There are certain questions every fitness beginner search for. One of the most common ones is: What are the HIIT Workouts for beginners?
If you’re always on-the-go with work or want to spend most of the time with your family, finding the best time to workout can be hard for such people. The faster we can get our workouts done, the better it is. That is the place where HIIT can help. You’ve probably heard about the numerous benefits and you see all the best trainers touting HIIT workouts as the best kind of training for building and for losing fat. But you are still don’t know how to start. Maybe you don’t know the best HIIT workouts for beginners.
High-intensity interval training, simply HIIT is known for its effectiveness, especially when it comes to improving fitness and increasing fat loss. Just because you’re a beginner, doesn’t mean high-intensity interval training isn’t for you.
The fact is, regardless of your current fitness level, there is always a way to increase or decrease exercise intensity to fit your current conditioning level.
In this article, I’ll cover all the bases of HIIT Workouts for beginners, as well as giving you a little insight as to why HIIT is such an effective workout.
Table of Contents
What is HIIT?
HIIT is otherwise called High-Intensity Interval Training. As the name suggests, HIIT workouts are very intense than your regular workouts. The intensity is increased by limiting the rest periods using strict intervals. A HIIT workout incorporates full-body, compound exercises, which are done in short, intense bursts, at nearly one hundred percent of your max effort, followed by short, sometimes active rest.
A HIIT exercise joins full-body, compound activities, typically bodyweight-only, which are done to put it plainly, at almost 100% of your maximum effort, trailed by short, active rest now and then.
For instance, 20 seconds of a full-body practice like high knees, trailed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeat this interval multiple times. That’s a HIIT workout.
HIIT has much work to rest structures, but mostly work time will rarely go over 30-40 seconds per set.
Scientifically, during HIIT work time your heart rate is more likely to reach 85 percent max heart rate and rest periods that won’t drop your heart rate below 40 to 45 percent max.
You would know your heart rate if you’re using any health tracker or fitness tracker. If not, you should use your best judgment. You will know if you’re pushing to your maximum limit. If you’re not sure, keep walking (active rest) in the rest period.
You should drink more water while performing HIIT. As HIIT is high-intensity training, You sweat more. To prevent dehydration, you should drink water between sets.
Related: Benefits of drinking water.
Types of HIIT
There are two ways you can perform HIIT workouts. That is ‘aerobic HIIT’ and ‘bodyweight HIIT’.
‘Aerobic HIIT’ are things like spin-classes, track-based running. Usually, sprints, cycling on a stationary bike, or on a road bike comes under this HIIT Workout. This type of HIIT is very straightforward as it involves the same routine for a specified time.
‘Bodyweight HIIT’ are circuit training like Tabata, AMRAP, and EMOM.
Tabata training involves 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for a certain number of reps. Generally, a traditional Tabata workout is 8-10 rounds of each exercise. However, this varies for different training programs.
AMRAP is referred to “as many reps as possible”. It is clear that you should do as many reps as possible in a specified timeframe. This type is suitable for all fitness levels.
EMOM is referred to as “Every minute on the minute”. As the name suggests, the workout is done in one-minute intervals. You should complete a specific number of reps of a certain exercise every minute.
Benefits of HIIT Workouts
You probably worry about the benefits of HIIT Workouts for beginners. Here are some benefits.
- HIIT is better than steady-state cardio.
- HIIT burns more calories than other forms of cardio in a short time.
- You can lose fat without losing muscle.
- Increase vo2 max. As a result, Improves oxygen consumption and blood flow to muscles.
- HIIT improves endurance levels.
- Mainly for those who are overweight, HIIT reduces blood pressure.
- Recent studies suggest that HIIT can help to regulate your blood sugar levels.
- HIIT helps you change your overall body composition.
- HIIT increases the ‘excess post-exercise oxygen consumption’ (EPOC) or ‘afterburn’ effect. You’re more likely to burn energy up to 48 hours after a Workout.
- High-intensity interval training is the best way to achieve all these benefits.
HIIT Workouts for beginners – No equipment needed.
You can try these Workouts at home(or anywhere). Do not forget to warm-up your body before starting actual workout. Stay hydrated throughout the workout session.
In general, the following types of bodyweight exercises are great for HIIT workouts:
- Burpees
- Mountain climbers
- Sprints
- Tuck Jumps
- High knees
- Jumping jacks
- Jumping lunges
- Lateral Lunges with Hops
- Box jumps
- Skipping rope
You can perform these HIIT Workouts for beginners in the following ways.
1. HIIT circuit:
- Choose 5 exercises. Let’s say – push-ups, pull-ups, squats, jumping jacks, and box jumps.
- 30 seconds work-to-rest ratio. That means 30 seconds of workout followed by 30 seconds of rest.
- For 2 rounds.
2. HIIT Tabata:
- Choose any one of the hardest Workout you perform.
- Work for 30 seconds and take a rest for 10 seconds.
- Perform the same exercise for 8 rounds.
3. HIIT treadmill Workout:
Sprint for 15 seconds, followed by a walk or a jog for 45 seconds. Do this for 10-15 sets. This HIIT lasts 10 – 15 minutes in total.
Do not forget to warm-up your body before starting an actual workout.
Can I gain muscle with HIIT Workouts?
The HIIT Workouts for beginners are more likely to burn more calories. Gaining muscle mass with HIIT is not guaranteed, as it depends on several other factors like calorie intake (diet), and your fitness level. However, you’ll gain muscle if you’re in a caloric surplus of 500 to 800 calories in a day. The standard rule for bodybuilding is weight training.
Can I do HIIT every day?
As you can see, these HIIT Workouts for beginners are more intense than your strength training. It is not recommended to do HIIT workouts daily, as that is too taxing on the body, especially for beginners. You can perform on alternate days.
Example:
Day 1: Resistance training
Day 2: HIIT
Day 3: Rest
Repeat.
Give time for both HIIT and moderate-intensity Workouts. Weight training of moderate-intensity is great for building muscle.
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The conclusion
You’ve probably heard about the numerous benefits of HIIT Workouts for beginners. That’s true. Gaining muscle mass with HIIT is not guaranteed. However, you’ll gain muscle if you’re in a caloric surplus. The standard rule for bodybuilding is weight training. Give time for both HIIT and moderate-intensity Workouts. As HIIT is high-intensity training, You sweat more. To prevent dehydration, you should drink water between sets.
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