HIIT

HIIT is all the hype lately. According to a survey conducted by The American College of Sports Medicine, it’s one of the two top fitness trends for 2014 (the other being bodyweight training). So what’s this type of training all about?

What is High Intensity Interval Training?

High Intensity Interval Training involves alternating between very intense bouts of exercise and low intensity exercise. For example, sprinting for 30 seconds, then walking for 60 seconds is high intensity interval training. HIIT can be used both anaerobically (in the gym with weights) and aerobically with cardio.

Why Is HIIT the Best Cardio to Burn Fat?

Exercise physiologists used to believe that “steady state” cardio was superior for fat loss because relatively more fat is used by the body as fuel at lower exercise intensities than at higher intensities. The “Fat Burning Zone” shown on most cardio equipment as only 60%-65% of max heart rate is really a myth and is NOT optimal for burning fat. Yes, you burn more fatrelative to glycogen when going for a walk, but what we care about is total fat burn. At higher intensities, you are burning far more fat, even though the fat/glycogen ratio is lower.  In addition, interval training allows you to exercise at very high intensities for a much longer period of time than steady state, so you burn more fat.

As an added bonus, there’s also anafterburn effect known as EPOC (excess-post exercise oxygen consumption). You increase yourmetabolism and burn more calories for up to 24 hours after interval training, whereas going for a jog burns almost NO calories after.

HIIT can be hard on your body and joint (knees), so you DO NOT want to do it every day! 3 times a week is plenty.

Sample HIIT Workout

If you are a beginner, I would recommend only trying HIIT if you can do a session of cardio for 20-30 minutes at 70-85% of your max heart rate. You can still try interval training, but at a lower exercise intensity and beginners should always wear a heart rate monitor.

NOTE: Interval training should begin with a 3-5 minute warm up and end with a 3-5 minute cool down to prevent dizziness, or nausea.

Here’s a sample HIIT workout that’s simple, but effective:

60 Seconds Sprint/Fast Jog
120 Seconds Walk/Slow Jog

I do this HIIT workout all the time on a treadmill, elliptical, or outside. The duration of “work” is 60 seconds, and my “rest” is 120 seconds. The work/rest ratio in this case is 60/120, or 1 to 2. I shoot for 5-10 cycles, depending on the type of cardio I’m doing and if it’s right after strength training. The better shape you are in, the higher intensity you can handle and the higher the work/rest ratio. For example, well trained athletes can use a 2 to 1 work /rest ratio, so they are sprinting for 120 seconds and only resting for 60 seconds.

Any type of cardio can be used with interval training, but I would caution against running more than a few times per week, because the demands on your metabolic system and joints are significant. For beginners, I recommend the elliptical, which is lower impact. Swimming, jumping rope, cycling etc. can all work well as training modalities.

I rarely go for just a jog unless I just want to clear my head, or get a little sweat. Jogging is child’s play compared to HIIT, which is substantially more effective to help you burn fat in less time and take your body to a MUCH higher fitness level.

Another Do-It-Anywhere HIIT Workout

The most beneficial use of this workout would be in conjunction with some loaded strength exercises. However, this is also an effective and extremely efficient workout that can be done anywhere when pressed for time.Perform each exercise with 30 seconds of rest in between. Be sure to give one hundred percent effort during the exercises. Repeat every other day with the goal of completing it faster each time.

50 Sit-Ups
Lay on your back, knees bent, with your feet on the floor (a). Tighten your core and using your abs, pull your head and back off the ground until you are sitting upright, with your back completely perpendicular to the floor (b). Pulling your abs in again, slowly lie back down into start position (c). Repeat.

40 Jump Squats
Stand with feet shoulder width apart, arms at your sides. Bend your knees, keeping them in line with your feet, and sit back into a quarter squat (a). Perform a small jump, and land back in your squat position (b). Repeat.

30 Push-Ups
Get into plank position, hands on the ground directly under your shoulders, legs about hip width apart (a). Keeping your elbows tucked against your sides and your body in a straight line, bend your elbows and lower your entire body until it almost touches the ground (or as far down as you can) (b). Return to start position (c). Repeat.

20 Split Jumps (Jumping Lunges)
Start with feet hip width apart, arms at your sides. Perform a small jump upwards while simultaneously moving your right leg forward and left leg backwards, landing in a lunge with right knee bent directly over your toes, left knee bent directly in line with your hip (a). Jump and at the same time reverse legs (b). Repeat.

10 Tricep Dips
Get onto all fours facing the ceiling, knees bent 90 degrees over your toes, hands on the ground under your shoulders, fingers facing forward, back straight so your core is parallel to the ground (a). Keeping your elbows tucked in, bend them to lower your butt as close to the ground as you can get (b). Push back up (c). Repeat.

30 sec Burpees
Start standing. Place your hands on the ground and jump your legs backwards until they are fully extended, so you end up in a push up position (a). Quickly jump your legs back towards your hands (b). Stand up quickly and jump with hands raised up to the ceiling. Repeat immediately when you land the jump.

The biggest thing that I try to teach people is that everyone is different. Different body, different likes, etc. Learn to trust your body and do what is best for you. Do what works for you (which may be different than what works for someone else). EAT HEALTHY AND HAVE FUN!! FIT IS A LIFESTYLE.