What Are HIIT Workouts?
One of the more popular recent trends in exercising have been High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT Workouts. These are interval based cardio programs that alternates between max intensity at short bursts and rest. It’s almost the opposite of other cardio routines, where effort and energy is stretched out over long periods of time. HIIT Workouts focus on very small time frames where all your energy is exerted over a span of 30-90 seconds.
Maybe the best thing about HIIT Workout plans is that they can be done primarily at home with little to no equipment and without the need of a trainer. There are a multitude of phone apps and Youtube videos that can tailor to your skill and equipment level that will optimize your HIIT Workout Plan. These plans aren’t overly intense, they only take around 30 minutes to complete and only need to be done 2 or 3 times per week. It’s so much easier than schlepping out to the gym and dealing with everything that that entails. If implemented properly, High Intensity Interval Training is an efficient and effective way to get or stay in shape.
The Most Effective Exercises
Like I said earlier, there are an unlimited amount of HIIT Workout Plans that you can get started on at any level or with any goal in mind. Whether you want to get lean, gain muscle, or build endurance, you can find a high intensity interval workout plan that fits your abilities and schedule.
Though the words “high intensity” are included in the name, the exercises involved are not as daunting as you would think. Most of the routines consist of simple things that you would do in an grade school P.E. class like jumping jacks, push-ups, and lunges.
Beginner Workout
Whether you’re looking for for HIIT workouts for men or women, this beginner workout that doesn’t require any equipment gives you a good idea of what the program consists of and what you’ll be expected to do.
After a quick 3 minute warm up of jogging in place in place, arm circles, and lunge matrices, spend the next 30 minutes performing 3 rounds of the following exercises at intervals of 45 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest.
- Push-ups
- Bodyweight Squats
- Butt Kicks
- Tricep Dips
- Side Lunges
- Jumping Jacks
- Sit-ups
Cool down with overhead stretches, reverse lunges, quadricep stretches, and forward folds and then you’re all done and ready to go on with the rest of your day.
Advanced Workout
If you’re looking for a bigger challenge, here’s an advanced HIIT workout that still requires no equipment and only takes 21 minutes.
This workout consists of 4 different group cycles split into pairs. You do each pair of exercises for 20 seconds each and after each pair, you also rest for 20 seconds. After doing all 4 cycles, you rest for 1 minute. After going through this process 4 times, the workout is over. Here’s what the pair groupings consist of.
Group 1:
- Squat Jacks
- Yoga Push-ups
- Rest
Group 2:
- Star Jumps
- Mountain Climbers
- Rest
Group 3:
- Thigh Slap Jumps
- Squats With Front Leg Slide
- Rest
Group 4:
- High Knees
- Jumping Lunges
- Rest
This one is definitely harder, but it also contains plenty of rest for breathing control and when completed correctly, it can burn up to 380 calories.
HIIT Workout Benefits
Obviously, any type of workout is going to be beneficial for your long term health, but the variety of benefits that HIIT workouts have to offer are unbelievable.
HIIT Workouts help build and maintain muscle mass, they help improve blood circulation, and they help boost cardiovascular activity and endurance. They also prevent lots of things such as aging, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease.
A HIIT Workout Plan could be very important to someone trying to get back in shape or for someone who wants to take their workouts to another level, but they shouldn’t be the only means of exercise. The best way to stay in shape is to keep a constant routine that balances lots of different forms of exercise, and HIIT Workouts could be a major key in that routine.
