What is HIIT?

HIIT, which stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Playing a big part of our approach at BASE and is a highly effective and efficient way to burn fat, get super fit and, if done correctly. Also build and maintain lean muscle.

A HIIT training program consists of periods of slow, low intensity ‘rest’ intervals which are around 20-50% of your maximum effort. Alternating with fast, high intensity ‘work’ intervals of 80-100% of your maximum effort.

It can be done with bodyweight, cardio equipment or weights and training tools such as TRX.

For this type of training to be effective, the rest intervals must be long enough to allow sufficient recovery to hit your work intervals at a near-maximal effort.

For example, a suitable example would be 20 seconds of work on the rowing machine at 100% effort, followed by 40 seconds rest, repeated 10 times. The 40 seconds rest would be enough time to let your heart rate and breathing recover to a level that allows you to hit the next 20 second work interval at a hard and fast pace.

An unsuitable structure for HIIT would be 45 seconds doing an exercise with 15 seconds break before hitting the next one. This would not be enough time to let your body recover and you would not be able to go at the hard and fast pace needed.

There is nothing wrong with training in this way and it would still have many benefits. But it’s not HIIT as you’ve taken out the ‘high-intensity’; it’s just ‘interval training’.

These short, super high intensity bursts of exercise get your heart rate up towards 100% of your max. This creates an oxygen-debt that burns energy (and fat) for hours after your workout has finished. This is referred to many as the ‘afterburn effect’.

For best results, you must train to the point where you could not have possibly gone any harder or faster. Especially those last few intervals. At the end of a 10-minute bike HIIT training session you should be on the floor and exhausted.

HIIT is a tool used by endurance athletes such as marathon runners as it offers huge improvements on cardiovascular fitness. This also makes it a useful approach for anyone looking to improve their heart health.

The last (but our favourite) benefit to High Intensity Interval Training is that it takes far less time than conventional cardio. A well-structured 10-20 minutes is all you need when implemented correctly!

Join BASE to refresh up your training. We have got a variety of mixed cardio, HIIT and strength training where you can both lose fat and build muscle both in one shot!

Try out our trial class for 50% off or join our 60-day challenges program to see how far you can go within just 2 months! Make a commitment now or read more of our success stories here.