How to Get Started with High Intensity Interval Training

A lot of wellness experts are fans of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), but what exactly is it? And how can HIIT benefit your wellbeing? Fitness expert Kenny Thapoung explains, ‘HIIT consists of short, intense bursts of exercise with either active recovery (like less intense exercise) or complete rest in between. Cardio workouts and strength routines both qualify — they can both get your heart pumping AND fire up your metabolism thanks to the phenomenon known as afterburn. You can get a super effective workout in 20 minutes or less—even in as few as 4 minutes if you do Tabata-style training (20 seconds hard, 10 seconds easy).’

 

So that’s HIIT, but how do you get started? There are many HIIT workouts out there, so it’s a good idea to look online for a routine or circuit that suits you. Before you get going with your HIIT routine, it’s also wise to run it past your doctor, just in case it doesn’t suit your individual wellness needs. If you’re struggling to find a HIIT routine that works, why not try this one from Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist Jen Ator, author of Shape-Up Shortcuts? Ator notes, ‘It’s a shortcut, fat-burning workout that actually works. It’s also one that leaves you with zero excuses.’ For this workout, you choose one of the interval patterns and then complete the exercises in order to burn calories, build muscle, and blast fat.

 

The Interval Patterns:

• 30:30 Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and then move on to the next exercise. If you’re doing more than one round, rest for 60 seconds at the end.


• 50:10 Complete as many reps as you can in 50 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. Again, rest for 60 seconds at the end if you’re doing more than one round.

 

1. Marching Glute Bridge: Ator instructs, ‘Lie face-up with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees (a). Lift your right knee toward your chest (b). Hold for two seconds; lower and repeat with your left leg. That’s one rep.’

 

2. Inverted Shoulder Press: ‘Place your hands on the floor outside your shoulders and raise your hips so that your torso is nearly perpendicular to the floor,’ Ator advises. ‘(a). From that position, bend your elbows to lower your body until your head almost touches the floor (b). Pause, then push back to start. That’s one rep.’

 

3. Alternating Switch Lunge: Ator notes, ‘Step your right leg forward and bend both knees to lower into a lunge (a). Press through your right heel to return to standing, keeping your foot lifted, then immediately step your right foot back and lower into a lunge (b). Press through your left heel to return to standing. That’s one rep.’

 

4. Skater Hops: Ator details, ‘Stand on your left foot with your left knee slightly bent and your right foot slightly off the floor (a). Jump to the right and land on your right foot, bringing your left foot slightly off the floor (b). That’s one rep. Jump to the left and continue alternating as quickly as possible.’

 

5. Rotating T Extension: ‘Start in a push-up position,’ says Ator. ‘(a). Keeping your arms straight and your core engaged, shift your weight onto your left arm, rotate your torso to the right, and raise your right arm toward the ceiling so that your body forms a T (b). Hold for three seconds, then return to start and repeat on the other side. That’s one rep.’

Categories: ator notes, body forms, foot slightly, high intensity, HIIT, hiit routine, intensity interval, interval patterns, Interval Training, rep nbsp, Workout

Can HIIT Help You Find Time for Your New Year’s Resolutions?

You set your New Year’s wellness resolutions with the best of intentions but, let’s be serious, when are you going to have time to fit them in? Sure you want to lose weight, take care of your wellbeing, or up your fitness levels but now you’re catching up on work after the holidays and getting your kids back on their school routine – what do you do? This is where high-intensity interval training (HIIT) comes in. Not only does it help you to squeeze your New Year’s resolutions into your busy schedule, but it also provides a way to exercise even when your motivation begins to wane. But what exactly is HIIT?

 

In order to complete a HIIT workout, you need to do short, intense bursts of exercise and, in-between, completely rest or take part in active recovery, or less intense exercise. Whether you want to do more cardio workouts, strength routines or both, you can fit any exercise goal into a HIIT circuit. Both cardio and strength exercises can get your heart pumping and fire up your metabolism thanks to a phenomenon known as after-burn. This means that your body will still torch unwanted calories even after you’ve finished working out, so you can get the results you need even if you don’t have time to wait around for them.

