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High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Explained: The Ultimate Workout to…

High-Intensity Interval Training

Another day, another entry on the VT2 fitness blog and today we are discussing High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). If you are looking to burn that belly fat and achieve a fitter, healthier body in the shortest time possible, then look no further than HIIT. In this article, we’ll delve into what HIIT is, what makes it intense, the optimal interval duration, and its effectiveness in blasting away that stubborn belly fat!

What is High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?

HIIT is a workout strategy that alternates between short bursts of high-intensity exercises and brief periods of rest. The goal is to push your body to work at its maximum capacity during the intense intervals, leading to increased heart rate and a challenge to both your cardiovascular and muscular systems.

A classic HIIT workout might include exercises like:

Sprinting at maximum effort for 30 seconds
Walking or slow jogging for 60 seconds
Jump squats for 40 seconds
Rest for 20 seconds

This cycle is then repeated for a set number of rounds, typically around 4 to 5.

Why not give one of the VT2 Fitness HIIT workouts a try

What Defines a High-Intensity Workout?

A high-intensity workout is characterised by exercises that demand a significant amount of effort from your body. Activities that elevate your heart rate to around 80-95% of your maximum heart rate can be considered high-intensity.

How Long Should High-Intensity Intervals Be?

The duration of high-intensity intervals can vary, but they typically last between 20 to 60 seconds. The idea is to perform the exercises at maximum effort within this time frame. The rest periods are usually kept short, around 10 to 60 seconds. Allowing you to recover slightly before pushing yourself again.

Is HIIT Effective for Losing Belly Fat?

Absolutely! HIIT is one of the most effective workout methods for burning belly fat and achieving overall weight loss. The intense nature of HIIT workouts not only burns a significant number of calories during the session but also triggers the afterburn effect (EPOC). This means your body continues to burn calories at an elevated rate for hours after the workout, aiding in fat loss.

Additionally, HIIT has been found to be more efficient in reducing visceral fat, the dangerous fat that surrounds the organs and accumulates in the abdominal area. Studies have shown that HIIT can lead to significant reductions in waist circumference and body fat percentage, making it an excellent choice for those looking to lose belly fat.

Should you incorporate HIIT to burn belly fat?

High-Intensity Interval Training is a game-changing workout method that offers a time-efficient and highly effective approach to burning belly fat and improving overall fitness. The combination of intense intervals and short rest periods creates an optimal environment for torching calories and shedding unwanted pounds. As with any exercise program, it’s essential to start at your own pace and gradually increase the intensity as you become more comfortable. Remember the principles of perodisation and progression and keep adapting as you get stronger.

So, if you’re ready to take your fitness journey to the next level and bid farewell to that excess belly fat, then give HIIT a try! Whether it’s running, cycling, bodyweight exercises, or a mix of everything, customise your HIIT workout to suit your preferences and watch the results speak for themselves. Remember, consistency and dedication are key to achieving your fitness goals. Stay motivated, and keep pushing yourself to new heights!

Why Tracking Performance in the Gym Matters: The Best…

If you’re serious about your fitness goals, tracking your progress is essential. By monitoring your performance and fitness data, you can identify areas of improvement, stay motivated, and adjust your workouts accordingly. After all, if you don’t know what you did, how are you going to know what to do? In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of tracking your gym workouts and the best methods and apps for fitness tracking.

Why Track Your Gym Workouts?

There are many reasons why tracking your gym workouts is important. Here are some of the key reasons we at VT2 fitness advocate workout tracking as an essential ingredient to getting results:

Goal Setting: Tracking your performance helps you set achievable fitness goals, whether it’s improving your strength, endurance, or overall fitness.
Motivation: When you see progress over time, it can be incredibly motivating and help you stay on track with your fitness routine. Just hit a new PR? Just hit a target weight? Seeing it there in black and white can often be a great motivator in seeing how far you have come!
Accountability: Tracking your workouts helps you stay accountable to yourself and your fitness goals. It is a pretty noticeable gap in your tracking activity if you end up missing a workout!
Performance Improvement: By tracking your workouts, you can identify areas where you need to improve and adjust your routine to achieve better results. Tracking is also an absolute imperative when it comes to the core principles of Periodisation and Progression

Best Methods for Tracking Fitness Data

So we have established that tracking your fitness data is a good thing, but exactly how do you go about doing this? Well there are a number of methods ranging from good old fashioned pen and paper to sophisticated fitness tracking apps and wearable technology.

