High-intensity interval training (HIIT) describes any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or even complete rest.
The total duration of a HIIT session should be about 30-60 minutes in length, including a warm up and cool down . Or you can just add a HITT section in with your regular workout routine!!!!!
HIIT workouts are a great structure for at-home workouts, and can be done with just your body weight. They come in a variety of formats and can include a myriad of exercises making them incredibly flexible and versatile for all fitness levels .
When starting a HIIT program, we recommend using HIIT ratios with longer recovery phases than work phases. For example, a 1-to-3 work-to-recovery ratio is a good starting point e.g 15 mins work – 45 secs rest
The goal in HIIT is to push hard during the work phase and recover as much as possible during the recovery phase. When you’re developing your fitness, it’s beneficial to have a longer recovery period so you can work as hard as possible during the work phase of each interval.
As your fitness level improves, you can increase the work-to-recovery ratio and aim for a 1-to-1 ratio e.g 30 secs work – 30 secs rest.
Eventually, you can extend the work phase for a longer duration than the recovery phase; advanced HIIT participants can aim for ratios of 3-to-1 work-to-recovery e.g 45 secs work – 15 secs rest.
Make sure you’re hitting your target zones during the work and recovery phase before you progress your ratios. For example, if your goals is to be in YELLOW on the work phase and GREEN on the recovery phase using a 1-to-3 ratio, make sure you reach those goals before you progress your ratio to a 1-to-2 work-to-recovery.
Choose the number of interval sets performed based on your ability to hit your target work and recovery zones. In general, 8 to 12 interval sets is sufficient, depending on the duration of each interval.
Let’s discuss a few formats but you don’t have to be tied to a set formula just grab a stopwatch or download an interval training app and get creative!!!!!
1 . TABATA
Tabata is a high-intensity interval training that consists of eight sets of fast-paced exercises each performed for 20 seconds interspersed with a brief rest of 10 seconds
What is Tabata Workout?
Your tabata workout may only last four minutes, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, far from it, you’ll be pushing yourself as hard as possible at around 90 per cent of your maximum heart-rate. The basic tabata template is:
- Work out as hard as possible for 20 seconds
- Rest for 10 seconds
- Complete eight total rounds finishing as the clock hits four minutes
The spike in heart-rate is absolutely crucial when it comes to an effective tabata workout, but if you think it sounds a little similar to HIIT (high-intensity interval training), then you’re (partly) correct. However the heart rate on tabata needs to spike to 90 to 92 per cent of your max heart rate whereas in a Regular circuit classes the heart rate is generally in the 75 to 80 per cent region, plus the circuit times in a regular HIIT class are longer. Which explains why tabata is so relentlessly effective on body fat. You’re working for less time, but you’re doing that at maximum output. Your body will keep burning calories even after the workout has finished with the after burn effect
It does so through a process known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which can increase your calorie-burn for up to 16-24 hours after the workout.” The exercises you choose to include in your tabata training are up to you. For it to be a tabata, workout, you just have to ensure you’re leaving nothing in the tank.
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PYRAMID
What is a pyramid workout?
They are great way to get in lots of sets, many reps, and keep a solid goal in mind while exercising. The idea is you start with a certain number of reps per exercise, increase that number up to a point with subsequent sets, and then ramp back down to your starting value.
You can use pyramid training in an interval/metabolic conditioning setting, a strength-training workout, or for muscle-building purposes. If you incorporate pyramid training during circuit training, save time by alternating upper- and lower-body exercises to allow one body part to rest while another is at work. This cuts out a “leg day” by moving the leg exercises to the same workout.
Pyramid training is easy to remember—you don’t need to plan out a year’s worth of workouts to achieve the desired result. For strength training, keep increasing the intensity set after set, workout after workout, until you plateau. Then decrease intensity for a few weeks, alter some other variable such as exercise selection, and start the pyramid again.
Overall, you can reach any fitness goal by slowly upping the difficulty of your workouts. Having a rep ladder to climb up or down makes training more fun because even if the end seems far, you know it is achievable.
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AMRAP
What is an AMRAP workout?
AMRAP simply stands for As many reps as possible or as many rounds as possible.The main goal of an AMRAP workout is to do a set list of moves as many times as you can in a set amount of time.
R in AMRAP can mean both rounds or reps, but you’re getting the same benefits no matter which way you look at it. If you’re given a workout with a list of moves and rep counts for each, and told do it AMRAP, then you’d do as many rounds as possible, while following the rep count for each move. If the workout gives you time intervals for each move, and tells you to do it AMRAP, then that means to do as many reps as you can in that time frame. With both methods, you’re supposed to take a break and catch your breath only when you need it, to keep the intensity high.
AMRAP workouts are great for tracking your fitness gains and seamlessly progressing your workouts as you get stronger.
