If you want to stay strong but don’t have time to spend hours in the gym each day, there is another way. Recent research has found that minimalist high-intensity training can help. All you need is one to two high-intensity workouts per week to keep that muscle strength right where you want it. Keep reading to learn more about high-intensity training and how it might be the perfect workout regimen.
1. Less Volume, More Strength
While it’s commonly believed that frequent workouts are the best, this might not be entirely true. Studies have found that maintaining muscle strength requires less volume. Those who want to keep their strength for up to 32 weeks just need one high-intensity workout per week. For busy individuals, this allows you to schedule workouts to stay strong without taking up your entire schedule.
2. Focus on High Intensity
When thinking about high-intensity training, it means pushing yourself to the limits. John Welbourn, founder of Power Athlete, Inc. and a former NFL player for the Eagles, Chiefs, and Patriots, emphasizes the importance of going hard. Ideally, you’ll want to get close to muscular failure during the sessions. This intensity alerts your body to maintain its strength more effectively than working out five or six days a week. Plus, you can really see how far you can push your body during a workout.
3. Efficient Workouts
These workouts often focus on specific movements to get the most out of them. For instance, Welbourn’s workout can be completed under 45 minutes and centers around compound lifts. Some of these exercises are listed below:
- Back Squats: This exercise targets major muscle groups to improve your overall strength.
- Bench Presses: Each rep focuses on building upper-body strength, rather than the whole body.
- Pull-Ups: Another upper body workout, this one works specifically with back and arm strength.
- Deadlifts: This full-body workout engages many muscle groups for maximum impact during the workout.
When completing these exercises, you’ll want to start with a few warm-up sets and follow them up with one all-out heavy set to near failure, to keep your muscles in prime performance.
4. A Strategy for Everyday Athletes
Our lives are constantly moving, from work to family and friends. Finding the workout that can keep you fit and strong while still adapting to your life is paramount. This is why high-intensity training works so well; it allows you to stay consistent with just a few days of training. Plus, you can think of the workout as an appointment or non-negotiable, to make sure you stay consistent, no matter if it’s high-intensity training or some other workout regimen.
5. Scientific Backing
Research has proven the positive results of high-intensity training, proving that even one set per exercise can help foster muscle growth and strength improvements, and maintain that strength over time. All you need to prioritize is a high intensity during those workouts to maintain your physique. If you don’t push the body enough, the results will not stay, and you may lose some of your strength.
Wrap-Up
The main message with high-intensity workouts is clear: train smarter, not longer. This way, you can still have strength without needing to train for hours every day. These workouts provide the best results when done once or twice a week, and are centered around heavy compound lifts. No matter how serious the individual is, they can maintain their progress even when life events get in the way. The next time you head to the gym, try out high-intensity training. Who knows? It might become your favorite type of exercise.