Is your new year’s resolution to be healthier and stronger in 2017? Then you should be mixing up your workouts with some interval training (also known as HIIT “High Intensity Interval Training”). HIIT is designed as a way to help burn fat and build muscle via short bursts of exercise that will help you break plateaus and reach your fitness goals faster than you would with a normal strength and/or cardio based workout routine. Each interval should leave you out of breath and feeling like you can’t go any longer, followed by a short resting interval. These workouts are so great that your body will keep burning fat for up to 24 hours after every session! How’s that for kicking off the new year right?
Doin’ HIIT Right
Before thrusting yourself into HIIT, you will want to make sure you’re completing every movement with proper form. Find a gym that has the best facilities, like ours at Chuze Fitness (shameless plug alert), and join a team training session, or get an exercise program designed by a certified personal trainer. This will give you a great plan to work with, along with decreasing any chance of sustaining an injury. Plus, with the aid of a coach or team training session, you will have a community of people working with you towards your goals!
Cardio
Ok, we get that cardio isn’t everyone’s favorite; but with HIIT, you will complete your cardio in sharp, short bursts. No more hour-long treadmill sessions. Yay! Your coaches can help you find the exercises that suit you best. One example of a cardio HIIT workout is:
45 seconds on; 15 second rest:
Jumping Jacks
High Knees
Butt Kicks
Frog Jumps
Ski Jumps
Squat Jumps
Rest 1 minute and repeat 3x
(Whew! Anyone else break a sweat just by reading that?)
Exercise Classes
One of the best ways to get started is by integrating some great exercise classes into your routine. Those of you who just park yourselves in the free weights section might be rolling your eyes, but joining an Insanity ® class or trying out team training interval workouts will do wonders for your leg muscles too. Hey, we all know the adage, “Never skip leg day.”
Staying Motivated
It’s going to be hard to start off with. You will ache, sweat and probably even wonder why in the world you’re doing this. Finding ways to keep yourself motivated is the hardest part. One of the best ways to stay motivated while doing HIIT is by listening to your favorite music. Gyms with Wi-Fi are pretty much standard now, so you can use a service like Spotify and listen to your favorite workout playlist.
Another way is by training with a friend. Having someone at a similar fitness level to do HIIT with will constantly push you to improve your fitness levels. Plus, you’ll feel a lot more accountable and less likely to cancel and let them down. After all, the hardest part about going to the gym is getting yourself to the gym!
At the end of the day it’s only going to work if you get up and do it! No matter where your current fitness level is, all it takes is that first step to be on your way to achieving your fitness goals.
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