To me there is nothing better than the feeling of satisfaction and exhaustion after a High Intensity Interval Training session (HIIT) on the stepper at the gym or the rower in our studio! People think I’m crazy when I say I love pushing my body to the limit on a stair machine, and maybe I am a little (that is actually my heart rate on the screen straight after a set of intervals!) but the fact is you just can’t look past the fact that HIIT really can give you the biggest bang for your buck in exercise!
What is HIIT?
Any type of training involving multiple rounds of short, high intensity efforts followed by a recovery period. The work time, rest time, and number of rounds can vary, but one thing that can’t change is your effort – HIIT MUST be performed to AT LEAST 80% of your maximum heart rate! Because of this high intensity sessions are normally short, only lasting between 15 – 30 minutes.
Why is HIIT so good?
It can be used with almost ANY mode of training. You can swim, run, row, bike or burpee to your heart’s content!
It’s SO time-efficient, and can save you hours of monotonous cardio for the same overall calorie expenditure. How? Because of the physiological stress it places on the body, you burn more calories for up to 48 hours after the session while your body recovers. In fact, studies have found it more effective for reducing body fat than continuous moderate intensity exercise.
Other benefits include improved cardiovascular fitness, blood pressure regulation and blood glucose regulation.
WANT TO GIVE IT A TRY?
Remember any type of exercise you enjoy can be employed in HIIT, so long as it can get your heart rate beating hard enough! So if you’re new to high intensity exercise start choose a type of exercise and start with something like:
30 sec of high intensity + 90 sec of rest or very low intensity movement.
Repeat 6 – 10 rounds. As you progress you can then reduce your rest period, then slowly increase your exercise time.
But MOST Importantly… If you aren’t puffing, sweating and feeling absolutely wrecked three quarters of the way through your intervals then you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough, and you won’t reap the benefits that HIIT has to offer. So get ready to work hard and push yourself to a new level!
Want some help designing your own HIIT program? We would be more than happy to help, just message us or contact us!