High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts are one of the most scientifically tested workout program for losing weight and improving athletic performance. HIIT is also the best workout to improve your cardiovascular fitness and burn lots of calories at the same time. It is the fasted way to lose weight and get that lean body you always wanted. Followed by hundreds of professional athletes and sportsmen, High Intensity Interval Training is specifically used to take your fitness level graph out of a plateau (to push your body out of stagnation) to give you an ever increasing fitness level. All the people of Valencia and Stevenson Ranch California who are looking for a Gym in Santa Clarita to try this routine, I would suggest Afterburn Fitness as it offers the best workouts that use High Intensity Interval Training in Santa Clarita, CA.
What is High Intensity Interval Training?
HIIT is a combination of short periods of high intensity anaerobic exercises followed by small periods of less strenuous aerobic exercises. This combination of alternating intervals of aerobic and anaerobic exercises gives the most ideal synthesis of muscle retention and calorie burn during and after the workout, along with increasing your body’s overall metabolic rate. It may sound easy but this routine is not for weak minded people as a 30-40 minute workout of this type will leave your drenched.
High intensity training
It involves anaerobic exercises such as sprinting, fast biking, and dash swimming, and high weight weightlifting. These types of exercises increase your muscle strength and requires highest amount of oxygen required. VO2 Max is the state of the body in which we consume highest amount of oxygen and your body get to this stage after a low intensity followed by a high intensity workout. Now VO2 max state triggers the Afterburn effect which results in continued consumption of O2 even after the workout, i.e., your body continues to burn calories even 48 hours after workout. The biggest plus point of this interval is that it also builds up your muscles, which is achieved by only aerobic exercises.
Durations: - 20 second High intensity followed by 10 second low intensity workout, thus a total workout time of around 4 minutes.
How much: - Do it for 4 times per week.
For whom:- This routine is normally advised for those people who are extremely fit but due to lack of time are not able to devote as much devotion to their training. So all those couch potatoes who immediately got excited after seeing “only 4 minutes” of workout time, well, bad luck.
Durations: - 60 seconds of High intensity cycling followed by 75 seconds of low intensity biking. A normal workout involves 12-13 cycle thus a total workout time of around 27-30 minutes.
How much: - Do it for maximum 4 times per week.
For whom: - Yes this one is for you couch potatoes. But do this after you can cycle for more than 30-40 minutes at normal speed. And high intensity means high intensity, i.e. cycle as fast as you can, and most importantly, wear a helmet.
How to do it: - 4 minute warm up followed by 8-rep sets of weightlifting followed by a set of mountain climbers
Durations: - 8 rep set of High intensity weight training followed by 1 minute set of low intensity mountain climbers exercise. Also high intensity weights can be alternated with 1.5-2 minute high intensity cardio, such as sprint or cycling, to get an effective cardio as well. A normal workout involves 10-11 cycle thus a total workout time of around 40-45 minutes.
How much: - Do it for maximum 4 times per week.
For whom: - This is for those who are taking the next step in their training and now wants to focus on muscle building along with weight losing.
Low intensity intervals
Low intensity aerobic exercise is the main fat burning activity during the workout. It not only burns calories but also takes your body closer to VO2 max state, which is triggered by anaerobic exercise. These exercises also increase your overall metabolic rate and also improve the stamina and endurance of your body.
HIIT Procedures
The first thing to remember while doing HIIT is that it is an enhanced form of doing your normal exercises. So there are no special exercises that you have to do. You just have to time your reps, speed, and intervals accordingly. Also this procedure is for those who have now been exercises regularly for some time and now are able to exercise for atleast 20-30 minutes comfortably.
How to do it
So the big question is how to do high intensity interval training? Well as there are no specific exercises you just have to follow interval training and take it to extreme. A normal HIIT regime includes 3-4 minutes of warm up exercises that are followed by 8-10 repetitions of high intensity workouts. Each High intensity workout interval is followed by a low intensity workout. So you can customize your own HIIT regime by manipulating
- Duration of high intensity workout
- Duration of Low intensity workout
- Number of repetition of both cycles
- And, intensity of your workouts
What is high intensity?
Most people think that running faster than jogging speed is high intensity. It is not. High intensity means you are giving the best that you can for as long as you can for that time, i.e. if you are sprinting, you would run as if a raging bull is on your tail. So if after a 30 min workout you think that HIIT is a breeze, you are definitely doing it wrong
One other way to gauge high intensity is using a heart rate monitor. Go online or consult a physician and find out the ideal maximum heart rate (MHR) for your body. There are number of sites that will calculate your MHR for you such as http://www.myfit.ca/hiit/hiit_calculator.asp. Normally it is calculated according to your age and weight. So when measuring in heart rate, high intensity means that your activity takes your heart rate to around 80-90% of MHR, and low intensity means that your heart rate is nearly around 50-60% of your max heart rate.
