HIIT workouts are high-intensity training workouts. They’re also one of the most effective ways to burn fat and get in shape fast.
HIIT training involves bursts of intense exercise followed by short periods of rest. When you do this with the right intensity, you can increase oxygen consumption, improve the efficiency of your cardiovascular system and burn more calories than traditional steady-state cardio exercises. And all it takes is three simple moves!
In case you want to find out everything you need to know about HIIT training and how to do it at home without a gym membership, I’ll tell you all the details down below!
But before we get started, I want to let you know that I created a 4-Week HIIT Training Program for home use in partnership with professional trainers. It contains videos, training schedule and detailed explanations for each HIIT exercise. With just $29.99 you can get instant and permanent access to over 33 HIIT videos and your very own HIIT training schedule.
Table of contents:
- What is HIIT training?
- Benefits of HIIT workouts
- Most popular equipments to use for HIIT workouts
- No equipment HIIT workout exercises
- Frequently Asked Questions about HIIT training at home
What is HIIT training?
HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. This type of training involves short bursts of intense exercise with short periods of rest in between bursts – hence the term “high intensity” and “interval” (or alternating).
HIIT workouts are a form of cardiovascular exercise. This type of exercise is short, intense, and effective. It’s based on the concept of interval training. Intervals are periods of high-intensity activity followed by periods of lower-intensity activity or rest. You’ll find HIIT workouts in many forms including walking, jogging, and sprinting.
In HIIT training, you’ll be doing exercises that increase your heart rate rapidly and then lower it gradually. The idea is to push yourself as hard as possible during each interval and then recover in between intervals so that you can give 100 percent effort again.
You can think about HIIT workouts like this: If a jogger runs at an easy pace for 30 minutes, he will burn around 120 calories per kilometer (or 0.5 calories per minute). But if that same runner sprints as fast as he possibly can on a treadmill every minute or two during those 30 minutes, his heart rate will rise much higher than it would if he were running steadily – hence, he will burn more calories per workout than if he jogged continuously for 30 minutes at an easy pace!
HIIT workouts burn more calories than steady-state cardio exercises because they raise your heart rate to near your maximum throughout the workout period, unlike steady-state cardio exercises where it’s only raised at certain points during the exercise session.
Benefits of HIIT workouts
HIIT workouts are a great way to lose weight and improve cardiovascular fitness and overall health. They can also help you live longer.
So, why and when to do a HIIT workout? HIIT workouts have many benefits. They’re a great way to lose weight and shed fat, improving cardiovascular fitness at the same time. And because of the intensity of this exercise style, it won’t take long before your body will start showing signs of toning up or slimming down. You’ll notice an increase in your energy levels and increased endurance after a few weeks.
HIIT workouts are also good for improving your overall health since they stimulate so many different bodily functions:
- heart rate/blood flow increases which gets more oxygen flowing through your body;
- it raises endorphins (hormones that make us feel good) while burning calories;
- builds lean muscle mass through resistance training;
- improves balance and coordination by requiring full-body movement patterns (running back & forth & side-to-side).
Most popular equipments to use for HIIT workouts
If you’re looking for the best home workout equipment, there are a ton of different options. Depending on what your preferences are and what kind of workout you want to do, some things may work better than others.
Here are a few popular pieces of home workout equipment that can be used for HIIT training:
- Kettlebells – HIIT training with kettlebells is quite popular! Kettlebells are great for building strength, endurance, and power. They also help with balance and stability because they have a handle in each hand so you can work out on one side while stabilizing yourself with the other hand. They’re especially helpful if you want to focus on building strength or conditioning without any special machines.
- Treadmill – the treadmill is one of the most common pieces of exercise equipment because it’s easy to use and allows people even with limited mobility (or those who can’t go outside) access to cardio workouts in their homes or apartment buildings’ gyms or fitness centers. A treadmill also works well for HIIT training (by the way, you can easily find interval training workouts for runners on the web) because you can do sprints where you go all out for 20 seconds and then rest 10 seconds before repeating again.
- Elliptical machine – an elliptical machine works by mimicking walking motions while standing still; this puts less strain on joints than running outside would since there isn’t anything hitting against them while they move up and down rather than side-to-side.
- Bike trainer – a bike trainer is essentially just an indoor version of an actual bicycle; this means that it’s like you’re using resistance bands while cycling rather than pedaling against air pressure, which makes things harder.
The best idea is to try out different exercises and equipment until you find the best HIIT training workout plan for you! If you’re unsure of what’s best for you, you can join a general HIIT training program at your gym and see how it goes.
