Let’s Get Started

Even with all that is going on, this will be a great read for those who want a nice alternative to your regular cardio that you normally see. Maybe you do not want to run for 45 minutes or 1 hour because you are not entirely getting ready for a marathon and you just want to lose weight. I got some good news for you, you can cut the 45 minutes of straight pace running with HIIT Training. High Intense Interval Training is a form of exercise where you do cardio in brief intervals of intensity. For example, you are walking on a treadmill with 3.6 speed on for a minute and 30 seconds. Once you hit that minute and 30 seconds, you do 30 seconds of sprinting as fast as you can and repeat the entire process until your HIIT workout is done. 

HIIT has many benefits to your body that includes fat loss, improvements for your heart and overall stamina. In fact, those that train with HIIT and do low intensity cardio in higher intervals of time remain healthier later in their lives and perform much better in sports. It is a wonderful alternative to “normal cardio” and with its benefits, it is even used in sports for conditioning athletes before a football game, a fight, a match etc. 

Some Good HIIT Workouts

Treadmill HIIT:
Start walking at a rate you are comfortable, but are challenging yourself with and then after 1 minutes and 30 seconds, sprint as fast as you can for 30 seconds. Repeat this until you have hit 15 – 20 minutes of intense training. 

100 Yard Dashes:
Warmup and stretch first. Start as soon as you are ready. Sprint as fast as you can for 100 yards. Breathe standing with hands over your head after you are done and walk 50 yards. Repeat the process. Try to challenge yourself and do 8-10 100 Yard Dashes.

Shadow Boxing:
Get started, work your way in and as soon as you want to practice combos, go for it. Work your combinations for about a minute and 30 seconds and then do 30 seconds of nonstop combinations and movements. Repeat the process til the timer says 15-20 minutes. You will get better at boxing with shadow boxing. I recommend getting a coach for that though, it is always best when you have a teacher telling you right from wrong. This however excludes if you have experience of course.

Boxing with Bag:
Take what I just mentioned before and apply this with a punching bag. Try to get as much combinations hit as fast and efficient as possible. Like before, I recommend having a coach if you do not have any experience to hold you accountable and make sure you are doing it right the first time. 

Elliptical HIIT:
I usually do this one when I am at the gym on a Saturday/Sunday morning. I love this because I think it is effective in getting your core in if you do it right. Replicate with 1 minute and 30 second drill but when you start that 30 second, kind of crunch your body and move as fast as you can. Do not knee yourself in the face, make sure you have enough distance between your face and knees if you are flexible. Do this for 15-20 minutes or as much as you’d like.

One thing I would like to mention, do this as much as your body and goals contend. This is all on you and how you want to go about it. Try to do it in a fasted state too, that highly benefits as well and provides a bigger challenge! All things aside, HIIT Training is a highly effective way of approaching your conditioning and cardio and I absolutely recommend. It has actually helped me run longer in fact. I tried it about a week ago and I jogged and sprinted for nearly 45 minutes without losing much breath.