exercise session (EPOC).

Results in metabolic adaptations that enable you to burn more body fat.

Trains both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems: The high-intensity intervals tap into your anaerobic metabolic systems, while the lower-intensity intervals use your aerobic system.

Improves athletic performance.

Interval training can be performed with any modality of cardio exercise and is very simple to do. For example, if you are on a treadmill or exercise bicycle, just start out at a low level, and once you are warmed up (3 to 5 minutes) advance the level of difficulty to 1 to 2 minutes of higher-intensity intervals interspersed with low-level rest periods of 1 minute. Just keep increasing your high-intensity level of work until you get to the percentage of your target heart rate you want to work at and stay there until you think it’s time for a 5-minute cool-down. You will need a heart rate monitor to gauge the intensity of your workouts.

Most high-intensity interval workouts take around 20 to 35 minutes including warmup and cool-down. For each of the Life Plan cardio workouts, I’ve outlined exactly what this will look like. If you like to listen to music while you exercise, you can let the musical cues prompt you when to speed up or slow down. You can actually download onto your iPod fast songs separated by slower songs to create the perfect HIIT program for you. As your level of fitness improves, you can reprogram your iPod appropriately.

I perform 40 to 50 minutes of cardio four to five times a week on my exercise bike in order to stay lean and energized and keep my head on straight. However, I take one week off from cardio and resistance training every six months. This is the only time I miss workouts. This means no exercise at all for an entire week. When I return to the gym, I am really psyched and anxious, both mentally and physically, to get back at it. I’m not only energized, but I know that this rest period will help prevent burnout and possible injuries due to overtraining.

Just like the Life Plan for Healthy Eating, the cardio workout has three entry points:

The Basic Health Cardio Workout

The Fitness Cardio Workout

The High-Performance Cardio Workout

Regardless of the level at which you are entering the program, the cardio component is built on the same principles. I use the acronym FITT to outline all of the areas you need to consider for your program.

F—Frequency:
How many days will you need to do cardio work?

I—Intensity:
If you want to drop body fat or improve your level of cardiovascular fitness, you need to train at a fairly high intensity. Remember to train at a heart rate that is appropriate for your goals. Start easy and increase your level of intensity gradually over several weeks to months. Remember, this is not a 12-week program, it is a lifetime program.

T—Time:
How much time you spend during each cardio session.

T—Type:
Choose two or three cardio activities that you like that can be switched around depending on your time and availability of training partners and facilities (courts, pools, gyms, and so on).

Your beginning cardio program may look something like this:

Frequency

Intensity

Time

Type

3 days a week

60–70% of your HR
_max

30 minutes

cycling

After two weeks, revisit the FITT principle and increase your cardio program. A method that I commonly use is:

Week 3—Increase
Frequency

Week 4—Increase
Intensity

Week 5—Increase
Time

Week 6—Change the
Type

You can continue to go through this cycle endlessly to keep your heart, lungs, and circulation improving as you burn up more and more calories on a weekly basis. This approach will give you a lifetime of fitness and leanness you never dreamed possible. Use this method at each level of my Life Plan Cardio Program.

As your level of fitness improves you can move from the Basic Health Cardio Workout to the Fitness Cardio Workout and ultimately to the High-Performance Cardio Workout. Be sure to keep accurate records of your RPEs, HR
_max
, and heart-rate recovery. You will know when you are ready to move into the next phase of your training when your workouts become too easy, or your HR
_max
is lower, or your heart-rate recovery is faster. If you move ahead and find that you are not ready, don’t get discouraged. Just go back to where you were, and in a week or so you will be able to comfortably move to the next level. Don’t forget, this is not a 12-week program . . . this program is a Life Plan: You don’t have to rush to the next level until you are completely ready.