In this edition of The Avengers workout series, we’re going to look at getting you toned and lean enough to fit into your very own Iron Man suit.

Avenger: Iron Man

Tony Stark certainly needs to stay slim for fitting into his vaunted suit and staying up in the air. High-intensity, interval training is a great way to burn calories, provided you’re pushing yourself to the absolute max; doing so creates “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” or an “oxygen debt”. This is the amount of oxygen required to return your body to its normal, rested state. The higher this is, the more calories burnt after the workout, which is why it’s commonly known as the “afterburn”.

If you are pumping your heart rate up to near its maximum, you can do high-intensity, interval training with any form of exercise. The most important thing to remember is the work to rest ratio. To push your hardest on each interval you will need enough rest between rounds. A 1:2 ratio should be your minimum but try 1:3, 1:4 or even 1:5.

Deadmill

5 to 10 sets of 10-15 second sprints with 40-60 seconds rest.

Deadmill is simply using the treadmill without turning it on. Grab the handles and run as fast as you can against the resistance of the belt. This is far more effective than turning the treadmill up to its highest speed as you can adjust your stride length to make it easier.

Try adding 2-3 high intensity cardio sessions a week to boost fat burning. However, if you are feeling run down and tired on a high-intensity day then either rest or perform low-intensity, steady-state cardio such as walking instead.

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