HIIT TRAINING: WHAT IS IT AND HOW TO EXECUTE IT

HIIT training has become increasingly popular in recent years. It began as part of the training routines of elite athletes and, little by little, it began to adapt to the needs of any sports training. This fact was a complete success, since HIIT adapts perfectly to the rhythm of today's society, where we all lead a hectic pace of life and, therefore, effective and fast training is an excellent sports option.

If you want to know more about this form of sports training, keep reading this article in which we highlight the most important points and how you can practice it comfortably from the living room of your room. Do not miss it!

WHAT IS HIIT TRAINING?

HIIT is a training that alternates moments of intensive work with intervals of active rest. They are usually sessions between 25 and 50 minutes long, where a series of exercises must be completed, including warm-up and stretching. It is a recommended routine for people who practice sports regularly or sports professionals.

In HIIT training, short intervals of time, but of high intensity, are alternated with others in which a normally active rest is performed. This type of training improves strength, increases cardiovascular capacity and burns a good number of calories. Of course, for the loss of calories to be effective, you have to give everything in each session.

The secret of the success of this form of sports training lies in the metabolism, since being an intense job consumes more calories. In short, HIIT has great results in a short time.

HOW IS HIIT TRAINING PRACTICED?

Each HIIT training session combines intervals of high-intensity exercise with short breaks for active recovery. For example, running perfectly exemplifies the HIIT philosophy: it consists of running at maximum speed for a short period of time, followed by a walking break.

To ensure the effectiveness of HIIT and avoid injury, like any other workout, you should first warm up before launching into intervals. Dynamic stretching is a very good option.

During training, the more you define the exercises, the better for the body. This way you avoid injuries and exercise your muscles efficiently.

There is a wide variety of HIIT exercises, for example: with or without weights, to exercise the upper or lower body, cardio or low impact. It is recommended to carry out routines in which you train the part of the body that you want to improve or the physical objective that you want to achieve. Choose what best suits you and your needs.

EXAMPLES OF HIIT ROUTINES WITH FITNESS MACHINES AT HOME

Do you want to know how to practice HIIT training with different sports and gym machines for home? Here are some examples:

HIIT spin training

This HIIT training for spinning is designed to work quadriceps and hamstrings:

- 10-minute warm-up at moderate speed and low/medium resistance.

- Pedal with a high intensity and as fast as possible for 30 seconds. Also make sure you have something medium or high bike resistance.

- Then pedal slowly for a minute at an easy pace. Repeat this for 10-20 rounds, depending on how long you want to spend on the routine.

- Finish with an easy 5-minute cool-down.

And don't forget hydration during exercise!

HIIT workout on treadmill

This routine is designed to make an easy HIIT workout with your treadmill at home:

- Start with a 3-minute warm-up with moderate-speed walking.

- Continue running at 6km/h for 5 minutes and then go up to 8km/h for 1 minute. Repeat this interval up to 7 times or more, depending on the time you have set yourself.

- Finish with a 5-minute easy walk to cool down.

HIIT routine with fitness trampoline

If you are also one of those who have joined the Power Jump or Body Jump trend, we leave you an ideal cardio HIIT workout to sweat a lot:

- Do a warm-up with a moderate song of about 3 minutes with small jumps.

- Execute jumps opening and closing the legs in 20 repetitions.

- Active rest of 1 minute.

- Jumps with twist in 20 repetitions.

- Active rest 1 minute.

- Jumping jacks of 10 repetitions.

- Active rest 1 minute.

- Jumps with knee elevation of 20 repetitions and alternating leg.

- Active rest 1 minute.

- Jumps crossing the feet of 10 repetitions.

- Active rest 1 minute.

- Repeat these sequences until completing the set training time.

- Cool down at the end of the session.

FREQUENT QUESTIONS:

How many days a week can you do a HIIT workout?

HIIT allows you to perform routines between three and four times a week, but respecting the alternate days to allow time for the body to recover and not suffer overloads or injuries.

What is the best time of day to do HIIT?

High intensity HIIT training is recommended to be practiced in the late afternoon. Although, as it is a very active training, it is possible that it may affect sleep. So that this does not happen, it is best that you practice it between 7 or 8 in the afternoon, and then have a light dinner full of proteins. This will help to better sleep and good muscle recovery.

You can also take a quick hot shower before going to bed to help relax your muscles.

How long should a HIIT session last?

The duration of each exercise depends on the combination of the HIIT session. High-intensity activity sessions are usually between 25 and 50 minutes. Of course, to get all the muscles to work and the training to be effective, the times and intervals must be respected in each session.

Now that you know how to do a HIIT workout, you can jump in and put the exercises into practice from home. On YouTube you can find a wide variety of routines that you can complete in 20 minutes a day or in the time you set for your training. In our ATAA Sports online store we have the fitness machines with the best prices on the market, which will be your great ally in HIIT routines. When you start with HIIT sessions you will discover all the possibilities and benefits it has for your health. Start getting fit with high intensity exercise!