High-Intensity Interval Training Plan of Action
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is more a methodology for training than a structured, named training program like P90X or Insanity. In fact, many of the home-based workouts that are advertised on TV use HIIT as a basis constructing their workout programs. HIIT is not a program that is sold with a structured calendar, packaged set of DVD’s or a nutrition guide that takes you through a 30, 60, or 90 day workout. Instead HIIT provides a broad framework from which a program can be constructed and with hundreds of moves to choose from you can certainly vary your workout to keep it unique and interesting.
High-intensity interval training schedules have the same basic makeup. First is a warm up period of exercise which loosens the muscles and gets the cardiovascular system up and running. This is an active warm up period with stretching only as a part of movement that begins to lift your heart rate. Next you move to a period of high-intensity exercise followed by either a less-intense activity like walking or marching in place. The amount of repetitions and duration of each phase depends on your schedule and maybe even the exercise itself. There is no specific regimen to high-intensity interval training, but there are a few common practices of having a 1:2, 1:1, or a 2:1 ratio of exercise to recovery time. This could be 20-30 seconds of sprinting followed by 10-15 seconds of jogging or walking. If you want to drop body fat, then this is the perfect type of exercise for you. Studies have shown that high-intensity interval training raises resting metabolism and is more effective at increasing mechanisms in muscle cells that endorse fat burning and deter fat storage. It was previously thought that the best way to lose weight was to exercise for 30-60 minutes a day. This can be extremely time consuming and may not actually provide the best results for the amount of effort exerted. High-intensity interval training takes less time and has been proven to provide better results.
This does not have to be strictly a cardio workout either. This same methodology can be employed with using weights or resistance bands often with full body motions like using dumbbells to do bicep curls in combination with a squat. For instance, do a set of 5 lunges with weights doing maximum intensity followed by a very short rest, then do it again. When doing this type of muscle training, you should choose a weight that is about fifty percent of what you could normally do 10 reps of. Even though you might be using less weight, high-intensity interval training helps build more muscle strength and power by stimulating the release of muscle building hormones in the body. Not only does this type of exercise build muscle, but it also helps to improve muscle endurance, enabling you to be stronger for longer.
The most important part of doing high-intensity interval training is to go as hard as you can for the duration of the work out, and to keep breaks to a minimal in order to keep your heart rate up and your body going at its maximum capacity. As previously stated, HIIT is a methodology for working out and does not have a nutrition program associated with it. To achieve any weight loss goals, you should couple your workout with a weight loss program.
