LET’S TALK ABOUT HIIT!

HIIT training is a type of exercise that increases the intensity of your exercise and allows you to train at a Higher Intensity by reducing the amount of time the effort phase is sustained for.

SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE
HIIT can be effective for fat loss, muscle gain, and cardiovascular health.
This blog has some great information on why you should be doing HIIT training and how it can benefit you, we also include some variation examples of HIIT training too.

It’s physiologically impossible to sustain maximal intensities during exercise for an extended amount of time. This is because of how our bodies use fuel.

If you were asked to run as fast as you can for 10 minutes, unless you balanced the effort over a 10-minute duration you simply could not sustain a very high tempo pace.

One reason we are not able to sustain high levels of intensity for a prolonged period is supply and demand of oxygen when pushing hard

Your body simply can’t get oxygen to where it needs to go fast enough. This is very inefficient, but your body lets you produce short bursts of speed or high energy and for this your body uses its anaerobic metabolism.

In contrast, when we work at a lower intensity (such as during a brisk walk) our aerobic metabolism is called upon.
So, we have these two systems, both of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. So what happens when we call on them both in the same workout?

With HIIT, you alternate short bursts of very intense exercise (such as 10-20 sec of sprinting) with periods of lower intensity (such as 1 min of walking/recovery).

The higher intensity periods create a metabolic demand that is very effective for long-term fat loss and overall conditioning.

The lower intensity periods let you recover and use the aerobic energy system.

“At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.”

– Steve Maraboli

HIIT is excellent for:

• Losing body fat (while retaining lean body mass)

• Strengthening the cardiovascular system

• Developing sport-specific energy systems (e.g. training for a specific sport or event)

• Developing “work capacity” (i.e. the ability to tolerate a high level of intensity for a longer period)

• Improving fat and carbohydrate oxidation in skeletal muscle

• Developing “mental toughness”

• Challenging the fast twitch muscle fibres — the fibres that are great for strength, power.

HIIT is extremely efficient. It lets you get a bigger training effect with less time spent on the actual wourkout. Also when compared to a 45-minute jog, 5 min of HIIT is a lot easier on the joints.
We also have different types of HIIT. Lets look at a couple of variations.

TABATA

Tabata is a fitness routine that is very simple and very effective. Tabata is done for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds rest, repeated 8 times which of course totals to 4 minute bursts.

One of the most famous studies of HIIT is known as the Tabata study. In this study (see abstract below), subjects performed rowing intervals: 20 sec of ultra-fast rowing alternated with 10 seconds of relaxed recovery rowing, for a total of 8 intervals, or 4 minutes.

The results of this study are very interesting. The 4-minute workout burned the same amount of calories as an hour-long walk! Furthermore, the muscle soreness following a Tabata workout was reduced and so were the heart rate and oxygen consumption.

The key is to maintain a high level of intensity. We recommend that you perform a 1-minute interval of higher intensity (30% of max heart rate) on each round of Tabata

Resistance HIIT

Using resistance exercises can be a very effective method of doing HIIT.

To use resistance training, choose compound exercises that require lots of oxygen, such as:

• Burpees

• Kettlebell swings

• Dumbbell Snatches

• Explosive resistance band movements.

• Combo exercises are also great choices.

• Travelling Burpees and High knees

• Short shuttles and Jump squats

• Thrusters and Press Ups

You can also vary the length of your intervals.

High intensity intervals can last anywhere from 10 to 60 seconds. Low intensity recovery periods can last anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute or more. If you’re new to HIIT, opt for shorter high intensity periods and longer low intensity periods.

Remember High Intensity means high intensity for you and not those around you if you are training in a group environment.

It’s also important to point out, HIIT is supposed to be tough, push yourself and don’t be afraid to succumb to fatigue! If you’re not finding HIIT tough you’re probably not HIITing it hard enough (sorry for the pun). Post HIIT session - During the first 1-2 hours after intense exercise, your body’s energy requirements remain high.

HIIT will not only improve body composition, it may extend your life.

The Harvard Alumni Health Study, a 4-year study of more than 17,000 men, found that only vigorous – not moderate — exercise reduced risk of death.

Conclusion

HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a training technique in which you give it big licks and go all out on every rep through intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time. HIIT workouts get proven fitness results in less time. Medical studies demonstrate that HIIT workouts can promote better heart health, build strength, lose fat, and increase endurance.

At Battle Bootcamp we have added a little bit of spice to our HIIT sessions… We don’t tell you how long they last. It could be 10 minutes it could be 30 minutes. So the onus is on you to give it your all. If you do conserve and it only lasts 10 minutes well unlucky - You should have worked harder!

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