If You Want To Get Fit, You’ve Got To HIIT
So, if you’re thinking about upping your fitness game now that the summer sun is peaking through, you should seriously start thinking about high intensity interval training (HIIT, for short). If you haven’t heard of it yet, HIIT has been all the rage for the past few years because science shows that it’s significantly more effective than moderate intensity cardio exercise (think long distance running or cycling) at improving cardiovascular health, fat loss, muscle gain, and metabolic rate. So. Many Wins.
What could possibly be better than that you ask? Well, HIIT is more effective than steady state exercise AND it can be completed in significantly less time. Research shows that just 20 minutes of HIIT can be as effective as 60 minutes of low to moderate intensity running. From a physiology perspective, engaging in moderate intensity cardio exercise without cross-training can actually cause you to lose not just fat mass, but also muscle mass. This doesn’t happen with HIIT. Say what?! Yup, all true; HIIT definitely packs a powerful fitness punch. It’s a more efficient exercise and it’s also more effective.
By now you’re probably wondering what a HIIT workout looks like (you know, so you can complete one and all). Here’s a short 22-minute HIIT sequence that’s sure to get your heart pumping:
Each exercise should be completed in a 20-second on/10 second off routine for maximum benefit. Complete each exercise 3 times and the whole circuit 3 times.
- High Knees
- Frog Jump to Mountain Climber (1×1)
- Side Lunge Toe Taps
- 180 Squat Jumps
- Tri-Dip to Push-up
You can also add HIIT into your regular cardio routine by combining several minutes of steady state running/walking/cycling with 30 seconds to 1 minute of going all out.
Ready to get fit with HIIT? We’ve got you covered at the studio with our HIIT Barre classes. Think everything you love about barre turned up x10 with HIIT intervals dispersed throughout the class. Check out the schedule here.