BY: Jody Trierweile
Learn how it can help increase your energy!
If you’re like the majority of people, you regularly feel fatigued or tired during the day. Wouldn’t it be great to have more energy to accomplish more each day— without stimulants like caffeine?
The data on exercise is clear. It increases energy by boosting oxygen circulation, producing more mitochondria cells in the body (the primary energy source inside the cell), and releasing energy-boosting hormones. Exercising can also increase the efficiency of your heart, increase muscle tissue, and improve sleep.
If you’ve never heard of the Norwegian 4×4 Workout, research indicates that even in as little as 6-8 weeks, this protocol can lead to significant cardiovascular benefits in sedentary individuals, obese participants, and those with coronary artery disease.
| How to Perform the Norwegian 4×4 Workout
1. WARM-UP 10 minutes of light-intensity activity (longer if you’ve been sedentary). Example: stretching. 2. INTERVAL 4 minutes of high-intensity work. You should be breathless, but able to maintain the pace. Activities can include a stationary bike, a treadmill, jumping jacks, box jumps, burpees, etc. Sedentary individuals should start out at a much lower intensity and increase if you can tolerate a higher intensity. This should take several weeks to months, depending on your fitness level. You know you’re working hard enough when you cannot carry on a conversation during the exercise. 3. ACTIVE RECOVERY 3 minutes of light jogging or walking, but not standing still. This allows your heart rate to come down, but not too quickly. Gradual heart rate reduction during this rest is best. If you’re a beginner, you may need to increase the rest time to 4 or 5 minutes before you feel ready to begin the intense 4 minutes again. 4.REPEAT Repeat the high-intensity/recovery cycle 4 times. Beginners can start with only 2 cycles, and increase to 3 or 4 as their fitness level increases. 5.COOL-DOWN 5-10 minutes of light activity and stretching, especially hamstrings. The key to the Norwegian 4×4 is maintaining high intensity (hard breathing) during the 4-minute intervals to maximize cardiovascular stress, which in turn drives |
The good news is, I’ve broken down the steps to make learning this workout foolproof and easy to adopt. the physiological improvements.
How many times a week should you do this to see benefits?
Jody Trierweiler, C.N.C is a Career Mastered Magazine Contributor and health and fitness expert in Metro Detroit. Follow her and shop supplements @jodysfitlife on Instagram and Facebook, or see her on Live In The D on WDIV-4 NBC Detroit. Take one of her fitness classes at Life Time Fitness in Bloomfield Hills, or Club Studio in Troy, Michigan.