Fitness Tracker: Fitness trackers are big business currently and are essentially wearable pieces of technology that track your activity level, heart rate, and other fitness metrics. Some of the most popular fitness trackers include Fitbit, Garmin, and Apple Watch. I personally use a Fitbit Versa 3 due to its versatility and in-built HIIT workout timer which makes building workouts and teaching classes far more seamless. However the key metrics you are looking to track are heart rate, steps and sleep quality. If your fitness tracker of choice incorporates these 3 elements then you are certainly on the right track!
Workout Log: A workout log is a simple and effective way to track your gym workouts. You can record your exercises, sets, and reps, as well as your progress over time. In terms of workout logging, you have a number of options ranging from good old fashioned pen and paper to sophisticated tracking apps. I tend to take a middle road on this and have designed my own spreadsheet tracker. This gives me all the metrics I need to track in one place without having to navigate a complex UI or pay a monthly subscription. You can find the spreadsheet I use here, or feel free to design your own.
Fitness Apps: There are many fitness apps available that can help you track your workouts, nutrition, and other fitness data. Some of the best fitness apps include MyFitnessPal for calorie tracking and Strong and Fitbod for weightlifting.

Best Fitness Tracking App

If you’re looking for the best fitness tracker app, here are some of the most popular options:

MyFitnessPal: MyFitnessPal is a free app that tracks your food intake, exercise, and other health metrics. It has a large database of foods and exercises, making it easy to track your daily nutrition and keep track of those all important macros!
Strong: Strong is a weightlifting app that helps you track your workouts, sets, reps, and weights. It also includes a rest timer and a history log, making it easy to monitor your progress over time.
Fitbod: Fitbod is a personalized fitness app that creates custom workout plans based on your fitness goals and workout history. It also tracks your progress and adjusts your workouts accordingly.

Summary

Tracking your gym workouts and fitness data is essential for achieving your fitness goals. By using the best methods and apps for fitness tracking, you can stay motivated, accountable, and on track with your fitness routine. So use these tools to your advantage and smash your fitness goals.

The Best HIIT Workout and Interval Timer

What is a HIIT Workout

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) seems to be an ever growing and ever popular workout method that involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest or lower intensity exercise. HIIT workouts typically last between 10 and 30 minutes and are designed to improve cardiovascular fitness, increase muscle strength, and burn fat.

How important are HIIT Workouts

HIIT workouts are popular in fitness due to their effectiveness and efficiency, which in a world where we are all so busy, is very important. HIIT workouts have been shown to burn more calories than traditional cardio workouts, and can be completed in less time. Additionally completing a HIIT workout can increase your post workout metabolism and keep that calorie burning furnace going for longer. HIIT workouts can also be completed using a variety of exercises which can increase motivation and decrease boredom. In this article, we will explore the benefits of HIIT workouts, their effectiveness for fat loss, and tips for optimising their effectiveness.

What is a HIIT workout?

Definition of HIIT workouts

HIIT workouts involve short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest or lower intensity exercise. The high-intensity intervals can range from 20 seconds to 2 minutes, while the rest intervals can range from 10 seconds to 2 minutes. The goal of HIIT workouts is to challenge the body to perform at maximum capacity during the high-intensity intervals while allowing for recovery during rest. This structure increases the workload during the workout and ensures your body stays in the fat burning zone. With the body working harder, you will be burning more calories and therefore optimising your calorie deficit.

Benefits of HIIT workouts

Some of the benefits of HIIT workouts include improved cardiovascular fitness, increased muscle strength, and fat loss. HIIT workouts have also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation. Which can be beneficial for individuals with diabetes or at risk for diabetes. Additionally, HIIT workouts can be modified to suit different fitness levels and goals, making them a versatile workout option.

Is HIIT good for fat loss?

How HIIT workouts can aid in fat loss

HIIT workouts can aid in fat loss by increasing the body’s metabolic rate and promoting the breakdown of fat cells. The high-intensity intervals in HIIT workouts can also increase the body’s production of growth hormone, which can further promote fat burning.

Research supporting the effectiveness of HIIT workouts for fat loss

Research has shown that HIIT workouts can be more effective for fat loss and cardiovascular fitness than traditional cardio workouts. Whilst cardio has been shown over time to produce a similar resulting weight loss, this is often tied to longer periods of activity. With HIIT you can burn a similar amount of calories in a shorter period of time. Given the intensity of the workouts, it also greatly increases lung capacity as the body fights to adapt to the higher volume of activity.

