All You Need To Know About The HIIT Workout For Beginners

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High-Intensity Interval Training is an exercise strategy that alternates short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with the less intense recovery period. The HIIT sessions vary from 4-30 minutes. It can be applied to running or to exercises such as squatting. Scientific literature shows that HIIT can burn adipose tissue 50% more effectively than low-intensity exercise.

How does HIIT compare to other training methods?

High-Intensity Interval Training is much more effective than regular cardio for accomplishing accelerated fat loss and improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance. It will give you very fast results in a very short period.

Constant change which allows for higher intensity is the key to HIIT, and it stimulates the body in such a way that cannot be equaled by other cardio workouts.

Ingrid Marcum writes in davedraper.com that

“The reason that High-Intensity Interval Training works better for fat loss is this: When you do a cardio session at the same pace the whole time, your body goes into what is called steady state. This means that your body has adjusted itself to the speed you are going and tries hard to conserve energy (calories). You will be able to avoid this and burn more calories and FAT by doing the interval training.”

Canadian researchers found that HIIT cardio helped trainees lose nine times more fat than the others who trained the traditional way. Westerblad, a muscle and exercise physiologist, says that when a muscle cell receives a signal to contract, ryanodine receptors which are like tiny pumps open up.

From the holding places, the calcium is poured within the cell into the cellular fluid. The high concentration of calcium signals the muscle cell to contract. If you scale this up for all the muscle cells the whole muscle flexes.

This process which occurs in your muscle cell when you do HIIT brings in faster and desirable results.

HIIT produces great improvements than endurance training in the maximum amount of oxygen a person could consume. This measure is commonly used for cardiovascular health. Scientific literature says these gains in maximal oxygen is called VO2 max (peak oxygen uptake) which means better health.

HIIT Stars

To be in the top form you have to be fit and this includes even the celebrities. Here are the workout plans of some top personalities who have walked through the hall of fame.

David Beckham’s HIIT workout plan

“While he is still a global icon, it wasn’t long ago that David Beckham was considered one of the best soccer players in the world,” writes Adam Bornstein in Born Fitness. His tough workout routine is what it takes to be a professional football player.

(The 60s on, 60s off)

Source: Workout Muse

  • Sprint-sprint shuttle
  • Sprint- backpedal shuttle
  • Lateral shuffle shuttle
  • Lateral shuffle- crossover run shuttle.

Star trainer Kayla Istines HIIT workout plan

The Instagram sensation Kayla Istines who has an insanely toned tanned body is an inspiring 23-year-old personal trainer from Adelaide, Australia. She became a sterling international fitness sensation after she released her first Bikini Body Guide this January 2016, since then she has amassed 1.6 million Instagram followers.

Source: shape.com

  • Pushups
  • Medicine ball squat and press
  • Laydown pushups
  • Tricep dips
  • Mountain climbers
  • Ab bikes
  • Sit-ups with twist
  • Straight-leg sit-ups.

Angelina Jolie’s HIIT workout plan

The beautiful Angie’s best physique was in the Tomb Raider and Mr. and Mrs. Smith movies. The training period was a rather intense one. For her role in Tomb Raider, she trained six days per week and 6-7 different disciplines a day for her portrayal as the stunning Lara Croft.

The workout included

  • Wide dumbbell squats
  • Forward lunges
  • Side lunges and twist
  • Squat and press
  • Stability ball leg curls
  • Cable lateral pulldowns
  • Dumbbell rolls
  • Dumbbell bicep curls
  • Close bicep curls
  • Crunches
  • Reverse crunches
  • 30 seconds of mountain climbers, jump rope.

You can check out Angelina’s whole HIIT workout at watchfit.com.

The Ultimate Total HIIT for Beginners

HIIT- Cardio for Beginners

Source: MomsIntoFitness

This cardio HIIT is a 10-minute workout; you’ll have to do 40 seconds of exercise followed by 20 seconds of rest. In those 40 seconds do as many reps as you can.

Warm up

Get ready with hands on hips, abs pulled in, and shoulders down, feet shoulder width apart.

Do ten mini squats with weight in your heels.

Lift your knees up to hip height and repeat.

Back to the mini squats. Raise your hands when you stand and bring it down when you squat.

Keeps your arms going and now lift your knees.

Exercises

Do the mini squats with increased speed.

Pushups

Keep your hands and knees on the floor and your feet up. Do the pushups for 40 seconds.

Jump rope

Increase your speed and repeat for 40 seconds.

Side squats

Do a squat step into the middle and do a squat the other side. Do these reps for 40 seconds.

Dip and bridge

Keep your arms behind you and take one dip and one bride up. Repeat.

