I get clients in my store almost every week asking about the Max Trainer. People want to know if we carry it, whether or not it’s a good product and if it actually does burn more calories than other machines.
Parent company, Nautilus Inc., to Octane Fitness, has done a great job marketing this product but if you pay attention to the infomercial, the focus is really on the idea of the “quick workout”. Fourteen minutes is all you need to melt the pounds off, they say and they are correct. Fourteen minutes IS all you need to have an excellent high-intensity workout that will burn an inordinate amount of calories and, in a sense, “rev up” your metabolism for a day or so afterwards.
What this brand is really pointing to is the power of HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING, or “HIIT”. This is a form of cardio training in which you do a short warm up (2-3 minutes), and then do a series of high intensity intervals (going as hard and as fast as you can for 15-60 seconds), with a series of 1-2 minutes breaks in between. This idea is not new, and it is not exclusive to the Max Trainer.
Just peruse the internet for 5-10 minutes and you will see that virtually all well-qualified fitness experts (ie, Dr. Mercola, Mark Sisson, Joe Rogan) endorse this type of training – and for good reason! The benefits you will receive from such a small amount of time input are hard to beat. But none of these fitness experts will tell you that this workout (and its benefits) can only be obtained from the Max Trainer. You can do this workout in a variety of ways, ranging from using no equipment (sprints, skipping rope), to using your favourite cardio piece (Assault Air Runner, Schwinn Airdyne, Keiser M3i, WaterRower). The equipment you use or don’t use isn’t the determining factor in your success. The determining factor(s) in your success is the use of this particular format of cardio training (HIIT) and the amount of sheer effort you put into each interval (and, of course, consistency).
Personally, I do HIIT once or twice per week, as per Mark Sisson’s recommendation, and only when I am feeling well-rested and “up to the task”. I will often do it prior to a 40 minute stretch session, as it gets the blood moving really well, which is conducive to productive stretching. I do 3 minutes of light warm up and then between six and eight 15 second intervals with 60-90 second rests in between. All-in-all this workout takes me 12-15 minutes. My personal favourites to use for these sessions are the Schwinn Airdyne and the Keiser M3i, but really it’s a very individual choice. Lots of our customers love the WaterRower’s as well as tried-and-true treadmill brands like Precor and Life Fitness. Again, virtually any good-quality cardio machine will work well for HIIT. When it comes down to it, the Max Trainer is similar to an Elliptical machine. If you like the feel of the Max Trainer, I suggest trying out similar products to determine which works best for you. Fitness Town’s Fitness Equipment Experts strive to help each customer find the right equipment to reach their fitness goals.
So if your goal is to do high-quality workouts in a short amount of time, remember that there isn’t just one piece of equipment that will yield results. Make sure to pick something that you enjoy using and that is good quality, and as long as you follow the HIIT format, you’re going to enjoy the success you’re after.
Have fun and train smart,