Tips for optimising fat loss with HIIT workouts

To optimise fat loss with HIIT workouts, it is important to incorporate a variety of exercises and to progressively increase the intensity of the workouts over time. Workout intensity can be increased through the principles of periodisation. Which could take the form of decreased rest periods, increased volume of exercises or added levels of resistance. Diet is also important when completing HIIT and you need to be giving your body sufficient fuel to support growth. That means out with the Mcdonalds and in with the fruits and vegetables I am afraid.

Finally, when you begin high intensity training it will be important to prioritise and plan rest and recovery phases. This will give the body sufficient time to repair following intense activity and reduce the likelihood of injury.

Is a 10 minute HIIT workout effective?

HIIT workouts are designed to be short but intense, which makes them a popular option for people with busy schedules. A 10-minute HIIT workout can be an effective way to fit in a quick workout in that still provides significant health benefits.

Tips for optimising a 10 minute HIIT workout

To make the most of a 10-minute HIIT workout, it’s important to choose exercises that work multiple muscle groups and therefore recruit the most muscle fibers whilst elevating the heart rate quickly. Exercises like burpees, jumping jacks, and mountain climbers can be effective options. It’s also important to use focus on your form to minimise the risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of the workout.

What is an example of HIIT?

If you want to try a challenging HIIT workout why not try one of ours?

Is HIIT better than cardio?

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an effective way to improve cardiovascular health, boost metabolism, and burn fat. Unlike traditional cardio workouts that involve long, steady-state activities like jogging or cycling, HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest or low-intensity activity. The high-intensity intervals push your body to its limits, resulting in a greater calorie burn and metabolic boost.

Like with everything fitness related, the choice between traditional cardio methods and HIIT workouts will depend entirely on your goals. If you are looking to optimise fat burn and conditioning, agility and explosiveness then training using HIIT principles is going to be the best method. However if you are training for endurance, perhaps running a marathon or completing an endurance test then completing traditional cardio based exercises is going to be your best bet. Remember, know your goals and specify and tailor your training to that goal. If you are struggling with your goals, or designing a suitable workout, why not get in touch? Our team can help you craft the perfect workout to get you to your fitness goals in the shortest possible time.

Which HIIT workout is best for fat loss?

There are many different types of HIIT workouts, including:

Sprint intervals
Row/Treadmill/Elliptical/Cycle intervals
Bodyweight exercise intervals
Circuits

All of these types of workouts can be effective for fat loss, as long as they are performed at a high intensity, using a suitable interval and with proper form.

Recommendations for choosing the most effective HIIT workout for fat loss

To choose the most effective HIIT workout for fat loss, consider your fitness level, interests, and goals. For example, if you’re just starting out with HIIT workouts, you may want to begin with bodyweight exercises or lower-intensity workouts and longer interval times with additional rest phases. This can act as your foundation which you can look to improve upon over time using the principles of periodisation.

How many minutes of HIIT is enough?

The recommended duration of a HIIT workout can vary depending on your fitness level and goals. Generally, HIIT workouts should be around 20-30 minutes in duration, including warm-up and cool-down periods.

Tips for optimising the duration of your HIIT workouts

To optimise the duration of your HIIT workouts, start with shorter intervals and gradually increase the length and intensity of your intervals as you become fitter. As mentioned, be sure to incorporate sufficiet rest periods in order to allow your body to recover.

What is the best interval time

The best interval time for a HIIT workout will primarily depend on your fitness level and goals. Generally, HIIT workouts are built around the 40 seconds work and 20 second rest interval. This has proven to be a very popular structure in most fitness circles. However it can become pretty stale pretty fast. I would suggest varying it up to keep things fresh and motivation high…Better yet if you are struggling to find an appropriate interval timer why not try our selection?

If you’re just starting with HIIT workouts, it’s recommended to start with longer rest periods and shorter work intervals, such as 30 seconds of work followed by 60 seconds of rest. As you progress, you can increase the work intervals and decrease the rest periods to challenge yourself and increase the intensity of your workout.

It’s important to listen to your body and not push yourself too hard, especially if you’re new to HIIT workouts. If you feel a bit lost and don’t know whether HIIT is right for you why not get in touch? Our friendly team will be sure to point you in the right direction and help put you on the right track!

