When you want to try out some fast paced workouts and want your body to feel the burn, you probably will head online to search for HIIT (High-intensity interval training) workouts.
Or you might be wondering whether or not to engage in cardio.
But unless you love running on a treadmill for long hours or participating in marathon races regularly, you may have a hard time finding the exact workouts that would get your cardiovascular strength set in motion without having to spend all day at it.
Luckily, you don’t have to steadily perform a series of exercises to get your fat-burning sweat on. You know why? Because of high-intensity interval training, and yes, it’s currently what’s trending in most fitness gyms, and these days it’s used way too much.
However, when done correctly, HIIT is a real game changer, and a good HIIT workout would give you much more than you get from traditional cardio workouts.
This includes boosting your heart rate, burning fat at a faster rate, making you sweat easily, and improving your lungs’ capacity in a short time. So, it’s no wonder why people find it useful, and why it’s perfect for those who don’t need to spend all day in the gym.
But, to get all the benefits packed in HIIT workouts, you need to do it correctly, and your intensity has to be high, or else, you might as well just be wasting your time.
Well, that’s what we are here for, to help you learn how to utilize HIIT workouts properly and how to engage in a handful of HIIT workouts all the time.
HIT 101
HIIT, better known as high-intensity interval workouts, refers to a quick burst of rigorous exercises rotated with low-intensity revival periods that make up the protocol.
HIIT is rapid and quite interesting, and to top it all, it’s the exact work-to-rest workouts, making it the most effective and fastest way to burn calories.
HIIT protocols can serve as your entire workout plan if you know how to maximize it, or you can include just a few rounds to achieve amazing finishers.
Whatever way you want to do it, you need to make sure your HIIT has the right voltage of intensity, because that’s what makes it work.
You are expected to go as hard as you can for a brief time and rest for the duration that would allow you to recover fully so that you can go hard again.
When doing HIIT workouts, it’s best to set your work-to-rest ratio, before you start, and several ratios are considered acceptable:
- To train specifically for strength and explosiveness, the time of rest should be lengthy to achieve a maximal effect, the ratio of work-to-rest can be 1:5 (work for 15 seconds, and take a break for 75 seconds)
- To train specifically for aerobic fitness, the duration of rest should be almost the same as the work. The work-to-rest ratio should be 1:1, or 1:2 (work for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds, or work for 30 seconds and rest for 60 seconds)
The Secret to HIIT
The secret to making HIIT workouts work is ‘THE INTENSITY”. You cannot get any results when you lag during your periods, because the HIIT protocol is designed to allow you to exert all your energy, so you need to grab that chance.
It means that you should work hard, but it doesn’t mean that you should go 100% with your intensity; this is so you don’t break down. If you are new to the game, it’s best not to go all out at the beginning.
Instead of going for 15 to 30 seconds rest at almost 100% intensity, you can go 2-3 minutes of rest at about 80% intensity coupled with about 5 minutes of low-intensity exercise. Following this procedure has shown to be effective for weight loss in inactive individuals.
Among so many group fitness instructors and fitness settings, HIIT and interval training are used interchangeably. But make no mistake on that.
Real HIIT workouts require you to perform rigorous and intensive moves during your work periods, while basic interval training is minus the high-intensity phase.
Interval training is what you commonly see in fitness scenes, the work periods are usually longer than the rest periods, but the maximum effort is not put in.
The Advantages of HIIT Workouts
Overall Health Improvement
HIIT isn’t just a tool to lean out; it can be used to improve your health in general. So many studies have proven that HIIT workouts can help lower blood sugar levels. Furthermore, it is known to reduce resting heart and blood pressure levels in obese individuals overnight.
Increases Your Metabolic Rate
After HIIT workouts, your metabolism rate would be high for hours after the exercise, even higher than weight exercising.
This effect is known as EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption), which is an after burn that comes with a calculated increased rate of oxygen intake after strenuous activity.
Fat Loss
Research has proved that both HIIT and traditional average intensity exercise can trim down waist circumference and reduce waist.
Right Ways to HIIT
So, you are still working out on a treadmill, well that’s not necessary. There are HIIT workouts that can keep you off the treadmill and help you burn more fat fun.
Tabata Training
This right here might be the most popular HIIT workout for many fitness individuals. There are numerous protocols under HIIT workouts.
This particular format consists of 8 rounds of 20 seconds of extra-intense exercise and 10 seconds of brief rest, in total that’s just four minutes workout – but with the right intensity, it’s going to be worthwhile.
Tabata training combines four intensive bodyweight movements for a single 16 minute Tabata session:
- Squat holds
- Pushups
- Lunges
- Squats
The Bike Sprint
Do you have a stationary bike? Then exercise your hamstrings and quads with a HIIT workout. Pedal the fastest you can, and go as hard as you can for 30 seconds, while placing your attention on how to turn your legs faster.
Make sure you put some resistance on the bike and don’t set it at the lowest because the essence of HIIT is to push yourself as hard as you can within the work period.
And after that, you can pedal slowly for like a minute at an easy pace. Keep repeating the process depending on how long you want to workout – 20-30 rounds won’t be a bad idea.
The Hill Sprint Sequence
Running isn’t the same as hill sprinting; they are two different fitness terminologies. While sprinting, you should try doing it on an incline, as it would stop you from overstriding, and even reduce the impact it would have on your joints.
So, you can understand why it is a brilliant way to train, plus you would be less prone to a hamstring pull on a hill sprint than you would when doing it on a flat plane.
This particular HIIT program doesn’t require you to place all your attention on the clock; you need to find a hill and sprint for about 30 seconds intensively.
You can slowly go back to your starting point, which would serve as your resting period. Then you can go again for another 10-15 rounds.
The Battle Rope Blitz
Don’t try to add unnecessary styles to this simple HIIT workout, as it would only complicate things. Just move the battle ropes at a breakneck and rigorous pace; this would help rapidly boost your heart rate.
So, all you need to do is grab a pair of battle rope and begin with slams or waves; anyone which works best for you.
Work intensively for about 30 seconds, go as fast as you can, and rest for one minute. You can do this for ten rounds, depending on how long you want to exercise.
Hand Release Push-Ups
You can start this in the usual push up position and drop your body all the way to the floor. Raise your hands off the floor for a split second and then breathe out while you fully push your body back up.
If you feel too uncomfortable and want to change position, slowly drop to your knees, don’t fret, it still makes up for a powerful HIIT workout.
The Basic Sprint Break
You still don’t want to ditch your treadmill workout, well this right here is the perfect HIIT treadmill workout. Briefly warm up with a 3-minute jog to stretch your leg muscles.
Immediately after that, go as fast as you can for 20 seconds, and then slowly reduce your pace to a jog and gradually a walk for one minute. And, boom, back to your intense sprints.
Repeat this for ten rounds, and if you are feeling up to it, you can progress to 15 rounds, and you can be sure to get 20 minutes of excess sweat. This workout doesn’t just apply to treadmills, it can work perfectly on a track or open fields, too.
COMMENTS