How to be like a gymnast? We all want more bang for our buck. Working out is no exception. If you work your tail off in the gym, you want to see results. The more hours you log in, the more you expect to get out of your gym time, right? WRONG! Exercise is a prime example of quality over quantity. Instead of just focusing on the number of calories burned during your hamster session on the treadmill, start thinking about the number of calories you can burn after you throw in the towel and head home. This is called EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.
This extra oxygen consumption directly correlates to the amount of energy burned. In other words, the kind of exercise you do will determine how many extra calories you will be burning at rest, after your workout. High intensity exercise raises stress hormones like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol, causing a chain reaction that eventually leads to lactic acid build up. This lactic acid build up triggers testosterone and HGH (fat burning hormones). All of these hormones work collectively to produce EPOC.
Elite level gymnasts are considered to be some of the strongest and fittest athletes, pound for pound. Why? Well, every flip, leap and jump is engaging multiple muscles at once, in maximum exertion. The more muscles you contract at once, the more energy is required, and the more calories are burned. Thus, greater EPOC results.
Below is a gymnastics-inspired conditioning circuit. All you need is a towel, resistance band and stopwatch. Perform as many repetitions in 30 seconds of each exercise as you can. Perform the circuit at least twice, resting as little as possible! Remember to be as explosive and quick as possible!