Introduction
The gym is a nightmare for a lot of people. People who are regular gym attendees have worked hard to build the discipline necessary to bulk up and maintain their physique.
However, the same old routine can get tiresome, and the compounding benefit of your set routines can stagnate over time. How can you overcome that? Opting for HIIT workouts for two to three days in your week can help you spice up your routine and give you a burst of energy and motivation.
HIIT does more than simply build and maintain muscles; it also helps increase your endurance and staminabut that’s not all.
Here, we dive deeper into HIITs and why we need to incorporate them into our workout routine. So, let’s take a closer look.
What is High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIITs are explosive aerobic exercises followed by a rest period. As the name suggests, the exercises are high-intensity, requiring you to spend only about 30 seconds per exercise, followed by a rest of 1 minute and then move on to the next exercise.
A set of HIIT exercises usually includes a minimum of 3 or 4 variations of exercises. This number can go up based on individual capacity.
An instance of a HIIT set can be as follows,
- Push-ups (30 seconds + 1 minute rest)
- Jumping jacks (30 seconds + 1 minute rest)
- Mount climber (30 seconds + 1 minute rest)
- Lunges (30 seconds + 1 minute rest) etc.
Types of HIIT
HIIT exercises are versatile. Any exercise can be incorporated into your HIIT routine. Depending on your exercises, your end results will vary as well. HIIT can be categorized into the following:
1. Circuit Training or Cardio HIIT
This is one of the most popular forms of HIIT workouts. This style involves performing a series of exercises (e.g., push-ups, squats, burpees) back-to-back with minimal rest in between.
Once the set is complete, you rest and repeat the circuit. Cardio HIIT is extremely effective in strength and cardio training.
2. Bodyweight HIIT
If you are travelling or live somewhere without access to a gym or weights, the Bodyweight HIIT is ideal for keeping your body active and in shape.
This routine incorporates bodyweight exercises like high knee, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, etc. This is close to callisthenics but performed as full-body training to maintain your daily dose of fitness activity.
3. Sprint Intervals
A sprint interval involves a HIIT routine that alternates between sprinting and walking or jogging. This is one of the best ways to burn fat.
You make a sprint for a specific time, followed by a walk or jog to normalize your heartbeat; then, you sprint again, pushing your heartbeat up, followed by a walk or jog. This intense regime melts fat and keeps your cardiovascular muscles in top condition.
4. Pyramid HIIT
As the name suggests, the HIIT exercises in this routine vary in duration and intensity. The workout starts with high-intensity workouts with short intervals and gradually increases in duration and intensity.
An example of a pyramid HIIT routine is illustrated below:
- High knee (20 seconds + 20-30 seconds rest)
- Jumping jacks (30 seconds + 20-30 seconds rest)
- Mount climber (40 seconds + 20-30 seconds rest)
- Push-ups (50 seconds + 20-30 seconds rest)
- Lunges (60 seconds + 20-30 seconds rest)
You first do from “a” to “e”, then you do from “e” to “a”, forming a pyramid. This routine improves your cardiovascular functions, helps burn more fat, and builds endurance and strength.
Safe Practices
If you are deconditioned, recovering from injury, elderly, overweight, or have medical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases—you should take precautions before doing HIIT exercises. Please consult a health professional and your trainer before you try out any form of HIIT routine.
HIIT workouts should be customised to suit your fitness level and existing medical conditions. A personalised routine is more effective and safe, minimising the risk of injury.
If you are a beginner or someone with pre-existing health concerns, then you should start with intervals of lower intensity and gradually increase the intensity as your fitness improves.
Benefits of HIIT
The greatest benefit of HIIT is that it does its work even after the workout is over. HIIT not only increases your stamina but also comes with other added benefits, such as:
1. Increased or Efficient Calorie Burning
Research has found that HIIT exercises are likely to burn 20-30% more calories when compared with other forms of exercise. Hence, HIIT is more effective than traditional exercise routines.
2. Muscle Development and Retention
HIIT is a balanced workout option that can help build muscle.
It may not be a great contender against traditional weight training, but bodyweight exercises make you fit to carry out everyday activities and reduce weakness associated with ageing.
