The Ups and Lows of Fitness
PHA (Peripheral Heart Action) Training for Better Fitness Results
Peripheral Heart Action training (PHA) is a dynamic way to exercise, using controlled resistance exercises in a way that makes your heart pump faster - much like aerobic training. PHA alternates upper body exercises with a lower body exercises, allowing you to maximise your results in minimum time. PHA is quickly becoming the preferred workout method for fitness professionals to help their clients get results faster.
The PHA System
If your main intention of training was to solely maintain a high working heart rate, aerobic training would be the obvious answer to reaching that goal. However, research has proven that individuals who only do aerobic training in their workouts achieve less than people who mix both resistance and aerobic training.
PHA training blends the two forms of training into one system that will boost your energy-burning levels during a workout session, as well as a long-term energy-burning effect from raising your metabolic rate.
Why Use PHA training?
PHA varies from the conventional resistance training "start and stop" method, in which exercises are performed back-to-back with rest in between. Mixing upper and lower body exercises with minimum rest in between has been proven to help individuals lose weight and reduce their overall body fat - fast. PHA also allows you to maximise your workout in minimum time, making it one of the most time efficent workouts there is today.
This "consistant intensity" approach to training has been successful with many athletes in a variety of sports, especially triathletes, who benefit greatly from this ongoing shift in workload between upper body and lower body muscles. B. Irwin (Amateur Triathlete) explains: "PHA is excellent for me due to the nature of my sport. I love how the workout can be reduced in time, even though I'm still getting all the fantastic results."
The fact that PHA can reduce your workout time is based on the premise that it will reduce your "dead time" to a minimum by ensuring that you work your body continuously: as the upper body rests your working your lower body and vice versa.
Metabolic Rate
It is common with individuals who exercise to feel on a high for several hours after a workout, which is a visual sign of a raised metabolic rate. The after-burn effect, the result of a high metabolism, is now known to be a major factor of long-term body fat loss and essential for maintaining a lean, more toned, body. PHA based resistance workouts should enable you to raise your heart rate to approximately 85% of your maximum, allowing you to reach the appropriate muscle overload and get that after-burn feeling.
The Optimum Workout
In the world today, our busy lifestyles dictate that we should try to squeeze more into less time - that includes exercise. While some fitness goals may not benefit from a time-efficent approach, mainly building muscle mass, all other fitness goals can be reached effectively using the PHA method. If used correctly, PHA training can truly suit anyone, no matter their fitness experience.
