Do you exercise regularly? Then the chances are pretty high that you would be familiar with the term HIIT, but what is HIIT Workout? How can you implement this to get most of your workout? Just don’t worry; this article, however, will lead you to your answers.
Well, for some people, the perfect workout only consists of lifting heavy weights, clanking iron, and taking long breaks to recover, but not everyone hits the gym intending to grow muscles and build strength.
If your objective is to improve your fitness level, break a sweat, and burn some fat, you’re going to have to pick up some pace and mix in cardio elements to your workout.
We know that workout protocols are filled with misconceptions and confusion, especially if you are a beginner; the same goes for HIIT workouts.
Previous article: 15 Easy Workouts for Beginners at Home Without Equipment
So, are you now beginning to wonder what HIIT sessions are all about? Don’t get hassled; here’s all that you need to know about this popular type of workout.
What is HIIT Workout?
So, what does HIIT stand for? Before we dig deep into the discussion about HIIT workout, you need to know what this name alone suggests. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training that refers to a particular type of training.
As now you are familiar with the name, you might start to wonder how intensive it might be, right? You are thinking just right, as HIIT takes your cardio workout to another level as you push your pace beyond your limits.
The reason behind its popularity is that it allows trainers to pack intensive workouts in just a tiny amount of time, making them practical, quick, and more engaging than a silly prolonged walking cardio machine.
A HIIT workout session involves you doing intervals of training ranging between 10 seconds to eight minutes; during this time, you are working greater than 80% of your maximum heart rate.
Confused about what Interval training is? No worries, we will guide you through everything.
What is Interval training?
Interval training is simply 30 seconds alternating short bursts of intense activity with longer intervals; these intervals are about 1 to 2 minutes, consisting of less intense activity.
What does interval training improve?
Interval training leads to many psychological changes, including an improvement in your cardiovascular efficiency.
However, there are furthermore benefits you want to take a look at to get yourself fully aware of what interval training is capable of:
- It increases the tolerance of the build-up of lactic acid
- It improves your performance
- More incredible speed and endurance.
HIIT for Beginners
Are you looking for a HIIT workout for beginners? Well, before you get started with a more advanced HIIT, you should include more of a full-body focus rather than just a targeted specific area or muscle group in the beginning stage.
Focusing on intense work during an early stage can raise the risk of injury. So, it’s better that you increase the intensity of your workout gradually.
Here is an efficient 15 minute HIIT workout for beginners, which you can start doing right now!
HIIT Exercises for Beginners
Wonder what are some HIIT workouts for beginners? Stop thinking; that is exactly what you’re going to find out.
Before starting with these fat-burning HIIT exercises, grab an exercise mat and a pair of sliders.
Don’t have them? No worries, a towel or a plastic plate would work just fine.
Exercises:
Superset 1
- Reverse Lunge
- Push-up
How to do it?:
For superset 1, you will need to complete 30 seconds of reverse lunge along with 30 seconds of pushups. Repeat and have a rest for one minute. You have to complete five rounds in (total= 6 minutes)
Superset 2
- Side shuffle with floor tap
- Slider arm circles
How to do it?:
For superset 2, complete each exercise within 30 seconds. Get rest for one minute—complete five rounds in total (total=6 minutes)
Are you having trouble performing these exercises? Don’t worry; we will guide you through every step to help you burn all that extra Fat.
Reverse Lunge
Directions:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, making your core engaged.
- Step back with your right feet and bend both knees, moving downwards, forming a lunge.
- Keeping your body engaged, hips tucked, raise back to the original position.
- Repeat with the other leg. Continue to switch sides for 20 seconds.
Push-up
Directions:
- Get yourself into a high plank position with palms kept flat on the floor, with hands shoulder-width apart, legs held behind, engaging your core and glutes. The shoulder should be stacked directly above your wrists.
- Bend your elbows and slowly bring your chest to the floor.
- With the help of your palms, push yourself, straightening your elbows and returning to the original position. Repeat this for about 10 seconds.
Side Shuffle With Floor Tap
Directions:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, engaging core, and hands should be clasped at chest height.
- Get into a half squat position, bending your knees a little and pushing your butt back.
- With that position, shuffle yourself to the right as quickly as possible for about five feet.
- Reaching to the right, tap the floor with your right hand and shuffle to the left with now tapping the floor with the left hand.
