Cover Story | Fitness

The Sweat Addict

Get ready to sweat with these cardio workouts

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The Sweat Addict looks for that revved up, nonstop pump that leaves your heart and muscles fatigued but your brain on fire. High-intensity workouts have been proven to be an ideal and optimal form of cardiovascular exercise, resulting in reductions in body fat and increases in muscle mass and aerobic power. Plus, the endorphin high after you’re done is as real as Housewives pretend to be.

Alison Benfeito, longtime fitness pro and trainer extraordinaire at 426 Fitness in Warren talks about the importance of getting those big sweat sessions into your weekly routine. “HIIT training (High Intensity Interval Training) can rev up metabolism and reduce body fat, and, when used in conjunction with a solid strength training program, can help build leaner, more defined muscles.” Alison recommends HIIT training twice a week, alongside all the other varieties of body-drenching workouts that contribute to an ideal fitness routine.

“It’s integral to keep sweat sessions balanced in your regimen. For instance, working with kettlebells builds long-lasting functional strength; rebounding (a mini-trampoline workout) gives a fantastic cardiovascular workout, HIIT does all of what I mentioned already, and yoga provides stability, flexibility and overall strength,” Alison informs. She also doesn’t believe in scheduling “rest days,” saying that we rest enough as a whole and it’s vital to make a decision to get some type of activity in every day, even if it’s not a super intense workout.

Other high-energy workouts that could easily fit into this energetic personality are ones on the Indo-rower (a water rower), variations of barre-infused classes, bootcamps, spin, plyometrics or any style of exercise that keeps your heart rate up. Overall, any type of workout that is cardiovascular in nature will increase metabolism, improve your stress profile, increase your ability to recover and manage health conditions. And did we mention that you’ll sweat?

Classes You'll Enjoy:

  • Trampolines aren’t just for kids. Jump, squat, lunge, plank, ski and bounce your way through this nonstop, joint-friendly 45-minute Rebounding class at 426 Fitness. 426 Metacom Avenue, Warren. 401-247-7440, www.426Fitness.com
  • Work in long-lasting functional strength while swinging for the sweat at the Kettlebell Conditioning class at 426 Fitness. These “cannonballs with handles” give a serious total-body training routine. 
  • Cycle on up and flow on down with Fitness Fusion’s Spin-Yasa. Forty minutes of cardio-pumping spinning followed by 20 minutes of Vinyasa yoga flow on the mat to relax, cool down and stretch.  259 Thames Street, Bristol. 401-603-6282, www.FitFusionRI.com
  • Test your fitness limits with the Quick 2-Fit Bootcamp at Body Natural Fitness Center, where trainers lead you through an intense exercise program combining a mixture of cardio body-sculpting and lightweight, high rep resistance training. 314 County Road, Barrington. 401-245-0022, www.BodyNaturalFitness.com
  • Hit the waves without ever getting in the water with Floor Time Studio’s Surfset HIIT class. Equal parts cardio, strength and core, this powerful interval class takes place on an unstable surfboard trainer for a killer session. 23 Connell Highway, Newport. 401-633-5626, www.SurfsetNewport.com
The Sweat Addict, 426 Fitness, Rebounding class, Alison Benfeito, HIIT training, Kettlebell Conditioning, Fitness Fusion, Spin-Yasa, Quick 2-Fit Bootcamp, Body Natural Fitness Center, Floor Time Studio, Surfset HIIT, The Bay Magazine, Jen Senecal, fitness

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