High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Let's say you want to get fit fast. Doesn't everyone? Well, there are some things you can do to speed up the process. You want to progress farther faster? You need intensity.

Now wait a second Fatty! Maybe I'm not ready for anything intense right now. I'm a freaking fatty for crying out loud! You want to take a big fatty and throw them into "intense" exercise?! That's crazy talk.

Yes I do. But let me explain.

Okay, so despite being a fatty and morbidly obese, I'm actually "in-shape"... at least cardiovascularly speaking. Physically, I'm only in-shape if you consider a land-based beluga whale the ideal shape that we're talking about.

So, yes, you should probably establish some baseline of fitness first. BUT, even then you can use intensity to your advantage.

What about injuries? Intense exercising for a fatty? That sounds like a recipe for chocolate cake- I mean getting hurt. Sorry my mind was wandering..

What do I mean about intensity? Well, here it is in a nutshell:

**While exercising regularly at a comfortable pace (aerobically), speed up for a little while to the point that you're pushing yourself past your comfort zone temporarily. Then back off back to your ORIGINAL PACE till you catch your breath. Repeat several times.**

That's it!

See, even if you are a fatty that can only briskly walk, you can add a slow jog for a minute or two and then back off to the brisk walk.

If you're a marathon runner, the same concept applies. Say you run at an 8 minute pace normally. Bump it up to 7 minutes for like 3 minutes. Then go back down to the 8 minute pace for 1.5 minutes or so (until you've caught your breath) and repeat.

How many times in a workout/in a week?

At first, just do it once per workout, once a week. After two weeks, throw it in twice in a work out, once a week. Eventually, you can do 5 or 6 reps in a workout once a week or even twice a week if you're really going for it.

Couple of key concepts:

1. Don't go ALL OUT during an intensity interval. Just go from comfortable aerobic pace to a little out of breath.

2. Recover after the interval at your original pace NOT a slower pace. That's what pushes your body to make fitness gains faster.

3. Don't start these intensity intervals until you have some basis for aerobic fitness. I don't mean that you can run 5 miles. I mean like you can walk a mile in 20 minutes without getting out of breath. If you can do that, you can SLOWLY start incorporating intervals. Start with one and work your way up.

4. Start wherever you're at. If all you can do is walk, then walk a little faster for 20-30 seconds for an interval, then resume your regular walk. If you can jog at 5mph, and then jog at 6mph for a couple minutes and back to 5.


Adding these intervals or "wind sprints" to your exercise will make you fitter faster. Pretty sweet huh?

BUT WAIT, I haven't said the best part: Doing intensity intervals will allow you to REDUCE the duration of your workout. Cut 5-10 minutes out. That's right. The increased intensity will get you better results in a shorter time.

Say you're already in-shape. HIITs can be used to really move to the next level as well. What I've posted here is for beginners. There's a whole world of HIIT. Google it already, you're on a computer for crying out loud.

Maybe this is over your head. You're not quite sure what aerobic exercise is all about. Next post, I'll step back and explain target heart rate and the basics of aerobic exercise in terms even a beluga can understand.