A year ago, I wrote about my experience with what was, to me, a new workout: HIIT. Since the holidays tend to be a time of overindulgence, I thought it might be nice to revisit the HIIT workout and whether or not it truly lives up to its hype. Unless you’ve been living under a rock then you know that HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. The concept is simple: instead of doing your cardio at a consistent intensity for a set amount of time, with HIIT, you alternate between going all out and taking it easy. Personally, I do 8 seconds on and 12 seconds off. I originally decided to give it a try because an Australian study had shown that women who did a HIIT workout lost more belly fat. Since my belly has always been the bane of my existence, this appealed to me. And I can say without a doubt that it works. But in case you need scientific proof, a recent study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that people who did two steady cardio and strength sessions plus two HIIT sessions a week for 8 weeks not only lost more total overall fat than those who didn’t do HIIT, they lost more visceral fat. This is a huge deal because visceral fat is the deep, stubborn ab fat that wraps itself around your organs and causes all kinds of health woes including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
So, bottom line, shaking up your exercise routine and adding HIIT will not only shave about an inch off your waist, but it will improve your health. Oh, and your leg strength by about 12%. And it’s not too bad on the ass either. And really, it doesn’t have to be a big deal. Here are some simple tools to help you get started:
Seconds Pro App
This interval timer from Runloop makes timing your HIIT workout a cinch. You just input the overall duration of your workout, and how long you want your high intensity and low intensity sessions to be. Then the app will give you a beep when it’s time to ramp up your intensity. There’s both a free version and a paid version. Check it out here.
Cody App
This app is great for someone who loves an exercise class, but maybe doesn’t have the time or the money to actually go to one regularly. For a set fee, you get lifetime access to some of the best teachers in the business streaming HIIT workouts to your phone, tablet or laptop. Work out on your own schedule. In your own home if you want. Check it out here.
Jump Rope
Remember how you used to jump rope as a kid? Well, who knew that besides being fun, it’s a killer workout. And one that is easily adaptable to a HIIT workout. A couple of times a week, I break out my jump rope and go at it hard for 8 seconds then pace for 12 seconds for a total of 35 minutes. It’ll not only kick up your cardio to the next level which is good for your heart, but it seriously targets your booty, making it higher, firmer and all around more delicious. If you don’t have a jump rope, you can buy one here.
