It’s tough to let go of sunny summer runs in the park, but you can make sure your fall and winter indoor workouts are a ‘HIIT workout’ by adding High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to your routines. These workouts combine 30 second intervals of plyometrics—explosive muscle moves also known as ‘jump training’—with cardio ‘recovery’ intervals.
HIIT
HIIT is popular because it cuts your sweat session time in half because you’re doing double the work in short spurts. Athletes and martial artists use plyometrics to increase speed, power, and performance. They’re used in the fitness field to get great results fast. Generally speaking, your improved 30-minute HIIT workout will burn the same amount or more calories than the easier routine done for an hour. You’ll chisel and cut muscles more visually, and push past fitness plateaus.
But HIIT isn’t for beginners. Just as you have to walk before you can run, you have to be able to perform moves like squats, lunges, push-ups, and jumping jacks for an hour before transforming them into HIIT 30-second plyometric moves for 30 minutes.
Here are four HIIT 30-second plyometric moves to add to your routines. Do light cardio, such as jogging in place, doing jumping jacks, or simulated jump rope, in between each interval to recover for 30 seconds and whip your body into shape quickly.
1- HIIT Spring Squat
Squat with hands on quadriceps for support. Jump off the ground as high as you can. Land softly with knees bent and hands on quads again. Repeat for a 30 second plyometric interval for cardio and glutes, quadriceps and calf toning.
2- HIIT Jumping Scissor Lunge
Lunge with right leg in front, knee over ankle, and then jump off the ground and switch legs in the air. Land in a lunge with the left leg in front. Repeat the jump to right lunge and jump to left lunge for a 30 second interval. The plyometric jumping motion here works your quads, glutes, and calves while elevating the heart rate for maximum fat slimming, muscle sculpting, and calorie burn.
3- HIIT Burpee Push-ups
Start standing, then squat down and place your hands on the floor wider than shoulder-width apart. Jump your feet backward and land on your toes, so that your body forms a straight line from your head-hips-heels (a plank). Do a push-up by bending your elbows and lowering your chest towards the floor, keeping the straight alignment of the body. Push back up to a plank by straightening the arms, and use your abdominal strength to jump your legs back toward the hands. Straighten legs from this squat position and jump off the floor, reaching the arms overhead. Land softly with bent knees into a squat and repeat.
4- HIIT Air Jacks ( X Jump )
Do a jumping jack (out and in), then on the next out, instead of sweeping your hands away from you, sweep and cross them in front of you and up/out to the top of an X while jumping off the ground and kicking the legs out to form the bottom legs of the X. The rhythm should be jack/in/X jump/in. Do a 30 second plyometric interval for cardio coupled with glutes, quads, and calf toning.
Try it for yourself with my workout DVDs and downloads. You’ll work hard, look better, and have the energy to play hard. High Intensity Interval Training hits (or HIITs!) the jiggle where it hurts, but you’ll only be sore for a few days.
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