In my High Intensity Training class you have to squat.  There’s a bodyweight squat; back squat; front squat; overhead squat; squat-kabobs, squat creole, squat gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple squat, lemon squat, coconut squat, pepper squat….

So, don’t like to squat? The point is…get over it.

But here’s why.  By incorporating exercises that work large muscle groups simultaneously (like a squat, deadlift or clean) you’ll use more muscles and burn more calories.  In a 2011 study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that men who used exercises utilizing the entire body increased their metabolism by 6 percent for up to 3 days.

Short bursts of high intensity, total-body exercises in a full range of motion are an effective way to build lean muscle, burn body-fat and give you a stronger, healthier body.

Try this to get a taste:

3 rounds for time of:

9 Deadlifts (225m/165f)

12 Pushups

15 Box jumps (24 inch)

Shoot for less than 10 minutes and you’ll be “resting” in your own sweat.  You can scale the exercises to a weight you know you can handle, do the pushups off your knees and use a short box or step if you’re having trouble with the suggested workout.

And no, it doesn’t get any easier.  But you wouldn’t want it to either.