Monday, December 23, 2013

HIIT Training And How It Can Help With Weight Loss

Do you find yourself not getting results from your current workouts? Do you feel like you are wasting your time with traditional cardio? Cardio if done right can help anyone with their weight loss efforts. There is a solution and it is called HIIT training also known as high intensity interval training.

So what in the world is high intensity interval training? According to Wikipedia, “High-intensity interval training (HIIT), also called High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise (HIIE) or sprint interval training, is an enhanced form of interval training, an exercise strategy alternating periods of short intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense recovery periods. HIIT is a form of cardiovascular exercise. “

Usually HIIT workouts consist of a 2:1 ratio of work then rest periods. For example, you would do 30-40 seconds of running in place or hard sprinting, followed by 15-20 seconds of walking; Or more advanced 1 minute of hard sprinting followed by 30 seconds of walking. Sessions of HIIT help to improve breakdown of glucose, burning fat, and athletic condition. If you want to be a better athlete give it a try.

A great thing about HIIT training is if you are short on time you can still get a quality workout in. You really only need about 10 to 20 minutes to fit an effective workout into your schedule. That gets rid of the excuse, “I don't have time to workout, I'm too busy.” HIIT is a great way to get maximum results in a shorter period of time.

So now you know what HIIT is, what now? If you are a beginner take it slow at first to build up your cardio. If you are out of shape you don't want to just throw yourself into a 20 or 30 minute session of some very intense workouts.

Try these sample workouts for starters.

Warm up for a few minutes. Don't just jump into a workout without warming up unless you like getting injured.

Get on a treadmill and start your first interval. If you don't have a treadmill or don't have a gym membership you can just run in place instead. Sprint for 30-40 seconds, then slow down to a walking or jogging pace. You want to do about 6 intervals during your workout.

Get creative as you want. If you live by a football stadium or somewhere that has bleachers, try running up and down the bleachers instead of running in place or on a treadmill. It is always a good practice to keep fitness fun so it does not get boring.

If you don't have a treadmill or access to a football field, get an old fashioned jump rope. Jump rope for a minute then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this for about 10 to 20 minutes. This is a great option you can do at home and even get the family involved if possible. It is always helpful to make fitness a family affair to help the next generation start good habits at a young age.

You can also incorporate weights into a workout to spice it up and get more results faster.

So now that you know what HIIT training is and you have a couple sample workouts to give a try, go out there and burn some calories. HIIT cardio helps burn more fat than traditional cardio. Get moving and get rid of that stubborn belly fat. If you want to fit in those jeans you haven't worn in a while, do a HIIT workout. It will take your athletic ability to the next level. What are you waiting for, get moving!

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