The oldest excuse in the book for not going to the gym is “I simply don’t have the time.” Well, how about if you had a way that you could cut your workout time in half and rather than settle for something less, actually get more out of it?
Welcome to H.I.I.T., gentlemen.
High Intensity Interval Training is a fancy way of saying to train in bursts of short and all-out intense activity followed by a longer period of lighter activity or rest. AN easy example is running on a treadmill for one minute then slowing down the speed for two minutes of walking.
Now, if you do this for a 20-minute (inclusive) period, you will get more out of it than if you did the treadmill at a moderate pace for twice that time.
You can implement this same strategy with weight lifting, as well, albeit from a different perspective. Bang out a set to failure and then do a drop down set (approximately half the weight) for 10 more reps.
Here are some of the benefits from doing a HIIT workout:
1. THE TIME FACTOR
Take your lunch hour in the gym and – if done correctly – you will squeeze your workout in and have still time for a shower afterwards. (No one wants to sit in the adjoining cubicle if you went back to the office smelling like the gym.)
2. FAT BURNING ASPECT
This type of routine will cause you to burn more fat in the gym and afterwards, as well. The workout itself is a killer, so getting leaner is pretty self-explanatory. But when you tax your body in this fashion, it speeds up your metabolism and recovery process, torching the fat away.
3. CARDIOVASULAR
By mixing anaerobic with aerobic exercise, you will in turn be making your heart healthier and improving your endurance levels.
4. LEAN MUSCLE GAINS
When you diet and perform steady state cardio, the loss of some of that quality muscle mass that you worked so hard for will inevitably be lost along with the fat – even if you still lift weights. But when you utilize H.I.I.T. for cardio instead of running for hours on end and pair it with weight training, you’ll notice that you look leaner but not smaller.
5. 24/7, GYM OR NO GYM
It’s a holiday and your local gym is either closed or only open for a few hours? No big deal because you can perform a H.I.I.T. workout basically anytime, anywhere, including the street that you live on.
Bang out a half an hour of sprints mixed with fast walking in between. You can get back inside, take a shower and be carving the Thanksgiving turkey before your wife even has a chance to nag you.