Athletes keep track of how much work they can get done, so that they can compete against themselves each time. McCall says that in small group fitness classes where he uses the AMRAP format, he changes the workouts each week but will keep at least one the same every month so that clients can monitor their progress from month to month. “That way, I can vary the workouts, but you at least have some consistency so you can measure progress,” he says.
Physiologically, AMRAP workouts can help you maximize calorie burn in a short amount of time.
While AMRAP workouts don’t have set high- and low-intensity intervals like high-intensity interval training workouts do, they’re typically considered high intensity. It makes sense: If your goal is to get in more rounds or reps than last time, you’re pushing yourself pretty intensely. You should always listen to your body and stop and take a break when you really need it, and over time, you’ll need less rest and you’ll be able to keep the intensity up for longer.
The biggest benefit from an intense AMRAP workout is that it creates metabolic overload—you’re really pushing your body’s limits in terms of how it uses available energy. When you push yourself to the point of fatigue, you use up all the quick-access form of carbohydrates stored in your muscles, called glycogen, which your body uses as an important energy source. When that’s all used up—when you work a muscle to “failure”—it induces a significant amount of stress, which triggers biochemical responses that cause changes in the muscles and lead to growth. Over time, pushing this glycolytic energy system to its limit trains the muscles to become more efficient at preserving and using energy, meaning you’ll find you can work at a higher intensity for longer before getting tired. That’s when the number of reps or rounds you can do increases. With this type of conditioning, your body also becomes more efficient at clearing the acidic byproducts (like hydrogen ions) that are formed when glycogen is utilized from your bloodstream. The acidity is what cause that burning sensation in muscles during your workout—so as your body gets better at buffering it away quickly, you’ll notice the same level of work feels less uncomfortable.
AMRAP workouts may also help increase EPOC, more commonly known as the afterburn effect. Research shows that high-intensity strength training is one of the most effective workouts for increasing how much energy your body continues to burn once you stop exercising. Generally, speaking, a more strenuous workout requires your body to work harder while you’re recovering to repair and adapt to the stress you just put it under.
4.EMOM
“EMOM” stands for “every minute on the minute” and it’s when you begin a prescribed number of reps of an exercise at the top of a minute and then rest for whatever time you have left until the next top-of-minute. And it’s a powerful way to structure a workout that plays with your work-rest period in a dynamic way.
EMOM workouts are usually short.
They’re typically between 10 and 20 minutes long (though can be shorter or longer) and should be designed—by type of exercise and reps—to allow for some rest before the clock strikes the next minute. You can either do the same one exercise, which work on specific skills or strength, or alternate so you do one exercise on the odd minutes and another on the even, for conditioning effects.
Time Efficient
EMOM workouts are one of the most efficient ways to add quality training volume into a session, as the work and rest periods are systematically programmed to force lifters to stay moving and not lose time in-between sets.
Builds Work Capacity
Work capacity can be defined as, “one’s ability to produce work in a given amount of time, and recover adequately to continue to produce relative work output”. In short, if you can perform the same amount of reps per set with relative quality as someone, yet recover between sets 50{b0ddc84cf7f513d3ee0b6abf18c2bbe282ad9e2de06e4836cb2fb94c746eb728} faster (and still produce quality work), you have the opportunity to perform more quality work per session. Over time, this means more training volume, stimulus, and often indicates your overall heighten fitness and recovery abilities. This is critical as an athlete advances in their training and career in most strength, power, and fitness sports, as well as increasing the effectiveness of every workout.
Great for Team/Group Settings
EMOM formatted workouts are great for large group/team settings as they can be set up in stations (movement one is first minute, movement two is second minute, etc), done at varying intervals to help coaches watch athletes better (group one performs reps first, the rest, while group two rests first, then performs reps).
Scalable Format
EMOM formatted workouts allow coaches to have various levels of lifters/athletes training together, building camaraderie and teamwork, yet still delivering individualized programming. By using regressions, weight adjustments, and such in a EMOM format you can have lifters/athletes of all levels training together and benefiting from the group workout dynamic.
Adaptable to Most Training Goals
Depending on the creativity of the coach/athlete, EMOMs can be programmed using a wide array of exercises, cardiovascular protocols, skill-based movements, and more. By simply inputting movements into standardized work to rest windows, workouts can be efficient and effective. Check out the sample EMOM workouts below for some ideas on how to integrate your favorite exercises and training goals in your training today.
SUPERSETS
A superset is a form of strength training in which you move quickly from one exercise to a separate exercise without taking a break for rest in between the two exercises. Typically, you will take a brief break to catch your breath or grab a drink of water between sets of an exercise
There are several ways to use supersets in your training, but in general superset workouts have a couple of standard features. The first is that commonly you get little if any rest in between a grouping of exercises, and the second is that supersets involve combining exercises to increase their effect. This can be through overloading the muscles targeted with similar exercises, or hitting a variety of body areas quickly by doing complementary moves that work opposing muscle groups.
