Who always has 45 minutes to an hour to spend moseying along on a treadmill? Have there ever been days when you've left the gym and hardly even broke a sweat? And how about the next day, when you wish you felt sore but didn't? Well, that's all about to change...
HIIT (or high intensity interval training) is an incredibly effective way to train. HIIT can be used in many aspects of exercise, including cardio and weight training. The idea is to incorporate bursts of high-intensity moves scattered between periods of lower-intensity recovery work. I love this form of training because I can push myself to my max but still have down time to catch my breath and prepare myself for the next round. Even after just 30 minutes of HIIT, I am drenched in sweat but actually feel energized instead of the usual sluggishness that accompanies a long cardio session. Have I convinced you to try it yet?? Or if you already have, to incorporate it more regularly into your training regimen? If so, here are some ideas for beginners and gym rats alike...
HIIT Cardio
A basic HIIT running workout would look something like this:
- 3-5 min: Warm-up walking or slow jog
- 2 min: Gradually increase speed
- 30 seconds: full out sprint
- 90 seconds: recover at an easy pace
- Repeat the 3rd and 4th steps for 30 min
- 3-5 min: cool down
This is a basic, strict plan but can be modified in dozens of ways. Some ideas:
- Change the cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, stairmaster, bike)
- Switch up the intensity by adding hills, inclines, and resistance
- Go from one cardio machine to the next and count the in-between time as part of your rest time
- Do a combination of cardio machine(s) and body-weight cardio exercises (see examples below)
Screw cardio machines--use your own body weight! Here's an example of a killer but extremely effective HIIT cardio workout. You can do this in the gym, your living room, your boyfriend's backyard, whatever! These kinds of workouts are the most fun, in my opinion. Crank up the dance music and push yourself!
- 3-5 min: Warm-up (jog in place, easy jumping jacks, march in place)
- 30 seconds each (take your pick, or try them all!):
- Burpees
- Lunge Jumps
- Front kicks
- Squat jumps
- Jump rope
- Fast feet
- Box (or bench) jumps
- Plyometric push ups
- Skating lunges
- Star squat jumps
- In between each move, do one of your warm-up moves for 30-60 seconds (as long as it takes to get your breath back)
- Repeat the whole sequence 3-5 times, depending on how much time you have
- 3-5 min: Cool down (repeat warm-up moves)
Tips
- HIIT cardio training should be done on nonconsecutive days.
- It honestly doesn't look as intense as it really is. If you find yourself wheezing after 2 rounds, spend an extra minute in recovery. HIIT is designed to be short but effective, which means that for a very brief amount of time, you are pushing yourself to the very max that your body can handle. Allow your body a chance to get used to this form of training. ALWAYS listen to your body and dial down the intensity if you're truly in pain, but don't slow down just because you're tired.
- If you only have 15-20 minutes, this is the workout for you. However, in order to avoid injury, my general rule of thumb is to not do HIIT workouts more than 2 or 3 days a week, with at least 48-72 hours in between.
HIIT Strength Training
You can lose extra weight from cardio and diet alone, but in order to truly change your figure, you NEED to start lugging some weights! Lean muscle is the only key to finally getting the body you desire. That being said, try to incorporate short bursts of intensity into your strength workouts. Some examples include:
- Faster-paced iron-pumping (keep proper form!)
- Little to no rest time between sets of the same move
- Super-sets (two different back-to-back moves working similar or opposing muscles)
- Jumping rope for 1 minute in what used to be your rest time between sets
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