HIIT Routines

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BklynFitGuy
BklynFitGuy Posts: 712 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I want to add HIIT to my routine. Looking for some suggestions on beginner HIIT routines.

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  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Depends on what type of training you already do, and what you're hoping to gain from doing it?
  • rickchen451
    rickchen451 Posts: 6 Member
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    Beginner Hiit. Im no expert but this has been working for me.
    This is for treadmill walks alternating with jogging.
    Warm up 5 minutes with walking on treadmill
    Then 30 seconds of light jogging (increase speed gradually until u start to run, we are not aiming for maximum intensity because this is for a beginner)
    Then reduce speed to walking again for 2-3 mins..( your heart rate and breathing will be harder and faster .. they will slowly return to normal. If u are still very breathless or heart is still racing u may need to rest for longer)
    Then repeat - 30 seconds jog then 3 mins walk. And so on.
    I started off with 30 minute sessions. Towards the end, u may need a 5 minute walk.
    But as my fitness improved i saw my time intervals improving - meaning - i could sprint longer, recover faster and rest /walk period was shortened.

    Hope this helps
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
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    HIIT is great. I usually do two 2 minute sessions a week and get awesome results, and a pretty good endorphin rush you don't get lifting. Pick an exercise, could be treadmill, bike, elliptical, jump rope, etc. keep the resistance low enough that you don't fry your quads. Every workout try to improve your distance or interval times.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited January 2016
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    rickchen451 wrote: »
    Im no expert
    This is for treadmill walks alternating with jogging.

    OK, so High Intensity Interval Training is about high intensity not low intensity
    we are not aiming for maximum intensity

    Well High Intensity Interval Training protocols are looking for near maximal intensity, given that it's HIIT.

    One should be aiming for c95% of maximum heart rate, to gain the VO2Max related benefits of HIIT.

    So I wouldn't do HIIT on the treadmill, the responsiveness isn't there so it's questionable whether the HR actually gets into the range. But out in the real world:

    15 minutes warm up at a relaively slow speed; 6 min/km
    6-8 repeats of:
    30 seconds of sprints with 1 minute recovery at the slower speed
    15 minutes cool down

    An alternative would be with the road bike on a turbo trainer, similar warm up and intervals.

  • Spook_Nuke_Em
    Spook_Nuke_Em Posts: 408 Member
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    Easy one I do on the treadmill:

    -5 mins 3.0mph walk at 10 incline

    -30 second sprint
    -3 minute run/jog
    -30 second sprint
    -1 minute walk
    Repeat this 3 times (just this lower part)
  • BklynFitGuy
    BklynFitGuy Posts: 712 Member
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    Thanks for the info. While searching around last night I found a cool app called Sworkit. It allows you to adjust the time starting with a 5 minute session and gives you random exercises. I'm going to give it a shot.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    This is mine twice per week. I walk the dog every morning with hubby and do 45ish minutes of yoga most days...

    10 push ups
    10 squats
    10 tricep dips
    10 lunges
    10 jumping jacks
    100 yard sprint
    Walk cool down until pulse is 125bpm
    Repeat

    I do as many of these in 15 minutes as I can. Usually 3 rounds, but I'm working up to 4 in 15.
  • ltworide
    ltworide Posts: 342 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Just one thought for HIIT on the treadmill. I've completed no power sprints on the treadmill from time to time. Set the treadmill to an incline around 3-5, turn the power off, hold onto railings, lean forward & sprint as hard as you can for desired time & desired number of intervals.

    I also like doing kettlebell swings, skipping & sprints on the track for HIIT.
  • Lo0BLu
    Lo0BLu Posts: 84 Member
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    I used the JnJ 7 minute workout (free APP) to start with. I worked up to doing that 3 times (you can set your own customised workout or use one of theirs of different difficulties). Then I added wrist weights and started again.
    Then I added wrist and ankle weights and started again.
    And when I could do that without too much difficulty, I started Insanity.....and realised I had no idea what fitness was.
    :)
    Good luck :)
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Reasearch the "Sprint 8" program. 20 minutes once or twice a week is all you need!
  • yobeme
    yobeme Posts: 169 Member
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    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    So I wouldn't do HIIT on the treadmill, the responsiveness isn't there so it's questionable whether the HR actually gets into the range. But out in the real world:

    15 minutes warm up at a relaively slow speed; 6 min/km
    6-8 repeats of:
    30 seconds of sprints with 1 minute recovery at the slower speed
    15 minutes cool down

    I'm a beginner and I've been doing the above at a local park for the last 3 weeks. My warm up and cool down is not as long so I find I can get a really good workout done without spending a lot of time. I sprint as hard as I can and try to increase the number of intervals when I can. I've been doing this 2-3 times/week and have worked up to 8 intervals.

