8 Reasons to do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

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  • FammaMel
    FammaMel Posts: 293 Member
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    HIIT is all I do with my trainer. I do no cardio at all, zero nada zilch. People are always so confused when i tell them. The two main reasons I do it is to burn fat but also to build lean body mass to increase my basal metabolic rate, meaning I will burn more calories just living on a daily basis.

    My trainer deemed this important for me cause I'll never ever be one of those ppl who hit the gym 5-6 days a week, so we have to be as effective as possible. Also during midterms and finals, which is basically my life, I can't waste study time at the gym i'll be way too stressed (yes yes i know it's supposed to relieve stress, doesn't work for me). So in periods where I'm not exercising as much as usual i won't pack on the pounds at a fast rate as would be if i were a runner who just stopped running.

    My trainer uses cross fit a lot as an inspiration for my workouts. I do the "girls sets" a lot. Hope you'll get some ideas.

    http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/13_03_Benchmark_Workouts.pdf

    Isn't HIIT intense cardio though?

    No. I do HIIT 4 days a week, and we don't do cardio. As one of my favorite nutrition gurus put it: Cardio is for hamsters. :wink:

    I understand cardio isn't for everyone. But HIIT training can be completed in a variety of forms including cardio. You can perform on an elliptical, a treadmill or outside if you wish. One example would be begin with a 30 second brisk walk or jog (whichever you are most comfortable with) followed by a 30 second full out sprint.Repetitions are up to you. If you are just starting you can begin with a 12-min total workout. It is about pushing YOUR body to its limits.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    Can you please give some example workouts? I'd like to try to incorporate HIIT into my workout regime. Here are some examples of exercises I like: swimming, jogging, eliptical, stationary bike.

    Do any one of those at a moderate speed for 1 minute then fast for 1 minute and alternate for however long you feel like it.
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    Gonna try these workouts!

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