PHA high intensity workouts are just one way to get results.
Effective fitness, weight loss, toning and building lean muscle can only continue if you make your workouts specific to your goal using the SAID principle and if you mix them up using the FITT principle. Read on to find out how PHA workouts can be an effective weight loss and fitness workout!
What Are PHA High Intensity Workouts?
Peripheral heart action (PHA) is one method of high intensity exercise that gets your heart and lungs working extremely hard because it requires the body to pump blood from one extreme (lower body) to another extreme (upper body). It may include a bracing move such as a plank too which once released makes the systems work hard to fill the increased blood volume previously occluded by constricting muscles (ischemic reperfusion).
By performing an upper-body exercise followed immediately by a lower body move and even a third exercise in concession you can achieve this extra workload on your heart and lungs.
In addition to this added cardiovascular stress, there are several other benefits a peripheral heart action workout can bring you if your goal is effective weight loss:
You can rest one muscle group and still be working on another. This means you can perform a high intensity exercise for say 6 or 12 reps, or maybe a 10-20second effort, but rather than needing the rest for that muscle group to be able to perform the next HIIT interval properly, you are still able to work out with a different muscle group.
As a result of having much less ‘rest’ you can burn many more calories in the same duration. When you are trying to create a calorie deficit this is helpful for effective weight loss.
A PHA workout can save time too by allowing you to effectively work out many muscle groups with no or little rest. Essentially halving your workout time.
For sports people too this is a very effective way to train. Multisport athletes need efficient cardiovascular systems and a PHA session really does stress the cv system and so will result in good adaptation.
Below is an example of a PHA exercise set. This alone is enough for a main set – have a go for 6 weeks and see what results it brings you. Increase load weekly as you begin to adapt.
If you have fallen victim to long and slow cardio sessions and you have reached a plateau and stopped losing weight, then I am confident by applying this workout to your weekly regime you will lose weight! Try it – I dare you!
Effective PHA Workout:
1a – Squat – 6 sets – 12 reps
1b – Press up – 6 sets – 12 reps
1c – Bent over row – 6 sets – 12 reps
Remember to perform a dynamic warmup that is specific to your workout. Also just a point, that if you suffer from hypertension please do not brace as part of your exercise. Planks for example are a no-go.
That’s it. If you are trying to get fit and experiencing a plateau, or if you are aiming for effective weight loss and have seen a slow-down or even weight gain, then give the PHA workout a try! While exercise needs to be combined with good nutrition to see improved body composition – you can’t outrun a poor diet – PHA workouts are a great start. I love these workouts, they are tough but get results.
In fact, I’m off to do this very workout right now! Enjoy!