Saturday, February 9, 2013

HIIT me baby one more time!

No it's not another Britney song. It's just HIIT!
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the best workout there! That's just my honest opinion. It is a quick, super fast and a fat cell killer! HIIT is any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or even complete rest. Shape Magazine gives us 8 reasons as to why you should be doing HIIT!

1. Efficient
2. Burns more fat
3. Healthier heart
4. No equipment necessary
5. Lose weight, not muscle
6. Increases metabolism
7. Do it anywhere
8. Challenging

via
I have my own HIIT method which I will share in a few. If you are just starting, make sure you are cleared by your doctor first. We don't want to see anyone falling apart or being sucked by a treadmill in the middle of the gym.

An example of a beginner HIIT workout, consists of running as fast as you can for 1 minute and then walking for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Repeat that 3-minute(ish) interval five times for a 15-minute awesome, heart pumping workout! As always, stretch out your calves, ankles, quads, and hamstrings, so you don't pull any muscles and decrease soreness.

via

I usually do HIIT on the treadmill, but you can do this anywhere (i.e. elliptical, bike, running outdoors). What I like the most is that you do not really need any gadgets, just a desire to challenge yourself!

Warm-up with a fast walk at 3.5 mph on the treadmill for 3 to 5 minutes.
1 minute of low intensity running  (I keep it the same at 5.0mph throughout)
1 minute of high intensity  (I begin at 7.0mph and increase it by 0.2 every two sets)
Each interval will be FASTER
I will do this for 8 rounds
Cool down slowly for 5 minutes

As I progress with my work outs, I will start my high intensity running at 7.2 or 7.4. The whole point is to run as fast as you for as long as you can in a short period of time. The rest period should be brief enough to get you ready for the next one.

Hope you try it out too!

PS - HIIT in the morning is best since it will keep you pumped for the rest of the day!


3 comments:

  1. i wish i could commit to work out on routine. but i just can't.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've heard a lot about HIIT. For a while I didn't know what it was but as I'm finding out it's a type of work out not a specific work out. I definitely need to add some variety to my work out routine and try something like this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is such an inspirational post! I really need to start focusing on my fitness again!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a love note!
It makes my day!
I usually reply via email :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...