What is HIIT training and how to use this method.
High Intensity Interval Training involves alternating between very intense bouts of exercise and low intensity exercise. For example, sprinting for 30 seconds, then walking for 60 seconds is high intensity interval training. HIIT can be used both anaerobically (in the gym with weights) and aerobically with cardio.
Exercise physiologists used to believe that “steady state” cardio was superior for fat loss because relatively more fat is used by the body as fuel at lower exercise intensities than at higher intensities. The “Fat Burning Zone” shown on most cardio equipment as only 60%-65% of max heart rate is really a myth and is NOT optimal for burning fat. Yes, you burn more fat relative to glycogen when going for a walk, but what we care about is total fat burn. At higher intensities, you are burning far more fat, even though the fat/glycogen ratio is lower.
As an added bonus, there’s also an afterburn effect known as EPOC (excess-post exercise oxygen consumption). You increase your metabolism and burn more calories for up to 24 hours after interval training, whereas going for a jog burns almost NO calories after.
Choose a HIIT exercise in which:
- You use the larger muscle groups, like your legs, so you can get your heart rate up demonstrably.
- You’re able to accelerate to top speed quickly, and decelerate just as fast.
- You can also perform non-traditional exercise modes. You can perform 30-60 seconds of burpees and then walk for 60 seconds before going again. As long as you work hard and fast, you can mix all sorts of interval exercises. Get creative and see what you come up with
- SAMPLE HIIT PROGRAMS
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BEGINNER’S 20-MINUTE WORKOUT
Length Intensity 5 minutes Low 2 minutes Medium 30 seconds High 2 minutes Low 30 seconds High 2 minutes Low 30 seconds High 2 minutes Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 2 minutes Medium 3 minutes Low INTERMEDIATE 25-MINUTE WORKOUT
Length Intensity 5 minutes Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 90 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 90 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 90 seconds Low 30 seconds High 30 seconds Low 30 seconds High 210 seconds Low HIIT is a challenging mode of cardio, but you’ll reap the rewards of a leaner physique faster than with steady-state cardio. Like everything you must have variation in your training program for your body to change. So this type of training combined with others will hopefully lead to a fitter you.
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Welcome to Fitness Is Success.
This is an exciting new venture for me after serving for 23 years in the military. I am passionate about fitness and hope that I can bring some fresh new ideas to your training. I try to approach things from a “think outside the box” way, which is underpinned by research.
I am always setting myself goals, something you should try if you never have done before. Goal setting is a simple idea that assists you to complete things in a logical manner.
Goal setting is used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation . It focuses your acquisition of knowledge, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life.
SMART Goals
A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic. While there are plenty of variations, SMART usually stands for:
- S – Specific (or Significant).
- M – Measurable (or Meaningful).
- A – Achievable (or Action-Oriented).
- R – Related (or Rewarding).
- T – Time-bound (or Trackable).
Goal setting is an important method of:
- Deciding what you want to achieve in your life.
- Separating what’s important from what’s irrelevant, or a distraction.
- Motivating yourself.
- Building your self-confidence, based on successful achievement of goals.
Set your lifetime goals first. Then, set a five-year plan of smaller goals that you need to complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Keep the process going by regularly reviewing and updating your goals. And remember to take time to enjoy the satisfaction of achieving your goals when you do so.
If you don’t already set goals, do so, starting now. As you make this technique part of your life, you’ll find your career accelerating, and you’ll wonder how you did without it!
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