Everything You Need to Know About HIIT

Crystal Amelco

You may have heard of HIIT physical training and been curious but haven’t quite felt ready to wander out of your comfort zone to check and see what it’s all about. If not, this article will give you the whole lowdown on the benefits of HIIT, what a typical HIIT workout and workout schedule will look like, who HIIT is really meant for, and what kind of results you can expect from including HIIT into your workout routine.

 

Benefits of HIIT

  1. Incredibly Efficient- The most amazing benefit of HIIT is the ability to burn so many calories in such a short amount of time. We are all very busy these days and finding the time to fit in a great calorie burning workout can be hard. HIIT makes this possible by shortening the workout time by half or more with the same amount of calorie burn and as if that’s not enough motivation it keeps burning calories! Which brings us to our next benefit…
  2. Increase Your Metabolism for Hours- Part of the magic of HIIT exercise is that your body spends hours after you have stopped your workout continually burning calories to recuperate. This means that you can see even more weight loss than you expect because you usually only take into consideration the calories burned during exercise, not how it affects your metabolism for the remainder of the day.
  3. It Helps to Burn Fat- Not only has high intensity interval training been proven to burn fat but it targets the stubborn fat that we all want to lose: belly fat. You would think that such a short workout wouldn’t be able to burn much fat, but the intensity makes it a possibility.
  4. It Helps You Gain Muscle Mass- The types of moves that are included in a HIIT workout will help you get stronger and gain muscles mass. The very nature of a HIIT workout makes using your muscles a necessity because you will be moving your body around in a faster movement but maintaining good form. You will quickly notice a more lean and toned physique, especially in the core and legs.

 

Typical HIIT Workout Routine

So, let’s talk about what a HIIT workout really looks like. One thing is for certain, this is no long boring cardio session. HIIT will get your heart pumping and your muscles burning faster than any other type of workout you can try.

Before you star any HIIT workout, you need to make sure that you complete a good warm up session. You will need limber muscles in an intense workout like this. HIIT intervals are usually timed and alternate between your work interval and your rest intervals. The work intervals can fall anywhere between 45 to 20 seconds and the rest intervals can be anywhere between 10 seconds and a minute.

Here is an example of what a HIIT workout could look like:

Circuit 1: 20 seconds- mountain climbers

                10 seconds- rest

                20 seconds- jump squats

               10 seconds- rest

                Repeat 4 times

Rest 1 minute between circuits

Circuit 2: 20 seconds- dancing crab

                10 seconds- rest

                20 seconds- russian twist

                10 seconds- rest

                Repeat 4 times

Repeat the entire workout, Circuit 1 and 2 one more time. Cool down and stretch.

 

How often should you include HIIT in your week?

Because of how much stress you put your body under during a HIIT workout, it is recommended that you don’t do more than 3 per week and usually not two days in a row. It is important to listen to your body. After a particularly difficult HIIT workout, you may need more than one day to recover.

 

What type of people will best benefit from HIIT?

HIIT can be adjusted to any fitness level but because of the intensity of the workout and speed of movement, most people who have joint or back problems wouldn’t participate in these workouts.

HIIT is great for people who are pressed for time, have busy schedules, or who get bored easily because the workout moves so fast that you are constantly moving from one move to the next and you’re done before you know it! It is an incredibly great way to fit fitness into a full life.

 

What results can you expect to see from HIIT?

Just like any type of workout, you will see the most results if you are a beginner. Your body will drastically improve because you are going from no physical activity to intense workouts. HIIT workouts are great for those who have been working out consistently but have hit a plateau.

HIIT will help you burn fat, tone muscles and carve a beautiful lean physique. Try your own HIIT workout and see what all the talk is about!

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