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High
intensity exercise raises your heart rate to above 90% and forces your body
into an anaerobic state. This depletes the glycogen in your muscles much faster,
and forces your body to start burning fat for energy.
Why is HIIT so Popular?
It’s Faster
You can be
in and out of the gym in less than 30 minutes. Sounds like a dream, right?
Twenty minutes of HIIT exercise is equivalent to 40-50 minutes of regular cardio exercise. This makes it ideal for people with busy schedules who only have time to squeeze in a short workout.
It Works
HIIT is one
of the best ways to get in shape within a short time. Your body burns more fat
during HIIT and keeps burning it for up to 48 hours after your workout. This
means that you’ll see results much faster!
HIIT is also one of the few workouts that burns fat while retaining muscle mass. This makes it the perfect cardio exercise for bodybuilders or anyone wanting to preserve their hard-earned muscles.
It Can be Done Anywhere
Traveling
for work and don’t have access to gym equipment? No problem, just do a HIIT
workout. As long as you can do a high intensity activity
such as sprinting, jumping jacks, burpees or mountain climbers, you can do a
HIIT workout.
HIIT Workouts for Beginners
Running + Power Walking
This starter
workout involves running as fast as you can for one minute (or a few seconds)
and then power walking for 2 minutes. Repeat these two exercises five times for
a short but effective 15-minute workout. You can do this work outside or on a treadmill.
Tabata
Tabata is a
type of HIIT exercise that involves pushing yourself hard for 20 seconds and
resting for 10 seconds. This cycle is repeated 8 times for a total of 4
minutes.
The high
intensity exercises can be jumping jacks, burpees, pushups, mountain climbers
or squats. If you do a 4-minute round of each of these exercises, you should
have a 20-minute HIIT workout.
Cycling
You can do a
HIIT workout when cycling by simply alternating between standing and sitting
pedaling. Stand and pedal as fast as you can for 30 seconds and then sit and
pedal at a moderate pace for 30 seconds.
If you’re doing conventional cardio but haven’t been seeing the results you want, try HIIT. It might just be the jolt your body needs!
