Fitness Friday: HIIT Your Way to a Toned Tush and Tummy

photo credit: google images

Do you have too much junk in the trunk? Do you feel like you spend hours in the gym slaving away yet seeing no results?  Whether you are looking to loose 20 lbs or 5 lbs an HIIT workout will burn belly fat at a furious rate. It is one of the best cardio workouts for weight loss. In fact a study from McMaster University in 2010 discovered that the same cardiac benefits achieved with steady state (think running on a treadmill or riding a bike) exercises can be attained through short burst workouts like HIIT. In a study done in 2001 at East Tennessee State University, J.W. king discovered that HIIT participants maintained an extra 100 calorie burn over the 24hrs following an HIIT session. This is because the workout is more strenuous, requiring more energy to recover, which continues the calorie burn. Just add a few HIIT workouts to your current workout regime to take your body to the next level of fitness. 

HIIT is high intensity interval training, a training technique in which you give 100% effort through quick intense bursts of exercise, followed by short sometimes active, recovery periods this training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time. An HIIT workout increases the bodies need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery. This afterburn effect is also known as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) and it's the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat calories than regular aerobic and steady state workouts. The key to HIIT is that it doesn't allow your body to get used to what you are doing, I.e. By changing your pace and pushing yourself through each interval. It's a great workout for those who bore easily and there are so many variations that anyone can find an HIIT workout that suits there needs. You can modify 4 things to make this workout unique to yourself. 1: Intensity (speed) 2: Duration (distance) 3: Duration (rest) 4: Number of repetitions of each interval. You can also use any type of exercise for your training, including cycling, sprinting, any cardio machine (stationary bike, cross-trainer, treadmill, stair-master, elliptically machine) hula hoop, jump rope, and so on.

HIIT is filled with benefits. 

 It increases your metabolism by combing high intensity with interval training resulting in EPOC, which speeds your metobolic rate, resulting in a 48 hour after burn. You'll still burn fast after leaving the gym, and who doesn't want that? 

HIIT is Quick and Conveinant with no equipment necessary . These workouts can be done anytime from anywhere and only last about 30 min. 

You can use different interval times depending on your workout.  All of them are usually a 2:1 or 3:1 interval ratio, meaning you'll work at a moderate intensity for 2 minutes and then push your body to the limit for 1 minute, or you'll work your hardest for 20 seconds then slow down and recover for 10 seconds, or work as hard as you can for 3 minutes and slowly recover for 1 minute. You do each exercise back to back, with minimal rest between moves.

Before you start this or any exercise regime, warm up. On your resting intervals bring your heart rate down to 100 to 110bpm. Once you have mastered the basics and want ti intensify your workout, be sure to make slow changes to your program and always remember to mix it up, be creative, challenge yourself, and never give up. 

photo credit: google images

Try this HIIT workout at home. Do the following exercises for 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off for 8 rounds.  Below is a tutorial and introduction to the exercises to get you started. 

Keep a record of how many reps you were able to finish for each exercise. Then challenge yourself the next time you try it. Trying to beat your own score. 

I want to hear from you. Did you try an HIIT workout? What interval program did you choose? Did you enjoy it? I can't wait to hear all about everyone's experiences with HIIT so please comment below.  I look forward to hearing from you.