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Home » Exercise Programs » Is a Finisher the Key to a Better Workout? – coveteur.com

Heres one thing that rings true: If youre going to haul yourself all the way to the gym, you want your workout to be worth it. In terms of strength trainingaka a weight-focused circuitthe real gains, according to trainers, lie in the final minutes. Just when you think youve finished your sets, your trainer throws in that last cardio hit (read: hell). Its what they love to call the finisher, and there are a few reasons why its the key to an effective workout. Jennifer Lau, Nike Master Trainer and owner of Fit Squad in Toronto, explains why she uses it in her training programs.

A finisher in the literal sense is a short and intense exercise (or series of exercises) to complete at the end of a workout to test your mental toughnessyou think youve finished your workout, but its one more thing to push your body to the point of being finished. This helps burn extra calories, tests your mental strength, and makes you sweat even more. For example, at the completion of a strength workout (weight-focused circuit), a finisher could be one minute of high-intensity exercise, such as squat jumps.

A finisher in the literal sense is a short and intense exercise (or series of exercises) to complete at the end of a workout, Lau explains. Think one minute of squat jumps, or completing a 500 m row as fast as you can. Bottom line: Youre pushing through your comfort zone.

Lau says its important to add a high-intensity interval at the end of a weight-training workout for maximum effectiveness, versus executing one at the start of one. High-intensity intervals require a big energy output, and strength training takes focus. She says doing it at the end ensures your glycogen levels are not depleted heading into your strength workout.

Theres this little phenomenon called post-exercise oxygen consumption that occurs when you do an intense exercise. It uses up your stored energy and creates more damage to your working muscles (a good thing!), so when your body is in restoration and repair mode it uses up all that extra energy you have stuck in your cells.

Youll feel like youve worked out. Strength training doesnt have the same cardiovascular strain as a high-intensity workout does, so when you tack on some heart-pumping move, youll feel like youve done the work. Its a mental play, but it works. It will build mental toughness, Lau adds, because as the name would suggest, you should feel completely done after it.

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Is a Finisher the Key to a Better Workout? - coveteur.com

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Home » Exercise Programs » Is a Finisher the Key to a Better Workout? – coveteur.com