7 Ways To Get Fit Fast

Get intense
“Ditch the public transport or car, invest in some proper training gear and hit the road on foot or bike to get to work,” Nike Master Trainer and fitness fx programme developer, Greg Sellar (gregsellar.com) tells us. “Try splitting your run or cycle into landmarks, roughly 100m apart if on foot, or 200m if on bike. Go as hard and fast as you can for the work interval and take an equal amount of active recovery to provide a 1:1 work/rest ratio. As you get fitter, increase your work distances towards a 2:1 work/rest ratio.”

Lunch-time app warriors
“Find a PT fitness app that allows you to work out in any space and without any equipment,” advises Greg Sellar. “Programming company fitness fx (fitness-fx.com) have new 30-minute workouts that feature a series of current training methodologies to provide maximum results in minimum time, perfect for that lunch-time blitz. Also, check out the Nike Training Club app (NTC) featuring workouts for all levels, as well as photos and videos for all exercises. You can set your own iTunes playlist for the sessions – just press play and go!”

Mix it up
“For an effective workout in a hurry, try intervals using powerful full-body movements, such as burpees, squats, planks and push-ups,” says PT Kelly Du Buisson (kellydubuisson.com). “20 to 30-second intervals with 10 seconds rest will create a deficit in the muscles, which your body will spend the next 24 hours replenishing, burning huge amounts of fat and building lean muscle in the process.
Jumps, twists and power movements such as sprints, tone the body from all angles. And, don’t be afraid to add weights to really up the burn. Don’t pace yourself though, these exercises are meant to be intense and can be anything from four to 20 minutes long, depending on your fitness.”

Feel the burn
“This super-fast ladder workout will annihilate legs, bums and tums in one sitting making it one of the best quick fixes out there,” says PT Rob Jones (stridefit.com). “All you need is a yoga or exercise mat, (a decent carpet or rug will also do), and a stop watch. Lying on your back perform one oblique crunch on the left, one oblique crunch on the right, two standard ab crunches, three glute raises and keep repeating for 60 seconds. After those 60 seconds, turn over onto all fours and then perform mountain climbers solidly for 60 seconds. But, it doesn’t stop there! As soon as you finish, jump straight back in and perform 45 seconds of each exercise, then 30 seconds, and finally 15 seconds.”

Feel the beat
“Music can be useful in accelerating your results in different ways,” says Dean Hodgkin, fitness expert at Ragdale Hall and Energie (deanhodgkin.com). “Firstly, it can reduce feelings of fatigue, resulting in you working harder. In addition, music increases psychological arousal and improves co-ordination, both of which will ensure you perform at higher levels in your training session. Keep your playlists updated and surf the web for sites that allow you to try ready-made options.

Quality over quantity
“Try sprinting, it’s so straight forward and generally, as kids and adults we have all done this at some point, plus, it doesn’t require a coach or breaking down technique,” says Carli Goss (reebokclub.co.uk). “You simply walk for five minutes to get warmed up, choose a marker in the distance, like a telegraph pole, and sprint towards it. On a treadmill, set a speed you can sprint at and maintain it for a set time like two minutes, then walk again and recover and repeat 10-15 times. When you think of exercise, especially if you are just starting out, think of how you can engage as many muscle groups as possible, for instance going to a dance class or squatting will achieve a high calorie burn and an increase in fitness.”

Feel the resistance
For a really fast and effective workout, incorporate Dyna-Band exercises into your routine (dynaband.co.uk). Creating resistance for your muscles to work against, will work them four times harder with less repetitions. You will build lean muscle mass giving you a more toned and shapely body, plus you will continue to burn more calories when resting. Try doing a two-minute blast of arm or bottom toning exercises in the ad breaks of your favourite TV programme or every time you boil the kettle!