The Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training.

2 min readSep 16, 2021

This is one of my favourite ways to workout!

I try to fit 2–3 sessions in every week. It’s also the type of workout I do when I have no equipment and/or I’m short of time.

What is High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT?

It’s a series of timed workouts, usually with short breaks. When you work, you work!

The idea is to push the Heart Rate High and work near your maximum heart rate. The short break gives you just enough time to recover and enables you to go to your maximum again.

So why choose a HIIT workout?

You can literally do a workout whenever, wherever!
It’s shorter than other workouts as you’re working at a higher intensity.
Great Calorie Burn
Your metabolic rate is higher for hours after this type of exercise
Can help build lean muscle and tone up the body
Can help lower blood pressure and blood sugar while improving oxygen and blood flow
Targets all the muscle groups
Reduces Body Fat

Interesting Facts:

A sprint interval training meta-analysis showed HIIT burns 36.34% more effective than moderate intensity continuous training while also spending significantly less time exercising.
Additionally, a 2017 study published in Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome found that a 12-minute HIIT workout affected the muscles more than a 40-minute aerobic workout.
HIIT has been shown to stimulate the production of human growth hormone (HGH) by up to 450% for several hours post-exercise. This is the Hormone that begins to decline from the age of 30. HIIT literally keeps us young!

There are various different exercises to choose from including :

Whole Body Exercises- Squat jumps, Burpees, Star Jumps, Split Lunges

Arms/ Shoulders- Tricep dips, Press Ups, Shoulder Taps

Legs/Glutes- Lateral Jumps, Bridge variations, Wall Sit, Crossover lunge

Abs/Core- Leg Drops, Sit Up variations, Plank, Side Plank

How do you create your own workout?

Choose 8 exercises.

Choose the amount of time you work for. In general, 45 seconds work and 15 seconds rest works well.

Pick the first 2 exercises. Alternate each one. Do 3 sets. For example, Squats and PressUps.

Squats 45 seconds , 15 seconds rest.

Press ups 45 seconds, 15 second rest.

Repeat this 2 more times. This is 6 minutes total.