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How to Fuel Your Body for HIIT

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How to Fuel Your Body for HIIT

The old saying  “What you put into your body is what you’ll get out of it” may be over-mentioned, but that does not take away from its accuracy. You cannot eat fast food all day and expect to have a successful high-intensity workout at the end of the day.

You may be in somewhat decent shape and know that you should be able to keep up with the pace of the class, but that’s nearly impossible when you’re feeling bloated and sluggish. If you are having trouble settling on what to eat before and after your workout, you’re not alone. Allow these tips to help you fuel your body for HIIT and recover in a manner that preps you for the next workout.

The Purpose of HIIT

While High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is an ideal mean of gaining strength, improving coordination, and boosting your metabolism, it’s best known for burning fat fast! With that in mind, many people avoid eating before a workout to maximize fat burning benefits. Not only is this counterproductive for your nutrition efforts, it will also noticeably impede your performance. It is essential to fuel your body before a HIIT workout to ensure that you can get the most from your 45-minute session.

Pre-Workout Nutrition for HIIT

Before your workout, you want to make sure that you consume foods that can provide you with energy fast. Traditional gym training may allow you to get away with getting your cheat meal in the day of your workout and still perform, but the same is not true for HIIT. During an HIIT class, you push your body to its limit throughout the entirety of the session. Foods like nuts, bananas, fruits, and toast move through your system quickly, providing you with the fuel needed for a successful workout.

Post-Workout Nutrition for HIIT

You may not desire a full meal, but you should still consume something within two hours after you complete a workout. You must replace depleted glycogen while also providing amino acids and proteins for repairing muscle fibers. Foods that can do just that include:

Carbohydrates

  • Sweet potato
  • Rice
  • Quinoa

Protein

  • Tuna
  • Turkey
  • Chicken

Greens

  • Chard
  • Spinach
  • Kale

After supplying your body with the proper nutrients, you can expect to get the most out of your HIIT workout. Put your health efforts to the test with the heralded minimalistic-style training at EPIC Interval Training in New York City! We offer seven classes, one for every day of the week, each with a laser-focus on a specific aspect of fitness designed to provide you with optimal results. Join us at one of our EPIC fitness classes today! Contact us to discover how you can get your first class free!

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3 Tips for Staying Hydrated Throughout an EPIC Workout

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3 Tips for Staying Hydrated Throughout an EPIC Workout

People everywhere are in search of a workout that can help them sweat off excess pounds fast, but many fail to recognize the importance of proper hydration. The idea that drinking water on your way to a fitness class is enough to hydrate your body is one shared by numerous fitness seekers. Not only should you implement regular water consumption into your lifestyle to fully optimize fitness efforts, but proper hydration during a workout is equally essential.

Regular fluid intake during a workout can help maintain your mental and physical performance. Dehydration can cause you to lose over 2% of body weight, significantly impacting your body temperature, cardiovascular system, and muscle function. Understanding what fluids and how often to consume them can be difficult, which is why we’re supplying you with key tips for staying hydrated throughout an EPIC workout!

Knowing What to Drink

There is an ongoing debate as to what drink is more beneficial to fitness efforts: water or sports drinks. The truth is that they both play a vital role in hydration. Water is ideal for workouts that are moderate in both length and intensity; however, a drink containing electrolytes and carbohydrates is favored for a high-intensity EPIC workout. The reason being is that the more you sweat, the more critical nutrients you lose.

Water and electrolytes like sodium, chloride, and potassium play a vital role in how your body functions. Lack of such nutrients can result in dizziness, muscle cramps, rapid heartbeat, and confusion, all of which are indicators of dehydration. By implementing regular water consumption into your lifestyle and consuming sports drinks as needed, you can best prepare yourself to reap the benefits of an EPIC workout.

Hydration Tips for HIIT

There are a few things you should know about proper hydration other than just choosing between sports drinks and water. Take heed of these essential tips for hydration during your workout:

  • High Heat = More Fluids: You will sweat more in extreme heat conditions (whether indoor or outdoor), which means you will need to consume more fluids to replenish lost nutrients. Sports drinks can be most beneficial in such conditions.
  • Avoid Over-Drinking: Hyponatremia occurs when there are low salt levels in the blood and is a direct result of excess fluid consumption. This condition is potentially life-threatening. Avoid this by limiting your fluid intake to one quart per hour.
  • Don’t Wait Until You’re Thirsty: If you become thirsty during a workout, you are likely dehydrated. You can avoid dehydration by consuming 14-22 fl oz of essential fluids in the two to four hours leading to an intense workout.