The standard form of superset training involves combining two moves, where you do a set of the first exercise, then go straight into a set of the second, then rest, before going back to the first exercise and continuing in the same vein. However, you can increase the exercises involved by doing tri-sets (three moves) or even giant sets, where you knock out four moves in a row. Needless to say that last one is not for the faint-hearted. Below you’ll find more in-depth explanations of the different types of supersets and some examples of workouts you can try.
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Antagonistic Supersets
What are they? Supersets that work a muscle and then its opposite number. The biceps-triceps double is a classic, since it’s fairly easy to do, but chest-back and quad-hamstring supersets also work.
What are they good for? They’re a time-saver, but there’s another bonus: thanks to an effect known as reciprocal innervation, as one muscle group works the other (antagonistic) group relaxes, improving recovery. There’s also some evidence that blood flow to the working muscle’s increased, meaning you’ll be able to lift more weight and get more bang for your buck in each move.
What should you be wary of? For best results with big compound movements, make sure you’re working your antagonist muscles through similar planes of motion: for instance, pair a bench press with a bent-over row or pull-ups with an overhead press. Also, don’t sprint straight from one move to the next – a few seconds’ rest might help you shift more weight.
Expert tip “Make sure you’re squeezing the antagonist muscle at the end of the movement – for instance, the biceps at the top of a dip, or the triceps at the bottom of a curl,” says personal trainer Joel Dowey. “That way, you ensure full lengthening of the target muscle before the next rep. The same goes for quads and hams, or any other muscle pair.”
Agonist Supersets
What are they? A full-on assault on a single muscle group, prompting your muscles into growth by exhausting them. Classics include the old dumbbell bench press/flye double-whammy for the chest and the hamstring curl/Romanian deadlift for legs, but mechanical drop-sets – like switching from a normal to a hammer grip during curls – can work too.
What are they good for? Building muscle. Getting stronger means trying to stay fresh, but for more mass you’ll want to exhaust your muscles. This also means minimising your rest between the two exercises so your muscles can’t fully recover.
What should you be wary of? “I keep agonist superset to larger muscle groups – quads, lats or chest – because smaller muscles generally don’t respond as well,” says Dowey. “My current favourite is leg extensions into Bulgarian split squats using the leg pad of the extension machine – these allow the rear leg to be stretched slightly while the front leg is under tension.”
Expert tip “With these, it’s worth loading the muscle at different lengths,” says Dowey. “Pick an exercise that will load the muscle at its longest, such as seated cable rows leaning your torso forward at all times, then shorten it, so the same move with an upright torso keeping strict form. The weight will have to change but you’ll work the muscle hard at both extremes. Alternatively, switch between a compound and an isolation exercise to combine intensity with total volume for that muscle group.”
Tri-Sets
What are they? The clue’s in the name. Technically, a tri-set is any three exercises done back to back, with minimal rest in between. There are two main options: use them all to target the same muscle group, or aim for slightly different ones, allowing one muscle to relax while you’re working others.
What are they good for? Maximising training time and kit. If you need to get in and out of the gym in half an hour, a carefully targeted tri-set can work multiple muscle groups in a few minutes, giving you a full-body workout.
What should you be wary of? Overtraining. If you’re relatively new to the gym, it’s easy to push yourself too hard by hammering every muscle group – or by blasting one into the ground. If you overdo it and end up with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), do some cardio that targets the affected area – rowing if you’ve ruined your lats, say – to get the blood flowing and aid recovery.
Expert tip “Use tri-sets that take advantage of a single bit of kit and you won’t have to fight for dumbbells in a crowded gym,” says Geoff Clement of Pure Fitness. “On a cable machine, for instance, you might triple up with a face pull, a triceps extension and a straight-arm pull-down.”
Giant Sets
What are they? Four or more exercises done with minimal rest, aimed at overloading a single muscle group for super-sized gains – or working the whole body to maximise fat burning.
What are they good for? Completely exhausting a single muscle group in minimal time. If you’ve got a relatively empty gym and the mental fortitude to go after it, they’re a great way to maximise the production of growth hormone.
What should you watch out for? A drop in intensity. The more exercises you include, the easier it is to take your foot off the pedal during the final few. To stay strong, do compound exercises first, and finish with the least taxing movements: for your shoulders, for instance, you might do a dumbbell hammer press, lateral raise, front raise and reverse flye. It’s also worth noting that giant sets are definitely an advanced training protocol. This isn’t something you should have a go at the first time you walk into a gym.
Expert tip “Don’t use giant sets every week,” says Clement. “Instead, save them as a jolt when you hit a plateau in your training, and use them once every few weeks.”
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