Reverse lunges

Bend buff legs, stand up and alternate your legs.

Side planks

Keep your elbow underneath your shoulder, knees in line, lift up and hold. Come down and repeat. Alternate sides.

Squat and lift your knee and kick. Repeat for 40 seconds.

Jump rope out and in. Increase the speed as you go.

Modified plank

Keep your elbows down, pull your hips under you and up. Look in front of you. Move your ribcage.

Cool down.

HIIT Tank Top Arms Workout

Tutorial: Fitness Blender

You’ll be doing seven different exercises at 50-second intervals.

Things needed: Dumbbells.

Warm up before you start.

Exercises

Toning Trio- Arms, shoulders and upper back

Bring your arms straight, shoulder high. Roll the elbows back behind you and relax. Keep your back straight.

Bicep curls + 2 hooks

Do a traditional bicep curl. Bring your arms nice and wide and make a hook motion.

Reverse fly pulses for posture- Bend and keep your back flat. Slightly bend your knees. Do the fly pulses motion with both your hands.

Chest squeeze and overhead press combo

Bring elbows to shoulder high. First, make a chest squeeze motion and bring the dumbbells straight up your shoulders.

Windmill + Tricep Extensions

Bring your arms laterally straight about your sides. Bring your hands straight back behind. Lift up and slowly bring your arms down.

Arm circles

Keep your arms straight from the shoulder. Make a circle along the shoulder joints. Do the circles in a constant pattern and motion. Switch directions.

Single arm fly

Come into a side lunge squat with your left elbow on top of the knee. Your chest parallels to the wall. Open your right arm up and bring it down to the left hand. Switch sides.

Cool down.

HIIT Workout for Abs and Obliques (Variation 1)

Source: Fitness Blender

Warmup

Slow butt kickers + Arm swings

Bring your heels up to your butt and swing your arms.

Lateral jumps (60 seconds)

Jump back and forth, side to side to warm up the muscles.

Switch to the butt kickers (60 seconds.)

Toe Touch Jacks (60 seconds.)

Squat, touch your toes and come to a jumping jack position.

HIIT Workout

For each workout, you have to be active for 20 seconds and take 10 seconds rest. Do 3 reps of two rounds each.

Flutter kicks

Keep your legs as straight as you can and flutter back and forth. Press your back against the floor.

Bicycle Crunches

Bring your right elbow to the left knee and the left elbow into the right knee altering back and forth.

High knees

Keep your feet moving nice and fast. Bring your knee up to your chest as high you can.

Toe Touching Crunches

Keep your legs as straight as you can. Slowly crunch up and try to touch your toes.

Russian Twists

Keep your feet on the ground. Lean back and rotate your shoulders from left to right.

Take active rest for 2 minutes and start the workout again.

Belly Fat Burner- HIIT (Variation 2)

Tutorial- Fitness Blender

Workout structure- 20 secs on and ten secs off

Three times through with each exercise and no equipment needed.

X- Burpee

Do a burpee with X at the bottom and X at the top.

2 Jack Jumps + 4 High Knees

Do two jumping jacks followed by four knee raises using alternate legs.

Flutter kick squats

Hop forward, backwards and sideways and do a squat.

Evan Burpees

Do a burpee followed by two jumps and repeat.

Split Jumps

This exercise is a simple cardio move. You can take a water break.

Butt Kickers

Do butt kickers as quickly as you can.

Cursty Jump Lunge

Move your leg crosswords and do a jump.

Up and Out Jacks

Jump and swing your arms, front, and sideways.

Static Squat

Do static squats gently.

3, 2, 1 Lunges

Make the lunges to the count of three.

HIIT Total Body Burn Workout For Beginners

Tutorial: BeFit

Warm up

Try the plank walks and jumping jacks for warm up.

Circuit 1

Squat/Hammer Curl/Shoulder Press

Chest up, squat, squeeze curl, press it up and all the way back down.

Move your legs apart and row in the dumbbells.

Do jumping jacks.

Circuit 1

Curtsy –Chop With Squat

Hold a dumbbell with both your hands do a squat followed by a curtsy.

Knee Smashes

Arms overhead and smash over your knees.

Circuit 2 Lunge with Chop

Forward lunge and then make the chop motion with your hands. Switch sides.

Plie Squats/Triceps Extension

Hold one dumbbell with both hands, move your hands from behind your neck to the front and do a squat.

Skiers

Tap your toes from side to side.

Pop squat

Take one of your dumbbells and do a pop squat.

Double hop and squat

Hop and squat and try to reach the floor.

Circuit 3

Plie Squat/Curl/Overhead Press

Do these exercises with your dumbbells.