If you haven’t been already, start consuming the necessary fluids to make the most out of your upcoming EPIC workout! Our high-intensity, circuit-style classes last 45-minutes and provide you with a highly-efficient full-body workout. All of our exercise programs are inclusive to individuals of all fitness levels who wish to entrust EPIC Interval Training with helping them achieve their fitness goals. Join us for a New York City HIIT workout today and discover how you can get your first class free!

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Top 3 Reasons to Love Kettlebells

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Top 3 Reasons to Love Kettlebells

Training tools are training tools, right? Wrong! Each has its own function, purpose, and benefit of use, and there are few better at providing an intense workout than kettlebells. Unlike dumbbells where the weight is balanced, kettlebells have an off-centered weight and curved handlebar for usability.

The initial use of kettlebells was as a mean of measuring grains and various farm goods at the start of the 18th century. When carnivals would come to town, the vendors would swing and lift the kettlebells to display their impressive strength. A few hundred years later and here we are, celebrating this unlikely strength training tool’s ability to provide an unmatchable workout for fitness seekers around the world. Join as we explore the top three reasons to love kettlebells.

PROMOTES SYMMETRY

An issue that many people fail to realize until they start working out is that they are asymmetrical, simply meaning that one side of the body is stronger than the other. This is a common issue as it is natural to subconsciously favor, for example, using your right arm or leg to perform a movement than your left.

Kettlebells promote symmetry as you must perform every exercise with both your left and right side of your body (one-arm overhead lifts), while many others require you to use your entire body (kettlebell swings). By strengthening both sides of your body equally, you can perform other movements more efficiently and with greater confidence.

Convenient

One of the toughest things to find is a useful exercise tool that you can take with you virtually anywhere. Kettlebells are that tool. With the ideal weight of a kettlebell ranging from 15 to 35 lbs, storing and commuting with this piece of equipment is hassle-free. While dumbbells may be relative in size, they are nowhere near as versatile as kettlebells. You can go from training your shoulders to your back to your triceps all with one tool.

Provides Intense Cardio Training

Many people are under the false impression that they can only use free weights to build muscle. If one thing exists to dispel that myth it’s a kettlebell. Kettlebells require you to use all the muscles in your body for stabilization while performing exercises like squats, bent over rows, deadlifts, and figure eights. When implemented into a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class, the results speak for themselves.

We value the benefits of kettlebells at EPIC Interval Training and want you to come experience them for yourself. As if they weren’t capable enough on their own, we implement them into our HIIT programs, effectively boosting your metabolism and providing an intense burn. Are you ready to experience some EPIC kettlebell training? Contact us today to discover how you can get your first class on us!

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NYC’s February Member of the Month – Angelo L.

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NYC’s February Member of the Month – Angelo L.

Congratulations Angelo! Your hard work and commitment to EPIC has not gone unnoticed. Each month, we recognize a member for what they put in, and this month, you have been chosen! We would like to brag about you in our newsletter and on social media so if you would please fill out the questions below that would help us to do so!

Your Name

AL: Angelo L.

I have been an EPIC Member Since

AL: February, 2016. Shout-out to @aschwartzy for the recommendation

EPIC Fun Fact

This can be anything about yourself or an EPIC memory from your time at the gym. Play any sports? Have any interesting hobbies. etc.

AL: I play a lot of intramural sports, especially softball. I like to think I channel my inner Aaron Judge at the plate.

My favorite EPIC class is

AL: EPIC Obstacle Run

Give us a quick background on yourself.

AL: I grew up in Mount Kisco, NY, graduated from the University of Delaware in 2014, and have been developing software in NYC ever since.

What has been your biggest accomplished since joining EPIC?

AL: I have gotten really good at traversing monkey bars, rings, ropes, etc. I could barely get passed a few rungs when I first started at EPIC.

What is your Instagram handle?

AL: @angelo.f.luppino

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