3. Improved Metabolic Rate
Your body continues to dispel calories even while at rest after HIIT. Your energy levels improve, and the food you eat is digested well, making sure that the nutrients are efficiently broken down to build and strengthen your body.
4. Overall Health Improvements
Your body gradually starts performing well in multiple areas, making you feel vibrant and active as you continue your HIIT training. Some major improvements you will observe are,
- better oxygen intake
- stronger bones
- lowered blood pressure levels
- lowered blood sugar levels
5. Stress Relief
A major non-physical change you will observe as you start your HIIT journey is an improved mood.
As your body starts working at its optimum condition, your mind automatically relaxes, which keeps you in an elevated mood. This improves the quality of your life.
Advanced forms of HIIT: Tabata
Tabata is an intensive muscle strengthening and cardio exercise. It is very similar to HIIT but more gruelling. It can be called a higher-intensity HIIT exercise. Tabata is built around bodyweight exercises such as,
- Push-ups
- High knees
- Skate lunges
- Mountain climbers
- Burpees
- Squat jumps
- Jumping jacks
- Crunches
You can pick any four for starters and do a 4-minute routine for each. In a typical four-minute Tabata workout, you would switch between 20 seconds of intense exercise and 10 seconds of complete rest, repeating this cycle for a total of eight rounds.
Let’s look at an example of Tabata HIIT exercises
- Push-ups (20 seconds + 10 seconds rest)
- High knees (20 seconds + 10 seconds rest)
- Skate lunges (20 seconds + 10 seconds rest)
- Mountain climbers (20 seconds + 10 seconds rest)
This amounts to 120 seconds, i.e. 2 minutes. You repeat the cycle once more, and you get another 2 minutes, which makes it a total of 4 minutes of intense workout.
Tabata is a far more advanced version of HIIT, making its benefits greater as well. It is an ideal workout if you are travelling. You can also increase the time according to your individual capacity.
Maybe a 16-20 minute Tabata is all the exercise you need to replace a day at the gym.
SLAM Lifestyle & Fitness Studio: The Best HIIT Exercise Centre in Chennai
Fitness is not a temporary solution. It is a lifestyle we embrace for the betterment of our present and our future.
Fitness goes beyond simply joining a gym or following a rigorous diet plan. Fitness happens when we are surrounded by people who are invested in a healthy culture for fitness.
SLAM Lifestyle and Fitness Studio offers you the best fitness culture in Chennai. Our state-of-the-art fitness studio and expansive floor allow for a wide variety of specialised training programs such as HIIT, functional training and fitness boot camps.
Experienced and result-driven trainers assist you in every step of your transformation journey. You get personalised diet plans and exercise regimes to strengthen your body and find your peak physical conditioning. Sign up to join a community that has a fitness culture.
Takeaway
- HIIT is indispensable to your workout routine, whether you plan to lose or gain weight.
- HIITs are explosive aerobic exercises followed by a rest period. The duration of an exercise can be 30 seconds or more, followed by a rest of 30 seconds or more.
- There are different types of HIIT exercises with specific outcomes such as building stamina, burning calories, strengthening muscles and improving cardiovascular health.
- HIIT improves stamina and metabolism and improves our overall health.
- Tabata is an advanced form of HIIT and is more gruelling.
- SLAM Lifestyle and Fitness Studio offers a community that observes fitness culture.
FAQs
1. Why is HIIT so effective?
HIIT consists of repeated bursts of high-intensity exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. This allows you to achieve results such as improved muscle tone, fat burning, strength building, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness faster than other workout methods.
2. Is 30 minutes of high-intensity interval training enough?
Yes. 30 minutes of HIIT is ideal to get your heart pumping and put your calorie burn into overdrive.
3. What happens if I do HIIT every day?
Excess HIIT can result in burnout, injuries, and other health problems. Take safety precautions before overexerting yourself.
4. Do we get personal trainers at SLAM?
Yes, SLAM offers you a personal trainer to tailor a diet and workout routine exclusively for you.
5. Is HIIT better than a treadmill?
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a faster and more intense workout compared to an hour-long walk or run on the treadmill.
