Don't have a lot of time to exercise? Try HIIT
What's the story
High-intensity interval training or HIIT is a type of cardio workout that combines short bursts of intense exercises with periods of rest in between. It maximizes your athletic performance by helping you to burn more calories and build muscles. It helps lower your blood sugar and blood pressure levels and is also an effective weight loss technique. Read on to know more about it.
Definition
What is HIIT?
HIIT is the most time-effective exercise technique that typically lasts between 10-30 minutes. It usually includes sprinting, jumping rope, running, cycling, or other bodyweight exercises. The high-intensity intervals must involve short periods of efficient workouts that will speed up your heart rate. If you wish to lose weight, build muscle and boost your metabolism, then HIIT is the most effective training.
HIIT workout
How to do it?
First, warm-up before you start with your HIIT workout. You can start with 10-15 reps of leg swings followed by side leg swings. Next, jump rope or do jumping jacks for one minute followed by 10 reps of squats and two inchworms. Remember to take a 60-second break between each exercise and start out with a four-five minute circuit if you are a beginner.
Benefits
Benefits of HIIT
HIIT workout helps you burn more calories as compared to running. Besides helping you lose weight, HIIT improves oxygen and blood flow by strengthening your circulatory system. It also lowers your blood pressure level and stimulates your metabolism. This workout pattern improves your sleep quality and increases your sleeping duration. HIIT workouts may also ease mental health conditions like depression and perceived stress.
Types
Four types of HIIT you can try
If you are an advanced athlete, try Tabata which includes eight rounds of workouts broken up by 20 seconds of exercise and 10 seconds of rest. Tabata includes squats, lunges, high knees, and crunches. Cardio HIIT focuses on increasing your heart rate. Full-body HIIT includes push-ups, side kicks, bear crawls, mountain climbers, curtsy lunges, handstand push-ups, etc. HIIT weights focus on strengthening your muscles.