Why You Should Train Less (But Smarter!)

When I tell people they're wasting their time with unnecessarily long training sessions, they often think I’m completely nuts.

he truth is, we’ve all been brainwashed. During the last 20 years, extended sessions of cardio were considered to be the best exercise for weight loss. Sure, cardio is not the bad boy here — it generally helps lower your blood pressure, improves blood circulation and promotes detoxification. But research now shows that it may not be the most effective way to train.

f you’d like to lose weight and get back in shape fast, try shorter, more intense workouts.

sn’t that amazing? No need to carve out hours of your day to hit the gym. No more complaining that you just don't have enough time to get your body moving.

Here, the reasons shorter workouts are better for your body than longer ones:

1. It'll jump-start your hormones (in a good way!)

Hormones can be your BFF if you're looking for significant fat loss.

Studies show that short sessions of high-intensity training are directly linked to Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production. This is the chemical in your body that forces your system to dive into its fat reserves for energy. In other words, your body usually uses glucose for energy, but HGH forces your body to use your fat reserves first, which ultimately leads to weight loss.

This powerful hormone also increases lean muscle growth and stimulates your metabolism. Simply put, the more lean muscle you have, the more calories you're going to burn.

2. You'll burn serious calories even after you're done sweating

With high intensity training you’re not only burning loads of calories during your session, you're also burning calories for up to 48 hours after you finish. The reason? Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).

Oh, what a term, but it's actually amazing! The more intense the exercise, the more oxygen the muscles consume afterward. This leads to a higher sustained metabolic rate and results in more calories burned throughout the day.

Yes, you heard right! Once you’ve finished your (short!) workout, enjoy a relaxed evening on the couch while your metabolism is still working and burning those calories.

3. It’s just more fun

Shorter workouts mean you can spice them up in so many different ways, making them more fun and interesting so you don't get bored.

Do short 20 seconds intervals, jump around in your living room with plyometric exercises or do some sprints in between your workout. For example, you could do two different exercises, like the power squat and the split jump, 30 seconds each for a total of 8 rounds. Quick and easy, but a super efficient leg and booty workout.

The best part about HIIT? You need absolutely no equipment to train your whole body in the most effective way. Just pump up the volume and push yourself to the limit!

4. No more time wasting

his is probably the most important reason why high intensity training is the best way to train.

Nowadays, everybody seems to be stressed, busy and short on time, so the number one obstacle for many of us is not having enough time to exercise. But forget this excuse, all you need is 20 minutes 3 times per week. The secret lies in the intensity of your workouts. The harder you push, the shorter your workout should be.

wesome! So now that you know exactly why shorter workouts are more efficient, make sure to remember the how. High intensity training can be very taxing on the body depending on your fitness level, so I suggest to starting slowly, gradually increasing intensity over time.

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