Chances are, you’ve heard a lot about HIIT, but still aren’t sure what it is if you haven’t tried it. HIIT, in English High Intensity Interval Training , is a novel training characterized by periods of great work where we bring our heart rate to 80-90% of its capacity followed by short recovery periods with a heart rate of 50-60% or rest.
It is very popular lately because it is one of the most effective ways to burn fat and improve stamina. Mainly, it improves your body’s ability to oxidize fat and glucose.
Discover the origins of HIIT, what its fundamentals are, in what different ways you can apply it in your training and how you can modify its variables to make it more intense.
What is the origin of HIIT?
Its origins date back to when some track coaches devised it a few years ago as a way to improve the preparation of their runners. He was initially known by the name Fartlek , a combination of the words “speed” and “play” in Swedish. This pretty much defines what training really is: speed play.
It is important to clarify that HIIT should not be confused with HIT, which is a high intensity training with load / weights.
Where can I do HIIT?
You can do HIIT using gym equipment, various types of cardio, and weight-bearing or weight-bearing exercises. That is, there are no excuses, you do not need to pay the gym to be part of the large number of people doing this training. At the gym you can use the treadmill, elliptical machine, stair stepper, stationary bike, or the like. You can also run, jump, bike, jump rope, swim, do plyometrics, weighted exercises, and many others.
Is HIIT Better Than Steady-Paced Cardio?
When it comes to burning fat, HIIT is much more effective than stationary cardio like jogging or the like. This is because your body primarily uses glucose during the intense exercise phase and uses up its fat reserve during the recovery or rest phase. By metabolizing glucose we will improve our resistance and by metabolizing fat we will lower our body fat index, which also helps improve our performance. Likewise, due to the intensity of the training, many better results are obtained in a short time than with a traditional cardio session.
What are the guidelines for doing HIIT?
Before you begin, do a 5-10 minute warm-up session. You can do it in several ways, for example: dynamic stretching or light exercises of your choice. For instance:
- If you plan on sprinting, jog for a bit before starting.
- If you are swimming or cycling, start slowly before starting HIIT.
Warming up properly will help you prepare your body for intense work, and if you skip the warm-up you run a great risk of injury. To carry out a good HIIT routine, 3 to 4 weekly sessions should be done, this will significantly impact fat burning.
With the guidelines already clear, you can choose one of the following HIIT routines to burn fat . Luck!
7 High Intensity Interval Workouts
1. Tabata exercise bike training
The Tabata protocol consists of performing 8 cycles of 20 seconds of intense work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Although the entire workout takes only 4 minutes, in the end, if you got it right, you should (surely you will!) Feel like you can’t complete one more interval.
Instructions
- Using a stationary bike, warm up for 5-10 minutes. Make sure to set the resistance to a suitable level so your legs don’t get out of control.
- After warming up, pedal vigorously for 20 seconds and then slowly for 10 seconds.
- Complete the 8 cycles of this interval and finish with a 5-10 minute cool down at a light pace.
2. 25 minute Fartlek workout
This was the first version of HIIT. This workout combines stationary training with rapid intervals to strengthen both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. The intensity and speed vary according to your preference. You can walk, jog or run any distance any time in any order. With this training you can get creative. In this case, we suggest the following.
Instructions
- Jog for 8 minutes
- Run fast for 4 minutes
- Sprint for 20 seconds
- Walk for 1 minute
- Sprint for 30 seconds
- Walk for 1 minute
- Sprint for 10 seconds
- Walk for 1 minute
- Jog for 5 minutes
- Complete a 1 minute quick run to the finish.
- Finish with a 5 to 10 minute walk to the end.
3. 100 meters of sprint and walk back
It is one of the easiest HIIT variations to incorporate into your training. If you are using a track, choose a distance to sprint ; they can be 50, 100 or 200 meters. Sprint that distance and then walk back to recover. Repeat this 4 to 10 times. If you don’t have a clue, just use two points on a street or park.
Instructions
- Warm up with dynamic stretch first.
- Sprint the distance you prefer (50, 100 or 200 meters)
- Return to the starting point walking
- Repeat it 4 to 10 times
4. Stride / sprint combination
In a combined interval, you alternate between many repetitions of strength exercises and an anaerobic cardio interval. This is a more advanced interval so be careful.
Instructions
- Complete 15 lunges walking with dumbbells on each leg, that is, 30 lunges in total.
- Sprint for 30 seconds on high ground.
- Recover for 30 or 90 seconds
- Repeat 3-5 times
5. Jump rope
This workout consists of choosing an amount of time for the intense part and then resting that same amount of time starting from the longest interval to the shortest. We suggest you try the following routine.
Instructions:
- Jump 2 minutes as many laps as you can as fast as you can
- Rest 2 minutes
- Skip 1.5 minutes
- Rest 1.5 minutes
- Skip 1 minute
- Rest 1 minute
- Jump 30 seconds
- Rest 3 minutes and repeat the entire cycle 1 or 2 more times
See if you can reach the number of laps you did in the first cycle in the following repetitions. Use a stopwatch or wall clock to keep track of time.
6. HIIT swimming
Swimming is a super complete exercise for the body and it is low impact, but it can also be performed at high intensity. While swimmers can do 60 sets at a snail’s pace, you can choose to raise the intensity to a new level and get a better result in less time. To make it more fun, find a partner to challenge him.
Instructions
- Warm up by swimming at a slow pace 8 or 10 sets
- Swim 2 sets as fast as you can, when finished, your partner begins
- Repeat 10 rounds
7. Plyometrics
Plyometrics are exercises that require the muscles to reach the maximum point of effort in a short time. For this reason, if they are not done correctly you can be injured. This time we propose 2 plyometric exercises : jump squats and jumping strides.
Instructions
- Do 15 reps of jump squats
- Rest 30 seconds
- Do 24 reps of jumping lunge
- Rest 30 seconds
- Repeat 5 times
When you’re done, you’ll feel like your muscles are burning, in a good way! If you want to raise the level of training add weight, but, we warn you: it will be hard.
How to create more HIIT variations?
You can create infinite intervals of this type by adjusting the time, weight and intensity. This way you can keep challenging your body.
1. Time
By changing the length of the intervals, you can demand more of yourself. If you start with 30 seconds of sprinting , after a few weeks increase it to 45 seconds, then to 60 seconds and so on little by little. You can decrease the rest time a bit. The more you train, the longer you can do the high-intensity intervals and recover faster.
2. Weight
The stronger and faster you get, the more weight you can add to your exercise to keep up with the challenge and improve your fitness. You can wear weighted vests or dumbbells.
3. Distance
Increasing the distance for sprints or scrolling exercises is another way to increase intensity. If you start with 50 meters gradually increase the distance as time goes by.
conclusion
There are some important points to keep in mind to alter your interval variables . Make sure you give your body time to adjust to this workout before making it more intense. If you increase the intensity too soon, you could injure yourself. Take 2-4 weeks before making it harder for yourself. It is also important that you respect the recovery time, remember that this is the time when the body absorbs the effects of the intense phase.
If you practice these routines regularly, you will improve your physical condition and achieve better results in much less time than with traditional cardio. Once again we remind you to consult with your trusted doctor to check that you are ready for this training. Listen to your body, pay attention to the results, demand more of yourself, always with a conscience to avoid injuries and be the best version of yourself.
Have you already tried? Let us know.
Reference
- Rooke, K. 7 Interval Training Workouts To Burn Fat Fast. For Builtlean. [Revised February 2016]