Summary

Research has shown that HIIT can be effective for fat loss, with some studies suggesting that it may be more effective than traditional cardio workouts. Durations of HIIT workouts can vary, but even as little as 10 minutes a day can have significant health benefits. Whilst there are numerous ways you can structure a HIIT workout, the optimum structure and interval will depend on your goals and fitness level.

Ultimately, HIIT workouts can be a highly effective way to improve fitness, increase fat loss, and achieve health goals. By understanding the benefits of HIIT workouts and optimising them for personal fitness goals, individuals can incorporate HIIT into their fitness routine for maximum benefits.

What is the best gym workout plan?

Introduction

Are you looking to get the most out of your gym workout plan? With so many workout plans and routines out there, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. In this article, we will answer some common questions about gym workouts and provide some guidance on the best workout plan for your individual needs.

What is the best gym workout plan?

The best workout plan for the gym depends on several factors, including your fitness goals, experience level, and personal preferences. For example, if you’re looking to build muscle mass, then the principles of periodisation and volume becomes very important. As a result many individuals will design their gym workout plan through a split routine that focuses on specific muscle groups each day. On the other hand, if you’re relatively new to the gym environment a full-body workout that targets multiple muscle groups at once may be a better fit initially. Full body routines can often give you a great foundation for developing a periodised routine by giving you a structure to increase your strength on the core lifts. Once you become more seasoned in the fitness realm, you can then be in a good place to ramp up the volume on specific muscle groups through a split routine.

How do I start a gym workout plan?

Starting a gym routine can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to fitness. However, there are several steps you can take to make the process easier.

First, set realistic fitness goals for yourself. Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or improve your overall health, having a clear goal in mind can help keep you motivated. If you can try and think of these goals as two-fold, process driven goals and performance driven goals. For example a performance goal could be to lose 2 lbs this week, a process goal to support that you complete all of your planned workouts for the week.
Next, find a gym or fitness center that works for you. Look for a gym that has equipment and classes that align with your goals and preferences. You may also wish to pick a gym that fits with your routine, personally my gym is on the way home from work so I have no excuse not to drop in for a workout session.
Finally, start slow and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts. If you are completely lost consider contacting us we can offer tailored and customised workout plans to suit any goal.

Is 4 or 5 days better for the gym?

The number of days you spend at the gym depends on your fitness goals and lifestyle. While some people prefer to work out 4 days a week, others find that 5 days a week is more effective.

Working out 4 days a week can allow for more rest and recovery time, which can be beneficial for muscle growth and injury prevention, however with a 4 day routine you also limit the level of volume you can apply to muscle groups per week. Working out 5 days a week can provide more consistency in your workout routine, which can lead to better overall fitness and progress through higher workload and volume application. The downside to a 5 day routine however is the potential for overload and overtraining which could lead to injury and therefore inhibit your gym progress.

Ultimately, the best number of days to work out at the gym depends on your individual goals and preferences. Experiment with different schedules and find what works best for you. It is always important to listen to your body and monitor your energy levels to ensure you get the right blend between activity and rest.

How do I divide my days in my gym workout plan?

Dividing your gym days depends on your fitness goals and personal preferences. Some people prefer to focus on strength training, while others prioritise cardio or a combination of both.

A good way to divide your gym days is to work different muscle groups on different days. For example, you could dedicate one day to working your upper body, one day to lower body exercises, one day to cardio, and one day to rest or recovery exercises like yoga or stretching.

It’s important to find a workout routine that works for your individual needs and allows you to achieve your fitness goals.

How long should a workout be?

The length of a workout depends on your fitness goals and individual needs. While some people prefer longer workouts, others find that shorter, more intense workouts are more effective.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day, or 150 minutes per week. However, if you’re looking to build muscle or improve endurance, you will need to spend more time at the gym and adopt a workout plan that is built under the principles of linear progression.

Ultimately, it is important to find a workout routine that fits your schedule and allows you to achieve your fitness goals. Whether you prefer short and intense workouts or longer, more leisurely workouts and whether you are looking to improve your general fitness or looking to build muscle or improve performance. The right gym workout plan for you, may not be the right gym workout plan for someone else.

Summary

Finding the best gym workout plan can be a daunting task, but it’s important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The best workout plan is one that aligns with your fitness goals, experience level, and individual preferences.

Additionally, factors such as the number of gym days and the length of workouts should be personalised to your individual needs and goals.