- Keep moving back and forth as quickly as possible for about 30 seconds.
Side Arm circles
Directions:
- Get in a higher plank position with a glider in both hands, hands shoulder-width apart, keeping shoulder over the wrist and engaging core and glutes.
- Apply force to the slider with your left hand and draw a clockwise circle for one rep. Keep your core and glutes tight along with your hips.
- Continue each side for 15 seconds.
Well, these were some of the basic exercises that you can do as a beginner. Eventually, once you get mastered, you would have to take a step forward.
So, for that, you might want to know, what are the best HIIT exercises worth doing? You need not worry; we would be pleased to enlighten you with that as well. Here are some best HIIT exercises you can do to make your heart rate go kaboom :
Best HIIT Exercises at Home
Workout 1: Superset HIIT
Do all the exercises after one another, then repeat the set. About 2-3 sets are to be completed.
Circuit 1:
- Pushups: 20
- Bodyweight squats: 50
- weight crunches: 50
- alternating plyometric lunges: 50
*Rest for 1 minute*
Circuit 2:
- Plank for 1 minute
- 20 jump squats
- 50 bicycle crunches
- Walking lunges for 1 minute
*Rest for 1 minute*
Workout 2: AMRAP HIIT
Set yourself a 25-minute timer and do as many rounds as you can. Keep a record of how many rounds you can cover in this duration, and keep a goal to increase it next time.
- 15 squats
- 10 pushups
- 15 box jumps
- 10 burpees
- 15 plate swings with moderate weight
- 10 V-sit ups
These are some of the best combos of exercise that you can perform to burn your belly fat in no time!
What to Eat Before HIIT Workout?
Before you work out, you need to fill up your tank to perform at your peak. If you avoid eating before a workout, you may feel lightheaded and sluggish. The importance of these pre-workout meals is that this nutrition focuses on carbohydrates with some protein.
Carbs are the primary source that helps in quick-burning energy that enables you to power your muscles for intensive workouts.
Plan to eat 1-3 hours before you start the workout. Some good options include:
- Almond butter with Banana or apple
- Peanut butter while a wheat toast
- Low-fat Greek yogurt with berries
What to Eat after HIIT Workout?
Don’t think that carbs are only crucial before the HIIT session, but they have the same importance even after the HIIT session. Carbohydrates get stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen after we eat. But during the intense activity, most of these energies get depleted.
Moreover, to avoid the breakage of muscle tissue, you need protein after workouts to repair and rebuild damaged muscles.
So, are you ready to find out what to eat after HIIT?
For best results, you should aim to eat carbohydrates and protein with a ratio of 1:3 after your HIIT session ends. This combination gives the muscles exactly what they require, which would help you improve in your next workout. Try some of these meal combinations:
- Turkey on whole-grain bread with sliced tomatoes
- One cup of low-fat chocolate milk
- Hummus with pita bread and sliced veggies
The sooner you eat after your workout, the better your muscles recover. Aim yourself to eat within 15-20 minutes after you finish a HIIT session.
Frequently Asked Questions:
There are some common questions asked by people who look forward to HIIT sessions. With this, all of the doubts are going to fade away.
What do HIIT workouts do?
So, a lot of you wonder what the primary purpose of a HIIT workout is? HIIT workouts are meant for those who aim to burn down some belly fat they are carrying; moreover, HIIT workouts are best for maintaining fitness and health.
What is HIIT good for?
HIIT also provides the same benefits, just like other forms of exercise. If you have diabetes, HIIT may help you maintain your blood sugar level and improve insulin sensitivity. Moreover, if you face difficulty maintaining your blood pressure, HIIT would be the best possible solution for you.
What are the benefits of HIIT Workout?
Ans. There are some incredible benefits linked to the HIIT which you should know:
- It helps you lose fat quickly.
- It helps in muscle gain.
- HIIT can improve oxygen consumption.
- It helps reduce blood sugar and heart rate.
The Bottom Line
HIIT interval training is an efficient way to exercise and would help you burn more calories than other forms of exercise.
Overall, HIIT provides the same benefits just like other forms of exercise but in a shorter amount of time. These benefits help you resolve your daily health issues like blood pressure, blood sugar problems.
So, if you can take out a short time for exercise, consider getting active by trying high-intensity interval training.
