So not too long ago I posted about how I mix high intensity interval training (HIIT) into my workout.
It’s a pretty simple idea without too much of a deep dive into the process itself and how it works.
Mostly because I’m not an expert. But I did realize by incorporating these simple adjustments that turn my warm up into a HIIT workout, I experienced some big changes.
I realized my gut started to shrink and my cardiovascular endurance improved.
Not to mention, I felt like I was getting stronger. This helped me move forward and past a plateau in my resistance training.
So all good things.
I got some great feedback. Also, this included some questions about what people can do who are starting out, looking to include HIIT in their own routines but are not quite ready for the full workout I do in my warm up.
So I thought I’d go through the basics here about what I’ve learned about HIIT and what you will want to do to structure your own routine.
By the way, you can still do the routine that I posted without doing the whole thing. It will still count as a HIIT routine. Just do a few of the exercises on their own.
I’ll get more into that in a bit.
Related Article: High Intensity Interval Training At Home Made Easy
It’s All About The High Intensity
So the main idea behind doing HIIT to achieve the results you’re looking for, without getting too technical, is in the name.
You want to focus on high intensity. So you are looking to get through a high intensity workout in less time than it would normally take you.
So you don’t want to take it easy during the workout. You want to go nearly all out for shorter bursts of time with breaks in between.
As you can imagine, this is shown to be incredibly effective in improving overall health and burning fat.
So here’s what you are looking to do in structuring your HIIT workout to maximize these kinds of results.
Get Your Whole Body Involved
You want to think about exercises that incorporate all major muscle groups. In particular you want to get the big muscles in on the action like your chest, back, core and legs.
Try and think about movements that get these muscles working together.
Because so much of the effectiveness of this kind of exercise program is dependent on intensity, you want to be able to change up the intensity quickly and easily.
So for example, you’re not going to include your maximum bench press as part of the routine because you won’t be able to do it repeatedly with maximum intensity.
You want to be able to move from one exercise to the other easily and efficiently with minimal breaks.
Hard to do that with a really heavy bench set.
You also want the workout to be balanced across your body. You don’t want 10 moves for one muscle and 1 move for another.
Balance in the routine allows you to build strength evenly throughout your body that will help with other aspects of your fitness regimen and have you improving everywhere.
You don’t want to leave parts of your body behind that could leave you open to injury as you move forward. For example if one muscle group gets far stronger than others.
Remember with HIIT, you’re shooting for moves that have numerous muscle groups working together.
Related Article: How To Develop Good Exercise Habits
Stay Aware Of Your Breaks
Also incredibly important in designing your HIIT workout is minimizing your rest period.
Simply put, you want to maintain the intensity which means limiting your rest.
This will have you elevating your heart rate and increasing your oxygen intake so you’re maximizing your results.
For example, if you’re doing a set of knee tuck jumps, when you’re done don’t take a 5 minute break.
This will result in your whole body cooling down and basically denying yourself the benefits of the routine.
In this example, you are working out of course, you just aren’t going to reap the benefits of HIIT.
Instead what you’re looking to do is move immediately into the next exercise or take a brief break before doing so.
So as far as putting the exercise sets and rests together, here is what works for me and what I’d recommend.
Basic Mechanics Of A HIIT Workout
Instead of thinking about a particular number of repetitions for a given exercise, set a time period.
So sticking with the knee tuck jump example above, instead of thinking about doing a set of 10 knee tuck jumps, set an alarm for 30 seconds and then do as many as you can in that time period.
Then immediately go into the next exercise for another 30 seconds and do as many as you can. And so on.
If you’re just starting out, try and do about 2 to 3 exercises straight through before taking a break.
In the event that’s too easy, be sure you’re exercising at full intensity and if so, add another exercise before taking the break.
Now don’t think the break means you get to take a nap!
Remember, we want to maintain the intensity. So if you’re doing 30 second intervals, try and keep the break to between 30 seconds to a minute and then repeat the series of intervals. You can do that with the same exercises or different ones. Just keep going!
Related Article: Full Body Warm Up Workout In Just Minutes
How Long Should I Take For Breaks?
I’ve heard discussion about the break being half of or equal to the amount of exercising you complete. In my own experience, the 30 second to one minute under this structure has proven the most effective.
It’s been demonstrated that to maximize the metabolic impact of this kind of training you want to shoot for rests of 30 seconds or less.
But you don’t want to knock yourself out. At least not too much.
Again if you’re a beginner just starting out, start by resting for as long as the exercise intervals for starters. So for example, if you do three exercises at full intensity for 30 seconds each, take a 1.5 minute break.
Work yourself down to shorter breaks as your fitness improves.
Despite the fact that you want to keep the break short to reap the full benefits of a HIIT routine, you still want to give your body some time to recuperate so you can perform the exercises effectively.
This kind of structure should allow you to fit in just a couple exercises when you’re starting out up to as many as you like.
They key again is to be able to transition from one to the next easily without cutting back on the intensity.
Is There A Set Number Or Type Of Exercise That is Best?
You can rotate through 2 or 3 moves or mix in 10 to 12, there are no limits.
I like to try and keep the moves balanced across the body so I don’t get too worn out too quickly.
I’ll only do one or two exercises for my upper body at a time and then do the same with lower body moves.
I’ll also try to mix in a full body exercise periodically as well.
So for example, I might start off with jumping rope followed by push ups and then double squats.
This way I move from legs/full body to upper body to legs alone. I’m able to keep up the intensity without wearing out one muscle group too quickly.
As you probably noticed, this kind of structure means you can get in a full body high intensity interval training type workout in only 5 to 15 minutes if you so choose.
You could take longer if you want but you want to do at least 5 minutes to gain any benefits.
After all. the idea behind doing this kind of workout is being able to benefit yourself in a significantly short period of time.
So structure your workout accordingly to get some full body benefits.
Related Article: Best At Home Workout For Beginners To Start Today
Suggestions For Exercises To Build Into A HIIT Workout
If you’re looking for some ideas to get started, here are some of my favorite exercises to incorporate into a HIIT routine:
Jumping Rope
Push Ups
Mountain Climbers
Knee Tuck Jumps
Plank Variations
Body Squats
High Knees
Lunges
Jumping Jacks
Burpees
leg lifts
These are just a few that are available to you to get started.
Try picking out 4 that you like and build your routine around them. Make sure they give you a full body workout.
As it gets easier, add onto it from there.
If you are a beginner just starting out, definitely check with a doctor just to make sure that a HIIT style workout is OK for you.
You want to be mindful when you’re just starting out.
The Wrap Up
If you’re all good to get started I think you’ll really enjoy this kind of workout for so many different reasons.
I like it because it doesn’t take long and is a great compliment to my other routines.
Additionally, I also saw results from it relatively quickly.
As an aside, I found that this type of workout combined with the rest of my regimen helped with my weight and I sleep really well at night too.
These are my personal benefits that I would attribute to including HIIT in my workouts and I’m sure you’ll enjoy them too.
If you’re interested in seeing my warm up / fast full body workout, you can check it out here. Give it a try. It includes some of the exercises I noted above and I’ll switch it up to keep it interesting from time to time.
In the event you are seeing results from HIIT, be sure to mix it up from time to time as well. You definitely want to try and keep it a little interesting if you can.
I know it’s exercise but do your best. You can always tell yourself you’re enjoying it after you start seeing the results.