Remember to listen to your body, incorporate rest days, and be consistent in your workouts. With dedication and a personalised workout plan, you can achieve your fitness goals and lead a healthier, happier life.

If after reading this article you are a bit lost on workout planning and scheduling why not get in touch. Our helpful team can put together a customised gym workout plan suited exactly to your needs and have you on the way to reaching your fitness goals in no time! Alternatively, if you think you are a seasoned professional in the gym, but have found your current routine getting a little stale and not yielding the results you desire then why not try Transform the workout designed for the experienced lifter to help push them into the next level of fitness performance.

5 Reasons why you are not losing weight.

What are 5 key reasons you aren’t losing weight.

The not so calorie conscious calorie counting:

You’re in and you’ve committed, you have downloaded that calorie counter you have heard so much about and you are ready to start losing weight by scanning labels and plugging in data like a pro. However, the key to calorie counting is specifics. One mans bowl of cereal is another mans 1000 calorie meal. That is, a bowl of cereal could be 300ml of milk and 60g of cereal or 120g of cereal and 600ml of milk depending on how liberal you are with your freeloaded pouring motion. If you had chicken and rice for dinner did you measure out 300g of chicken and 40g of cooked rice and track that? Or did we just freeload a bunch of rice in a pan, bang it on a plate and throw a random amount of chicken on top? If you are going the calorie counting route you really need to focus on specifics and get accurate measurements of the food you are consuming day to day

The weekend blowout:

Unfortunately, calories do also count on weekends. Working really hard and being strict through the week to build your calorie deficit only to go out on the weekend plough through a pizza, 6 pints and finish with a kebab means your weekly deficit quickly evaporates and probably becomes a surplus. Weekend eating also needs to be managed unfortunately.

The its healthy so its fine:

When it comes to energy and energy storage within our bodies, calories are I am afraid calories. Sure fruit and vegetables have more nutrients and will fuel your day far better than a Mcdonalds burger, but if you eat 2000 kcals of fruit and veg or 2000 kcals of Mcdonalds you’ve still eaten 2000 kcals. If you are eating maintenance at 2000 then you aren’t going to lose weight.

Restaurants and takeaways:

Restaurants and takeaways make some extremely tasty food, but to make such food taste so good they often use copious amounts of sauces and overzealous portion control. If you make a habit of restaurants and takeaways (once per week religiously is still a habit I am afraid) then you are on a sure fire route of blowing your weight loss goals.

The exercise over estimator:

I hate to break it to you, but that smart watch is a liar. It might say you burnt 3000kcals today, but this is based on averages and estimates of activity. Gym equipment also lies, the treadmill might say you have earnt that Greggs sausage roll after 15 minutes of light jogging…However to put some perspective on it you would actually need to complete around 700 burpees for such a treat.

Summary

So there you have it. 5 key reasons why you are not losing weight. We hope this article proves useful and has you speeding much faster toward your weight loss goals.

Periodisation and Progression

The Ultimate guide to Periodisation and Progression

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Who knew Albert Einstein was the founding father of fitness programming?!

Jokes aside, his quote certainly has resonance within the fitness industry and especially its respective workout programming, the cornerstone of which we call periodisation.

If you do the same exercises, with the same weights, in the same format time and time again sure you will make progress initially, but this will very soon stagnate into a dreaded plateau. A professionally developed fitness program will therefore be built on the principles of periodisation and progression.

What is meant by periodisation and progression?

Like any profession, the fitness market has developed snazzy buzzwords to make very simple principles sound complicated and difficult, but at its core the concepts are actually pretty easy to understand.

Periodisation – Periodisation essentially covers the structure of the workout. Within a well-crafted workout program you would have an ultimate goal that needs to be achieved within a particular time frame and to achieve that goal you would need to complete required activity each week and hit specific targets to stay on track. For example, if my ultimate goal was to be able to perform 5 pull ups in 6 weeks I would structure a 6 week routine designed to strengthen the main muscles utlised in the pull up motion (Lats and Biceps). This could broadly take the form of a 4 week strength followed by a 2 week conditioning cycle in which I priortise the target muscle groups from a strength and hypertrophy perspective in order to support my pull up strength. Additionally a similarly periodised diet would also be in place to support muscle growth in the strength phase and fat loss in the conditioning phase.
Progression – Progression does what it says on the tin really. Within fitness, the term progression refers to the progression of your performance concerning exercise or activity. For instance, when undertaking a weightlifting program we are looking to strengthen our muscles and therefore we would need to gradually lift additional volume in order to force our muscles to adapt. We have a number of mechanisms to do this, we can add weight, add reps, add exercises or add sets…The best method of course would be down to your goals

