Good Morning!
In celebration of the new month and Workout Wednesday, I want to share with you all my plan for November – a new workout challenge, whoopee! With the holiday season upon us (a.k.a. sweet treat baking extravaganza), I want to implement a challenge for myself (and you, too!) to finish out the year strong. Do you remember the Holiday Hustle Challenge from December 2010?
In hopes of maintaining my sleeker, summer body, burning fat, and gaining lean muscle mass, I am challenging myself to add HIIT workouts to my exercise regimen 2-3 days per week for the month of November. The focus isn’t on distance or duration this time around, but intensity and strength.
What is HIIT?
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a specialized form of interval training that involves short intervals of maximum intensity exercise separated by longer intervals of low to moderate intensity exercise. Because it involves briefly pushing yourself beyond the upper end of your aerobic exercise zone, it offers you several advantages that traditional steady-state exercise (where you keep your heart rate within your aerobic zone) can’t provide:
- HIIT trains and conditions both your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. You train your anaerobic system with brief, all-out efforts.
- HIIT increases the amount of calories you burn during your exercise session and afterward because it increases the length of time it takes your body to recover from each exercise session.
- HIIT causes metabolic adaptations that enable you to use more fat as fuel under a variety of conditions. This will improve your athletic endurance as well as your fat-burning potential.
- HIIT appears to limit muscle loss that can occur with weight loss, in comparison to traditional steady-state cardio exercise of longer duration.
- To get the benefits HIIT, you need to push yourself past the upper end of your aerobic zone and allow your body to replenish your anaerobic energy system during the recovery intervals.
Yesterday, I attempted my first HIIT treadmill workout*. Though it was a sweaty challenge, I didn’t push myself to my out-of-breath anaerobic threshold. Gotta start somewhere.
*HIIT can be be done on a variety of fitness equipment.
Are you a fan of HIIT? Do you have any favorite workouts to share or advice for this novice?
I will be recording my workouts a la DailyMile – per usual – and will log them on the blog, too.
Want to join me on the challenge?
Have a lovely day,
Hill on the run
Of Possible Interest:
- More about HIIT a la The Fitnessista
- Oh, and my Godiva Coffee {& cookie!} GIVEAWAY – mmm!
HIIT Challenge Check-In
Dirty Thirty Workout
My 3 Holiday Fit Tips
Weekend Gratitudes
Almond Butter Banana Coconut Pancakes
I love HIIT to vary it up. I did a ton of it last winter when I was stuck inside with pretty much my treadmill as my only option. My favorite is a 20-22 minute treadmill workout that I think I stole from Mama Pea actually. It’s 2 mins @ 3.5, then every other minute @ 8.0 & @ 5.0 for 16 minutes or however long you can last with a cool down of 1 minute @ 3.5. For someone as speedy as you, you can just up the speeds or they’re easily decreased too :)
I actually started doing this a few months ago without quite realizing that I was actually doing HIIT workouts. I love them! I’ve already noticed my “comfy pace” on regular runs speed up a bit.
What I learned from today though, I, personally, might require more than a 5 minute jogging warm up. I think I jumped into the “sprints” too quickly and now my knee is killing me! I couldn’t even finish my workout today because it was hurting so bad.
This sounds like a great challenge! I have such a hard time getting myself into a noncomfortable zone. I really need to push myself. :-)
I think you are the one who mentioned bodyrock.tv on your blog a few months ago. That is different types of interval training (and ALWAYS hurts my knees — I’m older and heavier than most of those people and can’t do jumping stuff), but this looks like stuff I could do. I’m going to have to do something headed into the holidays!
I do love HIIT cause it mixes things up. In fact, I almost have to run intervals when on the treadmill cause it gets so boring otherwise!
Great challenge! I love how it is a quick and dirty workout. You get your socks knocked off and it’s fast!
I should be writing an essay, but ended up finding your blog a lot more interesting. Love your recipes, especially the granola! And your workout challenge is a really good idea.
I’ve been doing HIIT a few days per week this past month and it’s been great!
Warm up – 5 min
40 sec 6.0 mph
20 sec 9.0 mph
Repeat for 8 minutes
:)
I do HIIT once or twice a week on the stationary bike at my gym. It’s intense but it really creates a wonderful afterburn, mentally and physically. It’s worth the effort!
I LOVE HIIT WORKOUTS. I’m currently doing the TurboFire workout DVDs and a few of those are HIIT and I love it. It burns so good. :)
i really, really like HIIT because you accomplish so much in way less time. i used to run at the same speed for 45 minutes on the treadmill. according to my heart rate monitor, 20 minutes of HIIT is just as effective. love it!
Sounds like a fabulous HIIT workout! Bookmarking!
I loveee HIIT! Man you are fast! I usually do about 20 or 30 second sprints then 40 seconds to a minute recover. I always feels awesome after!
I love HIIT workouts. I tend to do either a Jillian Michaels video or Fitnessista’s cardio/weight circuits that get my sweat dripping. I did that for 2-3 months this summer to get ready for a wedding I was in and I definitely noticed a difference in my arms. Great way to get definition quickly!
Hey it’s November…but a year later? I could give this a go. (You’ve already hooked me with that Lovely Legs Lunge and Dirty Burpee workout…)