No equipment HIIT workout exercises
If you prefer doing your HIIT strength training workouts without any equipment – or you simply don’t have access to any equipment in your home or you’re just starting out – here’s a list of super effective HIIT training exercises you can do. I bet you didn’t even know that some of them count as HIIT training!
- Push-ups
- Sit-ups
- Squats
- Burpees
Jumping jacks, lunges, calf raises, air squats, and planks are some high-intensity resistance training workouts that are also great for your core. Jump ropes can be used to warm up before you start your workout routine or as a way to get in extra cardio at the end of your workout.
I definitely recommend you try some HIIT workouts without equipment at home if you’re just beginning – for example, you can try a 9-minute HIIT workout for beginners and see if this is a type of training that suits you.
Frequently Asked Questions about HIIT training at home
Can you do HIIT workouts without weights?
Although HIIT with weight training is very popular, truth is that HIIT workouts can be done with or without weights. If you have access to a gym, that’s great because you can capitalize on their gym training services. But if you don’t, you can still get in shape and increase your heart rate by doing HIIT workouts at home with no special equipment needed.
To do HIIT workouts without weights:
- Warm up for 5 minutes by walking briskly around the room or performing calisthenics such as jumping jacks or air squats until your heart rate increases slightly (with about 20 beats per minute).
- Perform an activity that raises your heart rate for 30 seconds (jumping rope, riding an elliptical machine fast enough so that it feels like moderate intensity).
- Do this three times with little rest between each interval so that each one lasts about 1 minute in total; take 30 seconds between intervals two and three if needed at first until your body gets used to pushing itself harder during these shorter rounds.
How much HIIT training do you need to do to lose weight?
The amount of HIIT training you need to do to lose weight depends on your goal. If your goal is weight loss and you’re not very active or unfit, then doing less than an hour a week could be enough. But if you’re already exercising regularly but still struggling with weight loss, then increasing the intensity of your workouts may help.
There’s no exact formula for how much HIIT training is right for everyone. You just have to experiment until you find what works best for you!
When to do a HIIT workout?
HIIT is great for people with busy schedules. If you only have a short amount of time to work out and want to get the most out of it, HIIT is your best bet. A typical HIIT workout takes 20-30 minutes, as opposed to an hour-long steady state cardio session.
HIIT workouts can also be done anywhere – so there’s no need to spend money on expensive gym memberships or special equipment like free weights and treadmills.
However, if you want to maximize the gains from your workout, be sure to add effective pre-workout fat burners 30 to 60 minutes before your HIIT session.
How many HIIT workouts are needed per week?
After all, how much HIIT is too much? The short answer is that you can do HIIT workouts up to 5 times per week. However, you’ll need to give your body time to recover between sessions. If you want to maximize the benefits of HIIT training, then it’s best to space these workouts out throughout the week.
As long as you choose exercises that work different muscle groups, like pushups and squats, then this is still considered high-intensity interval training (HIIT). It doesn’t matter how many repetitions or sets you do — what counts is how much time each exercise takes and how much effort goes into each repetition.
So, in short, I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing HIIT workouts 5 days a week consecutively, especially if you’re a beginner!
Why are HIIT workouts the best?
HIIT workouts are an effective way to get fit, lose weight and build lean muscle. This is because they include intervals of intense exercise with short breaks in between. These high-intensity exercises also help you burn more fat than traditional cardio activities.
Here are some other reasons why HIIT training is so great:
- They’re short and intense – These workouts usually last around 15-20 minutes, but they’ll give you the same benefits as longer sessions at a lower intensity level. You’ll be pumping out those heartbeats during those 20 minutes! So in case you’re wondering how much HIIT to do to lose weight, the answer is simple: not TOO much, as it’s super effective – a little goes a long way!
- You don’t need any equipment – No expensive gym memberships or fancy machines are required here! Just grab yourself a mat and a few weights if you want them.
- They’re fun! – If you’ve been dreading going to the gym again, try something different like some HIIT workouts for beginners; this will motivate you to stay active without having to spend hours at the gym every day trying to find new exercises that challenge your body in different ways.
Can HIIT workouts build muscle?
Yes! HIIT workouts can build muscle. They can also help you lose weight, get stronger, and improve your cardiovascular endurance and overall health. In fact, with the right program and diet, you could see results in as little as three weeks!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article about HIIT workouts. Remember that the most important thing to remember about HIIT training is that it’s something you can do at home, without any equipment or gym membership! So why not give some interval training workouts a try today?
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