Ultimately, if the workout program hasn’t been designed within the parameters of these two principles it’s effectiveness will be at best sub-optimal. That isn’t to say program design is inherently easy, and as it becomes more advanced we stray into the realms of macro and meso-cycles, varied progression models and optimal exercise selection…However no matter what, any properly designed workout program will be developed using the cornerstone of a periodised progression model. If your current program doesn’t fit the bill, then you should probably try something else!

If you have some experience in the gym, but are struggling with workout design and plateaus then why not try out Transform program. The program is built around the above principles and uses a linear progression model with a periodised workout and diet cycle designed to help you break-through that plateau and push on to the next level of fitness performance!

The Backpackers Guide To Fitness

If you are like me and a bit of an avid traveller, but also a real fitness enthusiast then you have probably been through the same issues and anguish about maintaining your fitness level whilst travelling around the world….Where are you going to work out? When? And how can you afford healthy nutrition options?

Alas, the combination of limited fitness equipment, limited time and the temptation of calorie dense snacking amalgamates into the fitness enthusiasts nightmare and it is destined to rapidly eat (literally) into your hard earned gains!

However, fitness enthusiasts rejoice, as VT2 has your back and comes in clutch with the ultimate guide to enjoy your travels without reverting to the fitness equivalent of square one!

This guide is designed to have you maintain, as best as possible, your physique through use of reasonably healthy cheap nutrition in some of the most popular backpacking destinations, varied HIIT and resistance workouts that you can follow along with and a few tips and tricks to keep the pounds off as you indulge a little in the fine cuisine and party life on offer.

What you will need

Resistance Bands – Resistance bands are super versatile and can add some much needed resistance to stimulate various muscle groups enabling you to maintain your lean muscle. Bands are also light weight and easy to transport making them a flexible solution that you can take anywhere in the world without sacrificing all important luggage weight. I personally went with the FitLife Exercise Resistance bands. These bands were all I needed in terms of variable resistance levels, they were super lightweight, easily transportable and pretty cheap.
A big enough space – Parks and beaches tend to be my go to, but typically in every destination you will be able to find a large enough public space to complete a good workout. My top tip, pick somewhere beautiful…the world is absolutely your oyster here and you’ll certainly enjoy your workout a lot more with spectacular scenery!
A bench (some workouts) – Some workouts within this guide require a bench or something around knee height to facilitate movements such as step ups and tricep dips
A pull up bar (some workouts) – Again some workouts within this guide require a pull up bar. Many parks around the world have outdoor facilities that include outdoor gym equipment, however if this is not the case in your area I would still check out the nearest park, often you can make do with monkey bars/climbing frames or other alternatives.

The workouts

The workouts I completed whilst backpacking around focused on a 3 day resistance split with some HIIT and plenty of walking interspersed too. I chose a 3 day split simply due to versatility, some weeks things were quiet and I could afford to commit to 6 days a week of working out, but others I was super busy with activities and socialising or battling through 14 hour bus journeys that I simply didn’t have the time (or energy) to complete a 6 day routine. Hence the beauty of a 3 day, finding time for just 3 days of working out wasn’t too much of a commitment and then if things turned out to be quiet I could always repeat the routine and bring it to a 6 day.

Workout 1 – Chest & Arms

What you need:

Resistance bands
Bench or elevated surface (for tricep dips)

Approx. workout time: 35 mins

The Moves

10x Wide stance push ups – Wider than shoulder width stance and full descent
10x Standard push ups – Hands under shoulders and shoulder width apart with full descent
5x Diamond push ups – Close diamond stance with the hands and wide feet

The above moves should be performed in a circuit style one after the other. Following one full circuit you should take a 90 second rest. The full circuit should be repeated a total of 3 times.

Tip: If you are struggling drop to your knees and perform the moves from there. Attempt to get as many as you can in regular form before dropping to the knees and each time you complete the workout try to improve.

