PERIPHERAL HEART ACTION (PHA) TRAINING PHA Training is traditionally a varition of circuit training that alternates upper and lower body exercises throughout the circuit. Commonly around 6 exercises are used (3 upper and 3 lower) of 4-6 sets with very short rest periods. The aim is to force the heart to pump blood to and from the upper and lower extremities in short succession. Therefore, allowing more effective distribution of waste products and reducing lactate build up in certain muscles, as well as forcing the heart to work harder, causing increases in its efficiency (increased stroke volume). This morning I took this approach and combined it with some more traditional weight training to do a series of PHA supersets instead of the traditional circuit. This allowed me to still use pretty heavy weights to build strength and muscle, whilst at the same time REALLY stressing my heart muscle. WHY IS THIS SO EFFECTIVE...? Because it increases the efficiency of my workout, and allows me to do more work in any given period of time. When changing from a lower to upper body exercise, the lower body has the ability to rest while the upper is working and vice versa, therefore allowing for short rest periods. SO... 1) Short rest periods coupled with a highly elevated heart rate result in a massive amount of calories being burnt during the session. 2) Large volumes of work with heavy weights leads to increases in muscle mass and also some strength gains. For anyone trying to reduce body fat whilst building muscle, this is a fantastic method. Done properly, you will literally be crawling of the gym floor after the session. Your heart pounding and your muscles feeling pumped. Give it a go if you dare!! Check out the superset I started my session off with this morning, back squat and push press 4 x 8...
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 18:40:27 +0000
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