High intensity interval training or HIIT is a form of cardiovascular exercise that will give you maximum results in the shortest amount of time. It is intended to improve performance and burn fat with short and intense training sessions. The problem is that not everyone is in the right physical shape to handle HIIT. So if you are a beginner here are some guidelines that will help you start the workout and get the most out of HIIT.
1. Start at a slower pace and shorter intense periods. After the warm up you can do 10-30 second sets of intense work instead of the usual 40-60 second sets and add more rest time if you need it. Over time, as you become more conditioned, you can increase the length of the intense sets and decrease the rest periods.
2. There has to be a significant difference in the level of intensity between the work sets and rest periods. The rest interval will make your body better able to sustain the level of intensity needed to get the results from HIIT. This means that you can slow down to walking pace if this helps you recover for your next intense set.
3. ” Excess post exercise oxygen consumption ” or simply called EPOC is what makes the weight come off so quickly using the HIIT method.As the name states this action happens after the workout and can last for hours after an intensive workout.The more intense the workout the longer the period of EPOC,which means more fat loss.
4. Intensity is not just about speed, but also about power. If you are on a static bike or an elliptical machine for example, and the resistance is low it will be easy to complete the intervals but add more resistance and you have just increased the intensity. This will greatly improve the EPOC intervals and the whole cardio workout.
5. Research shows that you can handle higher intensity if you eat before your HIIT workout. More fuel to burn means a harder workout. Just be sure that you leave about and hour and a half to two hours between the meal and the workout.
6. You also have to stay well hydrated during the workout. Water is the most important substance for our bodies after oxygen. It cools down the body, flushes toxins out of it and transports nutrients to muscles and organs.
HIIT can give you extreme results, but if you are just starting this type of training be sure to take it slowly until you become well conditioned.
Hi! I’d like to ask what about eating after the workout session? Is it important as well? Normally I eat only before but I don’t do it afterwards, so this is why I’m asking.
We would say that eating after the workout is more important than the meal before the workout. That’s the time your muscles have wasted all the glycogen, so you need carbs to get it refilled. You also need protein in order to repair the micro damage you made to the muscles.
Hi there
I do 4 hiit workouts per week, 2 x 30-40mins and 2 x 20 mins. I try and do workouts that burn more calories whilst working out, as obviously the longer workouts I normally burn 600-800 calories and the 20 mins I can burn 400- 500 calories.
My question is if I decided to just do the 20 min workouts 4 times a week, would I still burn fat? I know that with HIIT workouts you burn calories after your workout but surely if I do longer workouts I will burn more?
Have two children and work and if I could do the 20 min workouts would make like more easier!
Thanks
If you are doing only HIIT without weightlifting, then I guess 4 days a week can work for you (you should test and see how your body responds). But 40min of HIIT is absolutely too much. If you are doing it correctly even 20 minutes will be really painful. And yes, you continue to burn calories even after the workout when doing HIIT.
Even though you are doing HIIT you still need to watch your diet, you can never outwork a bad diet. I would start with 4 workouts of 20 min a week (strictly sprints ) and see how my body responds