HIIT – High-Intensity-Interval-Training
OK, so what exactly is High Intensity Interval Training?
Think of it as Cardio Meets Resistance training.
You will be performing a group of exercises with very little rest between each set.
According to WebMD we need different kinds of exercise, meaning cardio and strength or resistance training .
With cardio, you elevate your heart rate and increase your oxygen intake and that will burn calories.
Resistance training makes your muscles strong.
The more muscle you build, the more fat you’ll burn.
The more fat you burn, the quicker you will lose weight.
Flexibility and balance play an important role also, so you’ll need to up your game on these also.
Cleveland Heart Lab says that you can lower your blood pressure by 9% by doing HIIT twice a week.
A Scottish study was done with people over sixty, pedaling a stationary bike for 6 seconds and resting 60.
They worked up to 10 Sprint sets per workout.
“I may be compensated through the links in the post below, but the opinions are my own.”
HIIT Makes It Happen
For this workout let’s keep it simple.
If you don’t have a pull up bar available, click on this link IN-HOME PULL UP BAR.
You are going to exercise for 20 seconds and rest for 40. This will let you ease into it.
The shorter rest periods between exercises, the higher the intensity.
This is a good thing.
Interval Training has been around for a long time, but HIIT exercise really stokes the furnace.
As you progress with this workout, you will need to shorten the rest time.
Let your body tell you when to kick it up a notch.
You do want to challenge yourself, but you don’t want your workout to be something you dread doing.
Another fact from WebMD is that Heart Disease is the number one killer of men.
The extra fat you carry contributes to the risk of other health problems also.
We need to keep those extra pounds off as we age.
Now we just add bodyweight training and HIIT exercises to lose weight and build muscle.
Besides bodyweight exercises, weight training with lighter weights can be added to enhance a cardio workout routine.
HIIT will help keep your body tuned up, but also check out Intermittent Fasting healthy eating practices.
Check with your medical professional before starting any new exercise program.
Always warm up before doing any type of exercise.
Stretching will help get your body ready, but also look at your first round of the HIIT as a warm up.
Take it slow and don’t worry about the time clock on the warm up.
If you are physically able, you should be doing HIIT!
The Magnificent Seven
Here is a list of 7 calisthenic exercises you can do when beginning your HIIT program.
- Push Up
- Jumping Jacks
- Mountain Climbers
- Pull Up
- Burpee
- Air Squat
- Plank
There are no hard and fast rules about which exercises you should do in HIIT.
I like to use Calisthenics. These are great because most of them don’t require equipment.
Let’s Get Started!
Push Up
The Push Up is one of the best all around exercises you can do.
There are many variations, but let’s keep this simple and stick with the Standard Push Up.
Start in the plank or “leaning rest” position with hands under your shoulders, arms extended and hands flat on the floor, with fingers facing front.
Your body should be straight with toes on the floor, feet together.
Watch Ryan, from Minus the Gym demonstrate a standard push up.
Jumping Jacks
The military calls them Side Straddle Hops, but everyone knows them as “Jumping Jacks”.
Start with your feet together and hands down by your sides.
In one movement, hop so that your feet are about shoulder width apart and hands go from your sides in an arcing motion to straight above you head.
Now jump back to the starting position in a reverse movement.
Do these for 20 seconds, then rest for 40.
After that, move on to Mountain Climbers.
Mountain Climbers
My introduction to Mountain Climbers was in Marine Corps Boot Camp.
They were used primarily as a punishment exercise, because they were hard to do after a while.
What we didn’t realize, was that our fitness level was increasing by doing these.
Start the mountain climber in the up position of a push up (Leaning Rest).
Bring your right knee up as if you were climbing up a very steep hill.
Shift the legs back and forth alternating left and right.
This will keep your core tight.
These are also great for fat burning.
If you can’t do the movement quickly, just step up and back and take it lightly until you build up some strength.
Notice the demonstration in the video.
Pull Ups
You will need a PULL UP bar for this one.
This is a good exercise for strength.
Start by grabbing the bar with palms facing away from you.
There are variations that can be easier such as a Chin Up.
It’s called a chin up when you grab the bar with your palms facing toward you.
It is easier than a pull up and will engage your biceps more.
Do 20 seconds worth and rest for 40.
Don’t worry about repetitions.
Just do controlled movements for 20 seconds. Then rest for 40.
If you can’t do Pull Ups, try Bodyweight Rows.
They are a little easier and give your back and biceps a good workout.
I do them on a set of Lebert Equalizer Parallel Bars.
After that, move on to the Burpee.
Burpee
Another great fat burner is the Burpee.
There are a few variations of this exercise also, but let’s stick with the basic one for now.
As Ryan shows in this video, the safest beginner version is to squat down and step back into a plank position.
This is a safe beginner movement for the burpee.
If you are over 50 and new to these workouts, take your time and stay safe.
As you progress, the next step is to squat and thrust your legs out behind you into the plank movement.
You may want to add a push up in the extended position and a jump when returning to the starting position.
If you aren’t very flexible starting out, use a bench or chair to place your hands on for this movement.
As you get better and more flexible, go all the way to the floor.
Your difficulty level depends on where you are in your fitness journey.
You are the one to make that call.
Squat
The Squat is an excellent exercise to bring a lot of muscles into action.
We will use the Body Weight Squat since no equipment is needed.
This session of HIIT is for endurance and fat burning, so we are good to go.
The body weight squat is a compound movement which means many different muscles are used.
As you get older, you need to keep your lower body strong.
Many folks are injured each year because of falling.
My own mother was one of these people and because of her age, she never fully recovered.
The air squats bring balance into play, so your core and support muscles are being used.
If you have knee or back problems, check with your medical professional before doing these.
If you don’t have problems, these exercises might be what you need.
It engages your hips, glutes, thighs, and hamstrings.
Along with the flexibility of your knees and ankles which are needed for every day movement.
Plank
The Plank is a very popular movement these days.
I’m not sure I would call it a movement unless you add other elements to the position.
I will stay with the basic plank where you will start like the push up, on your forearms instead of your hands.
Hold for 20 seconds and rest for 40.
If you are going to use this as the last exercise of the circuit, rest for 2 to 3 minutes.
Then start the circuit again if you can.
The Plank will keep your core tight which keeps your body erect.
Because of back problems years ago, I had to learn about the best way to relieve the pain.
It comes down to making your abs strong, not just your back, and keeping your weight down.
Losing weight takes pressure off of your joints and is healthier in general.
Again we have Ryan from Minus the Gym, demonstrating the Plank.
Conclusion
This should be a good start for you to get back in the groove.
Just don’t overdo it when you first start.
Exercise for 20 seconds, Rest for 40.
Then do the next exercise.
When you finish the 7 exercises, rest for 2 to 3 minutes, then repeat the circuit.
The completion of an exercise is called a set.
If you need more rest, take it.
If you feel like you can do more, rest less between sets.
This is not a do every day routine, since it is intense.
I think if you do it 2 to 3 times a week you’ll be good.
You may want to add other cardio exercises to your hiit training, such as jumping rope or sprints.
Just remember to stay safe and stop if you feel light headed or pain.
Always consult your medical professional before starting a new workout routine.
Have a great workout!
SOURCES
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/ss/slideshow-exercise-after-age-50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjEN3SKl0Eg&t=11s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=66&v=AvxRm5kzP5I&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF5b0sv6SCw&feature=emb_logo