This Workout is a HIIT

No, that’s not a typo.  HIIT refers to a cardiovascular training style called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and it is a fantastic method for getting a huge fat-burning workout in a short amount of time.  It has also turned our traditional understanding of exercise for weight loss on its head!  In this article I’m going to share with you how it works, what its benefits are, and how you can incorporate this into your fitness routine.

How Does It Work?
As the name implies, the intent of the workout is to perform an exercise but vary the intensity of your effort over time.  For example, a High Intensity Interval Training workout incorporating running could have me sprinting for 30 seconds and then jogging or walking for 15 seconds and repeating this alternation 8 times without stopping.  The high intensity part should be done at 100% of your effort while the rest interval should be about 50% effort.  You can vary the amount of time for the high intensity and rest intervals but the ratio of time for effort and rest should be 2:1.  And the number of repetitions should be at least 6 although I tend to gravitate to 8 when I train my clients.

Fat Loss and Athletic Performance
There are some great benefits that come from HIIT training, both for weight loss and athletic performance.  Traditionally, long durations of aerobic exercise such as jogging or other steady-state exercise have been promoted to be the best and fastest way to burn fat.  However, scientific studies have shown that HIIT training has a dual effect that actually burns more fat and at a faster rate. 

Just as with traditional exercises, you are burning calories as you perform the workout. Due to the intense nature of HIIT training, your excess exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is also much higher for 24 hours after exercising.  This means that for the next 24 hours after your workout, your body continues to burn fat up to 9 times more  than if you had jogged at a moderate pace for an hour.  This double effect makes HIIT a huge winner when it comes to weight loss!

For athletic performance, the dynamic nature of HIIT training has proven to break through training plateaus where traditional methods stall.  Also, the alternation of effort has been shown to build endurance more quickly than steady-state workouts.  This provides a quicker conditioning effect for athletes and continued improvement in their overall training efforts.

Bringing HIIT Home
So this all sounds great, but how can I apply this at home?  First, an easy way to add this into your lifestyle is to use the example I already put up above with alternating sprints and jogging/walking.  Personally I’ve done this workout myself on the where the great scenery and ocean air make it a joy to run!  A treadmill can also be used to the same effect. 

If you want to kick it into another gear, take this same workout to a hill.  There is a paved utility road right across the street from the small dirt parking lot at Mavericks that I’ve found to be a great place to hill run.  Montara Mountain is another option for those of you even more adventurous.  And if running is not an option for you, you can incorporate HIIT principles into a walking routine (once again, where better to walk than the Coastside Trail?). 

Stationary bikes at home or a gym can also be great options that fits extremely well with HIIT training.  Just make up one sprint interval and one medium-intensity interval and use the same principles of the running example.

I highly encourage you to incorporate some kind of HIIT training into your fitness routine.  It is tough but the benefits really make it worth your time and effort.  Always give it your best effort when doing this.  Because of the short time associated with the training, if you are not giving it your all, you will not see the benefit.  If it’s done correctly, you will be out of your comfort zone and really pushing.  I know you can do it so give it a try!

To Your Health,
Diana