Whether your goal is to lose weight or get fit, cardio should be an essential part of your workout program. Cardio is where you generally burn the most calories at once and cardio workouts help to make your heart, lungs and muscles stronger and healthier!
When you think cardio most of us think of a steady paced run or maybe a bike ride or a go on the elliptical for long periods of time. This was the norm for a very long time. But recently how we think of cardio has changed!
Watch the video below to hear Dr. Rob explain how you can get 4.5 hours of exercise in 10 minutes!
https://youtu.be/t4j06raBYQw
You may have already heard about High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT for short, but why should you be doing it?? Is HIIT for everyone?
Let’s start with the basics.
HIIT involves pushing yourself to a higher intensity for short periods of time, then resting and repeating. These bouts of exercise can range from 5 seconds to a few minutes depending on the workout you’re doing.
The idea is that if you push yourself really hard for a short period of time, you’re working your body just as much as you would in a lower intensity, more time consuming workout.
So what’s a good way to measure the intensity of your exercise?
Here’s a great way to measure intensity of a scale of 1-10:
Level 1: I’m watching TV and eating chips
Level 2: I’m comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
Level 3: I’m still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
Level 4: I’m sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation with no problem
Level 5: I’m just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
Level 7: I can still talk, but I don’t really want to. I’m sweating like a pig
Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
Level 9: I am probably going to die
Level 10: I am dead
In a HIIT workout you want your intense intervals to be at a level 8-10 and your recovery intervals to be at a level 3-4.
The more intense your intervals are, the less time it will take to achieve your exercise goal! Total time saver!
Typical intervals can range from 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of recovery, or 40 seconds of work to 20 seconds of recovery. A good place to start is a 1:1 ratio but intervals can vary.
This type of workout is great for people who are short on time and find it hard to fit in a good workout. HIIT is also a great way to improve your body’s stamina and heart health because it works your aerobic and anaerobic systems, which means you’re going to be better adapted for all different kinds of workouts. Like Bryan’s intense group classes or that 5km run your friend keeps asking you to go on!
HIIT is also a great way to burn calories. Not only are you burning a crazy amount during the workout, your body keeps burning calories many hours after an intense workout like HIIT!
While HIIT sounds like the absolute best kind of workout, there are some cons to consider!
Exercise at this intensity can be very uncomfortable. The point is to push yourself out of your comfort zone but this may be hard for a lot of people. Especially beginners. If you’re new to exercise we strongly recommend building a good foundation of traditional cardio before attempting HIIT.
If you have any heart health issues we also recommend talking to your primary health care provider before attempting exercise at this intensity. Your health and safety is much more important!
So now that you know all the pros and cons, and the ins and outs of HIIT, here’s a sample workout you can do at home with no equipment!
Warm Up!
Time: 5 Minutes
Intensity: 5
Walk at a brisk pace or march in place. You want to get your heart rate up slightly and get your muscles warmed up.
Interval 1!
Time: 30 Seconds
Intensity: 8
Jumping Jacks
Recovery
Time 30 Seconds
Intensity: 4
March in place
Interval 2!
Time: 30 Seconds
Intensity: 8
Squat Jumps
Recovery
Time 30 Seconds
Intensity: 4
March in place
Interval 3!
Time: 30 Seconds
Intensity: 9
Burpees
Recovery
Time 30 Seconds
Intensity: 4
March in place
Interval 4!
Time: 30 Seconds
Intensity: 8
Jogging with High Knees
Recovery
Time 30 Seconds
Intensity: 4
March in place
Interval 5!
Time: 30 Seconds
Intensity: 8
Mountain Climbers
Recovery
Time 30 Seconds
Intensity: 4
March in place
Repeat Intervals 1-5!
Cool Down & Stretch
Time: 5 minutes
Walk at a brisk pace and do some general stretching.
And that’s it! In 10 minutes + your warm up and cool down you’ve done an intense workout!
Experts recommend that you do HIIT workouts 2-3 times a week with lots of time for recovery in between workouts. These are intense exercises after all!
Have questions about whether HIIT is right for you?? Come talk to one of our fitness coaches for advice on how you can make the most out of your workouts!
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Jul 27, 2019 at 7:32 PM
Hi Rob Thanks for keeping me in the loop with your health tips. Will give the HIT program a go. Does make sense as a time manager for fitness. My hip issues are improving, less of a concern and not impacting everyday life as before. Will continue with Stefan for now and see you for any more acute issues. Thanks to you and the Price team for keeping me on healthy path. Basil