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    HIIT Was Cool, But Is PHA Cooler?

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    While HIIT is well-deserved (even if we all despise the burpees required for most of its sessions), PHA programming may soon take the top spot in our hearts.

    What is PHA?

    PHA training, which stands for “peripheral heart rate training,” is the antithesis of HIIT in many aspects. Unlike typical heart-rate-based exercises, which cause your heart rate to rise and fall by asking you to exert maximal effort and then relax, PHA is designed to maintain your heart rate constantly throughout the course of your workout. This implies that instead of resting between workouts, you’ll be working the entire time.

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    What’s the catch? You alternate between your upper and lower bodies, which not only makes the nonstop movement more pleasant but also maintains your blood circulating in a beneficial way for your body.

    Difference between HIIT and PHA

    The advantage of sticking in this heart rate zone is that you will not lose form due to weariness. HIIT, on the other hand, raises your heart rate to the maximum with a series of hard exercises followed by low-intensity rest intervals to bring it back down.

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    To minimise localised exhaustion, PHA training requires you to regularly rotate your workouts from upper to lower body, giving your working muscles a chance to relax while keeping your heart rate raised. There is also a balance of push and pull movements to avoid overworking any one muscle group. By shifting your weight from the top to the bottom half of your body, you’re also increasing blood flow throughout your circulatory system. Your recovery period is critical for both HIIT and PHA training.

    Design Your Own PHA Workout

    At home, you can simply design your own PHA programme using anything from resistance bands and dumbbells to barbells and kettlebells.

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    If you’re a novice, this exercise will most likely be more strenuous than a usual circuit training session, so start with fewer weights, fewer circuits, and easier exercises to avoid overdoing it.

    To create your own PHA exercise, follow these steps:

    HIIT Was Cool, But Is PHA Cooler?

    1. Pick three exercises for the lower body and three for the upper body. Compound exercises should be used by more advanced exercisers to increase intensity. Pushups, squats, dumbbell rows, lunges, biceps curls, and leg lifts are a few examples.
    2. Select a weight for each exercise that permits you to complete no more than 15 repetitions. Beginners may begin with no weight or modest weights and gradually progress to higher weights.
    3. Alternate between upper and lower body movements with no break in between.
    4. Rest for a minute or so after the first circuit, then repeat one to three times if you’re a novice, and up to six times if you’re more proficient.
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