Being training for some time and not really seeing the results your after? Or perhaps even you’ve simply hit a wall in your journey to achieving the body you desire?
What if I told you that there is a way to blast through those dreaded plateaus and evolve your results to a new level? Well there is, and it is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) but I will say that this method of training is certainly not for the faint hearted, its tough and grueling but the results……….. great!
HIIT uses a strategy of short, intense exercise bursts. Resulting in a significant increase in the resting metabolic rate of your body for a staggering 24 hours, and causes anabolic effects such as decreased fat and maintained muscle mass.
HIIT can be done by using the traditional methods of cardiovascular exercise, such as the bicycle, the rowing machine, the treadmill, or the cross trainer or it can be done by incorporating movement inspired methods such as boxing, kickboxing, or whole body circuit training using tools such as dumbbells, kettlebells and plyometrics.
A HIIT session consists of a warm up period, followed by six to ten segments of high intensity exercise, separated by medium intensity exercise, and ending with a period of cool down exercise.
The high intensity exercise should be done at near maximum intensity. The medium exercise should be about 50% of your maximum effort. The number of repetitions and length of each depends on the exercise. The goal is to do at least six cycles, and to have the entire training session last around 15 – 20 minutes.
The great thing about HIIT is that its great for all levels as you are only working as hard as you personally can go in each maximum effort repetition!
