TRAINING TRENDS
High Intensity Interval Training for the Treadmill
“If you want to burn more fat or gain-endurance increase your endurance without spending additional time at the gym, HIIT may be the solution,” says Amanda Maitino, an amateur bodybuilder and fitness model.One of today’s hottest fitness trends, high intensity interval training alternates between intense bursts of activity and periods of rest or low/moderate exercise. This combination of anaerobic and aerobic exercise offers several advantages over traditional training techniques. Specifically, it increases the calories you burn, while helping you retain muscle mass. In addition to helping you achieve your fitness goals in less time, HIIT can be done almost anywhere, with any type of equipment.
High Intensity Interval Training – Fast Facts
- A study published in the Journal of Physiology in 2006 discovered that after 8 only weeks of high intensity interval training, subjects could bike twice as long as they could before the study, while maintaining the same pace.
- High intensity interval training increased caloric burn and slows the aging process because it stimulates production of human growth hormone (HGH) by up to 450% for up to 24 hours after completing a workout.
- The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports reported that high intensity interval training can improve athletic performance in adults by 2% – 4% in less than one month.
- A research study published in the International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance analyzed 10 well-trained male and female rowers. The athletes who followed a high intensity training program for 4 weeks improved their 2000-meter race time by 8.2 seconds. Those in the control followed a traditional training program and only improved performance by 2.3 seconds.
For these reasons, Maitino uses high intensity interval training when training for competitions. However, she cautions, “High intensity interval training is demanding and not for everyone.” If you’re interesting in incorporating HIIT into your workout, try the workout below that Amanda uses to hone her body when preparing for National Physique Committee (NCP) contests.
Amanda’s HIIT Workout for the Treadmill
Note: Always warm up and cool down for 5 minutes before and after each high interval training session.
- - Walk for 3 minutes at a speed of 3.5 on an incline of 12.
- - Jog for 5 minutes at a speed of 6.0.
- - Carefully get off the treadmill and do 20 squat jumps.
- - Next, do 20 jumping lunges.
- - Carefully get back on the treadmill and alternate 30 seconds of sprinting with 30 seconds of rest (need incline and speed here). Repeat 5 times.
- - Repeat the entire process 2 or 3 times.