HIIT Training for Beginners and How To Get Started
HIIT came seemingly out of nowhere and took the fitness world by storm.
People barely knew what it was and what benefits it offered, and then, all of a sudden, everyone began touting the idea.
The question is, what made HIIT so popular, and does it truly work so well for us?
Today, we’ll go over everything you need to know about HIIT workout for beginners.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
What Is HIIT?
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. As its name suggests, this training modality has you do short bursts of intense effort followed by brief periods of recovery.
A prime example of HIIT workouts is sprinting or doing exercises such as squats or burpees. You do as many burpees as you can for, say, 30 seconds (a short burst of intense activity), and then you rest for a minute (the recovery period).
Your typical HIIT workout is done by switching between the intense activity and the recovery period several times. For example:
Burpees for 30 seconds Rest for 60 seconds Burpees for 30 seconds Rest for 60 seconds Burpees for 30 seconds Rest for 60 seconds Burpees for 30 seconds Rest for 60 seconds Burpees for 30 seconds Done
In addition, you can look at trying a full body tabata routine that can be done in just 4 minutes.
How Does HIIT Work And What Benefits Does It Offer?
You might be wondering:
“Well, why would anyone train for an hour if they can achieve great benefits in thirty minutes?”
High-intensity interval training takes advantage of one core factor – training density. This refers to the amount of work we do per unit of time. For example, doing ten sets of squats in 60 minutes is an example of a low-intensity and low-density workout. But, do that same ten sets in a 15 minute HIIT routine, and you have yourself high-density training.
It’s the same amount of work (ten sets of squats) but in a quarter of the time.
And this is the entire premise of HIIT – you push yourself much harder and do a lot of work in less time. Not only does this help you save time with your training, but it also enables you to progress quicker.
Because the amount of work you do stays relatively similar, you also burn a similar number of calories during the session. And, thanks to the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) effect, you can burn some extra calories in the hours after you’re done training.
Aside from this, HIIT is beneficial because it:
Delivers many health benefits
Makes you faster and more explosive
Aids with muscle growth
And finally, HIIT is quite fun and pushes you to your limits. Instead of going through the motions for one hour, you get to push as hard as you can with a 30 minute HIIT workout and call it a day.
How to Get Started With High Intensity Interval Training
Getting started with HIIT is much easier than most people imagine. The most important thing you need to do is pick an activity you enjoy doing and see if you can apply the principles of HIIT to it. Alternatively, take something you don’t enjoy and see if it becomes more engaging for you by making it more intense.
Take, for example, circuit training. Some people like it, others don’t. No matter which camp you fall into, you can apply the HIIT principles and see if it fits you better.
Instead of going through a leisurely circuit workout for 30 minutes, bump the intensity up. Do as many repetitions of each exercise for a short period, rest, and move on to the next activity. Push yourself as hard as you can while still maintaining proper technique
Including the warm-up and cooldown, this workout won’t take you longer than twenty minutes. But, most people would find it infinitely more engaging than low-intensity training.
It’s also important to warm-up incredibly well for your HIIT session and ramp up the intensity steadily. If you push yourself too hard from the start, you increase the risk of overtraining or injuring yourself. So, pace yourself, begin with a sustainable intensity, listen to your body, and you will do great.
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