Do High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
If you don’t know what high-intensity interval training or sprint training is, I strong suggest you do a little bit of internet research as soon as you finish reading this information. So I’m not going go into a lot of detail about it here, because there’s so much information about it.
But before I point out some of the highlights of HIIT, let me ask you this question…
Would you rather have the body of a long-distance runner or a sprinter?
Now, if you’re like every person I’ve ever posed that question to, then you said sprinter. That’s because a sprinter’s body is toned and muscular but not overly. Of course I’m not talking about aspiring to become an Olympic sprinter or to even have a body like that level of athlete.
HIIT is basically training like a sprinter. Workouts can vary widely (which is part of the reason why I’m not going to go into great detail here) but they’re short. That means instead of spending 45 minutes to an hour or more on the treadmill, you can spend 15-20 minutes doing HIIT and get much more benefit. As a matter of fact, if you do more than 30 minutes of HIIT, it can actually become counterproductive.
But the bottom line is that you burn more calories in less time.
A high-intensity interval training workout essentially consists of alternating between sprinting and walking or jogging. Or, getting your heart rate very hight and then bringing it back down.
A sample workout could be a 5-minute warm-up, sprint for 20 seconds, walk or jog for 40 seconds, and keep doing that for 10-20 minutes, depending on your fitness level, and follow it up with a 5-minute cool down. Again, that’s just a sample and you could opt to sprint for a longer or shorter period which of course would affect the amount of time you need to rest or to bring your heart rate back down.
That’s one of the beauties of an HIIT workout. You can create a workout that you like and works for you specifically.
Although I will absolutely positively have to caution you about working out this way, especially if you’re a beginner or have never trained this way before. You need to make a very honest assessment about your fitness level and don’t overdo it. Take it VERY EASY if you’re new to working out this way. Only because it can elevate your heart rate very quickly. Be sure you do your research, assess your fitness level, plan your workout, and in the early stages, be sure to monitor yourself closely as you workout.
It’s been stated that the fat burning effect of HIIT can last up to 36 hours which is partly why it’s recommend that you don’t do HIIT every day. But trust me, this type of workout as part of an overall weight loss regimen can definitely help you drop the belly fat.
Why Tip#4 can help you lose weight fast:
High-intensity interval training or sprint training is a MUST for rapid weight loss. One study showed that 2.5 hours of HIIT was just as beneficial as 10.5 hours of endurance training.
Some other benefits of HIIT is that it can increase the amount of calories you burn during your workout and AFTER! It enables you to use more fat as fuel. It can limit the loss of muscle that can come with losing weight as what can happen with endurance or steady-state training (like running at a steady pace for an hour for example).
