HIIT is a term that has been thrown about a lot in the media recently, and all for good reason too. It is a set of guidelines that promises to reduce the time spent working out, leaving you a lot more free time, as well as deliver better results than traditional low intensity aerobics like walking, jogging, swimming etc, no matter how many people swear otherwise.
But the fact is that HIIT is something that can be extremely daunting to someone who wishes to simply make some changes to their current physical condition i.e. shape up, cut down, tone, or whatever terminology you prefer.
First of all, HIIT simply means High Intensity Interval Training. You could break it down like this:
High Intensity - the stress on the body is quite high, and the work will be quite difficult. No more waving your arms around and being able to read a magazine while you 'exercise' at a leisurely pace. By definition, the work will be hard, and in some extreme cases, brutal!
Interval - the work will be in short bursts of effort. You will put in a lot of effort into the activity, and then take a measured break.
Training - obviously it is not simply working up a sweat (which you can very well do just lying in the sun), but action aimed at getting a specific result.
There are a couple of things you need to know before starting a HIIT program: 1) what type of exercises you will do; 2) where you will do this workout; 3) how often you can do the workout for starters.
The type of exercise involves figuring out whether you are going to use bodyweight exercises or weight exercises (which again can be broken up into free weight movements, machine movements, typical bodybuilding type exercises, or Olympic lifting type stuff)
The place for workouts could be your home, the local high school track, or the neighborhood gym.
How often you do your workout depends on things like past sporting experience, how busy your work is, how much time you have available etc.
Once you have figured these things out, then you are left with the basic structure of the workout itself. A simple template could be as follows:
Warm up for 5 mins with a light run and some stretching
A. Activity burst 1 for 30s (a movement that is between a 5 and a 7 on a scale of 1~10 in terms of intensity)
B. Rest for 1 min 30s
Repeat A & B 5~10 times.
You will progress by reducing the rest times by 5 seconds every workout until you are down to 30s. After this (probably take you a few weeks), switch to another activity that is slightly harder to do and repeat the process.
This is just an outline of how a HIIT program can be set up. See Turbulence Training! [http://tinyurl.com/turbulence-training-4-you] for more detailed workout plans and make your change today!
But the fact is that HIIT is something that can be extremely daunting to someone who wishes to simply make some changes to their current physical condition i.e. shape up, cut down, tone, or whatever terminology you prefer.
First of all, HIIT simply means High Intensity Interval Training. You could break it down like this:
High Intensity - the stress on the body is quite high, and the work will be quite difficult. No more waving your arms around and being able to read a magazine while you 'exercise' at a leisurely pace. By definition, the work will be hard, and in some extreme cases, brutal!
Interval - the work will be in short bursts of effort. You will put in a lot of effort into the activity, and then take a measured break.
Training - obviously it is not simply working up a sweat (which you can very well do just lying in the sun), but action aimed at getting a specific result.
There are a couple of things you need to know before starting a HIIT program: 1) what type of exercises you will do; 2) where you will do this workout; 3) how often you can do the workout for starters.
The type of exercise involves figuring out whether you are going to use bodyweight exercises or weight exercises (which again can be broken up into free weight movements, machine movements, typical bodybuilding type exercises, or Olympic lifting type stuff)
The place for workouts could be your home, the local high school track, or the neighborhood gym.
How often you do your workout depends on things like past sporting experience, how busy your work is, how much time you have available etc.
Once you have figured these things out, then you are left with the basic structure of the workout itself. A simple template could be as follows:
Warm up for 5 mins with a light run and some stretching
A. Activity burst 1 for 30s (a movement that is between a 5 and a 7 on a scale of 1~10 in terms of intensity)
B. Rest for 1 min 30s
Repeat A & B 5~10 times.
You will progress by reducing the rest times by 5 seconds every workout until you are down to 30s. After this (probably take you a few weeks), switch to another activity that is slightly harder to do and repeat the process.
This is just an outline of how a HIIT program can be set up. See Turbulence Training! [http://tinyurl.com/turbulence-training-4-you] for more detailed workout plans and make your change today!