What is HIIT and what does it stand for?
WHAT IS HIIT AND WHAT DOES HIIT STAND FOR?
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts are becoming very popular because it achieves a wide range of benefits in a short period of time. Do you want to get lean muscle, tone up and gain better endurance?! IF YES – HIIT IS THE PERFECT TYPE OF EXERCISE FOR YOU!
When you are performing any type of HIIT training you will be giving 100% max effort however for only short bursts of intense exercise. After you have performed your short burst of intense exercise this will be followed by regulated, lower intensity periods of recovery. The way it works is quick bursts of exercise gets your heart racing thus smashing out the calories, followed by the active recovery which still gets you moving at a reduced rate. Spiking your heart rate like this is the best way to achieve your calorie goals and to see changes in the body. You can burn more calories quickly using HIIT rather than going at a steady pace on a piece of cardio equipment.
IS HIIT TRAINNG JUST ANOTHER CRAZE?
A study I found online compared three 30 minutes HIIT workouts – weight training, running and biking. The results were that the HIIT training sessions burnt around 30% more calories than the other standard exercises. Within each session the executed exercise were performed for 20 seconds of max effort followed by a 40 seconds rest. Hiit sessions generally last anything from 30 to 45 minutes, and given the typical layout of a HiiT workout, this means that the participants will actually only exercise for 1/3 of the time – so 10-15 minutes. In this study, sessions were 30 minutes long. You can however you can get an effective HIIT workout in a much shorter time. This is because HIIT burns about the same amount of calories, but you spend less time exercising. In my sessions, I often tell customers to do a ‘finisher’ at the end of their HIIT session for maximum burn.
If you are Roefield gym member and have never tried a HiiT session before, feel free to book one of your 3 free PT’s and we will give you an on the spot HiiT workout designed to you – but don’t let this fool you – these will change every session you do!
At Roefield, we understand how beneficial HIIT training is to our customers training needs and also fitting in with busy lifestyle schedules, so we have a dedicated Group PT session every morning and every evening which lasts a mere 45 minutes, should you wish to come at a regular time. Because of the wide range of instructors and exercises you can do in the sessions you will never be bored of group pt! What are you waiting for – CALL 01200 442188 to book on and try a HiiT session today!
COULD I DO HIIT?
Anybody can do HIIT, whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced gym user. How many calories you are able to burn in each session will depend on your fitness levels and how quickly you recover after each exercise performed. Don’t get me wrong, if it is your first HIIT session, you ARE in for a shock! But you have to work hard to achieve the overall goal you want. Any age, ability or body type can do a HIIT session. The more experienced you are, the more dynamic exercises you will be doing and the less rest time you will be having. Any exercise can be in a HIIT workout from simple step ups to a muscle up. Whatever your ability, you can do HIIT.
WHAT DOES HIIT STAND FOR?
Good question, HIIT stands for high intensity interval training. More often or not it will be some type of circuit training or a different type of training zone on a piece of cardio equipment. When you pluck up the courage to try a HIIT session, you want to be working at your body’s maximum, pushing yourself for 20 sec – 1 min rounds. Rests allow yourself to partially recover, before pushing hard again. It’s all about putting your body and your mind to the test and redefining your limits.
HOW intense should the hiit session be?
This is an easy answer. You should be working HARD. To your max! You should be getting your heart rate to 85%–100% of your max heart rate during the peak of your HIIT sessions to see the most progression. It’s always about progression, once you’re finding it easy, either up the work load or decrease the rest time. I told you it isn’t going to be easy – but it can be fun!
Aaron
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