HIIT Me!

Shawn Perine
Mon, 21 Apr 2014 21:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

Are you committed to getting fit, yet hate the idea of spending an hour or more in the gym each day? There is a solution, and for time-pressed people such as yourself, it's been an unqualified HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training.

HIIT isn't exactly a new concept in training (it's been practiced in varying forms for at least the last four decades) but it's ramped up in popularity over the last 10 to 15 years, and more and more research is proving it to be a highly efficient form of training. HIIT involves performing very brief, yet very intense, intervals of an exercise segmented by equally brief, or even shorter, rest sessions in workouts that last anywhere from four to 30 minutes.

Several researchers have developed their own variations on the HIIT theme, but the best known may be that of Professor Izumi Tabata, who put his test subjects through the paces of a protocol that involved 20 seconds of super-high intensity pedaling on a stationary bike followed by 10 seconds of rest, done for eight consecutive cycles. Added up, that's four minutes total. Tabata found that the cardio benefits obtained by this group of subjects pretty much equaled that of people who performed more typical, much longer cardio sessions five days a week. Imagine going from an hour in the gym to four minutes and getting the same results!
Updated: Tue Apr 22, 2014

Are you committed to getting fit, yet hate the idea of spending an hour or more in the gym each day? There is a solution, and for time-pressed people such as yourself, it's been an unqualified HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training.

HIIT isn't exactly a new concept in training (it's been practiced in varying forms for at least the last four decades) but it's ramped up in popularity over the last 10 to 15 years, and more and more research is proving it to be a highly efficient form of training. HIIT involves performing very brief, yet very intense, intervals of an exercise segmented by equally brief, or even shorter, rest sessions in workouts that last anywhere from four to 30 minutes.

Several researchers have developed their own variations on the HIIT theme, but the best known may be that of Professor Izumi Tabata, who put his test subjects through the paces of a protocol that involved 20 seconds of super-high intensity pedaling on a stationary bike followed by 10 seconds of rest, done for eight consecutive cycles. Added up, that's four minutes total. Tabata found that the cardio benefits obtained by this group of subjects pretty much equaled that of people who performed more typical, much longer cardio sessions five days a week. Imagine going from an hour in the gym to four minutes and getting the same results!

HIIT is real, and it works. However, here is my concern with HIIT: Its extreme intensity can put those with heart issues at risk. As far as I can tell, all of the published HIIT studies were performed on either athletes and/or younger people. I would urge anyone considering a HIIT routine, or any form of vigorous exercise for that matter, to set up a visit with their doctor first, to ensure that their heart can handle the stress of training.

Now, assuming you have a clean bill of health, here are a couple of HIIT-inspired workouts you can try. Because I'm more a fan of whole-body training than I am of traditional cardio exercises (i.e., running, biking, stepping), I've designed two workouts, one incorporating the whole body, the other to be done on a stationary bike, for newbies or those looking to work their way up to Workout No. 1:

HIIT Workout No. 1: Super-Intense!

Every exercise is to be performed as fast as possible without losing form.

— 3 minutes: Warm up on a stationary cardio machine, do Jumping Jacks or jog in place

— 20 seconds: Run in place (high knees)

— 10 seconds: Rest

— 20 seconds: Mountain climbers

— 10 seconds: Rest

— 20 seconds: Skater Jumps (side-to-side, mimicking a skater's stride)

— 10 seconds: Rest

— 20 seconds: Pushups (elbows close to sides of body)

— 10 seconds: Rest

— Repeat work/rest cycle once

— 3 minutes: Cool down with any of above warm-up movements for five minutes

HIIT Workout #2: For Newbies

Every exercise is to be performed at a moderate-fast pace without losing form.

— 3 minutes: Warm up on a stationary bike

— 60 seconds: Stationary bike at 80 percent of maximal heart rate reserve (maximal heart rate resting heart rate is equal to maximal heart rate reserve)

— 60 seconds: Rest

— Repeat work/rest cycle nine more times

— 5 minutes: Cool down