HIIT Exercises

I know most of you have heard of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It was all the rage a few years ago, and I haven't heard too much about it so I guess it died down. It shouldn't have though, because it is the HOLY GRAIL of exercising! HIIT means that you are exercising in intervals--short bursts of high power and energy, followed by a short period of rest and recovery. It's difficult, but a 10-15 minute session can burn at least 200 calories! HIIT is effective for weight loss because while exercising, your body is burning stored carbs (which can turn into fat). Additionally, your metabolism remains elevated for hours after an intense workout. Imagine, a short effective workout that helps you burn calories all day! 

I like it because it's quick, versatile, and you definitely feel it the next day. I do HIIT workouts maybe 3 times a week, and pair it with strength training since the workout is so short. The key to HIIT is that you have to go hard for those 20-30 seconds! Give it all that you have each time... At the end of the interval, you should be out of breath and feel like you can't go anymore (trust me, it'll pass). HIIT workouts can be applied to any type of cardio, including swimming, sprinting, elliptical, jump rope, etc. but they all have the same core principles:

• Warm up for three minutes
• Exercise as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds. You should be gasping for breath and feel like you couldn't possibly go on another few seconds. It is better to use lower resistance and higher repetitions to increase your heart rate 
• Recover for 90 seconds, still moving, but at slower pace and decreased resistance 
• Repeat the high-intensity exercise and recovery 7 more times. (When you're first starting out, depending on your level of fitness, you may only be able to do two or three repetitions of the high-intensity intervals. As you get fitter, just keep adding repetitions until you're doing eight during your 20-minute session) 
• Cool down for a few minutes afterward by cutting down your intensity by 50-80 percent 

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/06/21/interval-training.aspx

You can also use the Tabata interval timer (20 seconds of high intensity, 10 seconds of rest; complete 8 times) with a cardio workout of your choice!

Here are some interval workouts that you can use on the treadmill. Progress to the next level when you are ready for a challenge!

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Sprint-Interval-Treadmill-Workout-32581282