It's that time of year. No matter how dedicated you are to your health and fitness, the holiday season from October through early January can get the best of you—or the worst, depending on how you look at it. Either way, it's easy to be less active and give in to food you wouldn't eat when you've got fit goals. But with high-intensity interval training, you don't have to spend a ton of time in the gym to make it worth your while. Use HIIT to be fit this holiday season!
Your family and friends will want to celebrate, coworkers will probably throw holiday parties, and the food- Oh, the glorious holiday food! Even if you manage to avoid all the sweet treats, there's the abundance of hearty and delicious high-calorie meals everywhere you go. Plus, it can be tough to set time aside for the gym if you're traveling, entertaining, or just want to spend time with loved ones. Then again, sometimes the need for a workout is the perfect excuse to get away from everyone for a while.
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is renowned for being extremely effective for conditioning and dropping body fat, and it doesn't require too much time in the gym. If you're not familiar with this type of training, here are some of the basic benefits:
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- Short bursts of extreme intensity followed by active rest periods
- Workout times range from a few minutes up to 30 minutes (depending on conditioning)
- Low-impact cardio, resistance training, or a combination of both can be used for HIIT
With HIIT workouts, there's no excuse for missing workouts, even during the holidays or when you're traveling. Plus, there's no better way to fight the stress and dietary challenges of the holidays Here's a HIIT to Be Fit Holiday Season Workout you can do at home, in the gym, or even in a hotel room.
HIIT to Be Fit Holiday Season Workout
The HIIT to Be Fit workout is going to be intense, and even though it will be relatively short compared to a typical workout, you'll want to make sure you're warmed up and ready to put in 100% effort. Shooting for about two minutes of warming up with medium intensity should be ideal for most.
Warm-Up
- Jumping Jacks 20 seconds
- Walkout Push Ups 20 seconds
- Jump Squats 20 seconds
Don't rest between the exercises listed above, and repeat that medium-intensity sequence twice for a total of about two minutes of warm-up time. Follow that with 20-30 seconds of basic stretching, and you should be good to go. Full-Body HIIT to Be Fit Workout Now the real fun begins. If the room you're using is on the second floor —you know, with people who may be sleeping or resting below you, then consider doing this without shoes and remember to land on the balls of your feet, not your heels.
Full-Body HIIT
- High Knees 20 seconds
- Active Rest 10 seconds
- Push-Back Push Ups 20 seconds
- Active Rest 10 seconds
- Jump Squats 20 seconds
- Active Rest 10 seconds
- Mountain Climbers 20 seconds
- Active Rest 10 seconds
- Burpee Push Ups 20 seconds
Rest 45-60 seconds when finished with the sequence above, then perform another 3-5 rounds, depending on your conditioning. That should work out to approximately 9-15 minutes of total workout time.
Note: The above exercises are listed as timed sets, but if you don't have a timer or clock to watch, most exercises will probably be in the 15-rep range. The “Active Rest†should be low intensity and can be either very light jogging in place or even walking around for 10 seconds to catch your breath a bit.
HIIT to Be Fit CardioIf there's not enough space for you to get in the full-body HIIT workout, or if you're still hitting the weights hard and don't want to overdo it, or maybe you just want to do some HIIT cardio, we've got you covered. HIIT cardio takes a bit less creativity, but don't think that means it's any easier. In fact, because you must go completely ballistic with 100% effort to make it effective, it can be harder than full-body work.
If you have access to cardio equipment like a treadmill, stairclimber, stationary bike, or anything like that, great! If not, the solution is simple. Go outside! If a bike is available, that's perfect, but even with no equipment at all, sprints are one of the best forms of interval training available.
As with the full-body HIIT workout, warm-up for at least a couple of minutes and stretch before beginning.
HIIT Cardio- Sprint 30 seconds
- Walk 60 seconds
Each sprint should be at 100% all-out effort, so the 60 seconds of walking will be required for recovery. Repeat the above sequence 6-10 times for a total of 9-15 minutes of workout time. Follow the full workout with a light cool down of walking and/or stretching for a couple of minutes.
If you're using cardio equipment for your HIIT, but be sure to set everything to the maximum level you can handle for the “sprint†part of the exercise and back it down to low-intensity work for the "walk".
HIIT to Be Fit Helpful HintsRemember that HIIT workouts may look short on paper, but the level of effort that goes into the work sets is extremely intense. It requires 100% effort for it to be worth your time, but it's worth it because HIIT is actually more efficient at burning fat after the workout than standard cardio or other workouts, so you get a prolonged effect.
Also, keep in mind that true HIIT work requires maximum energy expenditure and enhanced recovery. Pre-workout supplements can help greatly (especially those enhanced with quality BCAAs, like BCAA Boosted). Depending on your goals and current physical condition, your work and rest periods may need to be adjusted, and even with the relatively short workouts, the extreme intensity requires adequate recovery. Plan accordingly if you're training with weights or playing sports regularly."
