fbpx
Your Guide To Doctors, Health Information, and Better Health!
Your Health Magazine Logo
The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Susan Hahn
HIIT Me High Intensity Interval Training
Fitness Together

HIIT Me High Intensity Interval Training

Something about a 20-minute workout having the same impact as a typical long-winded session at the gym really appeals to many.

Fast fitness that targets all the major muscle groups, makes you sweat, torches tons of calories, boosts the body's overall metabolic rate,and still leaves time for a shower, where do you sign up? I'm talking, of course, about high intensity interval training (HIIT).

How does this miraculous sounding workout get powerful results? The answer is in the science behind it all. The goal of HIIT is to hold an anaerobic state over an accumulated amount of time. It's designed with rest intervals to allow you to do longer and harder bursts during your workout.

For example,if you were to sprint for 100 meters, you would go full out for about 15 seconds, depending on your speed. Compare this to an HIIT workout, where 5 minutes are generally spent with warm up and cool down (essential for preventing injuries and not over-working your heart), and 15 minutes are spent with the workout. Of the 15 minutes, 4-8 minutes will be spent in those bursts or sprints, depending on your fitness level.

Basic HIIT Tips

  • It's intense You will zap more calories during the workout, and it will increase your metabolic rate. Be sure to eat something light and energizing about half an hour before your workout.
  • Take a break HIIT should only be done every other day at the most. Doing HIIT every day will overtax your body. It works best for burning calories and increasing strength when your body has a day between workouts to rebuild.
  • Try something new There are a variety of workouts you can do with HIIT. The point is to incorporate intervals. The most effective is jogging with sprints, but you can try intervals on the bike or elliptical machine, or by jumping rope, swimming, etc.
  • Mix it up The point of high intensity interval training is to avoid plateaus and keep your body on its toes. Sticking to one HIIT routine will bore your body and decrease its effectiveness. Mix up the pace or intervals of your bursts, or switch the type of workout you do your intervals with.
  • Raise your heart rate To be effectively doing HIIT, you want your heart rate at or above 80% of its maximum rate during your bursts. The regular periods should be a jogging pace.

High intensity interval training is sure to be a challenge to anyone and will definitely give you the results you want in no time, all while leaving you plenty of room for the other things in your life.

www.yourhealthmagazine.net
MD (301) 805-6805 | VA (703) 288-3130