Up The Intensity: Indoor HIIT Workout HIIT / For Maximum Performance and Fat Loss by Joe Donnelly

HIIT training is a series of short bursts of maximum intensity followed by a short period of recovery. I have seen countless magazines and fitness professionals post supposed HIIT workouts when in reality it is not HIIT, it is more MIIT (moderate-intensity interval training). Yes, I made that word up. The key words here are MAXIMUM INTENSITY, a concept that seems to be foreign to even the most respected fitness professionals out there today. HIIT training IS pulling or pushing a sled at maximum intensity for eight to 10 seconds followed by a 25- to 30-second rest period. HIIT training is NOT running on a treadmill for 45 seconds then resting for 90 seconds.

Don’t go by someone else’s book of what maximum intensity should be, and don’t define it by some arbitrary speed limit set on a treadmill. It does not matter if you are 20 years old or 50 years old. We all have our own level of maximum intensity. You simply push your body to that limit for the short period of time as discussed above, then recover in a period of two to three times of the max interval just performed.

3 REASONS TO HIIT IT

1) HIIT workouts/cardio have been shown to burn more calories and create more fat loss than regular LISS cardio (low-intensity steady state). It is no secret that the majority of the top bodybuilders in the world are now doing 10 to 12 minutes of HIIT cardio each day when prepping for a show versus the hour they used to do in the past. Science has replaced bro science, plain and simple.

2) HIIT training has been shown to increase metabolic rate, which is the foundation for losing body fat. More and more data is showing that low-calorie diets combined with excess LISS cardio actually decrease metabolic capacity— the technical term is metabolic adaptation aka metabolic damage.

3) The body begins to adapt to traditional cardio in about seven to 10 days and the fat-burning component starts to become compromised. There is not one shred of empirical evidence that shows the body adapts to HIIT training and this is why HIIT is a better tool for fat loss and maintaining lean muscle mass.
 

INDOOR HIIT WORKOUT

Group 1:
25 jumping jacks
25 standing squats
25 high knees standing in place
(4 sets, rest 1 minute after completing each circuit)

Group 2:
45 seconds fast jump rope
Drop to floor and do 25 crunches
Roll over and do 20 push-ups
(5 sets, rest 1 minute after completing each circuit)

Group 3:
20 burpees
40-feet walking lunge
On all fours, do 25 mountain climbers
(4 sets, rest 1 minute after completing each circuit)

Joe Donnelly

Joe Donnelly is a top male fitness model and former NFL tight end, as well as the spokesman for Advanced Molecular Labs. Hear him in his own words in this exclusive online column.