High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High intensity interval training (HIIT) will allow you to burn more calories while spending less time at the gym, improve your endurance performance and raise your resting metabolic rate for the next 24 hours – sounds too good to be true but it’s not.
First off I would like to point out that these sessions are intended to complement your longer aerobic workouts not replace them. If you mix up your routine, i.e. complete a combination of long moderate cardio and short HIIT sessions in your workout week you will see maximum benefits.
A Sample HIIT Session:
Complete a 5 min warm up on a piece of cardio equipment of your choice or a brisk walk if training outside, followed by stretches, if you desire.
There are many ways to perform a HIIT session and you will hopefully find one that suits you. I prefer to do it on the treadmill in 3 steps. Complete each step in the time indicated and then start at step 1 again, aim for 5 / 10 sets:
- Brisk Walking Pace, 6 / 7 km per hour ( level 6 ) – 1 .5 mins [recovery]
- Jogging Pace, 8.5 / 9.5 km per hour ( level 8 ) – 45 seconds
- Sprinting Pace, 12 km per hour ( level 9 ) – 30 / 45 seconds
At the end cool down for 5 mins and complete a set of stretches holding each for 30 seconds.
Instead of marking your pace with a speed you can use the Perceived Exertion Scale, level in brackets beside my speeds.
You can also use a heart rate monitor to ensure you are working at the right intensity. Step 1 would be equivalent to 60% maximum heart rate, step 2 to 80% and step 3 to 90/95%.
A HIIT session is different for each person and you can simply alternate between sprinting and recovery if you prefer. It is supposed to be difficult and if you find after 20 mins you could go on forever you are not working hard enough.
There are hundreds of articles on the web covering different ways to complete a HIIT session and it is best to try a few and see what works best for you. What I can tell you is that by doing a couple of these sessions a week your fat loss will step up a gear (assuming you are being mindful of what you eat of course 
).
Hey, I never realised you could do “sets” on the treadmill. I knew about sets and repetitions in weight training – and of course I knew about interval training for cardio – but to combine the two – now there’s a new idea. That will help to improve my cardio training instead of it being hit and miss. Thanks