    I have read that hill sprints are a little easier on the body.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    calisthenics and kettlebell exercises are often used in HIIT, which sort of sidesteps the point of the whole HIIT thing. They're supposed to be an all-out five-alarm fire for your heart and lungs. They are meant to be done in exercises that are more strenuous for the cardiovascular system than they are for your musculature. Tabata's research was done on stationary bikes, for instance. Sprinting, cycling, rowing, and swimming are the best ways to use HIIT, and basically the best way to progress with a system incrementally is to simply start off with a rest interval that is 3 times longer than your activity period (say, 20 second sprint to 60 second rest), and slowly adjust it to shorten rest periods, increase work periods, or drive intensity higher. Since the difficulty of any HIIT exercise is entirely self-regulated, progression is entirely within your control. You can do exactly the same program, but as your condition improves, you will be able to push yourself to higher levels of performance, so it will always continue to be beneficial.
  • kristidove
    kristidove Posts: 20 Member
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    There's of a great app named 8fit. Cool HIIT exercises that keep you moving and motivated.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    The New York Times published a good, seven-minute HIIT routine about a year and a half ago. You might want to try that.
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/?_r=0
  • Merrysix
    Merrysix Posts: 336 Member
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    Sometimes I do HIIT while running using my heart rate monitor -- I run at a pace that drives my heart up to 85% max, and hold it there for 2 minutes, then I moderate my pace until my heart rate comes down to 65% then repeat. When I'm more fit I may hold my 85% for more than 2 minutes. I can do the same thing when I do hilly bike rides, or row on my rowing machine. I like to use my heart rate monitor, because then I can gage the effect of my high intensity effort. We also do HIIT work outs at cross fit and boot camp. They're fun and give me an endorphin rush. I think sometimes the instructor calls them tabata in boot camp.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Merrysix wrote: »
    .... my heart up to 85% max...

    So that's a lactate threshold interval, not high intensity
  • JNoelle2024
    JNoelle2024 Posts: 1 Member
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    My absolutely love fitnessblender.com. They have over 400 free workout videos ranging from a difficulty of one (easiest) to level five (hardest).

    These are two of my favorites.
    https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/fat-burning-cardio-workout-37-minute-fitness-blender-cardio-workout-at-home

    This has a difficulty level of five and well worth it.
    https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/hiit-like-a-girl-round-2-fat-burning-hiit-cardio-workout
  • mylittlerainbow
    mylittlerainbow Posts: 822 Member
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    I just discovered TABATA this morning and am planning to start doing it on alternate days. I otherwise don't do any HITT, but I think I can sustain 20 seconds of anything.
  • Yellowon02
    Yellowon02 Posts: 76 Member
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    It's my favorite type! Fast and effective :)
    I have a quick treadmill sorta hit a do. (Warm up 5 minutes and sprints, cool down)

    I used to always make my own with an interval timer. 4 exercises 50 sec on 10 off three rounds. Lots of squat jumps, tuck jumps, burpees, push ups (various types) mountain climbers, split jumps, high knees etc.)

    I use the Nike training app quite often now too. I change things to make it more suited. It's nice to have someone telling me to go and start and what I'm doing.

    HIIT is what changed me from a runner ;)
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,388 Member
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    ltworide wrote: »
    Just one thought for HIIT on the treadmill. I've completed no power sprints on the treadmill from time to time. Set the treadmill to an incline around 3-5, turn the power off, hold onto railings, lean forward & sprint as hard as you can for desired time & desired number of intervals.

    I also like doing kettlebell swings, skipping & sprints on the track for HIIT.

    That treadmill idea is interesting. It seems it could be great for high intensities that adjust quickly with user output. Doing HIIT on a treadmill that is powered could be kinda shaky unless the person intentionally ramped down the output level.

    mylittlerainbow wrote: »
    I just discovered TABATA this morning and am planning to start doing it on alternate days. I otherwise don't do any HITT, but I think I can sustain 20 seconds of anything.

    If you plan on doing the true Tabata, just a quick word of caution. Make sure you have some type of HRM, and expect the heart rate and breathing effort intensity to be more than you expected. I did some true Tabata intervals on our elliptical and saw heart rates up where I'm sure my doctor would have been shaking his head.

    I'd actually advise that anyone that is strong willed and can just "suck it up and do it" might be better off consulting their doctor before doing it, or at least set yourself a max HR you use as a possible abort measure. I got stress tested a couple years back, and my HR reached a point where I knew my doctor would not be please, and it was high enough I considered aborting. The last couple of intervals my low HR point during the short rest was in the 170s range.

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