What is HIIT cardio training - Learn what HIIT cardio is and how to perform HIIT
A lot of people will have probably heard of HIIT cardio training but are confused as to how it differs from any other type of training. Let’s take a more detailed look at HIIT cardio training and answer the question a lot of fitness beginners will be wondering…What exactly is HIIT cardio training? HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and is one of the best types of cardio you can do. HIIT cardio training will help your body shed the pounds and burn off fat when performed correctly and consistently.
The idea behind HIIT training is to burn off as many calories as possible while exercising for shorter periods of time. Nowadays a lot of people have taken a keen interest in HIIT training and have incorporated HIIT into their current training routines in order to reap the benefits. I mean, who can honestly say they would exercise for longer than is necessary if they can get the same results in a shorter amount of time? Very few!
Before you decide to jump straight into HIIT cardio training, ensure you have some sort of fitness work behind you. If you’ve never exercised before then jumping straight into HIIT is a very bad idea. If you are out of shape and unfit I would not recommend you even consider HIIT just yet. HIIT Training is intense and is not really something you can jump straight into without already having some sort of fitness training behind you. If you are new to cardio and looking to lose weight or get into better shape start off with low/moderate intensity jogs. After a month or two, when you feel comfortable that you can run for at least 20 mins non-stop at a moderate intensity then consider give HIIT training a shot.
How do I perform HIIT Cardio Training?
HIIT cardio training is reasonably easy to perform once you know how. HIIT Training is all about alternating between high intensity intervals and lower intensity intervals. What this basically means is that you will be performing a mixture of fast running, slow jogging and maybe even walking to complete your first HIIT Training workout. Let me give you an example. A typical HIIT Training session should look like this. First, you will want to start off with a few stretches. This will help prepare your muscles for the workout and hopefully prevent any potential injuries. Now you can start with a simple 2 minute warm up jog. This will be of low intensity just to get your muscles warmed up. Remember to do some light stretching before you start your workout as this can help prevent possible injuries. Once two minutes is up you will perform 30 seconds of all out sprinting. At the end of these 30 seconds you should be breathing a lot heavier. This is good and shows your body is working hard and burning calories so do not worry about this. After your 30 second sprint is completed you then switch to a light jog for 1-2 minutes before repeating another 30 seconds of sprinting. Each sprinting and light jogging interval will count as one set so one sprint and jog equals one set. Repeat these intervals for as many sets as you possibly can and you will have just completed your first HIIT Cardio training session.
How else can I perform HIIT Cardio Training?
The good thing about HIIT Training is that you can perform it in a number of different ways. Although HIIT Training is vastly effective when performed running you don’t always have to hit the streets in order to perform your daily HIIT training. HIIT Training can be performed in the gym or at home on an exercise bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, stair master or even cycling. The principles of HIIT Training are exactly the same as running regardless of what piece of equipment you use. For example, if you choose to use a stationary bike for your HIIT, you would alternate between 30 seconds or longer of all out cycling along with a minute or two of slow paced cycling. This also applies to all other pieces of equipment such as the treadmill, elliptical and stair master.
The benefits of performing HIIT Cardio Training
As mentioned earlier HIIT Training is rather unique and is performed differently than any other type of cardio. It therefore comes with a number of health benefits. The most popular benefit of HIIT Training is undoubtedly the amount of calories it burns. During a HIIT Cardio session you will be working at a higher intensity than any other type of cardio such as jogging. When jogging, your consistently working at a low to moderate intensity for prolonged periods of time. Now, the human body is very clever at adapting to stress that is placed upon it and after a while the same 20-30 minute jog you do every morning will end up burning less calories than it once did.
With HIIT Training however the body doesn’t have time to adapt. The constant switching of high and low intensity intervals keeps your body guessing and more importantly, burning calories. During HIIT you are working towards failure on the majority of your sprinting intervals forcing your body to work doubly hard in order to transport oxygen back in and around your body. This in turn will burn more calories. It would probably be fair to say that HIIT Cardio training will burn off more calories than any other type of cardio. There’s no way your body can adapt to HIIT and predict what you are going to be doing next like it can with jogging. Another great benefit of HIIT Training is the effect it has on ones metabolism. Your metabolism will be raised for hours afterwards allowing you to burn off additional calories throughout the day without even knowing it.
We shouldn’t forget that HIIT Training not only provides a great workout your heart and lungs but also provides a great workout for your legs. After completing an exhausting HIIT session you will definitely feel it in your legs. The quads, calves and hamstrings are all worked when sprinting so don’t be surprised to have sore legs for a day or two after your workouts. Chances are you won’t be able to complete no more than 2 or 3 sessions of HIIT in a row due to sore leg muscles so feel free to take a day off or two to recover between sessions or maybe even try alternating jogging and HIIT days to reap the benefits of both.
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