Some tested examples of workout routine
Here are some examples of workout routines that are followed by athletes and beginners alike. As said earlier the main areas that they differ in are duration of each interval, intensity, reps, and type of exercise.
The Tabata method
Tabata method is a very widely known routine that was developed on the basis of a study done by Izumi Tabata in 1996.Type of exercise: - Running
How to do it: - 3-4 minute warm up followed by 4 cycles of high and low intensity combinationsDurations: - 20 second High intensity followed by 10 second low intensity workout, thus a total workout time of around 4 minutes.
How much: - Do it for 4 times per week.
For whom:- This routine is normally advised for those people who are extremely fit but due to lack of time are not able to devote as much devotion to their training. So all those couch potatoes who immediately got excited after seeing “only 4 minutes” of workout time, well, bad luck.
Little Method
This was based on a study done by Dr. Jonathan Little and Dr. Martin Gibala of Kinesology department of the McMasters University Ontario Canada, in 2009.Type of exercise: - Cycling
How to do it: - 4 minute warm up followed by 12-13 cycles of high and low intensity combinationsDurations: - 60 seconds of High intensity cycling followed by 75 seconds of low intensity biking. A normal workout involves 12-13 cycle thus a total workout time of around 27-30 minutes.
How much: - Do it for maximum 4 times per week.
For whom: - Yes this one is for you couch potatoes. But do this after you can cycle for more than 30-40 minutes at normal speed. And high intensity means high intensity, i.e. cycle as fast as you can, and most importantly, wear a helmet.
Turbulence training
This method was developed by Craig Ballentyne, a celebrity trainer and physiology researcher.How to do it: - 4 minute warm up followed by 8-rep sets of weightlifting followed by a set of mountain climbers
Durations: - 8 rep set of High intensity weight training followed by 1 minute set of low intensity mountain climbers exercise. Also high intensity weights can be alternated with 1.5-2 minute high intensity cardio, such as sprint or cycling, to get an effective cardio as well. A normal workout involves 10-11 cycle thus a total workout time of around 40-45 minutes.
How much: - Do it for maximum 4 times per week.
For whom: - This is for those who are taking the next step in their training and now wants to focus on muscle building along with weight losing.
Make up your own HIIT program. Your Imagination is the key
Even though there are many different training regimes that employ HIIT methodology, there are no fix rules, just some common guidelines. Thus you can make your own HIIT program to make your workout entertaining. For example consider the following regime
- 1minute fast jog (70-80% MHR)
- 1 minute slow jog (60-65% MHR)
- 1minute Sprint (80-90% MHR)
- 2 minute slow jog (50-60% MHR)
- Repeat these steps for 10-12 cycles
Customizing using both HIIT and Muscle confusion
Our body is very resilient. So it will eventually adapt to everything you throw at it. So if you follow a fixed HIIT you would start to gain lesser per month as you advance in your course. Muscle confusion will prevent that and at the same time target all types of muscles.
Afterburn fitness, a premier Gym in Valencia Santa Clarita CA, offer a specialized custom made High Intensity Interval Training workout that combines everything from pushups, pull ups, sprints, and weights, to tractor tires and battling ropes. The X-Fit program offered by Afterburn fitness employ lessons from both HIIT and muscle confusion, both the latest techniques to improve muscle strength and endurance. It will challenge your endurance, strength, speed, and willpower to its limits and that all in 30 minutes.
The HIIT effect
High Intensity Interval Training achieves both muscle building and fat burning as compared to only calorie burning done by cardiovascular exercises. Studies, such as “Effect of high-intensity interval training on cardiovascular function, VO2max, and muscular force”, shows that 27 minutes of 4day a week HIIT routines achieve same level of calorie burning as 60 minutes of 5day a week of only cardiovascular routine. They also show that High Intensity Interval Training gives is the optimal routine to retain muscles and improve muscle strength and mass along with steady and fast fat loss.
When NOT to do HIIT
As the name suggests High Intensity Interval Training workouts are very taxing for your body so don’t do it for more than 4 times a week. Resting is also necessary for body to grow. Also if you are starting to exercise after a very long time, it advised that you start by building up your stamina. So once again we would like to emphasize, because we know that a lot of you don’t take it seriously when said only one time, high intensity interval training is not for everyone. It is for only for those who are strong willed and are comfortable with 20-30 minute normal intensity workout. Also consult your physician and gym trainer before starting this workout and for finding the ideal max heart rate for you.
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