CARDIO SHOULD BE FUN.

Confession time…

Who has ever been sweating your butt off on the treadmill at the gym, hair in a sticky, nasty ball on the top of your head, gasping and panting for air at each stride… Your treadmill screen won’t change the channel and you are stuck watching the ladies on QVC selling fake jewelry. You feel like you’ve been at this for an hour, and the stupid little digital clock on the treadmill staring at you says you’ve only been at it for 8 minutes.

How is this possible? Ugh, its probably broken. Maybe I should switch treadmills just in case. 

You reach for the stop button…

No! Don’t do it. You’re just making excuses. Just keep running. 

You notice everything about the gym. The crack on the wall, the cars in the parking lot. You start keeping tabs on who has been doing cardio longer than you. You look down…

10 minutes. DAMMIT.

Then some perfectly in shape, muscular, skinny person steps up onto the machine next to you. You spit venom at them, only in your head.

Why are you doing cardio? You look fine. Take your perfect legs and move along. 

You put your treadmill speed up faster in annoyance. They prance along next to you, hair perfectly bouncing, shorts never riding up, their legs show these sexy cuts each time they take a stride. Never breaking a sweat.

You look down. 15 minutes. Lungs are burning. Legs are in pain. Shoe is coming un-tied.

How the hell am I supposed to do 45 minutes?! Screw this. There must be a better way to do this.

Well, let me tell you something… THERE IS. I hate running. I hate long cardio sessions. I hate stepping onto a treadmill with a daunting 45 minute cardio session ahead of me. I am not a mouse on a wheel. I am a strong, amazing human being… and I deserve to feel like one. So do you!

Let’s kick it up a notch.

Kick that boring treadmill to the curb and start enjoying your cardio sessions. All while burning fat faster! Introducing… HIIT.

What is HIIT?

HIIT is short for “high intensity interval training” and the concept can be applied to any cardio or training session you do. It will allow you to BURN FAT FASTER, with LESS TIME.

• CARDIO. HIIT cardio can be done on any cardio machine you prefer. It can also be done outside, on stairs outside, on a hill, literally anything. No matter what you want to do, the same concept applies. I recommend starting with 1 minute intervals, between a high-intensity and moderate-intensity level.
  • For example…
    • Stair-master: 1 minute level 16, 1 minute level 9, 1 min level 16, 1 min level 9, etc. back and forth until the time is up.
    • Treadmill: 1 minute jog, 1 minute (or 45 second) sprint, 1 minute jog, 1 min sprint, etc. until time is up.
    • Spin Bike: 1 min moderate resistance/pace, 1 min standing up, higher resistance and pedaling as hard as possible, 1 min moderate pace, etc. until time is up.
    • Jump Rope: 1 min moderate pace, 1 min as fast and as hard as you can, 1 min moderate pace, etc. until time is up.
• TRAINING. HIIT doesn’t have to only mean cardio. The concept of HIIT can be applied to any exercise you choose. Instead of the intervals being 1 min high and 1 min low/moderate intensity, choose different exercises for each interval and choose a short rest time in between each one.
  • For example…
    • Jumping squats 1 min, rest 30 seconds.
    • Jumping lunges 1 min, rest 30 seconds.
    • Burpees 1 min, rest 30 seconds. 
    • Push ups 1 min, rest 30 seconds.
    • Repeat.

Benefits of doing HIIT exercise: 

“Studies show that 15 minutes of high intensity interval training burns more calories than jogging on a treadmill for an hour. Effective energy use – HIIT uses a system of work-hard-then-recovery intervals, alternating between high intensity workouts with short resting periods.” – Health Fitness Revolution

1. Less time, more calories. You are more likely to stick to it when you don’t have to do as much. A 15 minute, high intensity interval training workout 5 times a week sounds a lot more do-able than an hour long session on the treadmill at the gym, staring at the wall and watching people next to you run like Usain Bolt. Yeah, no thanks!
2. Boost endurance. Seriously! Doing shorter bouts of high-intensity exercise has been proven to boost endurance over time. So next time you decide to do that 45 min cardio session, YOU’LL be that annoying perfect person who makes people envious.
3. Improve your VO2 max. Improve this, improve your overall health. It’s that simple. “It can lower glucose levels in diabetics, even a single session,” says researcher Tom Holland. Many studies have been done to prove this. The results are overwhelming. VO2 max increases, fat loss increases, energy levels rise. It is a win win for you and your health.
4. The calories keep burning, even after you stop. After a HIIT session, your body continues to burn more calories throughout the day. How’s that for amazing?! Your body rocks and you didn’t even know it. Burning fat without doing anything. Give yourself a high-five.
5. The possibilities are endless. No more getting bored. Once you start to get bored of your HIIT session, time to switch it up! Don’t stick to one type of HIIT workout. Change it up everyday– sprints, spin bike, exercises. Kick boxing, jump rope, swimming. Literally anything.
6. Your heart will thank you for it. Putting your ticker through a HIIT session is the best thing you could do for it. Compliment it with a nutritious diet– lots of healthy omega fatty acids, electrolytes, and hydration! Your heart will be strong and stedfast.

Now before I give you a HIIT workout for you to get you started, I’d like to give you some tips!

WRITE IT DOWN. Before you head into the gym with your HIIT session ahead of you, plan it out. Take 5 minutes and write out exactly what you are going to do. There are endless HIIT workouts you can find online, for free. If you don’t feel like getting creative, look one up! It doesn’t take long, and it will make your life a lot easier when you get to the gym. Having a pre-written workout will keep you accountable to finishing it and will make sure you don’t sell yourself short.

GRAB A BUDDY. Having a workout partner is a fun way to keep challenging yourself while getting in shape. It is a great bonding experience, a nice social break in your day and a smart way to make your workouts that much more enjoyable. Take turns writing the workouts and challenging each other!

SET A GOAL. Having a attainable goal that you are working toward is key to staying committed to your program and keeping you happy while you do it.

FULL BODY HIIT – Circuit

• Farmer’s Walks
  • You can do this up and down a walkway in your gym
  • 45 seconds
• Box Runs
  • 1 minute
• Conventional Deadlifts
  • You want to go lighter for reps and speed (WITHOUT sacrificing form)
  • 45 seconds
• Push-ups
  • 1 minute
• Tricep Dips
  • 30 seconds
• Box Jumps
  • 30 seconds

Try for at least 3 rounds with a 2-4 minute rest at the end of each round.

TIME TO GET HAPPY WITH YOUR TRAINING!

Please tag me in your fitness posts so I can watch your progress! @cutekatiebug

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Need more workout ideas?

Visit my Youtube playlist “Train Like Me” for some great ideas for your next session!

TRAIN LIKE ME

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