How many of you have seen my little videos I post on my Facebook page? I purposely quicken the speed of the video so you can see all the different types of workouts I do. I don’t just focus on one movement and I quickly go from one position to another. That’s called interval training and Beachbody is all about interval training.
What is HIIT?
HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. What is that? It’s a hard-core workout, that’s what. Ha. But seriously. It’s doing different muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance workouts but only for a short amount of time before switching gears or taking a short breather.
The times can differ…for example, it’s quite typical to do a 30 minute HIIT workout with 30 second intervals.
The types of workouts or intervals can differ too. There are sports-specific intervals, weight-training, cardio, core, stretching, etc. You can have an HIIT that focuses on one area of your body or the entire body. It can be for strengthening, or it can be all cardio.
How to Create Your Own HIIT
Basically, there are three steps to creating your own HIIT: your fitness goal, time, and moves.
Step 1: Fitness Goal
The first step is to determine your fitness goal for the day. Do you want to focus on arm strength? Do you want to get your heart pumping with some cardio? Do you feel bloated and want to do core workouts? Figure that out because it will help you plan the entire HIIT.
Also, consider what equipment you have at home…do you have a BOSU ball or dumbells? Or are you going to do it without equipment?
Step 2: Determine the Timing
How long do you want the workout to last: 30 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour? Make sure to include time for a warm-up and a cool down. How long do you want each interval to be: 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute? How many intervals before having a rest: 3 or 5? Typically the rest will be the same time as one interval.
Step 3: Add in a Warm-Up
Some people just jump right into their HIITs, but I suggest warming up first to loosen your muscles and make the most of your workout. Warm-ups should large and loose movements, such as running in place, jumping jacks, other cardio, arm circles or other loosening stretches.
Step 4: Choose your Intervals
Now for the fun part! Choose the exercises you want. Make sure that you focus on high-intensity intervals, but also make sure to add in a few low-intensity so you can get a second breath. For some great ideas on which intervals to choose from, click here or here or here
Step 5: Add in a Cool-Down and Stretching
It’s always important to cool down after an HIIT and not stop cold turkey. You need to do an active recovery. These will be big moves, like the warm-up. It can be slowly jogging, yoga, stretching. Slow and steady to allow your heart to calm back down.
Reminders
Remember to have whatever equipment you need with you. You will also always need a waterbottle and a timer. Make sure to time each interval and hydrate during your rest intervals. Keep a journal of the HIITs you create and which ones you like. That way, you can continue to change them until you find one that you love and works best for your body. Also keep track of the weights you use so you can continue to challenge yourself by increasing the weight.
Have you made your own HIIT workout before? Tell me about it in the comments or link to your favorite HIIT workout you’ve found on Pinterest!
