I am obsessed with HIIT.
You may be wondering what the heck that is. HIIT (pronounced hit) is high-intensity interval training. I’ve been spending most of my workouts in the gym lately and HIIT has been the perfect accompaniment to lifting weights.
I could write a whole other article on lifting heavy and the benefits, but for this one, I am going to focus on HIIT and why I like it so much in conjunction with lifting.
HIIT is basically a process of doing a series of cardio exercises as hard and as fast as you can and then taking a break! Yes! You read that right, taking a break. So essentially, it’s short bursts of high intensity with recovery periods between. It’s fun and you can change it up every time.
This type of cardio has so many benefits to it. First off, it gets a super effective workout done in a record amount of time. We’re talking a massive caloric burn in half the time of traditional cardio.
HIIT also increases your overall metabolic rate which leads to higher fat burn throughout the day and an overall improvement in your health. Not only is HIIT good for burning fat, but it often builds muscles as well. It’s been shown to improve oxygen consumption and increase heart health. Even blood sugar levels can be reduced by this type of cardio.
There are so many ways to get your body moving and take care of it. Traditional cardio, weightlifting, classes, and HIIT are just a few.
Try out the HIIT workout below!
- 10 box jumps (or, if you’re doing it at home, try jump squats!)
- 20 mountain climbers (count each tap)
- 20 high knees (count each knee)
- 30 second plank
- REST!
Do it four or five times through, and see how strong your body can be!
