HIIT workouts have gained popularity in the world of fitness. Whether one is the kind of person that wants an effective workout without using much time, HIIT will work for them. Whether one is a complete beginner or an advanced person in the field of fitness, HIIT is for any person. This guide will help the beginner understand what a HIIT workout is, how it should be performed, and why it comes with many benefits.
What Are HIIT Workouts?
High-Intensity Interval Training stands for HIIT. It involves extremely short bursts of all-out exercise interspersed with brief periods of rest. The main idea behind this is maximum effort during the intense intervals and then active rest, allowing one to burn more calories in a short span compared to local workouts.
For this reason, HIIT workouts may be too much to handle for a beginner. These can easily be made to cater to your fitness level. You can start with jumping jacks, squats, and jogging in place, as you see fit, and increase the intensity as needed. The key is in how intense you push yourself through in the high-intensity phases.
Benefits for Beginners
Some of the major advantages of HIIT workouts are that they can be fitted into even the busiest of schedules; one could fit in a quick session of 20 minutes. Following are a few major benefits:
Burn More Calories: Your heart rate remains high throughout the session; hence, it allows one to burn more calories compared to steady-state cardio.
Improve Heart Health: It enhances cardiovascular endurance and keeps the heart healthy.
Boosts Metabolism: High-intensity exercises keep your metabolism higher even after the workout, thus helping you to burn calories long after the session is over.
No equipment needed: Most exercises are body weight-based; thus, you don’t need any special equipment to get started.
How to Start a Workout?
You really don’t require much to get going with HIIT workouts. An area, a timer, and your will—pretty much that’s all. Begin your HIIT journey as a fresher with these easy steps:
Warm-up: Always start with a light warm-up. This could include stretching, jogging on the spot, or walking, engaging your muscles for the workout.
Basic exercises would include squats, lunges, push-ups, or high knees. Remember that 20 seconds should consist of an intense activity; afterward, a rest interval is considered to be within the limit from 10 to 20 seconds. Make it 15-20 minutes long.
Increase the level of intensity: Once you get used to this and as your fitness level goes up, you can already increase the duration of the intense intervals or make the exercises more difficult.
Cool Down: Conclude with a cool-down stage by stretching your body and allowing the heart rate to return to normal.
Sample Workout for a Beginner
Following is a sample workout for beginners one may try:
Jumping Jacks: 20 seconds
Rest: 10 seconds
Squats: 20 seconds
Rest: 10 seconds
Push-ups: 20 seconds
Rest: 10 seconds
High Knees: 20 seconds
Rest: 10 seconds
Repeat this circuit 4-5 times to get an efficient workout. Progressively, one can increase the intensity by either reducing the rest time or adding more complex movements.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Amidst getting started with HIIT workouts, there are some common mistakes people make. Here is a list of some of these to avoid:
Lack of proper warm-up: It is essentially important not to skip the warm-up, or else it would lead to injury easily.
Overtraining: As much as HIIT is extreme, you should not do it every day. Your body needs to rest in between sessions. Bad Form: The right form keeps you safe from injury.
You are not racing against time when you do these exercises; watch your posture. Too Hard: Push your body to the limit, but not so hard that you would burn out. Build your endurance gradually.’
Motivational Tips to Keep Doing HIIT Workouts
Consistency with any form of exercise tends to get a little hard, especially for a beginner. Following are a few motivational tips that may help:
Set small goals for yourself: ‘I will be able to do three sessions of HIIT this week.’
Record the progress: Keep track of the day when you start, how many times you work out in a week, and note in the comments section whenever your endurance or strength has improved.
Switch it up: Introduce new exercises or a fresh structure of your workout to make it more interesting.
Buddy Up: Working out with a buddy will be way more fun and also keep you held accountable.
Why HIIT workouts are perfect for beginners?
Because HIIT workouts adapt to one’s requirements, one can easily modify their routine according to their fitness level. Whether it be burning fat, gaining endurance, or building strength, HIIT is appropriate for anything that one might desire. Because HIIT workouts are so short, they fit into even the busiest schedule.
Conclusion
High-Intensity Interval Training probably stands out among the finest options for beginners. Extremely effective is HIIT, combining the short and extensive segments of workout with rest. You will reach your goals, be it burning fat, improving cardiovascular health, or generally fitting yourself, with HIIT.
