WORK IT OUT WEDNESDAY: Get “HIIT” With the Best Fitness Trend of the Moment

by Lisa Bruno

We live in a day and age where everyone is looking for a quick fix, and the best bang for their buck. This rings especially true with working out. There is a small fraction of human kind that truly loves working out (we happen to fall into that minority!). With all of that being said, we thought now is the best time to delve into a fitness trend that many of us have heard about, but most cannot totally understand. That is the concept of high intensity interval training.

This style of working out, abbreviated HIIT, is created under a formula of utilizing bursts of consistent work and recovery, for a short amount of time, that keeps your muscles working, and heart rate up in a fat burning zone.

This is how it works, based on your fitness level:

Beginner HIIT – perfect for someone who works out 1 – 2 times per week, it consists of 3-Rounds of 4 exercises that you do for 30-seconds with 10-seconds of rest

Intermediate HIIT – if you workout 3 – 4 times per week, graduate to 3-Rounds of 5 exercises that you do for 45-seconds with 15-seconds of rest for 20-Minutes

Advanced HIIT – workout 5 or more times a week? You can get your Masters degree in HIIT! Give yourself a great butt-kicking by going hard – 3-Rounds of 7 exercises that you do for 45-seconds with 15-seconds of rest for a total of 30-Minutes. For the 20-minute and 30-minute HIIT workouts, give yourself a 1-minute rest between each round.

Now here is the fun part! Mix and match these suggested exercises to build your perfect HIIT workout! If you don’t feel like mixing and matching, stop into Work it Out for one of our Blended High Speed classes, that combines a Ride class with a HIIT toning class off the bike at our River Studio.

• Jog in place
• Butt Kickers
• Jumping Jacks
• High Knees
• Burpees
• Squats
• Side Lunges
• Tricep Dips
• Push-Ups
• Sit Ups
• Alternating Lunges
• Squat Jumps

Don’t forget whatever level you try and conquer, cool down with an overhead stretch, a reverse lunge, a quad stretch and a forward fold, holding each move for 30 seconds.

Lisa Bruno is the co-founder and director of business development at Work it Out Fitness Studios<http://www.workitoutgym.com> in Hoboken. Bruno is an avid fitness and nutrition enthusiast (and has been since a very young age). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Food & Nutrition and is currently pursuing her Masters and certification as a Registered Dietitian.