High Intensity Interval Training Routines – How They Work
Jun 24th, 2011 | By Todd Bowman | Category: Exercises, Training How To
High Intensity interval training routines have been getting a lot of popularity these days because they’re being used for a lot of programs for fat loss. You get results faster and you shorten the duration of your training period.
As humans we weren’t designed to lift heavy weights using strange body physiology (how much of a natural movement is a bench press?) for an hour and a half a day. Compound whole body movements for short durations are much more natural to our body structure and physiques.
Smart trainers know that it works a lot better than slow boring cardio or aerobic training. High intensity interval training is basically any type of sprint exercise that lasts from 0 to 90 seconds. Anything that goes beyond 2 minutes gets you into aerobic type exercises.
By doing this type of conditioning we’re training our cardiovascular system, our lungs heart and blood to work within very defined windows and the rest right after allows the body to not only be shocked but recover faster.
Running a marathon just isn’t what we’re designed to do. When in nature or during our history would we ever need to run that long without stopping? The same goes for weightlifting. If you do power lifting, strength training or just bodybuilding, make sure your workout routines are short, intense and most importantly exhausting.
So how do you do high intensity interval training? In this video, Craig Ballantyne from Turbulence Training explains HIIT using running as an example.
Remember you can apply high intensity interval training to just about any workout system. The entire idea is to imagine your workouts like explosions of brief spurts of energy followed by a short rest.
Start with a warm up for 5 to 10 minutes on the treadmill.
Sprint for 30 to 90 seconds. The most important thing is you have to push yourself real hard that doing the sprint alone won’t allow you to go beyond 90 seconds (or 30, 45 or 60 seconds, depending on your fitness level.) At the very end you should be unable to catch a full breath of air. Your lungs should be on fire!
Go down to your recovery pace. This is the easy part of the workout. Most mistakes happen in the gym when over zealous fitness people don’t drop it down low enough for recovery. If you’re sprinting at 10mph and you’re going down to 8mph, you’re not actually going down. In other words, you’ve got to walk. The purpose is for you to be able to recover so you can work real hard during the sprinting interval. During recovery you want to be able to breath deeply into your lungs and start to regain some of the blood into your brain, nervous system and cells all throughout your body. Oxygen to your cells is critical during recovery mode.
Alternate the sprint and recovery intervals for about 6 times and finish with a cool down. A cool down is pretty much the same as recovery, except you lower the speed, resistance and incline to a point of almost being stationary. The idea is to move but more so to catch your breath while you’re still moving. It’s more natural this way and has a great physiological impact on overall recovery and health.
High Intensity interval training routines work because they boost your metabolism. They help to regulate hormones and burn fat which makes you stronger. And the more muscle you have on your frame, the more calories you will burn during all times of the day.
Keep on it and it’s sure to make you fitter for everyday activities.
Click Here To Learn More About How Turbulence Training By Craig Ballantyne Can Transform Your Body
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