Think you have “no time” to exercise? Think again – (HIIT) High Intensity Interval Training is perfect for anyone who has a busy, hectic life and is challenged to find time to exercise! With HIIT, you can get an amazing, fat-burning workout in just 20-30 minutes! HIIT involves alternating between short but very intense bouts of exercise followed by a low-intensity recovery bout. HIIT can be used both anaerobically (with weights) or aerobically (with cardio). Although a person burns more fat relative to glycogen (stored carbs) when walking, a person will burn more fat in total at higher intensities, even though the fat/glycogen ratio is lower. In addition, the afterburn effect called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) is high after high intensity exercise, but not present after low-intensity exercise. This means you have a metabolism boost for up to 24 hours post-training!
High Intensity Interval Training Benefits:
- Increased aerobic capacity
- Increased lactate threshold (better ability for muscles to handle lactic acid)
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Increased muscle building hormones like growth hormone and IGF-1. This gives a person an anabolic (muscle building) effect.
- Lowers blood pressure
- Increased VO2Max, which enhances protection from getting heart disease.
- No equipment needed
Workouts are limitless! Get creative. Varieties can include body weight movements, plyometrics, sprints, cardio equipment, power lifting, sled pulls/pushes, heavy rope drills, and medicine balls. Because High Intensity Interval Training is so intense, I recommend only 2-3 of these workouts/week at most, to not over-train. Over-training is counter-productive and increases risk of injury. On other days, mix up your routine by including strength training, core exercises, yoga, flexibility, and lower intensity cardio. This will give you a well-balanced routine, which will continually challenge your body preventing plateaus and preventing injuries. If you have not been exercising regularly, I recommend doing a longer warm-up (7-9 min of moderate exercise), and then 10-15 minutes of the interval training, working your way up to 30 min. For a tailored workout plan to help you meet your specific goals, email me!