High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been studied extensively and delivers compelling benefits for fat loss, fitness, and overall health for people ranging from adolescents, athletes, ‘weekend warriors’, and those with health challenges.70, 71
HIIT results in similar or greater improvements in fitness than traditional endurance training.72 And HIIT might have greater positive effects on oxidative stress levels, inflammation, and insulin sensitivity than standard, moderate-intensity cardio.73
HIIT involves performing few, short bursts of high-intensity exercise, alternated with periods of either rest or low-intensity activity (typically for less than 20 min total), as compared to traditional cardio and endurance training which involves much longer, moderately paced sessions.
So, we can see that it’s good for us and can help us to lose body fat and help improve fitness… But the real benefit is that it saves us time…
There are lots of different systems and protocols for HIIT, and none is necessarily more effective than another. A simple rule of thumb is that your ‘sprint’ or ‘high intensity’ phase should be at near maximum intensity (as hard as you can go) and that this ‘work’ phase should be about twice the length of the rest phase. So, for example, you might ‘go hard’ for 30-40 seconds and then walk or jog at an extremely easy pace for 15-20 seconds. Many people get exceptional benefits from as little as 2-3 sessions of HIIT per week. (That’s under an hour of exercise!)
Try some of the following routines, and as always, if in doubt, speak to a coach
The Tabata method. Based on research by Izumi Tabata. This style involves 20-second work phases alternated with 10 seconds of rest for 8-cycles (a total of 4-minutes exercise). Usually, a 4 min warm-up and 4 min cooldown is also performed.
The Gibala method involves a 3 min for warm-up, then 60 seconds of intense exercise, followed by 75 seconds of rest, repeated for 8–12 cycles.
Zuniga method is a simplified method of 30-second work phase alternated with 30 seconds of rest.
It’s advised to not use heavy loads or the Olympic style lifts, due to their complexity and the risk of injury, although advanced athletes using appropriate loads can benefit from complex lifts performed in a HIIT style.
Good examples of exercises to use are sprints, sprints performed on cardio equipment, bodyweight movements, and kettlebell lifts.
From Carb-Appropriate 101 by Cliff Harvey PhD
Carb-Appropriate 101 gives you 101 daily tips to help you achieve the energy, health & performance you deserve. It includes daily tips for nutrition, movement, exercise, meditation, mindfulness, sleep, stress-reduction, and more! These tips are some of the themes that Cliff has written and spoken about over his decades in practice, in ‘bite-sized’ mini-articles.
Read the book from cover-to-cover, applying a tip a day, or simply open the book to any page to find a valuable health and performance tip to help you feel and perform at your very best.
