 Do you ever forget one of your eight passwords on your computer? Lose your keys for the second time in a week? Leave the house without your wallet? Wouldn’t it be great if your workout could actually help boost your brainpower? Well it can! As if we haven’t heard enough benefits from High-intensity interval training (HIIT), there is even newer info that is being researched as an added benefit of High Intensity Interval training. Not only does HIIT give you 5x the results and benefits as regular steady state cardiovascular training and produce Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which is the anti-aging hormone linked to fat loss etc., but now it is linked to keeping your brain young and functioning better; especially for the middle age population. After all, our brain (though it is complex) is just another organ in our body that would benefit from the same type of training that has been proven to benefit so many other areas of our body. New research shows that your workout can actually help your brain stay young and fight off dementia amongst other brain-related aging diseases. The research has just begun in this area so it would be no surprise if this study were just the tip of the iceberg in the many ways HIIT can benefit your brain! Let’s face it, we could all use all the help we can to stay not only our fittest but also our sharpest! If you want to get the most bang for your buck when doing HIIT, we recommend Variable-intensity Interval Training (VIIT). VIIT workouts which allow you to work out more efficiently and effectively because it enables you to do true HIIT intervals that have a necessary recovery period. MASHUP®'s VIIT workouts combine Agility & Strength, HIIT, and MindBody to ensure you are getting everything in that you need within a short period of time and that you always have three fitness levels to choose from. Try a few different workouts for free on the MASHUP® app for seven days and see if it is something you want to add to your regimen!
For more information on brain health, hormone health and memory improvement delivered by experts at Wellness Family Summit.  If you only have limited time and you had to pick just one exercise to work your entire body...choose the Squat Thrust!
We love incorporating this into our MASHUP® workouts in various ways at least once a week because you really get a lot of bang for your buck with this one. Squat thrusts use almost every muscle group including your core. Primary muscles used are: hamstrings, quads, and gluteus. Assuming you are doing them correctly with your knees rotated out and squatting to parallel, you should be using your hip adductors as well. Also if you add dumbbells you are also working chest, shoulders and back if you go into a push up after you squat down and add a shoulder press after you stand up. One of the other added benefits is that it is also a cardiovascular exercise. We like these types of exercises and call them Agility and Strength in our workout program because they call upon numerous muscle groups and continue to keep your heart rate up during the exercise. In MASHUP®, you will find the Squat Thrust along with other exercises that will challenge your heart as your muscles are burning. We tell our clients “Why waste your time on the treadmill when you can get the same benefit while toning your muscles in a quarter of the time!“ Add a few high-intensity Intervals and some mind/body and you have our complete training system. Make sure you keep proper form during a squat thrust for safety and follow these directions below: Instructions Level 1 Modification Reach arms straight over your head then squat down bringing elbows to 90 degrees then return to standing. Throughout the movement you want to focus on pulling your navel toward your spine to keep the core engaged. Our Level 1 modification never has to get on the floor. Other Level 1 exercises may incorporate a chair or using the wall. Level 2/3 Modifications Stand with your feet together and squat down as mentioned in Level 1. Jump your feet backwards until you are in a push up position maintaining a straight torso. Then, jump your feet back forward between your hands and stand up. Bud Jefferies at StrongerMan.com claims that you can maximize your benefit with a simple workout of 100 squat thrusts done without resting. He states that it is “high enough reps to involve muscular endurance and shoot your cardio through the roof.” |
RSS Feed