No matter what time of year it is, people (AKA us) are always looking for new ways to lose weight and keep active – ways that actually work. Because us 21st Century Aussies we’re time poor, and we don’t have the time, or money, to waste on another fad workout that promises to bring results but never will.
Here, Ben Lucas, owner and co-founder of the game-changing yoga and fitness studio Flow Athletic in Sydney’s Paddington, brings us up to speed on the get-fit, weightloss workouts that’ll help our health soar in 2018. Ditching gruelling HIIT sessions, included…
LISS
While HIIT was all the rage for the past few years, now it’s time to do the exact opposite with the rise of LISS training which becoming more and more popular.
LISS stands for ‘low intensity steady state training’ and it is when you train at a steady state, such as 50 per cent of your maximum heart rate over an extended period of time. So a LISS workout may be a 1 hour- 90 minute walk, or running on the treadmill at a cruisy speed or a stationary bike, while HIIT is workout hard, getting sweaty for a shorter period of time.
The low impact nature of LISS is great for many reasons including:
Recovery: Not many of us can do back to back HIIT workouts everyday, and if you do, you need to be aware of the inflammation and potential burnout that may occur as a result if you keep pushing yourself and don’t take time to recover. A LISS workout is a good option on a rest day. It is also great for stress management
Low Impact: It’s also a great low- impact way to work your ligaments, tendons, joints and muscles in preparation for when you want to crank up the intensity and since recovery is quicker with LISS compared to with HIIT, you can do back to back sessions which means more moving and less sitting!
Fat Loss: Over time, around 45 to 60 minutes of LISS can help the body become conditioned to better use fat as a fuel source for your next workout. So if you’re doing three to four days of cardio and two to four days of weight training per week, try to make only one or two of those cardio sessions LISS workouts. It’s good for cardiovascular conditioning, fat burning, active recovery and its good for stress relief
Unlike HIIT, where you expel a large amount of energy in a short time, LISS is about exercising at low intensity at a consistent rate.
Functional movement
I believe that doing more complicated but functional exercises, while moving smoothly and with purpose, is set to trend this year too. Why? Because a lot of the exercises that most people do work on one plane of movement (like, you move laterally, or you move forward and back), but that is not how we move in everyday life.
Normally, our bodies move in multiple directions, so instead of doing a bicep curl, why wouldn’t you do a full-body exercise that not only works your muscles, but also your fascia/connective tissue? Cable machines and VIPRS are good tools to use to do this.
You can do this type of training with a personal trainer. A few people who specialise in it (but they all do it differently) are Flow Athletic, Strength in Motion, Movement Republic and Umbilico.
Forget exercise that focuses on one style of exercise – functional movement is about moving, and toning, the entire body at once.
Fun fitness
That’s right, its time to change things up rather than do the same thing everyday, and this is why signing up to a fitness event or doing a unique workout is a good way to keep you motivated and excited about training! You might not be able to do these sessions every day, but they are fun and entertaining when you can book into one!
My top picks at the moment include:
Retrosweat: An awesome authentic 1980s freestyle aerobic workout by Shannon Dooley. Participants dress up and Shannon often themes her classes.
Nightclub Spin: Expect pumping beats with a live DJ, lighting and smoke machines at an incredible venue. This is a great experience, a hardcore workout and on Jan 31 and Feb 1 we ride for Pride! Led by Australia’s leading spin instructors.
Flow After Dark: The infamous silent yoga disco that more than 4, 000 people have participated in in the past 12 months.
Aerial Yoga:
Not only is aerial fun and photo worthy, but it is also a great way to get a deep stretch. Spending time upside down is also very good for stress management and relaxation
Also consider signing up to a fun run or obstacle event so that you can have something to train for. Having an inspiring goal in mind is always a good motivator.
Megaformer
By now we should know that Pilates is good for us, but for those who want to go a little further than the reformer bed, I would like to introduce you to the megaformer (which isn’t strictly Pilates but it is similar in some ways).
A megaformer is a great way for your muscles to gain strength, tone, flexibility, endurance and stability.
The science of the method is proven to uniquely incorporate all five fitness components: endurance, strength, flexibility, cardio and body composition (reducing body fat). It is also a uniquely low-impact cardio workout with postural and sculptural benefits in high-intensity and mentally stimulating way. In other words, Megaformer is a total-body strengthening, leaning, lengthening method. Shake, burn and sweat throughout, and get a positive mental state while you’re at it!
Ben Lucas will be speaking at the upcoming workshop ‘How to Launch Your Wellness Start Up’ on April 4, 2018, 5:30pm, The Well, Bondi. Get your tickets here.
