A HIIT TO THE BODY. Push your body to its limits with one of the most challenging exercises around: HIIT
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When it comes to training and exercise, we all want the easiest and the shortest way to burn fat and, more importantly, lose weight. More often than not, we don’t want the “all day long at the gym” option—we just want quick results. The question right now is, how much exercise is really needed in order to get quick results?
We can’t really answer the “how much” part of the question, but we can give you something close: the “what.” And the answer is HIIT. As a beneficial style of fitness training that involves switching between high intensity and medium to low intensity exercise intervals for a certain period of time, HIIT has been shown over and over again to be the most effective and efficient style of training.
Short Introduction
As mentioned above, HIIT—which stands for High Intensity Interval Training—is an exercise program that incorporates short bursts of intense exercise followed by slower exercise forms. This training method has been proven to deliver great results in a short amount of time. And the best part is, you don’t have to spend hours in the gym to do this kind of training.
As mentioned before, this particular training method uses intervals of medium and high intensity exercises. That way, your muscles will demand more oxygen, which maximizes calorie burn. By optimizing your oxygen intake, you preserve muscle, build lean muscle mass and burn more calories during and after your workout.
“The HIIT method has been proven to deliver great results in a short amount of time…and you don’t have to spend hours in the gym to do this kind of training”
High intensity interval training consists of short bursts of all-out effort followed by a longer period of exercise at a more moderate pace. The standard timing most commonly recommended is 30 seconds of all-out effort followed by 90 seconds of more moderate energy expenditure while you get your breath back and your heart rate back down a bit. This pattern is repeated over and over for a total of 15 to 30 minutes.
Do or Do Not, there Is No try
What makes this training much more interesting is the simple fact that it can easily be adapted to any exercise program. For example, if a person has a walking routine, they can incorporate high intensity intervals. At first, they can start at a comfortable pace for two minutes then walk at a faster rate for one minute.
After that, they would then go back to a comfortable pace for 1 minute and increase again. This would triple the benefits they receive from the same walk for the same amount of time. This method can also work for swimming, biking or hiking. The key is to incorporate short bursts of high intensity into what they are already doing.
Now, as simple as the HIIT exercise might appear, there are quite a few details to pay attention to in order to make the most of any intensity training session. At this point, you will want to make sure that:
- You do some light warm ups for at least three to five minutes
- For the High Intensity portion: 30 seconds of sprinting, squats, jumping jacks, high knees, mountain climbers or other exercises with similar physical demands
- For the Medium Intensity part: 60 to 90 seconds of jogging, walking or other lowimpact and low-intensity exercises
What we have covered above is only the most basic form of HIIT workouts. There are plenty of variations, each with its own range of benefits. You also can incorporate strength training into rest periods to get even better results and make the most of your time.
The Aftermath
Above all else, the single most important thing that you have to keep in mind is that compared with other styles of exercise, it will take longer for your body to fully recover from a workout. While you may be able to perform five minute HIIT sessions daily without needing extended recovery periods, a 30 minute HIIT session is likely to require an off day before your body fully recuperates. To that end, you have to remember that because it’s so high intensity, it’s vital to rest in order to avoid injury.
All in all, HIIT is considered one of the most effective workouts for burning maximum calories in minimal time. You can get all the benefits from this type of exercise from just about anywhere, simply by learning the basics of how HIIT works and then designing your own routine.
Text Riga Ramadhan
Photography Wong Sim
Styling Peter Zewet
Grooming Irene Tedj
Styling assistants Edwin Habibun and Jay Robert Davies
Model Mitchell Wick/Chadwick
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