You Came to Burn Calories, Burn Them!

My spin class had another substitute teacher recently. When I saw that it wasn’t the regular teacher, my heart sank but I was quickly converted. Unlike last time, this instructor was really good! Apparently she is a regular spin instructor, just on different nights than when I go.

This workout was different. It was a HIIT workout and it was an ass-kicking. H.I.I.T. stands for High Intensity Interval Training and it is a fantastic way to workout when you don’t have a ton of time. Another good thing about HIIT training is that you can do it with any workout–running, biking, swimming, anything.

We warmed up with a bit of resistance, pedaling fast, for 5 minutes. Then the instructor told us to ramp up the resistance and hop out of the saddle. Even though the resistance was hard and it felt like we were cycling through mud, we were going FAST while out of the saddle. Then we went back into the saddle without reducing the resistance for 45 seconds, then back up for 30, rinse and repeat several times.

The bulk of the class was intervals. For about 20-30 minutes of the middle part of the class we did this:

• 45 second sprint with hard resistance, very fast legs into….
• 60 second recovery with very little resistance and then….
• Back working hard against the resistance and then….
• 60 second recovery with very little resistance and then….
• “Freestyle” do whatever you want. In this stage I came out of the saddle and did standing climbs.
• Followed by speed work where we had light resistance and pedaled as fast as we could, trying to keep the speed consistent.
• Cool down and stretching to finish it up.

The instructor was really good and she was really motivating and encouraging. She said things like “Push through it! You’re strong!” and “Feel the burn! If it sucks, you’re doing it right.” She encouraged us to stay at a consistent speed and not back down when it started to BURN and STING! It was that extra little “push” I needed to keep going and not go easy on myself. It was definitely tempting. My legs were burning from the previous days’ lunge workout and I felt every single twinge and burn in my leg muscles during the class. It felt good!

I pedaled like I was chasing after someone and wanted to pass them. It was really motivating. The instructor said, “You came to burn calories, so do it! You came to get strong! Keep working it! You should be breathless!”

GYM STATS:
Time: 1:33 
Calories Burned: 611 

I have to admit…by the end of class I was definitely losing steam! I felt every interval in my legs when I got off the bike and it felt awesome. My legs were wobbly and achy. Good workout. When I got home, Michael was creating a magnificent meal that turned out to be really delicious. It might seem weird, but hang in there. First, he cooked up some whole wheat penne pasta. Then he topped the pasta with sauteed kale with onions and cooked in bacon fat (yum).

On top of that was sliced spicy bratwursts. Then it was smothered in a simple red marinara sauce. It was simple and easy and a good way to use up the rest of the veggies.

I devoured this meal in no time at all. I LOVED how the kale tasted with everything else. It felt like a fancy meal in an Italian restaurant but we made it at home. Michael even commented that I must have liked it a lot because my plate was so clean (and no, I didn’t lick the plate).

QUESTION: What’s your favorite “thrown together” meal? How often do you do HIIT workouts?