Paul Wallace Fitness



3

Blogs

Subscribe to the mailing list and keep up to date with new recipes and fitness tips

What is a HIIT

by | Jul 28, 2017 | Exercise, Fitness


High intensity interval training (HIIT) has the fitness industry buzzing because of its potential to torch maximum calories in minimal time. HIIT is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time


How long do you need to do HIIT?

 

Follow these three HIIT tips to take your workouts to the next level. A typical HIIT session should last anywhere between 4 minutes (like Tabata) and 15 minutes. Overuse injuries can arise if workouts are too long; cap HIIT workouts at 30 minutes.

The idea is that you do short periods of all-out work followed by short periods of active rest to make the body work harder than it does during steady-state cardio. Now that summer is here, there are absolutely no excuses for not whipping yourself back into beach-body shape


It supercharges your metabolism

 

A study at Colorado State University found just 150 seconds of intense exercise can burn as many as 200 calories over the course of the next 24 hours thanks to a boosted resting metabolic rate.


Who should do HIIT?

 

anyone who is in good health and exercise on a regular basis. Beginners, or those who have taken a break from the gym for a while, shouldn’t attempt any HIIT sessions before they have a good base level of fitness.


How much HIIT should I do a week?

 

Given the intense nature of interval training you should not do more than 3 sessions a week, one common mistake is to presume more is better


The Beginner-To-Advanced 8-Week HIIT Program

 

The following  is an example of an 8 week training plan

Weeks 1-2

  • 15 seconds: High-intensity exercise
  • 60 seconds: Rest or low-intensity exercise

Repeat another 10 times, followed by a final 15-second high-intensity blast.  Total time: 14 minutes

Weeks 3-4

  • 30 seconds: High-intensity exercise
  • 60 seconds: Rest or low-intensity exercise

Repeat another 10 times, followed by a final 30-second high-intensity blast.  Total time: 17 minutes

Weeks 5-6

  • 30 seconds: High-intensity exercise
  • 30 seconds: Rest or low-intensity exercise

 Repeat another 11 times, followed by a final 30-second high-intensity blast.  Total time: 18.5 minutes

Week 7-8

  • 30 seconds: High-intensity exercise
  • 15 seconds: Rest or low-intensity exercise

Repeat another 25 times, followed by a final 30-second high-intensity blast.  Total time: 20 minutes

If you need to spend more than two weeks at a particular week before moving up, go for it, if a phase seems too easy and you want to jump right up to the next week then go for it.

You can do these workouts using tools, such as a jump rope, or simply doing jumping jacks, or sprinting, or working on a stationary cycle. Just follow the work-to-rest intervals as indicated.


 

Read more

0 Comments