What is HIIT and what does it stand for
Most of you are already familiar with the acronym HIIT, which stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. This style of training begins with short alternate intense periods of anaerobic exercise usually at 80 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate followed by short less intense recovery periods usually at 40 to 50 percent of your maximum heart rate. Anaerobic exercise helps you build strength, endurance, and power. It also helps you burn fat, build muscle, and strengthen bones.
Unlike aerobic exercise, anaerobic activity can not be sustained for a long period of time because it is taxing on the body.
Examples include sprints, burpees, high knees, and jump lunge.
5 reasons why you should try HIIT
These workouts have been shown to improve your heart health, but that’s not all. Below are some unspoken benefits of HIIT workouts:
- HIIT workouts have become popular because this style of training is adaptable to any fitness level. You have the option of working out both on or off machines.
- Due to the amount of effort applied it spikes your heart rate. This allows you to work on strength training and cardio in the same workout.
- The time efficiency of HIIT workouts is a huge selling point. You can burn the same amount of calories in as little as 10 to 30 minutes doing interval training as someone who spends an hour doing steady-state cardio.
A 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting demonstrated that just two weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity to the level that six to eight weeks of endurance training would acquire.
- There is also the benefit of the after-burn effect. You continue to burn more fat and calories at an accelerated rate for hours after your workout.
- Since no equipment is required you can do HIIT from anywhere including your home. This is especially useful for home workouts during this time of social distancing.
TIP: You can do a HIIT workout using just your own body weight or you could use a rowing machine or treadmill for example.
How to do HIIT workouts at home
In as little as just 10 minutes you can do an efficient HIIT workout at home using just your body weight. To get started first decide on the intensity of your workout. You can adjust your workout intensity by increasing or decreasing the length of time for each interval.
For example, HIIT workouts for beginners should have the rest period longer than the time effort is applied. Try doing a 1:4 work to rest ratio such as 15 seconds of work followed by 1 minute of recovery. As you get better you can reduce your ratio to a 1:2 split so that you’re doing 30 seconds of work followed by 1 minute of rest.
Eventually you should try to make your recovery the same length of time as the time you’re at work. Once you’ve chosen your split repeat it for a total of 10 minutes or for as long as you can sustain it.
To maximize the effectiveness of your workout try using a heart rate monitor. You can also track your pulse to gauge whether you are staying within the target heart rate zones. As mentioned earlier you should be trying to get your heart rate up to 80-95 percent of your max during the time period you are working out . Your heart rate should then drop to 40-50 percent of your max during your recovery period.
Now that you have your intervals down, choose between 1 and 10 exercises you can repeat for your desired length of time. You can choose to do plyometric exercises such as burpees or jump squats, which will elevate your heart rate more quickly. If you are new to this you may want to try stationary movements such as standing lunges or planks.
5 draw-backs of HIIT training
HIIT workouts have become extremely popular, but these workouts do face some risks. You can avoid some of these with the guidance of a trainer. Before taking part in this type of workout you should consider the potential downsides outlined below:
- HIIT training can put you at an increased risk of injury because it is difficult to maintain good form when you’re exerting so much effort.
- While it is good for improving your anaerobic threshold, it is not the same as aerobic exercise. Both are important for your health and require very different demands on your heart, lunges, and muscles.
- HIIT is very demanding on the body. If you are not in good cardiovascular health this may be too intense for you. You should start with low-intensity cardio first.
- It can lead to physical and mental burnout because it takes such a toll on the body. It’s also difficult to sustain for a long time.
- HIIT is not optimal for muscle growth. It is geared towards improving your cardio and muscle endurance.
Aerobic fitness is necessary for building stamina and reducing the risk for heart disease so HIIT should not be your sole method of exercise.
NOTE:
It is ALWAYS advised to connect with a fitness trainer before you jump into these HIIT workouts to avoid any sort of health complications in the future.
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