What is RT24 Relentless Training that lasts for 24 minutes RT24 is a, No Nonsense, Science Based, Results Driven, and Measureable Training System. We work on a very simple training philosophy: to achieve your fitness goals you need to train as HARD as you can for as LONG as you can while maintaining GOOD FORM. Within RT24 a Bad Rep is a No Rep. We have designed the classes so that they meet specific training goals: burn fat increase muscle mass improve movement patterns, and strengthen cardio vascular fitness This is achieved by creating a flexible class which combines two different styles of training. RT24 programmes use a resistance that is unique and specific to the users training age and capabilities whether this be Body Weight, light resistance or heavy resistance loads. The volume of training in an RT24 class is high, and when you combine high volume resistance training along with the principles of HIIT training you can start to see how RT24 is built for achieving its results. Each class is designed to be no longer than 24 minutes but within this time frame you will be expected to perform to your maximum effort. We do not believe any client or athlete should pace themselves through the workout, with our RT24 Coaches encouraged to make sure nobody holds anything back whilst training and leaves all their effort out there in the exercise bouts; there is no pacing everything is done to failure. Each class is designed to be measurable in a certain aspect. Measurability not only allows RT24 clients to measure how hard they have worked in a class but also allows them to see their progress the next time they do a specific session. RT24 not only gives you a great tool to build on your fitness goals but allows you to measure how effectively you are achieving these goals. We believe that this allows clients to become more engaged in their training and fitness goals
and gives another source of feedback to help encourage and also plan for their upcoming training blocks. Where did it come from RT24 was the brain child of Core Gym, situated on the North Coast of Ireland Three coaches within the gym, from three different fitness backgrounds, saw a gap in the fitness market for a fresh, effective and fun training class that was backed up by the latest research conducted in the sports science field. We as a team studied the current research and literature to see which training principles were showing to give the best results. From our fact finding we concluded that we wanted a class that combines the three main elements of fitness: 1. Functional Movement, 2. Strength Training and 3. HIIT training. We wanted a class that was not solely built around improving your cardiovascular fitness. We wanted a class which was adaptable and could be used by anyone from the general public to a high performance athlete and still find it challenging various components of their fitness. We also wanted an exercise selection that we seen as not only effective but functional, so to therefore improve clients posture, general movement patterns and specific movement patterns. We believe that if we could follow this functional training path then our clients would not only improve in the gym and become less susceptible to injuries, but it would also improve the public s general well being and health. We strongly believe in the product that has come from this well devised creation process and think that RT24 is exactly what gym members, athletes and those just beginning their fitness journeys are crying out for to help push them to meeting their next goal! The science behind RT24 What makes RT24 work? We wanted to ensure that our training methods were a reflection of the principles and protocols that current sports science research backs. We have gathered the following information that has led us to designing timed and measurable workout based around the following science based training principles that allow us to claim that RT24 is one of the best ways to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness, burn fat, enhance mobility and increase lean muscle mass in a single workout Increases in Aerobic Fitness
It is generally accepted that many of the biochemical and physiological adaptations that accompany aerobic training occur in response to an increase in muscle cell energy demands. Indeed, manipulation of the intensity and duration of work and rest intervals changes the relative demands on particular metabolic pathways within muscle cells, as well as oxygen delivery to muscle. The subsequent adaptations that occur, both at the cellular and systemic level, are specific to the particular characteristics of the training programme employed. One study by Hickson et al. showed, in recreationally active individuals, that V. O2 max could be markedly increased after 10 weeks of high-intensity exercise training. As well as V. O2 max improving, lower blood lactate levels at the same absolute workload were recorded, showing the individual could cope better at high intensity levels than they previously could. This clearly demonstrates how an increase in high-intensity exercise training can elicit a rapid improvement in aerobic fitness. In another similar study that backs this hypothesis a HIIT programme was used with recreationally active individuals and showed improvement in endurance performance to a greater extent than a continuous submaximal training programme, highlighting the importance for an athlete to be allowed time to recover so they can perform at a higher intensity. Time Effective workout It has commonly been observed that 6-12 weeks of exercise training at a moderate intensity (MIT, 60-75% VO2peak) can improve aerobic capacity and maximal mitochondrial enzyme activities. In addition, sprint interval training (SIT) at very high power outputs (150-300% VO2peak power) for 6-7 weeks produces similar results. Recent evidence has also shown that daily sessions of MIT (two hours/day) for only 6-10 days can improve aerobic capacity and mitochondrial enzyme activities Even as little as six SIT sessions in two weeks has also been shown to increase citrate synthase activity but without an increase in VO2peak (5). Both the MIT and SIT short duration (2 wk) protocols produce substantial training effects and health benefits in a brief period of time. However reading these studies the RT24 saw the main draw backs of these training protocols were that MIT for two hours a day is extremely time consuming and difficult to complete and SIT is performed at an all-out maximal intensity that is very challenging and may be too intense to sustain for people beginning a training program. In a day and age where free time is getting squeezed more and more by external factors in our lives, we believe that the general public as well as high performing athletes are screaming out for a short, non time constraining workout which has the right blend of resistance and bodyweight exercises to make it enjoyable for men, women, gym monkeys or the cardio freaks who love to feel the burn. We then set about composing exercises and working bouts on the principle it could be completed in 24 minutes on the benefits that: It was time effective Is suitable for individuals with differing training status Requires shorter time of focus and maximal effort
Improvement in Training Capacity Training capacity refers to the highest amount of oxygen a person can consume during maximal exercise of significant duration. Effect of HIT on Exercise Capacity is one of the most notable findings of Martin J. Gibala s recent research with cyclists. There was a dramatic improvement in exercise tolerance during tasks that rely mainly on aerobic energy metabolism, despite the very low training volume. His initial study showed that subjects doubled the length of time that submaximal exercise could be maintained, from 26 to 51 minutes, during HIIT. Subsequent work showed that subjects also improved their race performance or ability to complete a fixed amount of work (eg, 10% less time needed to complete a simulated 30-km cycling time trial). He also found a significant increase in muscle oxidative capacity ranging from approximately 10% to 35% after only 2 weeks of HIIT A higher muscle oxidative capacity is associated with an improved ability to oxidize fat, therefore demonstrating a better potential to lose fat and gain lean muscle mass. Resistance training: We use high volume, low loading within RT24 to get the muscles to fatigue. It is when in this fatigue state that the muscles will grow. Each class is designed to target every major muscle group so you are getting a full body work out. Resistance training is recommended by national health organizations for incorporation into a comprehensive fitness program that includes aerobic and flexibility exercise. Its potential benefits on health and performance are numerous; it has been shown to reduce body fat, increase basal metabolic rate, decrease blood pressure and the cardiovascular demands to exercise, improve blood lipid profiles, glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity, increase muscle and connective tissue cross-sectional area, improve functional capacity, and relieve low back pain. Resistance Training leads to many improvements in physical function and athletic performance. The external load works a potent neuromuscular stimulus for increased activation in muscle fibres, which elicits increases in muscle: strength power endurance hypertrophy. The key element to effective resistance training is supervision by a qualified professional and the proper prescription of the program variables Proper program design, ie, that which uses progressive overload, variation, and specificity, is essential to maximize the benefits associated with resistance training. Combining Resistance and HIIT Training
