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HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is, perhaps, the single best exercise you can do for fat loss, stress relief, and feeling great. HIIT is quick, hard, and rewarding. When you hear “High Intensity”, that’s exactly what you should expect. Engaging in HIIT is not for the timid, and there’s a great possibility you will hate every minute of it.
Until it’s over.
Then you’ll be glad you did it.
With HIIT you don’t spend a lot of time (5 minutes or less, 10 minutes if you have a warm up).
What’s an interval?
Interval training is when you go all out for a short spurt, and then rest, and then do it again. The most common is the Tabata Protocol, which lasts 4 minutes, but don’t let the time fool you. You go all out for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and repeat that sequence for 8 rounds. You can do this with body exercises, sprints, biking, or any other of a long list of things. It provides a very intense, very good workout, but doesn’t require hours of precious time.
And yet the beneficial effects are pronounced:
Intervals boosts growth hormone.
Intervals improve muscle efficiency (so you burn more fat).
Intervals reduce the levels of blood triglycerides after a meal.
Intervals improve your insulin sensitivity.
As I said earlier, if you aren’t ready to try sprinting, you can do body weight exercises. For example, one of the things that will really work you out is this:
Interval one (20 seconds): Jump lunges
Rest (10 seconds)
Interval two (20 seconds): Push ups
Rest (10 seconds)
Interval three (20 seconds): Squats
Rest (10 seconds)
Interval four (20 seconds): Burpees
Rest (10 seconds)
Interval five (20 seconds): Jump lunges
Rest (10 seconds)
Interval six (20 seconds): Push ups
Rest (10 seconds)
Interval seven (20 seconds): Squats
Rest (10 seconds)
Interval eight (20 seconds): Burpees
Rest (10 seconds)
You can combine any of the following exercises as well:
Plank to pushup
Spiderman pushup
Mountain climbers
Bicycle crunch
Russian twist
Side to side push up
Squat kicks
Firecrackers
Speed skaters
Inch worms (stationary)
Notice that you just repeat the intervals and it’s that simple. Try this and I guarantee you will feel it.
HIIT training really is incredible.