Superset 1

15x Standard resistance band bicep curl – Set up the resistance bands to the desired level of resistance (the last couple of reps should be difficult). Keep the elbows static and the palms facing forward throughout and focus on that bicep squeeze at the top of the motion.
20x Tricep bench dips – Closer the legs are to your body the easier this move will be so play about with that. Try to descend low enough so that the upper arm is parallel to the floor and ensure to maintain a slow and steady motion focusing on the triceps.

The above moves should be performed as a superset, meaning one after the other with no rest. Following the completion of both exercises for one set take a 90 second rest. Repeat for a total of 3 sets.

Superset 2

12x Resistance band Tricep Kickback – Can be a little tricky to setup, but persevere with it and play about with the foot position to increase/decrease the level of resistance.
12x Resistance band concentration curl – Again, a little tricky and awkward to set up, but once correctly performed you can really focus on squeezing and developing the bicep. Again play about with the foot position to increase/decrease the resistance level.

The above moves should also be performed as a superset, meaning one after the other with no rest. Following the completion of both exercises for one set take a 90 second rest and then repeat for a total of 3 sets.

If you want to make this workout more intense try adding in the Bring Sally Up push up challenge (as far as you can get) as a pre exhaustion technique.

Workout 2 – Back and Shoulders

What you need:

Resistance bands
Pull up bar, or somewhere to complete wide stance pull ups

Approx. workout time: 40 mins

The Moves

Wide Grip Pull ups – 4x sets to failure
15x Seated incline resistance band row – 4x sets

The above moves can either be performed as a superset (1 set of wide grip pull ups followed by the resistance band row with no rest) or individually. My personal preference is an individual split as this allows you to focus on maximising performance on the toughest move (wide grip pull ups) first. A 90 second rest should be taken between sets.

Circuit

12x Resistance band shoulder press
12x Pike Push ups
15x resistance band lateral shoulder fly

3x sets of the above should be performed one after the other in a circuit style. A rest period of 90 seconds between each set should be taken.

Superset

15x Resistance band reverse fly
15x Resistance band lawnmower

The above moves should be completed one after the other as a superset with no rest in between. Once a full superset has been completed you should take a 90 second rest and then complete a further set (2 sets total).

Workout 3 – Legs

What you need:

Resistance bands
A bench, or surface around knee height to complete step ups

Approx. workout time: 40 mins

The Moves

20x Step up – Knee height step surface.
20x Single straight leg deadlift (bodyweight)
12x resistance band front squats
15x resistance band lunges

HIIT Finisher – Circuit 1 min work 20 second rest

20 min: No repeat

Mountain climbers
Jump Squat
Plyo Twist
Push up to side stand
Lateral lunges
Spiderman
Burpees
Pulse squat
Plank ups
Lateral jumps
Side plank raises (left)
Side plank raises (right)

ABS – The 40:10 Tabata

Regular situps
Raised leg situps
Leg raises
Flutter kicks
Steps to heaven
Leg over under
Combo situps
Side plank raises (left)
Side plank raises (right)
Bicycle crunches
Side ankle touches
Russian twist
Twist up left
Twist up right

The Nutrition

Australia – When it comes to Oz you certainly won’t be putting another shrimp on the barbie…Because shrimp is as expensive as ****. The cheapest supermarket here is Aldi, limited choice, but well worth it to save the pennies. The cooked meats selection is pricey, but worth it in a pinch. My go to was the tins of tuna though, they presented a cheap and lean form of protein with various flavours available, bag a few of these, a few tortilla wraps and a salad pack and you are onto a winner. I found Woolworths was a little pricier, but they often run special offers and typically mark down the hot food later in the day. Depending how lucky you are, you could find yourself bagging some pretty sweet bargains (full chicken for $5…Bang!)

Thailand – Thailand is cheap…Put down the 7/11 ham and cheese toastie and get your self some real nutrition at a fraction of the typical cost. Amazing fruits, veggies and lean protein sources on offer. Just make sure you don’t over indulge too much and try to build it into a structured calorie controlled diet.

Indonesia – See above

Canada – O Canada with glowing hearts we see thee rise…but with grocery prices we see thee cry. Canada is a truly spectacular country, but damn does that come with a price tag! Travelling around isn’t cheap and when its 3 bucks for a lettuce, you know you are in trouble! However, I have put together a list of the cheapest protein sources on offer and a few top tips!

