During the day, Cara Kern is content teaching math to a classroom of high school kids.
But in her personal time, the Sioux City native offers instruction on spinning, planking and extensive calisthenics in a health club.
"Cara is one of our most in-demand instructors," Heath Weber, owner of Arena Fit, explained. "She's an absolute beast when it come to HIIT."
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, alternates between short bursts of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery time.Â
In a session that is typically less than 30 minutes, a participant will perform an exercise for 20 seconds, before resting for 10 seconds.
Then, the cycle begins again.
"With HIIT, you're getting a great, all-around workout because you're using short, sharp bursts of energy," Weber said. "But once you're done, you get to go on with the rest of your day."
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That makes HIIT helpful for busy, on-the-go professionals like Kern as well as for Weber, who is an associate dean for performing arts at Morningside University when he isn't running the fitness center at 4501 Southern Hills Drive.
"People love HIIT because you're not doing one exercise over and over again," Weber explained. "If you're not crazy about one exercise, wait 20 seconds, and you'll be onto something new."
A longtime choir and music educator, Weber admitted he never thought he would own a business, let alone a gym.
"I was never athletic and, if truth be told, I had a weight problem when I was younger," he said. "By my mid-30s, I was tired of feeling sluggish and began running."
Initially, Weber was self-conscious about what others thought of him.
"My worries were all in my head," he allowed. "Other people weren't thinking of me at all. They wanted to feel better and be healthier."
However, the insecurities continued when Weber joined a health club.
"There's an old expression that the longest mile a person can walk is to the inside of a gym," he said. "I came to terms that I wasn't going to get the physique of a 20-year-old because I'm 47 years old."Â
"Now, I simply want to be the most fit 47-year-old I can be," Weber added. "I'm fine with that."
After all, fitness is a lifestyle choice as much as anything else.
"We all want the quick fix," Weber said. "But we never stop to realize we didn't gain all of that weight overnight."
This is why HIIT has been, you guessed it, a hit.
There is no specific formula for HIIT and you can go as hard as you want. Since it uses a clock, it is an excellent way to maximize a workout limited by time constraints.
Though Weber freely admits it is quite a workout.
"You know what? It is totally worth it," he said "When I teach a fitness class, it is as social as it is physical. People make friends doing HIIT. They enjoy each other's company because they have a similar interest in achieving their fitness goals."
Which is also true for Weber.
After doing this for a while, you keep on challenging yourself," he said. "I don't have to look like a movie star to feel good about myself. I'm happy just be the fittest person I can be."