Single leg row

Foot back, squeeze your shoulder blades together and look down. Do a rowing movement. Switch legs.

Reach-Through

Push and swish to the other side.

Triceps Kickback With Toe-Tap

Toe tap and move your hands. Alternate sides.

Quick feet to High Feet

Move your legs as though you’re in hot sand.

Circuit 4

Sumo Burpees

Do a burpee stand up and squeeze.

Deadlift Curls

Use your dumbbells, bend, stand up and curl.

Mountain Climbers with Hold

Do mountain climbers and a hold.

Squat with reverse chop

Jumping jacks

Finish off your workout in style with the jumping jacks.

HIIT Chest and Back Strength Workout

Tutorial: Millionaire Hoy

You can modify this workout just by using dumbbells and yoga mat.

Warm up

Start warming up by jumping ropes, followed by light jogging.

Exercises

High knees

Increase the speed and start doing high knees.

Jumping Jacks

Do the jumping jacks for 20 seconds.

Shuttle sprints

Hands up, do a jump and touchdown. Alternate sides.

Butt Kicks

Flex your right knee and kick your right heel up towards your glutes. Bring your feet down. Alternate sides.

Stretch

Rotate your neck from one side to the other.

Stretch arms out and do small circles. Repeat in the opposite direction.

Bring your right arm into your left elbow and stretch. Fold both your arms back and stretch. Alternate sides.

Bend down and rotate your right arm clockwise. Rotate anticlockwise. Alternate sides.

Do a palm stretch keeping your arms in the front. Repeat backwards.

Take a water break.

Ladder Pushups

Do regular pushups in increasing order.

Bent back flys

Step forward with your right leg, do a slight bend and flap your arms. You can use dumbbells for this exercise. Alternate sides.

DB Chest Press

Lie down on a yoga mat and do pushups with dumbbells.

Lawn movers

Bend your right leg forward and left leg backwards and do push up with your left hand. Switch sides.

Decline Pushup

Place your legs on a high surface like a table or a firm sofa and do pushups.

Wide Pullups

Grab the pull-up bar and move up and down with your whole body. Keep your arms wide and your legs one over the other.

Dive Bombers

Start like a regular pushup. Shift your weight back, so that your hips come up. Swoop your way down and look up. Try to take the same path back.

ISO Press

Lie down on a high surface. Stretch one of your arms and lift weights using the other. Switch sides.

Incline Press

Sit in an inclined position and lift weights with both hands. You can repeat using dumbbells.

Peeping Toms

Come up in the pull-up bar, move left, move right, middle and come down.

Accordions

Come to plank position, walk back with your hands and do a pushup, walk your way in and do a pushup.

Inverted rows

You can try with dumbbells. Keep your right leg forward and do the inverted rows. Switch sides.

Swimmer Pushup

Do a pushup rotate your arm and do another pushup. Alternate sides.

DB Chest Flys

Lie down, with weights in your hands, squeeze your chest and come up. Repeat.

Seated Flys

Sit and with weights flex your arms back. Repeat.

Diamond Pushup

Keep your feet apart and your hands down and do pushups.

Alt Rows

Bend with one leg forward and do alternate rows with weights.

Push Pullup

Do a pull-up and a pushup. Increase the order.

Push Pulldown

Do a push up and pull down. Increase the order.

Back Swimmers

Lie down and swim it out.

Stretch

Viola! You have completed the workout.

Yoga Cardio HIIT

Tutorial: Fitness Blender

Workout structure: 1 yoga inspired exercise + 30 secs of the cardio interval.

Jumping Jacks

Do the jumping jacks for 30 seconds.

Tricep Pushup to Child’s Pose

Drop down to the floor, come back up and do a tricep pushup.

Squats +Heel Taps

Drop down to a nice deep squat, Come up to a full extension, take your right heel up and touch with your left hand. Alternate sides.

Leg lift pigeon sequence

Drop your hands down, one leg back and then the other. Bring the left leg behind, tuck it underneath your body and back up one more time. Tuck underneath and drop down to the pigeon pose.

Lateral Jumps

Get a nice wide jump going from right to left. Bring left leg to your back every time you jump to the right. Alternate sides. Start with something small and build wider as you go on.

Warrior Pose Lunges

Drop down to a runner’s lunge. Take the right leg out back behind you and up into a warrior position. Hold for a second and drop down to runner’s lunge. Repeat.

X-Jacks

Extend your arms straight and out to a 45-degree angle, tuck them back in really nice and quick while doing the jumping jacks.

Calf Raise Planks

Come to a full plank position. Keep your hands directly under the shoulder joints. Do a calf raise motion and repeat for 30 seconds.

