Are you one of these people who get on the treadmill and run for 10km and wonder why you can't lose weight?
I don't know if you have heard of H.I.I.T. but it could be what you need to jazz up your cardio workout and help you shed those unwanted kilograms FAST.
If you read my last article about Weights versus Cardio, then you’ll know that you need to do a mix of both. The best type of cardio is H.I.I.T. and is scientifically tested to burn fat faster than any other cardio session.
So what is H.I.I.T.?
H.I.I.T. is short for High Intensity Interval Training and can be done in as little as 20 minute where you’ll work out at a high intensity then slow it right down at set intervals. It can be done on any piece of cardio equipment, inside using your body weight or outdoors in the park.
With H.I.I.T. you exercise as fast as you can for two thirds of the time and rest for one third of the time. If you’re just starting out then you might only be able to do this for 5 minutes and work your way up. Remember to keep pushing yourself and everyday try to do at least one more interval set.
Here are a few examples of interval times
Working Phase |
Resting Phase |
20 Seconds |
10 Seconds |
30 Seconds |
15 Seconds |
40 Seconds |
20 Seconds |
60 Seconds |
30 Seconds |
A beginner to H.I.I.T. might want a longer rest period between working phases and may start off doing a 60 seconds working phase and having 30 seconds rest.
A few important points to remember with H.I.I.T. are during your resting phase you need to slow right down. The reason for this is you want to be able to give it all you have during the working phase and ensure you shock your body. Ensure when you’re doing your working phase that whatever equipment you're using that you have sufficient resistance so by the end of your working phase you’re exhausted and couldn’t possibly do another second.
The other great thing about H.I.I.T. is that you’re burning Calories even after you stop. This can happen up to 40 hours after you finish.
To ensure you don’t get bored with H.I.I.T. training or plateau try to change the the H.I.I.T. exercise regularly.
Here are a couple of my favourite exercises to help you structure your H.I.I.T. fat burning training session.
Working Phase |
Resting Phase |
High Knees |
Rest |
Skipping |
Rest |
Sprint |
Jog |
As always it's important to warm up for 5 minutes before you start and then make sure that you cool down and stretch when you've finished.
To get the best fat burning H.I.I.T. session:
- Always warm up and cool down
- Remember the 2/3, 1/3 rule for each interval
- During your working phase make sure you give 100%
- Keep varying your H.I.I.T. exercises so you don’t get bored or plateau
- Combine both H.I.I.T. and Strength Training to get the best results fast
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