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

Top Tips For High Intensity Interval Hill Workouts

Running is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise that burns calories, improves your metabolism no end, and prevents heart problems. But if you really want to benefit from this particular exercise, you need to opt for a high-intensity form – in other words, high intensity interval training, or HIIT. Combining HIIT with hill repeats is a fantastic way to improve your fitness and your strength. Interval hill running is a particular form of high intensity interval training that is the ideal option if you want to shed the pounds, build on your endurance levels, and score high on the fitness and health scales. To boost your VO2 max, which measures your body’s ability to produce energy and use oxygen efficiently, all you need to do is sprint regularly at your absolute maximum three times a week. Furthermore, three 20 second sprints at maximum capacity three times a week could increase your aerobic capacity by as much as 15 per cent. Interval hill sprints are the ideal union between leg squats and sprints, as they engage fast-twitch muscles which increase your speed and pump your legs with lactic acid, which eventually develops fatigue resistance. If you’re looking to boost muscle, hill sprints are perfect as they are performed in opposition to gravity, as opposed to running on flat surfaces, so they build muscle mass.

When you begin a hill running workout, you need to bear four crucial things in mind. These are as follows: the gradient, the duration, the total number of sprints and the recovery period between each interval. The length and intensity of each sprint depends on your fitness level and what your goals are, so you need to find the right combination for you – there’s no ‘one size fits all’ workout here. The gradient should be fairly low if you’re a beginner, so aim for a hill with a gradient of four to eight per cent before you increase it. Sharp hills which have a gradient of 10 to 15 per cent have a better effect on your strength, but they are a lot harder on your calves and Achilles tendons, so they aren’t suitable for beginners. With regards to duration, this depends on how fit you are. If you’re new to exercise, you may find that your physically can’t exercise for too long without getting tired and out of breath. But if you want to boost power and speed, you should aim for sprints of 5 to 15 seconds.

 

If you’re hoping to improve fatigue resistance, sprints of 20 to 30 seconds are perfect. Finally, to improve your fitness overall and really boost your endurance, you should aim for sprints of longer than 30 seconds. Regular sprints are the way to go if you want to build lung power and muscle, so you need to do as many as you can, as long as you feel in control of it and are able to maintain good form. When your form begins to waver, or you can’t sustain the intensity of the sprint for any more time, you need to stop for the day and take a break. The next step is recovery – everyone needs to give their body time to relax. This is vital time as it gives your body chance to prepare for your next run, and to rejuvenate. Rest for 45 seconds to a minute for every 10 to 25 seconds of sprinting – this is a good rule of thumb to follow on every sprint workout.

Categories: exercise, fatigue resistance, high intensity, hill, hill running, hill sprints, intensity interval, interval hill, Interval Training, Running, sprints, technique