Written by Emma Hogan for Fit Planet
Everything great is new. There is one sports conditioning workout that’s been transforming fitness levels for almost 40 years – and here’s the data to prove it gets results.
If you’ve been watching recent fitness trends you can’t help but have noticed the rise of short duration, high-intensity workouts that deliver functional strength and fitness. But, as thousands of BODYATTACK™ fans already know, the benefits of this style of training have been around since 1980.
One of those fans is Dr Jinger Gottschall, Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Penn State. And a couple of years ago she set out to measure exactly how the athletic training you get from BODYATTACK can transform fitness.
Gottschall’s study involved 20 participants, age 18 to 40, who completed a six-week trial of a 45-minute version of BODYATTACK, which combines athletic movements such as running, lunging and jumping with strength exercises such as push ups and squats. The subjects were not active during the three months previous to the study. Their baseline measures indicated that they had average cardiovascular fitness and high blood pressure, as well as below average speed, agility, power and strength.
The following tests were used to measure these variables:
- SPEED: shuttle runs, sprinting back and forth between four cones placed 15 feet (4.5 meters) apart
- AGILITY: ladder drills, running forward through a 10-rung ladder touching every space with each foot
- POWER: plyometric box jumps, maximum number in 20 seconds
- STRENGTH: squat, deadlift and push up tests
The group was tested at the beginning of the study and again six weeks later. The results were impressive.
On average there was a 31 percent increase in upper body strength and a 16 percent increase in leg strength. The group improved agility by 24 percent and power by 20 percent.
The study demonstrated that with just 18 workouts you can transform fitness.
“After three classes per week every single individual dramatically enhanced their physical and athletic profile,” says Gottschall. “They lost body fat, enhanced their heart function, gained muscle, and moved quicker.”
“This data gives credibility to what we have always known about BODYATTACK,” says Bryce Hastings, Les Mills Head of Research. “The blend of well-proven athletic conditioning moves, motivational music and inspiring instructors can truly take your fitness and physical profile to the next level.”
Why BODYATTACK gets results
During steady-state cardio such as running, rowing or walking, exercisers reach a certain level of exertion and maintain that for the duration of the workout. On the other hand, if you’re doing a HIIT workout you’ll reach intensity peaks pushing 95 percent plus of your maximum heart rate, followed by periods of complete rest and recovery. A Cardio Peak Training workout, such as BODYATTACK, is a hybrid of the two. Cardio Peak Training maintains your heart rate at an aerobic training base, between 60 and 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, interspersed with peaks of intensity pushing you into higher training zones.
As Hastings explains, Cardio Peak Training offers the best of both worlds. “You get the endurance that comes from steady-state cardio and the transformative fat-burning benefits from the spikes of higher intensity”.
Keen to learn more about the revolutionary nature of BODYATTACK? Find out more about the workout designed by athletes for athletic results.
This piece originally appeared on lesmills.com.
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