High intensity training and nutrition: how to get back in shape after the holidays

The holidays are over but the excesses of the celebrations have remained with us and are struggling to leave. The mad rush to sign up for the gym has begun, the ghost of the swimsuit rehearsal is far away but it's starting to make itself felt. However, the strict diet or fitness course will not solve the problem since to get back in shape you need to train constantly and change your lifestyle.

Which activity is most recommended to start this journey in the best way?

One of the most common but at the same time wrong remedies is definitely cardio training that lasts for hours and hours. reasoning"so many calories ingested = so many calories to consume” is not entirely wrong but focusing solely on cardiovascular activity won't get you back in shape anytime soon.

A great solution could be alternate cardio activity with weight exercises. During the holiday season, not only do you increase your caloric intake but also decrease your physical activity. A good weight training will help you reactivate your muscles and stimulate all the hormonal component connected to this type of training.

Try to alternate 10 minutes of cardiovascular activity, medium intensity, with blocks of 15 minutes of weight training. Repeat this combination 2 or 3 times: with cardio activity you will increase calorie consumption while with the weights you will maintain muscle tone and strength.

High intensity activity to get back in shape after the holidays?

Another mistake is the sudden increase in the intensity of one's workout to make up for holiday messes. Many enroll in courses in which high-intensity exercises or circuits are performed precisely to want to consume all the excess calories.

This is a huge mistake for 2 main reasons:

1. After a period of inactivity or reduced activity it is really counterproductive to undertake high intensity training since the body will hardly be able to maintain the proposed intensity also losing technicality. The result could be incurring injuries, not finishing training and the need for more days of rest before the next session.
2. Large binges could leave a few kilos too much as a "gift". These kg will surely be to move and perform exercises such as jumps, leaps, sprints etc. they might turn out excessive for joints and muscles.

If you are already used to workouts HIIT or similar my advice is therefore to continue to make them but reducing the duration of both training and TUT for at least the first 2 weeks (Time under tension) for each individual exercise. For those who are new to this methodology, however, the advice is to dedicate a few weeks to a mixed training, aerobic activity and weight training before starting this training.

Let's dispel another myth, abs yes or no?

One of the questions I get most frequently is: “If I have a few kg in excess, do I have to do abs? Doesn't it further increase the circumference of my abdomen? If I only do abs, will I burn the fat on top?"

The abdomen it is certainly one of the muscles and areas that receive the greatest interest from people but this does not mean that it is a part in its own right and that it "thinks or works" in its own way. To get rid of excess fat, you don't just have to do sit-ups, so you'll give yourself back pain!

Keeping your abdomen toned by performing exercises aimed at activating it will help you maintain correct posture and perform all other exercises safely and correctly. It will not increase its girth but along with the rest of the other activities it will confer trophy and the result will be to see you fit.

In summary, try to execute 60-70 minutes of physical activity for each workout alternating both the aerobic and anaerobic components. After the holidays, my suggestion is to do at least 2 training sessions a week and then increase both the duration and the intensity of the training at the end of the second week.

Plet's go now topower supply: the Does post-holiday fasting help you get back in shape quickly?

A common technique for getting back in shape after the holidays is to abstain from eating for hours.

Fasting will not help you reach your goal in less time, on the contrary, it will play against you since it will cause a severe metabolic imbalance with a lowering of the basal metabolic rate (ie the energy burned by our body at rest) and inducing you in conditions of extreme hunger. When you're hungry, you know, you tend to eat more when you give in to extreme hunger. The recommendation is rather that of Slightly lower your caloric intake while maintaining a high level of satiety with "smart" foods such as those rich in fiber such as vegetables, fruit e Whole grains, as well as with foods that allow us to maintain a sense of satiety for longer, such as protein sources such as fish e meat.

What about the ketogenic diet?

Another rapidly growing trend is that of completely eliminate carbohydrates, as if they were the devil of our table. Another trend, another mistake! Carbohydrates are a necessary source of nutrition for our body, as a result they cannot and must not be missing from the diet: space a whole grains, legumes, fibrous vegetables and fruit, health allies for the fibres, minerals and vitamins they contain. They are also training partners thanks to the excellent energy intake they can provide if taken a couple of hours before a session in the gym.

The secret is in balance

There is only one diet to get back in shape: the one that provides balance between carbohydrates, fats and proteins, sorted by quantity, and which also includes a constant and careful hydration. Never forget to bring a bottle full of water to the gym as well as ensuring a daily intake of approx 2 Lproperly spaced throughout the day.