What is HIIT and how can it assist my health and fitness goals?

Because the ABC launches the Your Transfer marketing campaign to assist Australians discover their well being and health journey, reporter Marnie Vinall hits the highway to strive a number of the rising train tendencies across the nation.

As probably the most in style health tendencies going round, I assumed I would give high-intensity interval coaching (HIIT) a bench check.

This would not be my first rodeo with high-intensity workouts.

In the course of the six lockdowns of Melbourne, I went by means of a YouTube dance HIIT part, the place I might squat and soar alongside to Hamilton and Disney songs, blindly following a health YouTuber’s directions.

However this might be my first in-the-flesh group class – one the place I could not resolve to skip strikes or train at my pleasure, or log out early deeming I had sufficiently already carried out sufficient.

This time, I would have nowhere to cover.

As my native fitness center already affords most of these courses, I made a decision it could be a secure and handy wager to road-test the favored train format.

However first I acquired involved with John Hawley, director of the Mary MacKillop Institute for Well being Analysis on the Australian Catholic College, to ask what HIIT was all about.

“Excessive-intensity coaching and interval coaching have been round for years for athletes, nevertheless it’s solely just lately that they’ve grow to be in style for basic well being,” he mentioned.

The thought behind it’s “very brief, high-intensity bursts” of train adopted by brief durations of relaxation.

For instance, 10 minutes of high-intensity work with one minute of restoration between every set for 20 minutes.

“Now, what’s excessive depth? Effectively, it is one thing that just about you may solely do for a minute, after which it’s important to cease,” Dr Hawley mentioned.

It entails workouts like tuck jumps, planks, soar squats, leaping jacks, sit-ups, tricep dips and lunges — all aimed toward growing your coronary heart price to 80 per cent.

Dr Hawley informed me these workouts had cardiovascular advantages because of the coronary heart price being tremendously elevated, whereas growing energy to the muscle tissues used from pressure or resistance positioned on them.

“You are getting a very good bang on your buck,” he mentioned.

Moreover, numerous analysis has related HIIT with improved cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes, together with elevated health, weight reduction and improved blood stress and inflammatory markers.

So I took myself to the fitness center for a late afternoon HIIT class to see how I would go together with these brief bursts of excessive depth adopted by – what I assume for me in my first go – ferociously sucking again within the oxygen.

The category was cut up into three sections with drink breaks in between. Every part lasted round quarter-hour and was crammed with 45-second bursts of workouts, which ranged from excessive knees and bum kicks to burpees, squat holds and planks.

I began fairly confidently, grabbing a weight to carry throughout the lunges after which jogging on the spot between workouts nevertheless it did not take lengthy for the fatigue to set in. About 20 minutes in, I dropped the load and simply tried to maintain up and push by means of the ache.

Though, 45 seconds had by no means really felt longer than when doing glute holds or burpees interspersed with push-ups. I used to be grateful for the brief breaks between workouts.

I used to be dreading one other spherical of squat holds when the trainer declared, ‘You probably did it!’ and guided the room right into a collection of stretches earlier than letting us go. These included runner’s lunges, pec, hamstring and quad stretches and kid’s pose to launch the again.

I used to be red-faced and sweaty however proud of my effort. The time did go rapidly and I might see what Dr Hawley was speaking about when he mentioned it was an environment friendly type of train. My complete physique, plus my cardiovascular system, felt prefer it acquired a exercise.

So, I took my shaky legs dwelling, going further slowly down the steps on the way in which out, and hopped straight in a heat salt tub as a reward.

Dr Hawley mentioned for non-professional athletes, refuelling didn’t want an enormous focus, however a giant meal and loads of water ought to do the trick.

Additionally, that he would advocate not solely doing HIIT courses however combining them with different types of coaching, reminiscent of endurance-type workouts like swimming, working or biking. And to all the time try to get a settle down in to assist take away lactic acid from the physique and velocity up restoration.

For now, I am simply going to deal with the restoration sleep.

What’s HIIT?

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval coaching, the place individuals full brief durations of explosive train at most effort with very brief durations of relaxation between — historically about 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, though these timings do change and might prolong as much as a minute or barely longer.

These explosive train durations are carried out beneath anaerobic situations, which principally means “with out oxygen”. Meaning you may’t do it for so long as cardio train.

In consequence, train classes of this kind usually final about half-hour.

The sort of train burns glucose and creates a build-up of lactic acid.

How a lot does a category price?

HIIT courses are sometimes mixed with a fitness center membership or as a part of a six- or eight-week pack, which may price something from $150 or $200.

The place can I do HIIT?

Gyms that provide HIIT courses are pretty commonplace — simply search HIIT to seek out your nearest fitness center, or to discover a class you just like the look of.

Alternatively, a private coach could provide HIIT courses, simply verify their web site.