03 Feb Peak 8 Fitness: Fast and Effective
Sometimes the hardest part about exercise is finding enough time to squeeze it into our busy schedules. If you can find 10-16 minutes per day, 2 to 4 days a week, you can reap enormous health benefits from a program called “Peak 8 Fitness Interval Training.”
It’s my kind of workout – fast, effective and invigorating!
Every other morning I spend just 15 minutes on my elliptical doing the Peak 8 Fitness program and I feel the benefits throughout the entire day. I think this is the best way to fit in a high-quality workout in a short period of time.
It has been scientifically proven in countless studies to decrease insulin resistance, decrease depression, improve brain function, improve cardiovascular health and build muscle. The epigenetic effects of a workout like this cannot be understated. Your genes are in charge of repairing and replicating every cell in your body. Exercise makes this process more efficient at the level of your DNA. Why not do your DNA a favor? Give yourself an amazing Peak 8 workout today and feel the benefits all day long.
The “Peak 8” Fitness Concept
The program involves 20-30 seconds of intense exercise, followed by 90 seconds of recovery. Most people start with 4 sets of intervals and work up to 8 sets as they get stronger. Even 4 sets give you significant health benefits. I like to do an elliptical machine or stationary bike, but other forms of exercise, such as running or swimming sprints, can be used.
During the intense-exercise period, the goal is to get your heart rate up as close to your maximum heart rate as possible, assuming you have no health restriction to do so (ask your doctor if you are unsure). Most experts calculate your maximum heart rate as 220 minus your age. If you don’t have a heart-rate monitor, a good rule of thumb is to go as hard as you can until you start to feel a burning sensation in your muscles. This usually occurs in the last few seconds of the intense interval. It should be uncomfortable, but not painful. This usually means you have worked hard enough to cross the anaerobic threshold.
Peak 8 training works better than regular aerobic exercise because it targets two muscle sets: your fast and super-fast muscle fibers. We don’t usually target these muscle sets with regular cardio, which only targets your slow muscle fibers. Dr. Mercola states that Peak 8 Fitness “promotes the production of human growth hormone (HGH), a synergistic, foundational biochemical underpinning that helps support your strength training and other exercises so that they work to your advantage and help you burn off calories effectively.”
Other Benefits of Peak 8 Training:
- Reduced body fat
- Dramatically-improved muscle tone
- Firmer skin and fewer wrinkles
- Increased energy and libido
- Improved athletic speed and performance
- Ability to achieve your fitness goals much faster
- Continued calorie burn for up to eight hours after an interval session
- Heart and lungs become stronger are able to take on sudden, intense challenges more easily as well as recover more quickly
- Ability to do the workout without special exercise equipment; you can do the program just by walking or running – indoors or out
- Doesn’t require much time; with interval training and Peak 8, you work out only 2 to 4 times per week for about 20 minutes per session
Here’s a helpful link from Dr. Mercola and Dr. Kendra Pearsall demonstrating the technique I’ve shown you.
Are you ready for the Peak 8 Fitness workout? Have you already experienced success with this type of exercise? Please share your thoughts below.
“Learn the Science. Heal Yourself.”
Mary Caire MD empowers the world to create a culture of optimized health guided by DNA and epigenetics.