For those of you who got the cultural reference in the title and subtitle, you win the internet today!
You’ve likely heard of HIIT before. High Intensity Interval Training has been such an exercise buzzword, and while its benefits have been rightfully touted, it has become somewhat of a mythological exercise.
I am a testament to the power of HIIT. I do four to five legitimate HIIT workouts per week, and it has clearly shaped how my body looks, feels and operates. Because of HIIT’s framework for high intensity performance, my overall endurance has increased tenfold. The rise in my stamina and cardiovascular fitness level has had an incredible impact on elevating the non-HIIT workouts I do, such as lifting, running, rucking, calisthenics and reigning in my hyperactive fifty-one pound puppy on long walks.
So what is HIIT? Put simply, HIIT alternates short periods of intense and dynamic anaerobic exercises with even shorter recovery periods until the point of exhaustion. Your heart rate should be on the spectrum between about 70% to 90% of your maximum bpm. Calculating this varies based on several factors, but a good rule of thumb for a basic way to find your maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. So someone who is 30 years old would have these targets: High-intensity would be between 133 and 171 BPM, while Low-intensity would be around 105 to 124 BPM. If you don’t have one of those fancy schmancy heart rate monitor gadgets, you’ll know you’ve hit the ideal zone of proximal exertion if you’re clearly unable to hold a conversation while performing the work, and are panting for a duration afterwards. For example, I can barely muster saying “holy s*it!” even though that’s exactly how I am feeling.
In order for HIIT to truly work, it has to be done efficiently, which means you really have to work hard to keep your heart rate at an elevated level while performing the set of exercises. Active rest time is also helpful to keep the blood flow and going.
At this point, I have to make it clear that HIIT is not for everyone. And that’s A-OK! A twenty minute HIIT workout may be appealing because of the quick results you can get, but a longer session of LISS (lower impact solid state) exercise has been determined to have similar results. When doing anything that transforms your body in a healthy manner, having patience is the key element.
If you haven’t done HIIT, don’t jump right into it. Because of HIIT’s intensity, you really need to have a strong athletic foundation. If done improperly without proper form and finesse, HIIT can lead to burnout (i.e. participants losing motivation to workout altogether) and injury. Start with longer sessions of lower impact work (i.e. cycling, fast walking or jogging at a moderate pace) to build mobility and endurance before attempting HIIT.
Now I’ll describe the kind of HIIT routine I enjoy, and what I mean by incorporating active rest within a HIIT workout.
My HIIT workouts last from anywhere between twenty minutes to an hour, depending on whether I have done any other training that day. The average time period is forty-five minutes. I’ll often combine both cardio and strength training movements within my HIIT sessions, sometimes solely with my own bodyweight, other times by adding in a variety of dumbbells and/or kettlebells.
My ideal ratio for HIIT is a 2:1 work to rest scenario. So if I am performing an exercise for thirty seconds, I will take a fifteen second rest. If I go for forty to forty-five seconds, I will take a twenty second rest. The work to rest ratio can and should be tailored to suit your fitness level. You could even do a 1:1, which means working and resting for an equal amount of time.
Now when I say rest, I don’t mean taking a seat on the floor or lying down. You’ll want to incorporate what’s known as an “active rest” to keep your momentum going from exercise to exercise. You may feel winded, but that’s OK. During my active rest, I am catching my breath, but still keeping my body mobile. I’ll do anything from pacing back and forth on the mat, to a warmup-type jog in place, jumping jacks or air squats.
As for specific exercises, I incorporate a variety of compound exercises, but there are a few staples. These include burpees (see: “The Burpee: A Royal Exercise Routine”), squat jumps, lunges and lunge jumps, push ups, jumping jacks, sit ups, and plank-based exercises like plank jacks, mountain climbers, hip dips, twists and commandos (aka walking planks).
So if you’re going to HIIT it, hit it hard! And If you haven’t figured out the pun in this post’s title, here’s the spoiler: it’s from Faith No More’s hit song Epic. I think it’s apt to end this post with an excerpt from the song that I feel really speaks to the essence of HIIT. It truly is an EPIC workout, and trendy for a good reason:
Can you feel it, see it, hear it today?
If you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway
You will never understand it 'cause it happens too fast
And it feels so good, it's like walking on glass
It's so cool, it's so hip, it's alright
It's so groovy, it's outta sight
You can touch it, smell it, taste it so sweet
But it makes no difference 'cause it knocks you off your feet
HIIT was a game changer to my fitness routine and health in general. I was a runner for many years but it wasn't until I started incorporating HIIT into my workouts that I truly saw a difference in stamina and physique. Thanks for the informative article!
This is a very informative post. I use to incorporate HIIT when I was at the gym. Now that I got rid of my tredmill and only have a exercise bike, I am inspired to start using HIIT again in my exercise regime. Thanks for sharing.