HIIT Me Up!

I'm not a sadist, I just like to work you out hard. After all, it is what you're coming to the gym for, isn't it? To get a good workout, burn calories, get in shape. So I shall deliver.

If you have done Turbo Fire HIIT, then you are familiar with the concept. A short burst of intense workout follows by a short rest, repeated three times. Once a set of three is done, you get a longer rest, then on to the next set of 3 intense workout bouts.

The goal of HIIT is to achieve the Afterburn Effect, or in fitness term knows as EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). 

"HIIT training increases the resting metabolic rate (RMR) for the 24 hours following a workout due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, which explains how a short interval workout can have a longer-lasting effect on body composition change than a much longer cardio session." [ Read more about HIIT in TurboFire here ]

Anyway, in Turbo Fire, there are 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes HIIT.  The shorter session usually involves a lot more plyometric, or targets the major muscles groups to get your heart rate going to the max in a short time. In longer the sessions, there are more less intense workouts inserted in between the plyos - sort of a brief rest within the workout while keeping your heart rate high.

I had been applying that concept with 3x3 turbos this past week in my kickboxing classes. The last 30 minutes of the class needless to say was intense. It's something I like to do once in a while to break up the routine before it gets boring. Given the proper modification and enough motivation, everyone can participate safely and get a great workout.

Workout should be fun. 
         It should be challenging. 
                    It should transform you.

It makes my day to see members dripping sweat and smiling. I feel I have done my work if they get the workout they need and more.