Ever heard of high-intensity interval training?
If you don’t know what it is, chances are you’ve seen someone at your local gym doing it.
High intense interval training (HIIT) is simply a popular methodology of working out that implements short intervals of workouts while also maintaining high-intensity.
In other words, you would be working out in short bursts of vigorous exercises that will kick your butt!
Now, why would someone do that?
Well, there are a ton of great benefits of working out in this manner. It has actually become quite popular in recent years.
In this article, you will learn how to do HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and the amazing benefits of doing HIIT.
But first, let’s jump straight into how to do it.
There are generally 3 different variations of doing HIIT. You can do straight cardio or bodyweight exercises or if you really feel like challenging yourself, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) with weights.
I’ll go over how to do it for each.
I want to reiterate to you that it is called high-intensity interval training. That means you really have to put in a lot of effort into your workouts to get the most of it.
In other words, don’t coast during your workout.
HIIT is done in short intervals.
For example, it could be 40 seconds of intense workouts, 20 seconds of rest, and after a period of time, a longer rest or break period depending on your workout. You can play with the time intervals depending on your experience. If you are starting off as a beginner, you might want to decrease the time interval in which you are actually working out.
Now, let’s take a look at the 3 different types of HIIT.
Cardio/ Running HIIT
This type of HIIT is pretty simple.
No need to learn any fancy workouts or use any equipment other than your running shoes.
There are all sorts of different running intervals you can do for cardio HIIT.
You can start off by walking a 5-min warm-up at a fast walking pace, an fast run at 1 minute followed by a more mild run for 2 minutes. You can repeat this 5 times for an onerous 15-minute workout.
Or you can do running at a high pace for 30 seconds followed by 1 minute of a brisk walk. Repeat this for 5-10 minutes.
One of the really difficult HIIT workouts is called Tabata sprints. One would sprint with all of their effort for 20 seconds and then take 10 seconds of rest. You repeat this for only 4 minutes, but if you really give these a go, you will see how long 4 minutes will feel!
As you can see, there are multiple different time variations you can do to suit where you are at physically.
I do, however, urge you to really challenge yourself.
Body Weight
Just like running, bodyweight HIIT is really flexible in where you can do them.
The large majority of these exercises include: push-ups, pull-ups, box jumps, bear crawls, planks, lunges, jumping jacks, squats, burpees, high knees, lunges, sit-ups, and mountain climbers.
There are various bodyweight workout programs online that you can follow but essentially, you can pick 10 of the workouts listed above, workout in intervals of 40 seconds with 20 seconds rest, 45 seconds with 15 seconds rest or 50 seconds with 10 seconds rest.
Weight Resistance
The last variation of HIIT is exercising with weights.
Exercising with weights adds another level of difficulty and resistance to really give your body that push.
Again, there is a load of online resources to where you can find HIIT exercise routines.
Weighted HIIT is mainly composed of exercises that include: dumbbells, battle ropes, kettlebells, slam balls, or even a heavy bag.
If you are just starting out, begin with lighter weights so you don’t hurt yourself. It is vital to hit these exercises hard while maintaining safety to your body.
Now that you know how to do HIIT (high-intensity interval training), I will introduce to you why the multitude of benefits your body gets from exercising in short, intense intervals.
Save Time
First and foremost, my favorite benefit of working out in short and intense bursts is that it is extremely efficient.
What I mean by that is you would lose more weight, in less time.
These HIIT workouts can last from anywhere to 4 minutes to 20 minutes to 40 minutes…
However, the intensity and pace of the workouts are really high. This gives you efficient use of your time.
How many times have you been to the gym and you spent more time waiting for a machine or taking breaks in between sets?
HIIT makes the most use of your set exercise time. The US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health has found that it takes less time than endurance training for similar health benefits.
If you are a busy person, I am pretty sure you can dedicate 20 minutes of your day to get a good workout in and improve your health!
Your Calories Burned Is Higher for Hours After Exercise
What? Is this really true!?
Yes, you heard me right.
After you complete your HIIT (high-intensity interval training) exercises, you will be burning more calories after your workout.
The short bursts of exercise increases your caloric expenditure and this results in your body burning fat for hours after your workout.
These types of HIIT use more oxygen consumption in the body than traditional continuous aerobic exercises. When doing HIIT, after the workout, your body will burn more calories to return to its natural state of equilibrium.
In short, your body will be burning fat way after your workouts. These workouts have been proven to target belly fat. Get rid of those love handles with some basic 20-minute HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts. Reveal a slimmer, leaner stomach with these workouts that are designed to help you cut belly fat by burning more calories to decrease your overall body fat.
HIIT Is Kind To Your Heart
I know that either way exercising is good for your heart health. Partaking in HIIT exercises furthers the heart benefits because the way the workouts are structured.
Because of the way the short interval exercises are organized, you will be training your cardiac muscles to pump blood through your body as productively as possible.
I’ll show you what I mean.
During the workout, your heart is constantly rotating between a period of rest and strenuous workout. After your heart momentarily recovers in the rest period, it will return to levels of high intensity. Again, this challenges your heart muscles to work to pump blood and keep up with your level of training.
There are a ton of research and studies available for the impact of high-intense interval training and heart health. There are substantial benefits especially for older adults with heart diseases, diabetes or age-related heart illnesses.
Give it a Go!
Don’t miss out on the amazing benefits high-intense interval training can give you. From the heart health benefits to the efficient use of your workout time to the amazing belly fat-burning advantages, the amazing fit body you can achieve, etc.
Again, you will want to take it slow if you are just a beginner. Start slow but give it a shot and see for yourself how doing HIIT (high-intensity interval training) can improve your health.
Start today! Challenge yourself this week to complete 2 or 3 HIIT sessions this week.
I promise you won’t regret it 🙂
Brandon Leuangpaseuth is a writer from San Diego, CA that helps various business law attorneys across the country with their public relations. You can connect with him on LinkedIn @bleuangpaseuth.
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