Peripheral heart action training for weight loss

If you’re someone who’s struggling with extra body fat, keeping fit and untoned muscles then this training system is for you! We all want to look and feel our best but sometimes the journey to achieving that can be quite challenging. Hitting the gym, trying new cardio exercises, portioning your meals! It is always the same story. Years of research and scientific studies have shown over and over again that physical activity is crucial when it comes to staying fit and looking good. However, knowing the best system to use is difficult.

Peripheral heart action training is the most reliable form of training if your goal is to improve your muscle size, stamina, muscle tone and lose weight. It has been around since the 1940s but has been long forgotten since then because other old training techniques have become popular again. From yoga and pilates to HIIT and Kettlebell training, these training methods have been taking over our workout routine. PHA is also a training method that needs to make a comeback soon because of its great benefits.

The brains behind this training method was Arthur Steinhaus PH. D, but the man widely credited for bringing PHA to mainstream is Bob Gajda. He was a bodybuilder with a PH. D. and Back in 1966, he won the FICH Mr. Universe competition. He wanted to work on his muscle size, body definition, and physical conditioning. He found out about PHA and started incorporating the training into his daily routine. PHA is a system that focuses on improving every part of your body.

In a single session, you can feel a huge difference in how you feel. Bob Gaida followed a routine where he would first do an upper body exercise followed up with an exercise for his lower body immediately afterwards. He was strict about intensity and never rested between exercises. He trained his body to be capable enough to handle this strenuous routine.

The heart would continuously work intensely because the switch from the upper body to the lower body puts a high demand on the heart. The heart doesn’t rest once during the whole session, even when the lower body is resting while the upper body is working out. Because of the constant lifting and moving, lactic acid is also produced and this helps to improve your aerobic conditioning similar to workouts like HIIT.

How is PHA different?

Weight training is usually performed by doing a certain number of sets for a single exercise before shifting to the next one. For instance, you may do 5 sets of 10 Lat pull downs with 1 minute rest between. This is how training is usually done. But with PHA, you do a heavy weight training session as though it’s a circuit training session. You need to complete one set of an exercise before switching to the next one.

Here is a break down of PHA:

60-80% of your one repetition maximum

Maintain a heart rate of 80% of your maximum heart rate

5-8 exercises per circuit

The repetition range is 8-10 reps per exercise

Minimal rest between exercises

Rest for 90 seconds once a circuit is complete

2-4 circuits are usually involved in one sequence

Once sequence is complete move on to another sequence

Perform 3-4 sequences in one workout

What does a PHA sequence include?

Skull crushers
Back squat
Bicep curl
Deadlift
Frontal raise

Through PHA, you’ll be able to notice a huge improvement in your stamina. Your body fat will decrease and your muscle mass will increase. There are many people who have seen crazy body transformations through this training method.

Author bio

Gerald from Slimmer Fitter Stronger is a fitness blogger from London in the UK. Gerald is passionate about weight loss, running, personal training and the psychological side to training and weight loss. He writes regularly on these topics and has even been featured in some of the leading fitness publications like Men’s health, Triathlon + to name a few.