HIIT on its own has its limits! As a result of training following HIIT principles, muscle contraction become more efficient and physical work capacity increases. However, when submaximal endurance training becomes habitual, such as for the endurance athlete, further improvements in exercise performance with an increase in training volume do not normally occur. Indeed, the muscle of trained individuals has three to four times higher oxidative enzyme activity, up to three times more capillaries per muscle fibre, and a greater percentage of slow twitch fibres when compared with untrained muscle. In these individuals, additional improvements in endurance performance and associated physiological markers appear to require a different training stimulus than simply an increase in volume. For this reason we at RT24 believe that the research supports the introduction of load to allow our RT24 Client s programming to be adaptable for those with a high training age, who may have been exposed to a high volume of work capacity previously. The same principle also applies to helping clients overcome a training plateau that they may have reached. A training plateau refers to when a person no longer gains a significant stimulus to the physiological and neurological stress a specified fitness programme and therefore muscle adaptations are blunted. The introduction of load also allows our coaches to get creative. A specific workout can be easily manipulated and modified with external load. For example a workout that is predominantly bodyweight exercises can be modified with load, changing the tempo of the exercises as well as working different physiological and neurological pathways. In Lehman s terms this means a single session could be used on separate occasions with separate focuses e.g. strength, anaerobic endurance, power etc. Functional Training: We design each class to incorporate as many functional, compound movements as possible. Movements such as squat, lunge, planking and other functional movements put the body in dynamic positions and shapes which require the activation of more than just the movement s primary muscle group. These exercises work to recruit a large number of different muscles and muscle groups in order to help stabilize the primary working muscles in their required function. This will not only aid muscle growth through a full range of muscles but when preformed correctly these building block exercises can help to reduce injuries and maintain training longevity when coached correctly We believe if someone can work towards mastering the basics of these exercises, then they will become more efficient in their movements as they will be able to recruit their core muscles more effectively. Being able to recruit these core muscles through a movement is still under-coached in many gyms across the world and we believe our coaches should continually reinforce this principle with clients through coaching cues and informative demonstrations. The RT24 team also believe in prescribing exercises that help improve flexibility and mobility of the muscles and their surrounding joints by performing the exercises through full range of motion under tension, whether this is bodyweight or with an external load. For example if an athlete can move through a plate OH squat to press, with correct form and under tension then their overhead mobility will improve with the more sessions they attend.
HIIT Training: Each class is designed to be no longer than 24 minutes of work. This allows us to work at High Intensity in short interval periods. The timing and structure of each class will vary but each class is based under the HIIT principles. HIIT training has been shown to improve: aerobic and anaerobic fitness blood pressure cardiovascular health insulin sensitivity (which helps the exercising muscles more readily use glucose for fuel to make energy) cholesterol profiles abdominal fat and body weight while maintaining muscle mass. HIIT training can easily be modified for people of all fitness levels and special conditions, such as overweight and diabetes. How does it burn fat better than continuous exercise? HIIT workouts tend to burn more calories than traditional workouts, especially after the workout. The post-exercise period is called EPOC, which stands for excess postexercise oxygen consumption. This is generally about a 2-hour period after an exercise bout where the body is restoring itself to pre-exercise levels, and thus using more energy. Because of the vigorous contractile nature of HIIT workouts, the EPOC generally tends to be modestly greater, adding about 6 to 15% more calories to the overall workout energy expenditure. Aerobic exercise has an impact on cardiovascular disease risk, including benefits to lipid profiles, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers. Exercise also decreases the risk of events like stroke, acute coronary syndrome, and overall cardiovascular mortality. Most exercise programs utilize continuous aerobic exercise as a model for fat reduction. However, there are numerous benefits that can be found with HIIT in particular as opposed to general aerobic exercise. One article found that certain benefits, especially weight loss, are amplified with HIIT. References TWO WEEKS OF HIGH-INTENSITY AEROBIC INTERVAL TRAINING INCREASES THE CAPACITY FOR FAT OXIDATION DURING EXERCISE IN WOMEN Jason L. Talanian1, Stuart D.R. Galloway2, George J. F. Heigenhauser3, Arend Bonen1 & Lawrence L. Spriet1 2006 The Scientific Basis for High-Intensity Interval Training Optimising Training Programmes and Maximising Performance in Highly Trained Endurance Athletes Paul B. Laursen and David G. Jenkins 2002 High-intensity Interval Training: A Time-efficient Strategy for Health Promotion? Martin J. Gibala, PhD 2007 High-intensity Interval Training: Overview of Research. Kravitz 2014
Resistance training benefits in sports performance. Kramer 2002