I am the Burpee Queen
Don’t believe me? Check my Instagram @sarathefit for some of the best HIIT exercises you’ll ever encounter.
Information
What is HIIT?
- High Intensity Interval Training. Simply put, its an intense movement that lasts anywhere from 20 to 60 seconds were you go full force; you give it everything you got until completely depleted (jump squats, burpees, sprints, etc…) and then you rest for about 1 to 2 minutes, or perform an aerobic exercise to calm your heart rate down. You then repeat this movements in intervals for as many rounds as your desire.
- I am a highly trained advanced personal trainer and athlete. I will do 60 to 120 seconds at maximum effort with sometimes only a 10 second break in between my HIIT movements. If I do choose to “rest” longer, I still will only rest 10 seconds and then go right into an aerobic lift. After my aerobic lift, I then jump right my HIIT exercise with no time to waste! I have timed myself before, I am able to perform 200 weighted burpees in under 30 minutes 😉
Why HIIT?
- You are in and out of the gym. Why spend 2 hours in the gym when you could spend 30 to 45 minutes with the same, if not better, results? Well, HIIT is the best way to burn fat and build muscle at the same damn time! Hypertrophy is achieved best when performing short bursts of movements like these, and fat will literally melt off your body. No cardio needed when you workout like this 🙂
Working out IS fun!
- I am constantly experimenting in the gym. I fucking love it. It is literally one of my favorite things to do. Every time I walk into a gym it’s like playground for me. Ideas flood through my brain and I lose track of time and get lost in my music as I move through each set. I always go in with a positive attitude and a desire to workout. On days when I am not feeling up to it, I tell myself to warm up for 15 minutes. Usually after 15 minutes I’m pumped and immediately motivated. Occasionally, I really am just not feeling it, and that’s totally okay! It is important to listen to your body and mind. When I do feel like this, I will take time to find a quiet spot to stretch and meditate so my time is not wasted.
How many days should I workout per week?
- I recommend 4 days a week at least. I personally workout everyday, I will occasionally take a full rest day once every 2 weeks or so, and I have about 1 to 2 days of very light activity during my weeks. For example: I will have 4 days of very heavy HIIT focused workout days, followed by 2 days of light activity such as body weight exercises or cardio only. This works for me and I have built my way up to this intensity. I know what I am doing and know when to listen to my body. If you are just starting out, 4 days a week is absolutely perfect 🙂
What’s up with the supplements?
- DON’T DO IT! All you need is whole foods, your fruits and veggies!
- I used to take pre-workout, creatine and occasionally when I was preparing for my NPC shows, I would take a fat burner. I do not do this any longer and haven’t for a long time. I wouldn’t be 100% plant based if I did! I can honestly say from personal experience, you do not need to waste your money on supplements! Take it from someone who has wasted hundreds of dollars over the years on these things, you can supplement your body and workouts without these!
- Alternatives for energy boosters include green drinks, coconut water, fruit smoothies and fresh fruit juices! Trust me when I say that I feel absolutely amazing staying clear from those crazy supplements that I used to worship and ‘swear by.’
Muscle Building and Protein Worries
- I feel like there is a huge misconception when it comes to muscle building and getting enough protein while being vegan. First of all, protein doesn’t build your muscles, it repairs them. Carbohydrates build your muscles. Even before I went plant based vegan, I made sure that immediately after my workouts I consumed 100 – 200 grams of fast acting carbohydrates. Eat all the carbs to build those muscles!
- YOU WILL GET ENOUGH PROTEIN being vegan. Trust me when I say this, because I love muscle. I love, love, love it. I am obsessed with aesthetics and building my body. I get more than enough protein from all my vegetables, legumes and complex carbohydrates that I eat through out the week. I actually feel like I have gained more muscle since becoming vegan because about 80% of my calories (if not more) come from carbohydrates!
Do you have any other questions you would like answered? Email me and I’ll answer any questions with a post on this page 🙂
Tips
- Trust the process and don’t get frustrated. As experienced as I am, I have days where I am just not moving like I want to. I am falling during my balance exercise, I struggle to go as heavy as the week before, or some days I just straight up don’t have a good workout! Don’t let this discourage you and know that it happens to everybody, no matter what stage they are at. The most important thing you can do is stay positive and don’t get down on yourself. Say positive things to yourself. Lately, I haven’t been able to do single leg deadlifts without tumbling over. I find that when I take a deep breath and tell myself “It’s okay, just stay focused, relax and try again. You got this…” almost immediately I start to perform better!
- Do workouts you enjoy. I love legs! There is a common misconception that you can’t train the same body part everyday of the week. I completely disagree with this. I do not think you should do the same exact workout everyday (for example 7 days of heavy ass squats in a row) but training the same body part everyday actually makes sense to me. An appropriate example would look like this:
- Day 1: Heavy Squats with HIIT Upper Body Day 2: Lightweight Squats with HIIT Full Body Day 3: HIIT Legs with Heavy Upper Body Day 4: Heavy Lunges with HIIT Legs Day 5: Bodyweight Squats with HIIT Upper Body Day 6: HIIT Full Body with emphasis on Legs Day 7: Stair Master/Running
- Think about the best athletes in the world, do you think they train one skill only once or twice a week? No. They train and practice that shit everyday so they develop the correct form, technique and muscle mind connection.
- So, because I love legs and I love burpees I do these movements everyday! I am really good at it too! My squat form is perfect and I can move through burpees like Micheal Phelps move through water.
- If you aren’t doing something you enjoy, the process will be miserable. Don’t do burpees if you absolutely hate them – but do give them a try. Sometimes the process isn’t always fun, but the result is (like a lean, sexy body). Most of the time, when you start to see and feel those results, the process becomes addictive and you start to enjoy things your never thought you would!
- Muscle Mind Connection is very real and important! Whenever you perform a workout, ask yourself, “Am I feeling this in the right places?” When I perform a squat I like to imagine my glute muscles doing all the work – I literally imagine what my body is doing underneath my skin. You’re probably thinking this girl really is crazy haha, but I swear by doing this, you fire neurons through your body and you really do activate more muscle fibers! This results in more muscle, quicker and effective workouts and your times is being put to good use.
- Get a good playlist going! Here are some artists I love to listen to:
- Odesza
- BORNS
- Halsey
- Lorde
- Kendrick Lamar
- $uicideboy$
- Pouya
- Ramirez
- Night Lovell
- 21 Savage
- Gyyps
- Felly
- Post Malone
- YG
- ASAP Rocky (marry me, please)
- Travis Scott
- Gucci Mane
- Change it up! Sometimes after walking into the same gym day after day I tend to get unmotivated. Take your workout outside or get a few different gym memberships! (Trick: go get a free 3 day pass somewhere just so you can have a new place for a few days!)
- Love YOUR body! I still follow women who have amazing bodies – and they are so inspiring, absolutely. However, when I stopped wanting what other women have, I started to love my own body just the way it is. Now, I don’t even look to other women and wish to look a certain way. I love the way I look and what my body can do for me. It took me a long time to get here, but once I finally realized how amazing I am, that my body carries me through this life, I started to treat it with respect. When I started to do that, everything else fell into place. I am at peace with my body, at every stage of my life. I hope that with my workouts, fitness and health advice I can help you learn to love your body as well – and if you want something (nicer butt, flatter tummy, etc…) that is normal and expected. I still want and strive to have a bigger booty! My point is to learn to appreciate every step you and your body will go through to get there. Like I said, enjoy the process and you will get so much more out of it!