 

It’s possible to get a very effective workout in less than 20 minutes. In fact, you can take as few as four minutes to workout if you do Tabata-style training, or 20 hard seconds followed by 10 easy ones. Is it any wonder that HIIT is predicted to be one of the hottest fitness trends of 2014? So get a jumpstart on a fitter you for the new year by trying one of our cherry-picked high-intensity workouts. This one comes courtesy of Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist Jen Ator, author of Shape-Up Shortcuts, who explains, ‘It’s a shortcut, fat-burning workout that actually works. It’s also one that leaves you with zero excuses.’ For this workout, you choose one of the interval patterns and then complete the exercises in order to burn calories, build muscle, and blast fat.

 

The Interval Patterns:

• 30:30 Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and then move on to the next exercise. If you’re doing more than one round, rest for 60 seconds at the end.


• 50:10 Complete as many reps as you can in 50 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. Again, rest for 60 seconds at the end if you’re doing more than one round.

 

1. Marching Glute Bridge: Ator instructs, ‘Lie face-up with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees (a). Lift your right knee toward your chest (b). Hold for two seconds; lower and repeat with your left leg. That’s one rep.’

 

2. Inverted Shoulder Press: ‘Place your hands on the floor outside your shoulders and raise your hips so that your torso is nearly perpendicular to the floor,’ Ator advises. ‘(a). From that position, bend your elbows to lower your body until your head almost touches the floor (b). Pause, then push back to start. That’s one rep.’

 

3. Alternating Switch Lunge: Ator notes, ‘Step your right leg forward and bend both knees to lower into a lunge (a). Press through your right heel to return to standing, keeping your foot lifted, then immediately step your right foot back and lower into a lunge (b). Press through your left heel to return to standing. That’s one rep.’

 

4. Skater Hops: Ator details, ‘Stand on your left foot with your left knee slightly bent and your right foot slightly off the floor (a). Jump to the right and land on your right foot, bringing your left foot slightly off the floor (b). That’s one rep. Jump to the left and continue alternating as quickly as possible.’

 

5. Rotating T Extension: ‘Start in a push-up position,’ says Ator. ‘(a). Keeping your arms straight and your core engaged, shift your weight onto your left arm, rotate your torso to the right, and raise your right arm toward the ceiling so that your body forms a T (b). Hold for three seconds, then return to start and repeat on the other side. That’s one rep.’

Categories: body forms, Convenience, foot slightly, high intensity, HIIT, interval patterns, left, left foot, nbsp, rep nbsp, seconds

Is HIIT Shifting Your Fitness Focus Down a Dangerous Path?

You may like the idea of improving your well-being and exercising more, but the prospect of a three-mile run may have you thinking again. However, a recent fitness trend has emerged in which you undertake workouts for as little as four minutes at a time, but still get the same wellness benefits of endurance training. So what’s the deal with this ultra-efficient exercise?

 

When you undertake high-intensity interval training (HIIT), you alternate periods of high-intensity activity with periods of low-intensity activity in order to get fit fast. According to UK surveys, the number one reason why people say they don’t exercise enough is because they don’t have enough time. However, not only is this new training trend a godsend for people with busy schedules (who doesn’t have four minutes to spare?) but HIIT has the science to back it up. Surely, then, it’s a no-brainer; you get the exercise and the health benefits you need, without the kerfuffle of finding the time to do it. Still, could HIIT be promoting exercise simply as a means to an end?

 

There are many studies which have shown how HIIT and endurance training produce the same main effects; muscle adaptations, help with aortic stiffness and increased insulin sensitivity. This means that one is just as effective as the other for preventing heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. However, the proliferation of HIIT-style training regimes has seen a shift in the fitness industry, with the focus being less on making exercise enjoyable, and more on getting away with the bare minimum. Instead of just getting it over with, surely exercise should be celebrated as part of a health lifestyle. Sure, you can’t get a tennis match over with in four minutes, but isn’t it more fun?

 

When it comes to sticking with an exercise programme, enjoyability is a crucial factor. Fitness experts will stress that you need to find a routine that works for you, rather than what’s popular at this present moment in time. Only YOU have to like it, only YOU have to stick with it for the long haul, so that it can make you, and you alone, physically and mentally healthy. This might mean undertaking HIIT training – some people do genuinely like getting a sweat on for four minutes – but if your preference lies in running marathons or playing football with your friends, don’t let “time” shift your focus away from what you want.

 

Categories: endurance training, enjoyment, exercise, fitness, high intensity, HIIT, intensity activity, time