What is HIIT Training?

What is HIIT?

High Intensity Interval Training, otherwise knows and HIIT, is becoming more and more popular in the fitness world. For good reason too. HIIT training has some pretty awesome health benefits and can be done from just about anywhere in under an hour. So what is HIIT? High Intensity Interval Training is a from of workout that involves intervals of high intensity efforts followed by intervals of lower (recovery) intervals. The high intensity work periods can range from 5 seconds to a few minutes and are performed at 80%-90% of a persons maximal estimated heart rate. The recovery periods last equally or longer than the high interval at 40%-50% maximal heart rate. The workout continues, alternating this pattern for 15-30 minutes, sometimes longer.

What are the Benefit?

There are many benefits to incorporating HIIT into your workout routine. Here are just a few.

• Helps build aerobic and anaerobic fitness

• Burns calories and fat in a shorter period of time

• Boosts metabolism

• Burn calories and fat hours after you leave the gym

• No equipment necessary

• Assists in fat loss - also important, aids in visceral fat loss (fat around organs)

• Improves oxygen consumption

How to include it?

One great thing about HIIT training is that it can be done in a short amount of time from pretty much anywhere. To get started you can choose a form of exercise (running, cycling, bodyweight exercise, strength training) and vary intervals of high intensity with low intensity. Experiment with different variations of exercise and recovery remembering those target heart rate goals of 80%-95% high/40%-50% low.

Here are a few examples of HIIT workouts:

• Sprint hard for 15 seconds followed with walking or jogging for 1-2 minutes.

• Using a stationary bike, pedal hard for 30 seconds followed with slow pedaling for 2 minutes.

• Perform squat jumps for 30 seconds followed by boxer shuffle for 1 minute then Burpees for 30 seconds followed by a light jog in place for 1 minute. Repeat for 15 minutes total.

Bottom line HIIT is an efficient way to exercise and produces many of the same health benefits as other forms of exercise in a shorter amount of time. Give it a try and have fun!