Tips

Canadian Superstore and No Frills are your friends – When on a budget in Canada you don’t want to be spending too much time in the likes of wholefoods and Safeway as despite being undeniably high quality, they also have a high quality ability to burn a hole in your pocket!
Grab a cooked rotisserie chicken and salad pack in a pinch – If you are short on time and need a quick solution hot foot your way to a superstore and pick up a half rotisserie chicken and a salad pack. Its super quick, super convenient and a pretty healthy solution for a reasonably priced Canadian dinner.

Tips and tricks

Snacking

Snacking, AKA Craig’s Kryptonite is a major issue for me when I travel.

Big bus journey? Snacks
Beach day? Snacks
Big hike? Snacks

I admit I am a serial snacker, however if you have restraint snacking isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it is done within calorie parameters. For me however, that is difficult. I often found myself buying in some snacks for a big bus journey whilst convincing myself that I would only eat half. Not even a quarter in to said journey I would have walloped my entire bag of to share pretzels. There were 2 reasons for this:

I was bored sat on a coach journey with nothing else to do
I freaking love pretzels

The only answer for me was to, I hate to say it, stop buying snacks. Or when I felt the ever increasing urge, buy a small pack that I knew fit within my calorie controlled diet somewhat. Once I had nailed this issue, my fitness levels were back on track.

Eating in general

I am absolutely not a fan of fad diets, however some times such ways of eating can be worth their weight in gold and can suit your lifestyle depending on what you are doing.

One of these diets, intermittent fasting, has become very much a fad promising insane results as long as you adhere to eating windows. This is however a misappropriation, the diet simply limits eating windows so that you consume less calories overall throughout the week. That aside however, intermittent fasting is a truly excellent nutrition tool when backpacking. This is due to a few factors:

Time – you don’t have a lot of it and often cooking windows are limited. In hostels the peak times around 5pm to 6pm it is almost impossible to cook anything with so many people buzzing about. Intermittent fasting enables you to eat your daily calories within a strategic window, when the kitchen isn’t busy and when you aren’t out and about enjoying your destination…Having the restriction on the time within which you have an eating window will also keep you on track with regard to calorie control.

Activities – If you are backpacking in a new, fun and interesting destination you are bound to have a tonne of activities booked in from sunset kayaks to skydives, the world is truly your oyster. However, this leaves limited time for cooking and eating healthy nutritious meals. Initially I found this time deficit troubling and constantly hit up the convenient and quick fast food options which began to have a detrimental impact on not only my fitness levels, but also my energy levels and mental health. The intermittent fasting option allowed me to fill my diet with nutritious and cheap options which would keep me feeling energised and full all day whilst having the time of my life enjoying a plethora of activities.

Limitations on grocery shopping – Staying in hostels your space is limited and as you’ll be travelling destination to destination some food groups are out (no point buying loads of chicken breast and fresh veggies if you are about to sit on a coach with it for 5+ hours!). With intermittent fasting you can dive into a grocery store, grab some nutritious options and cook up a storm of healthy meals to eat. If you are on the road a lot I also recommend some tinned options…It is true tins get a bad rep, but tinned fruit (in juice rather than syrup), tinned tuna and tinned salmon are pretty flexible, portable and healthy options if you are in a pinch! Grabbing yourself a low carb, low fat and low sugar whey protein supplement is also a fantastic way of increasing your lean protein intake whilst on the road.

Budget – We get it, you have just splurged $500 on a skydive and you are feeling the proverbial pinch! Fortunately by following the tips in the nutrition section above you can limit the expenditure on healthy food options as much as possible. These tips combined with an intermittent fasting diet is a recipe for health on a budget as you can concentrate your nutrition around various grocery store specials and offers that appear.

Exercise windows

I am certainly a very committed person, but I found getting into a regular workout routine whilst backpacking difficult to say the least. Often your destination will have hot weather (if you are backpacking around in the bad weather…why?) which is amazing for enjoying beaches and beer gardens…It is far less amazing for a HIIT workout. When I first started travelling I went with a mindset of whenever I am free I will workout, but if I was free at 2pm in 35 degree heat said workout was not getting completed. The solution? Whilst I am definitely not a morning person, I found that setting my alarm a little earlier and getting the workout done and dusted early in cooler weather was a great way of getting into a structured routine. You could also try the evening routine option, however despite this being my go to in normal circumstances, I found it difficult to maintain on the road. This was because you meet lots of people travelling and the evening is typically when everyone wants to get social…I would therefore find myself regularly skipping a workout to join, which was great for the experience of travelling, but not so great for my fitness levels.