5 BEST HIIT EXERCISE | IS HIIT ACTUALLY GOOD OR WASTING YOUR TIME?

Here’s what you have to know in order to enjoy all the benefits of HIIT training, such as:

• Burns unwanted body fat
• Burn more calories in less time
• Not just a cardio, but it can help you build muscle
• Increase metabolism, even after the training
• Improves oxygen and blood flow
• It can help lower blood pressure and blood sugar

Be aware, just because you perform an exercise for 30 seconds then you rest for 30 seconds it doesn’t mean you are doing HIIT, therefore you are likely missing out of all the benefits. Most of the videos out there are actually not HIIT workouts, but they are still labeled as HIIT because it has become a trending marketing term.

If you learn to execute HIIT, you can actually enjoy the all its benefits. High intensity interval training is a short period, usually 20-30 seconds of very high intensity exercise followed by resting period. Now, here is the important part: for that very short period of exercise, you have to make 80- 90% of your maximal effort, whatever is that for you. That's almost puking level! Literally. I'm not joking. So, as you see it's very hard to do HIIT properly. The key is to make maximal effort during the exercise interval.

You can start out with 20-30 seconds of exercise, followed by 40-30 seconds of rest period. As you get better at it, try increasing the working interval and reducing the rest period. I highly suggest to keep your HIIT sessions under 20 minutes. Remember, less is more when it comes to high intensity interval training. Quality over quantity!

➡️ How HIIT burns unwanted fat?

Our body burns calories at the rate of five calories per liter of oxygen consumed. In general, using exercise to increase the oxygen demand on our body, will increase the total caloric expenditure. Imagine, doing short intervals of extremely high intensity training. It has a tremendous amount of oxygen demand on your body, both during the workout period and during rest.

The other amazing benefit of HIIT is the EPOC - excess post oxygen consumption. It's an acronym that you don't have to worry about, but what is happening is that HIIT workout, when it's done properly, creates a deficit in oxygen consumption. So even after the workout is done, your body is still recovering and needing more oxygen because it's still in deficit. So basically, in order to bring back your oxygen level to normal your body increases your resting metabolic rate. This can last for 24 hours or longer.

➡️ Verdict

Do HIIT only if you can execute it properly. If you are a complete beginner or you simply don’t enjoy the extreme intensity workouts, then instead, choose a circuit training, other type of interval training, or even steady state cardio. You will get more benefits out of them.

If you decide to go with HIIT workouts, make sure you don’t overdo it. It should part of a structured fitness program. To lose fat faster, do HIIT 1-3 times per week, and make sure you do it as part of a fat loss program that is designed specifically to meet your goals.

Here's the 5 best HIIT exercises that you can do anywhere, anytime. They are highly effective and you can really make maximal effort (which is the point of high intensity interval training).


🔥 1. STAR JUMP

How to do star jump?
1. Start in a quarter squat position with your back flat, feet together, and palms touching the sides of your lower legs.
2. Jump up, raising your arms and legs out to your sides (your body should form an “X” in mid-air).
3. Land softly with your feet together and immediately lower yourself back into the starting position.


🔥 2. HIGH KICK TOE TOUCH

How to do high kick toe touch?
1. Stand upright and keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your knees slightly, jump up on your right leg while you left leg up front of your body until it is parallel to the ground. Simultaneously, bend forward at the waist, extending the right arm forward, and reaching with the right hand toward the left foot.
3. Return to starting position and switch legs and arms. Keep alternating.

🔥 3. PLANK JACK + MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

How to do plank jack mountain climbers?

1. Start in plank position with your arms extended and hands under your shoulders, feet together. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your heels. Engage your abs to help protect your lower back from injury.
2. Jump both feet out wide to each side 2 times.
3. From the starting plank position, now in one smooth motion alternate between bringing your knees to your chest for a total of 4 times.

🔥 4. PLYO HIP THRUSTER

How to do plyo hip thruster?
1. Start in a plank position.
2. Jump forward with your legs, landing each leg outside of you each of your arms.
3. Lift hands off from the ground bringing them front of your chest.
4. Make sure you look to the front and lift your chest up.
5. Reverse the motion by placing your hands back to the ground and then jump back with your legs to the starting plank position.

🔥 5. SQUAT TWIST

How to do squat twist?

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and squat down till your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
2. Stand upwards and jump up in the air.
3. Rotate 90 degrees to your right in the air and then land.
4. Jump back to low squat position, then repeat the same motion but this time rotate 90 degrees the other way.

Keep learning, so you make great decisions for yourself!