Oh H.I.I.T.

Ok, it's January 7th and we all know what that means; we have already struggled to keep our New Years Resolution. It's hard to motivate yourself to run for an hour in the freezing cold or to force yourself to endure the monotony of the treadmill when the couch and Netflix are calling your name... But what if I told you there was a more efficient way of working out? What if you didn't have to endure the cold or any more long boring runs on the treadmill.

Meet H.I.I.T. High Intensity Interval Training.

H.I.I.T workouts are an excellent way to burn fat in a short period of time and improve your physical performance. But for most people, the biggest benefit to a H.I.I.T workout is its ability to keep the body burning fat even after the workout is over!

So what is H.I.I.T? High-intensity interval training is any type of exercise that involves repeated short bouts of high-intensity, followed by brief rest periods. The intervals, usually lasting 30 to 60 sec, are repeated several times in a row usually for duration between 20–30 minutes.

A recent study compared H.I.I.T workouts with steady state exercise and found that though the H.I.I.T workout may have burned less calories than the steady state workout, (probably due to the shorter duration) it burned more fat than the steady state exercise. In addition the H.I.I.T program helped to build muscle while the steady state exercise actually broke down muscle. ( 1)

So considering we are all pressed for time, H.I.I.T workouts are one of the best ways to get great results fast.

H.I.I.T workouts have the ability to transform your body and physical abilities in the following three areas:

Your cardiovascular health and endurance: H.I.I.T increases your VO2 Max. Vo2 max is a measurement that indicates how well your body can use oxygen. To you and me it means how long we can exercise while huffing and puffing
Your body’s ability to use oxygen: H.I.I.T workouts trigger something known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or “EPOC.” EPOC is the phenomenon of an increased rate of oxygen that your body uses following strenuous activity ((2)). To you and me that means we continue to burn fat long after we have finished exercising!!
Your hormone levels: H.I.I.T workouts also stimulate muscle-building hormones while also using up calories and burning fat.

All of that means you will become fitter and leaner without the long, slow, steady workouts of the past.

Here are some sample H.I.I.T workouts to try on your own. No equipment needed. Just 20 minutes and you are back to your Netflix binge!

Be sure to warm up and cool down for at least five minutes. Beginners should start H.I.I.T workouts at a low intensity and be sure to let your physician know you are starting an exercise program.

Workout 1.

Perform each exercise for 45 seconds then rest for 15 seconds. Rest for 2 minutes before starting the circuit over. Complete 2-4 circuits.