HIIT workouts for beginners are increasingly popular, but how safe are they?
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) was initially used as a sprinting workout for endurance sports such as running, cycling, and rowing but has since expanded dramatically to include strength options.
And it’s not hard to see why, as HIIT exercise’s physical and mental benefits are tremendous, so much so that HIIT training is now being used in cardiac and stroke rehabilitation for elderly patients.
HIIT workouts alternate between near-maximum effort and a short rest period (typically between 15 seconds and 2 minutes) for the training session duration. This high demand on the body creates the impressive benefits seen with HIIT training.
HIIT training has become exceedingly popular due to its effectiveness in scorching calories, improving cardiovascular health, and aiding muscle mass with a much shorter workout than traditional steady-state cardio sessions.
Beginner HIIT Misconceptions
HIIT isn’t new, and it’s also not exactly the same thing as CrossFit. Though HIIT has become increasingly popular since the rise of workout programs like CrossFit, Insanity, and P90x (which incorporate some HIIT-style exercises in addition to other forms of exercises), HIIT has been around since the 1950s.
The difference between cardio HIIT workouts and programs like CrossFit is the types of movements performed and the skill and precision required. Don’t get me wrong—you can injure yourself doing any type of workout if you’re using improper form.
But workout programs like CrossFit have higher rates of injury compared to other, less intense programs. In rare cases, this has even led to cases of severe kidney injury like rhabdomyolysis.
CrossFit poses the most risk of injury for any type of HIIT-style workout, due to its inclusion of highly-technical movements like Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics, both of which require intense dedication to mastering exercise form and the concurrent joint flexibility and stability to perform the moves safely.
HIIT Tips for Beginners
When the US government investigated CrossFit-like extreme conditioning programs due to the rise in injury rates among service members, they found that these high-intensity programs had worrying injury rates.
However, the programs in question were poorly programmed and did not have adequate warm-ups or progression. And you know that skipping your warm-up and progressing too quickly is risky for any exercise program.
So if you’re a beginner and you want to try HIIT training, here are a few things you can do to stay safe:
- Learn the exercise form first before incorporating it into a HIIT routine.
- Build a foundation of fitness. Work on your aerobic capacity, strength, and stability before dialing up the intensity of your workouts.
- Always leave time for a proper warm-up and cool-down.
- Start slow and progress slower. HIIT workouts are great, but only if they don’t leave you injured or feeling burned out.
Benefits of HIIT for Beginners
HIIT is beloved for a good reason, as research continues to show the many health benefits of HIIT training can even be seen in special populations like those recovering from strokes, heart attacks, and older adults.
Best of all, these benefits can be seen with any form of HIIT training.
Improve Your Heart Health
Regular, intense cardio exercise like HIIT training lowers blood pressure, improves your cholesterol, and lowers your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Burn Fat
High-intensity exercise is a phenomenal adjunct to any fat loss plan as it burns fat in two different ways.
- It burns more calories during your workout than other exercises.
- It increases your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). This represents a rise in the number of calories you will continue to burn for up to 24 hours following your workout.
Combined, these two mechanisms lead to more calories burned and fat loss in a much shorter workout than other cardio options.
Build Muscle
HIIT workouts are primarily comprised of compound movements: exercises that use large muscle groups and more than one muscle at a time. Research shows that compound exercises are beneficial for growing muscle and increasing strength.
Improve Endurance
No matter which HIIT workout you choose, you can build your endurance and stamina quickly. This is because HIIT sessions push you hard and allow very little rest, forcing you to develop your aerobic capacity and muscular endurance.
Grip Strength
A lesser-known significant indicator of your health as you age is grip strength. Research has shown that grip strength is highly correlated with muscle mass, longevity, and all-cause mortality.
HIIT that incorporates heavy strength training like CrossFit, EMOM, AMRAP, and MRT are excellent at developing your grip strength which helps your health in many ways.
Improve Mental Toughness
Intense exercise challenges you to increase your discomfort window and develop your mental fortitude and physical strength. When you take on a tough workout and see it through to the end, you build confidence in your ability to do hard things. Mental toughness developed in the gym has far-reaching positive implications for the rest of your life.
Boost Mood
One of the most enjoyable benefits of HIIT exercise is the huge rush of endorphins–the little happy brain chemicals–released with intense exercise. These endorphins help boost your mood and battle stress.
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Types of HIIT for Beginners
As HIIT has grown in popularity and the evidence mounts for its broad benefits for different populations, more types of HIIT training emerged. These HIIT workouts differ based on the workout format, equipment required, workout setting options, and how technical the moves are.
Understanding the various types of HIIT workouts available is vital for those new to exercise as you need specialized equipment and quality instruction for some to stay safe.
Cardio
HIIT cardio has been around for a long time and is the gold standard for cardiorespiratory fitness and workout efficiency.
Whether running, biking, swimming, or rowing, the workout comprises a short period of work followed by a short recovery period, repeated for multiple rounds.
Your entire workout, including the warm-up and cool-down, should be 30-60 minutes. Cardio HIIT is one of two options on this list that don’t require equipment.
Cardio Workout for Beginners
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| [role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px]”>30 seconds | [role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px]”>20 minutes |
Tabata
Tabata is a HIIT method created by the Japanese exercise scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata. The entire workout is just 4 minutes long, but it packs a punch.
The Tabata format is 20 seconds of 100% effort, followed by 10 seconds of rest for four minutes.
Tabata is the shortest type of HIIT workout available but still offers many of the health benefits of longer sessions.
Tabata Beginner Workout: 2 Rounds, 4 Minutes Total
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| [role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px]”>20 seconds | [role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px]”>20 seconds | [role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px]”>20 seconds | [role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px]”>20 seconds | Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT)
MRT is a form of HIIT training that uses compound strength moves performed at high intensity. This HIIT style offers the best of both worlds: scorching calories and building muscle and strength in one workout. MRT is similar to CrossFit in that it prioritizes the strength side of the equation and uses heavy weights. MRT Beginner Workout: Repeat for 3 Rounds, Rest 2 Minutes Between Rounds
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