Knowing how to get better at HIIT workouts is what produces the results you’re looking for to get fit and trigger fat loss. If you’re not getting the outcome you expected from your workouts, try these routines. These are great HIIT workouts that you can do with the Gymboss interval timer and the Tabata protocol.
This simple and inexpensive timer can deliver better HIIT Workouts
Sprint Interval Training Workout:
Sprint: 20 seconds – Rest: 10 seconds (30 seconds total)
Prior to starting any workout, you want to warm up. Use stretching and just a slow jog for 3-5 minutes to get the blood flowing and warm cold muscles.
Do this workout 8 times with a total of 4 minutes with the maximum exertion and intensity for each sprint.
Like any HIIT training, don’t do these sprints every day. A maximum of 3 times a week with a rest day between each workout will keep your metabolism boosted for 24-36 hours.
You will get a lot better at your HIIT workouts with a Gymboss interval timer because the best results come from systematic routines.
When it comes to fat loss, there’s simply nothing like HIIT. You simply go completely all out for very short intervals with big hits to your metabolism for a very long time. And there’s really no limit to the types of exercises you can work HIIT into for great results.
HIIT with Resistance Training
You can use the same Tabata protocol with weight training as you do with sprints.
Do HIIT with resistance training using light weights that you can easily handle during the entire set.
You’ll find that using bodyweight exercises for resistance training produces some of the best results. In fact, these workouts may quickly become your go to programs for fat loss and getting ripped.
Bodyweight exercises are great for HIIT routines. Give these simple bodyweight workouts a try, and they will quickly make your list of favorites.
Use these examples with the same 20 second full intensity interval followed by a 10 second rest interval as we talked about with the sprints.
1. Jumping Jacks
2. Pushups
3. Squat (any variation)
4. Crunches
Do each of the exercises in one sitting, and then repeat another round to get better at HITT workouts.
I think the best results come from doing them like they’re listed. One standing, get on the ground, then back up to standing, and back to the ground.
High Intensity Burpees Workout
Burpees are another great total body workout exercise to use to get better at HIIT workouts.
This workout is a great way to get a full body workout involving both upper and lower body muscles. Here’s how:
- Start in a standing position.
- Drop into a squat position, hands on the ground.
- Kick your feet back to get in a pushup position (execute the pushup)
- Quickly return into the squat position.
- From the uat position, jump as high as you can with your arms overhead.
Use your Gymboss interval timer to get better at HIIT workouts with Burpees for a killer Tabata set. Just do everything wide open and as fast as possible for 20 seconds followed by 10 second rest intervals..
HIIT Workouts on Cardio Machines
So we saw some High Intensity Interval Training workouts you can perform in a very short time frame but still trigger maximum fat loss, by boosting your metabolism for an extended period of time.
So sprinting interval training is popular, and you can of course create your own bodyweight routines, or even using free weights and perform them the HIIT way.
You can do HIIT on treadmills or ellipticals, up to a point?
The problem is that you will never be able to reach a max sprint or all out exertion like you really need on either of these machines. You’ll do better sprinting outside to get maximum speed and exertion where you can give 100%.
So, ellipticals and treadmills just aren’t the best machines to get a HIIT workout with. However, there are a couple of other cardio machines that work really well with High Intensity Interval Training workouts.
- Stationary exercise bikes
- Rowing machines
Exercise bikes are great for HIIT, and a rowing machine may be the best machine to perform HIIT with.
Rowing involves so many muscles that if you do very intense workouts with your rower you can set your metabolism on fire and improve your endurance, strength, core, coordination, etc.
✔️ Check the Concept 2 Model D review review for a top of the line rowing machine to get a killer HIIT workout.
When I say a rowing machine is the best machine to use with HIIT, I don’t mean this is the only way.
But if you were looking for a machine to perform HIIT then a rower like the Model D is certainly the best to go for. Of course there are plenty of bodyweight routines and sprint interval training exercises that get the job done.
Warming Up is Vital to Any High Intensity Interval Training workouts
Whether you’re using machines, free weights, sprints, swimming, or hop scotch, warming up is vital. Taking a few minutes to warm up muscles and drastically reduce the risk of pulled muscles or even broken bones.
If you row, have a light/medium resistance warm up for 3 to 5 minutes before hitting it hard (Tabata method for example), then cool down for 3 to 5 minutes too. For the warm up, you don’t have to use the same exercise. The goal is to accelerate your heart rate a bit and well… warm up your muscles and joints. So a treadmill, exercise bike, jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, even pushups, arms circles, etc can make a great warm up.
Summary
Most anyone with the slightest interest in exercise these days has heard about HIIT training. HIIT has several advantages of the more common forms of exercise when it comes to burning calories and staying toned and ripped.
One common problem people have with HIIT is thinking you can do 30 or 40 minutes of high intensity interval training. If that’s you, and find you aren’t getting the results you read and hear about, I have news for you:
If you are doing true HIIT, you can’t do it nearly that long. Not 40 or even 20 minutes.
What happens is people confuse HIIT training with interval training. Even though HIIT is a form of interval training, all interval training isn’t HIIT at all.
Interval training is indeed having varying exertion and intensities during any one workout. It’s about alternating high intensity and low intensity sets in a workout.
True HIIT training doesn’t include low intensity. Instead, it includes an extremely high intensity bout for a few seconds, followed by a no intensity rest interval that last a few seconds.
The high intensity interval is an all out 100% exertion and effort that you can’t sustain for more than 20-30 seconds. Then you rest about that long, and go again.
So, a true HIIT routine requires such effort that about 4-5 minutes is a workout. They are absolutely too taxing to continue on for very long. When it comes to how to get better at HIIT workouts, I highly recommend a Gymboss interval timer and not exceeding 3 HIIT workouts a week.