Squat+Toe Touch Kicks

Squat nice and deep, bring left leg up reaching with a right hand and alternate sides.

Walk down pushups

Starting from the standing position reach down like a toe touch, walk down with your hands to a full plank position. Do a pushup and slowly walk it back out.

5 Mountain climber steps +Getups

Drop down to that pushup position. Hit your feet back and forth five times. Stand back up and repeat for 30 seconds.

Full body stretch + Jackknife Crunches

Start with a Jackknife crunch, crunching up to the toes, arms and legs back down. Do ten reps for 30 seconds.

HIIT No Equipment Home Workout For Beginners

Tutorial: Millionaire Hoy

Warm up

Start warming up by jumping ropes.

Exercises

Speed Bags

Hop and roll your arms front and then back.

Light Jog

Swing your arms and start jogging.

S2S Heismans

Jog from side to side.

Jumping Jacks

Butt Kick Hops

Hop twice and do the butt kicks twice. Repeat.

Arm Circles F

Keep your legs apart and do the arm circles.

Arm Circles R

Repeat the arm circles backwards.

Shoulder STR L

Bring your right arm to the left side and do an elbow lock. Keep pulling, switch sides.

Forward Bend

Push yourself back into the invisible chair, stand up and repeat.

Bend and walk your hands from left to right.

Runner STR L

Come into runner’s position and lift your right hand. Bring it down towards the right side of left foot. Switch sides.

Runner STR-R

Repeat the above steps on the right side.

Flamingo L

Bend your left foot and touch with your left hand. Stretch your right hand. Change sides.

Flamingo R

Repeat the above steps.

Side Knee Run

Do stretches on your right side and do some fast running. Do stretches on the left side. Repeat.

Jumping Jabs

Do a jumping jack and a kick. Repeat.

Squat Ab Lunge

Squat, twist and come forward with one knee and back.

Switch Feet

Jump and switch your feet. Increase speed.

Half Pushups

Do two pushups and come to plank position. Repeat.

Step Up Knees

Step up your knees in plank position. Stand up and again step up your knees. Switch sides.

J-Jack Sprints

Make four sprints forward and come back. Repeat.

Hurdle Sprints

Jog and sprint over to the right side. Switch sides.

DBL Squat Kick

Do two squats and kick.

180 Knee Run

Jog and do four knees. Change sides.

Mo- Towns

Bring your right knee up and over along with your left hand. Repeat sides.

Warrior Pushups

Bring your knees down, do a push-up, raise your right arm and come back to starting position.

Tri Jab Knees

Do three jabs, raise your right knee and change sides.

LVL 3 Sprints

Do three high knees followed by four mountain climbers.

S2S Jab Sprint

Make sprints followed by box kicks.

Half Diamonds

Do a squat, come up stretch your arms and fold one leg. Change sides.

Cardio Circuit

Do four sprints, four butt kicks, and four jumping jacks.

Crisscross Knees

Jump and crisscross your knees.

Inch Worms

Knees down, walk through your hands, do a pushup, walk back and hop.

Swimmer Push

Do a push-up, rotate your arms and change sides.

180 Quick Knees

Do four quick knees in all four directions.

Star Crunch

Lie down with hands and legs stretched out. Touch your left leg with your right hand. Change sides.

DBL High Taps

Lie down, keep your feet at 90-degree angle and tap your toes. Repeat.

Crunch Jabs

Lie down, come up and punch. Change sides.

Genie Pulses

Keep left leg on top of the right knee and pulse up for 15 seconds on the right side and then the other side.

Tornadoes

Stretch your arms and lie down. Bring your feet six inched off the ground and rotate.

Flutter Kicks

Lie down put your hands under your glutes and flutter your legs.

Half Cannons

Lie down and do the crunches.

Hug and Love

Open your arms and motion like you hug while moving your feet.

Mountain

Exhale while standing up and inhale while coming down.

Bent Rockers

Bend down with wrapped up arms and swing from left to right.

Cat Stretch

Come into a four legged position, and inhale and exhale.

Child’s Pose

Come into child’s pose, bring your left hand to your right hand and move the hips back and forth.

Repeat another side.

Ham Stretches

Bend down and pull your toes. Change sides.

Flamingo

Touch your left foot with left hand. Extend your right hand out. Switch sides.

Great! You have completed the workout

Conclusion

HIIT helps you to burn more fat, builds a healthier heart, tones your muscles, increases your metabolism, needs no equipment, can be done anywhere and is more challenging.

Touted for its metabolic benefits, HIIT isn’t exactly a walk in the park. You have to consider your current diet plan, your weight workout volume and intensity, your primary goals and above all your recovery ability before starting your HIIT regimen.

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