High Intensity Interval Training – WHY ALL THE HYPE?
A shorter but more extreme exercise program guaranteed to whip you into shape faster – YES PLEASE! But if you’re not so fit, a medical clearance is needed first.
HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training, it has absolutely taken over the fitness industry and rightly so. Research claims that the concept of this maximal capacity exercise can have outstanding health and fitness results by implementing as little as seven minutes a few times a week.
HIIT has shown to be an extremely efficient means of exercise to help decrease body fat, improve insulin sensitivity and boost exercise capacity, endurance and muscular fitness.
A HIIT Workout:
- Generally involving 12 exercises, each performed in rapid succession for 30 seconds with minimal rest between of no more than 10 seconds. Throughout the whole work out you should be working to at least 80 per cent of full capacity – it should not be comfortable.
- Exercises should be performed in sequence to allow opposing muscle groups to alternate between resting and working e.g. a pushup (upper body) followed by lunges (lower body). Another consideration in exercise sequencing is to place those exercises which spike the heart rate before or following those which will decrease heart rate or of lower intensity. For Example, a plank would be followed by burpees.
- These workouts are not for the faint hearted – quite literally. You need to have better than average fitness levels to perform a HIIT program safely at the intensity required. All pre-exercise questioning should be carried out to identify risk factors prior to commencing any high intensity interval training.
If you would like a full health assessment or have any concerns please come and see our Accredited Exercise Physiologists or Physiotherapists prior to commencing your program.
