HIIT training stands for High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT involves work periods ranging from 30 seconds to three minutes, working between 80–100% of your maximum heart rate with shorter recovery periods. .
Is HIIT training good for?
HIIT training is great for those who are short on time. A HIIT session, not including your warm up, would last a maximum of 20 minutes.
With HIIT Training your body will continue to burn calories at a higher rate than normal.
Research has also found that HIIT is a great way of improving your VO2 Max, which reduces the risk of death.
Who should use HIIT Training?
HIIT can be used by anyone, but since it is a vigorous exercise you should seek doctor advice first.
The main reason to choose HIIT is the time efficiency compared to continuous exercise, but you must work at a hard enough intensity to compensate for the reduced time you spend exercising.
20 minute HIIT workout
Warm up – do each exercise for 45 seconds
- Jog on the spot
- Bodyweight squat
- Jog on the spot
- Reverse lunge
- Jog on the spot
- Push ups.
Main workout – perform 3 sets of each exercise and active recovery before moving on to the next exercise
- Squat and reverse diagonal lunge – 45 seconds
- Active recovery (jog on the spot) – 30 seconds
- Push up – 45 seconds
- Active recovery (jog on the spot) – 30 seconds
- Inchworm – 45 seconds
- Active recovery (jog on the spot) – 30 seconds
- Jumping Jacks – 45 seconds
- Active recovery (jog on the spot) – 30 seconds
- Plank with shoulder taps – 45 seconds
- Active recovery (jog on the spot) – 30 seconds.
Cool down
- Downward Dog– 10 seconds
- Backwards shoulder rolls (10 shoulder rolls)
- Forwards shoulder rolls (10 shoulder rolls)
- Reach overhead and then bend forwards – rest for 5 seconds before slowly rolling back up to standing
- Reach overhead and lean to your right – rest for 5 seconds
- Return to the centre and lean to your left – rest for 5 seconds
- Return to the centre.
- Child pose
