HIIT Training - Accelerate Fat Loss
High Intensity Interval Training or "HIIT" is a great way to lose fat.
Let's cut straight to the point:
Advantages of HIIT Training
Increased cardiovascular fitness by increasing your VO2 max
Increased cardiovascular recovery rates
Increased metabolism
Increased fat oxidation
Does not require a lot of time
Disadvantages of HIIT Training
It's hard
It is intense and not recommended if you have health conditions
HIIT is an incredibility effective way to lose body fat. Not only do you burn calories while you are working out but you will continue to burn fat after you finish. The gift that keeps on giving!
Outside of fat loss, the cardiovascular benefits of HIIT training are well documented. This may help you prevent chronic illness and improve heart health.
The goal of HIIT is do high intensity short duration bursts followed by short intervals of rests. Spiking your heart rate into an anaerobic state, followed by short period of rest to let it decrease. These workouts generally last 4 to 20 minutes and that's all you need.
There are many different methods of HIIT training but here are a few examples:
TABATA
Tabata is a HIIT technique that combines high intensity cardio with some resistance training. The format of Tabata is:
8 rounds
20 seconds of Work
10 seconds of Rest
For this, you will choose a resistance movement such as squats. You will squat as many times as you can for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds repeating 8 times. This would be a 4 minute workout. This effectively combines a resistance exercise with aerobic cardio conditioning.
For a full body workout, you can choose 4 exercises and complete each for the 8 rounds, switching exercises every 4 minutes. For example: squats, pushups, dumb bell rows, and sit ups.
This is a great way to get a full body intense workout in only 16 minutes!
SIT (Sprint interval Training)
This is something everyone can do either outdoors or on a treadmill, rowing machine, or bike. The common format would be 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest.
You will want the "work" portion to be a fast intense workout that is above a comfortable pace, you will push at this pace for 45 seconds. Afterwards, you will rest by either very slowly moving or completely resting for 15 seconds. You can complete this for 5 intervals for a total time of 5 minutes.
SIT workout format:
5 Rounds
45 seconds of Running
15 seconds of Walking
If you want to kick this up a bit, take a 3-5 minute break into between and repeat. This is a great workout on it's own or a cardio finisher to add at the end of your workout!
Norwegian Method
This is specific method of HIIT that breaks the workout into larger intervals of 4 minutes of work and 3 minutes of rest. The goal being to reach 85%-95% of your maximum heart rate by the end of each interval.
This can be done on any modality but it is recommended to be done on a incline run or inclined treadmill. The rest period is meant to be a slow walk for recovery.
Norwegian workout format:
4 Rounds
4 minutes of Work
3 minutes of Rest
Those are three examples of how to incorporate HIIT workouts to burn fat more effectively. These are intense and require more motivation than a slow paced jog but highly effective in a short period of time.
Good luck and get ready for FAT LOSS!
The disadvantages: It's hard
HIIT is an incredibility effective way to lose body fat. Not only do you burn calories while you are working out but you will continue to burn fat after you finish. The gift that keeps on giving!
