If you find yourself pushed for time and struggling to squeeze in a lengthy workout programme, help could be at hand in the form of Peripheral Heart Action (PHA) training — alternating upper and lower body resistance exercises, interspersed with short bursts of cardiovascular activity.

Here's my guide to this exercise routine...

Busy? Pushed for time? Struggling to commit to three cardiovascular (CV) and two resistance training sessions every week? Well, so are a great many other people who are trying to keep fit and healthy. However, limited training time doesn't mean that your fitness has to take a back seat.

We have the solution: a training system that tones up muscles all around the body and gives you a great CV workout — all in one session.

Interested? Then check out PHA training, short for Peripheral Heart Action. PHA workouts bring a whole host of benefits to your exercise sessions which include:

A dynamic way to exercise

PHA training is a dynamic way to exercise, using controlled resistance exercises in a way that makes your heart pump faster — much like aerobic training.

PHA alternates upper body exercises with a lower body exercises, allowing you to maximise your results in minimum time.

The PHA system

If your main intention of training was to solely maintain a high working heart rate, aerobic training would be the obvious answer to reaching that goal. However, research has proven that individuals who only do aerobic training in their workouts achieve less than people who mix both resistance and aerobic training PHA training blends the two forms of training into one system that will boost your energy-burning levels during a workout session, as well as a long-term energy-burning effect from raising your metabolic rate.

PHA varies from the conventional resistance training 'start and stop' method, in which exercises are performed back-to-back with rest in between. Mixing upper and lower body exercises with minimum rest in between has been proven to help individuals lose weight and reduce their overall body fat, and fast.

PHA also allows you to maximise your workout in minimum time, making it one of the most time efficient workouts there is today.

This 'consistent intensity' approach to training has been successful with many athletes in a variety of sports, especially triathletes, who benefit greatly from this ongoing shift in workload between upper body and lower body muscles.

The fact that PHA can reduce your workout time is based on the premise that it will reduce your 'dead time' to a minimum by ensuring that you work your body continuously: as the upper body rests your working your lower body and vice versa.

It is common with individuals who exercise to feel on a high for several hours after a workout, which is a visual sign of a raised metabolic rate. The after-burn effect — the result of a high metabolism — is now known to be a major factor of long-term body fat loss and essential for maintaining a lean, more toned, body.

PHA based resistance workouts should enable you to raise your heart rate to approximately 85 percent of your maximum, allowing you to reach the appropriate muscle overload and get that after-burn feeling.

In the world today, our busy lifestyles dictate that we should try to squeeze more into less time — that includes exercise.

While some fitness goals may not benefit from a time-efficient approach, mainly building muscle mass, all other fitness goals can be reached effectively using the PHA method. If used correctly, PHA training can truly suit anyone, no matter their fitness experience.

Where can I try PHA training?

A PHA workout can be completed almost anywhere and frequently with minimal equipment. Space limitations can be accommodated and effectively.

Options include:

The gym. With a wide range of both resistance training and CV equipment, PHA sessions are easy to plan and execute, with plenty of variety.

Exercise studio. Light weights and some basic equipment, interspersed with jogging will make for a challenging PHA workout.

Outdoors. Similar to using the exercise studio, with a few simple items of equipment or even park benches for some exercises. Outdoor sessions bring a whole new dimension to your training.

Your own home. Creativity is the key for a home PHA session, which can be a great time saver, avoiding travelling time to and from the gym.

Sample PHA workout

If you fancy trying a PHA workout, simply follow My step-by-step sample session below:

1. Warm-up (five minutes). Begin with a minimum of five minutes light CV exercise to get your body warm, elevate your heart rate and prepare it for the main session.

2. Mobility (three minutes). Carry out a few mobility exercises to lubricate the joints and extend muscles to their full range of movement, which further prepares the body for PHA training.

Good movements to use include:

Shoulder circles: circling the arms backwards and forwards.
Chest expanders: holding the arms wide and opening up the chest.
Torso twists: twisting from side to side.
Side bends: reaching down towards the ankle on alternate sides.
Half squats: bending at the knees and hip.

3. PHA workout (40 minutes).

Aim for 15 repetitions of each exercise, following the sequence below:

U = upper body, L = lower body

Resistance exercises:

CV exercise:

Five to 10 minutes brisk walking/jogging/running.

Resistance exercises:

CV exercise:

Five to 10 minutes indoor rowing

Resistance exercises: