It’s the final run up to Christmas. That means late nights finishing up things at work, Christmas parties, drinks with friends and more festive engagements than you can shake a (holly) stick at. So when do you fit in those all-important exercise classes that you got so good at going to over summer (ahem…)?
Well, step forward Hiitgirl; the High Intensity Interval Training workout for us busy babes. It’s long been said that Hiit is one of the best fat burning workouts you can do. You go hard for 30 minutes and the impact it has on your body means you are more likely to lose weight. We tried it out and spoke to founder Susan Dyson about the benefits of becoming a HittGirl.
Grazia Daily: What is HIIT?
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) describes any workout that alternates intense bursts of activity with periods of less intense activity or even complete rest. Unlike typical aerobic training where heart rates and intensities stay the same for long periods, HIIT is all about working at or near your maximum for a short time. The best HIIT exercises use large muscles groups and include such things as squats, pressups, burpees and sprinting, with a typical workout involving 30 seconds of exercise alternated with 30 seconds of rest repeated for anything from 5 to 30 minutes. Even though the workouts are very short, HIIT is guaranteed to get you hot, sweaty and breathless, but the results are well worth the effort.
Grazia Daily: What are the benefits?
HIIT is really having a moment right now, and the many benefits claimed for this quickie workout appears to be supported by the latest scientific research.
Burns more fat
Not only do you burn more calories during a HIIT workout but as your body recovers, you experience the ‘afterburn’ effect and continue to burn extra calories for up to 24 hours afterwards, even when you’re asleep!
Improves heart health
Very few people regularly push themselves to the anaerobic zone (where you’re panting like a loon) but the benefits of going to the max can greatly improve heart health. One study found that subjects could cycle twice as long at the same pace after some HIIT training. And this was supported by a 2011 study, showing that just 2 weeks of high-intensity intervals improves fitness to the same level as 6 to 8 weeks of endurance training.
Lose weight but keep muscle
Too much low intensity cardio combined with dieting will lose weight for sure, but some of it will be valuable muscle mass. Research shows that the high intensity training preserves muscles and burns fat so the weight lost will be the right stuff. Hiitgirl workouts are carefully designed to tone and build muscle as well as the typical cardio benefits you would expect from a traditional HIIT style workout.
Increases metabolism
The high demands placed on the body by HIIT training usually result in big improvements in the body, right down to a cellular level. Many of these adaptations will leave you feeling and looking younger, inside and out.
Saves time
‘No time’ is usually at the top of the list for not exercising. HIIT makes it easier to fit a workout in as a 30 minute workout is equivalent to around 2.5 hours of traditional exercise.
It’s fun!
The typical cardio workout of 45 minutes on a bike or treadmill will certainly help your fitness but it can be very boring. HIIT training uses lots of different exercises and you don’t have time to get bored as these fast and furious workouts challenge you physically and mentally.
It gets results - fast
From experience, 3-4 HIIT workouts for 4-6 weeks will show noticeable differences if existing calories and general activity levels stay the same. After 10-12 weeks expect to look, and feel, amazing.
Grazia Daily: What are the downsides?
HIIT is fine for anyone who doesn’t have any injuries or medical conditions - the trick is starting at the right level. We find that more injuries can occur with those new to HIIT because they push too hard, too early. So, like any type of vigorous activity, it’s important to warm up and push your limits but don’t exceed them straight away.
The best way to track how hard to work is using a simple relative intensity scale from 1-10, where 6 would be jogging and 10 would be a sweaty mess collapsed on the floor! We recommend those new to HIIT work at 7 and regular HIITers go to a 9. At level 9 you wouldn’t be able to have a conversation, just the odd breathless grunt. Along with how hard, you need to take care with how long you do a HIIT workout for. There’s a lot of talk around 4 and 7 minute workouts but the problem with these are the intensity levels (and discomfort) involved are beyond most people. We suggest leaving these to the athletes and masochists. The best balance of intensity and time for the average person to maximise the benefits and minimise the risks is 15-30 minutes in our view. Shorter and you may not stick with it, longer and it becomes a lower intensity cardio workout.
Tips for those new to HIIT
Have a strong coffee around 20 minutes before your workout - science shows that apart from the usual coffee buzz you’ll also be able to work harder for longer.
Don’t do two HIIT days consecutively - think of rest and recovery as part of your workout.
Invest in a foam roller - It’s like always having a sports therapist on hand to massage those aching muscles.
Lose the shoes - Give your feet a workout and improve the links between your muscles, nerves and the world around you - otherwise known as proprioception.
Stay hydrated - Drink little and often before and during your workout.
Less is more - HIIT is all about quality over quantity. Restrict your sessions to no more than 30 minutes and give it everything you’ve got.
Make it a habit - regular and consistent workouts are the key to success. You’ll have good days and bad days but keep showing up and amazing things will happen.
Tone up your tunes - the right music playlist has been shown to encourage people to work harder, plus the time flies by when you enjoy what you’re listening to.
Keep your body guessing - change the timing of one session every week from 30 seconds of work to 40 secs. You’ll be amazed the difference this small change can make.
Grazia Daily: What makes Hiitgirl different?
We started with a simple question - ‘How can busy women spend as little time as possible working out and still get amazing results?' The sweet spot for women seemed to be 30 minutes and so we quickly realised that if the workouts were going to be that short we needed to make them tough! To do this we used the best-kept secret in fitness - interval training. We needed to make sure it was a total body workout with lots of variety to challenge body and mind, plus working out in a small group would help to encourage each other and create a community of like-minded people. Finally, we wanted to do the workout in a beautiful space with inspirational women trainers and great music - to encapsulate all these ideas we coined the phrase ‘tough glamour’!
I think one of the biggest reasons it works is because we focus on meeting the needs of a specific group of people - in our case busy women. The whole experience, from the moves we create to the decor is designed for women. This is what helps people to make a start but the thing that keeps them coming back is the amazing results they get. We’ve also made the Hiitgirl workout available to those who aren’t close to one of our studios via our Hiitgirl.tv website. Hiitgirls can choose from a range of free workouts or pay for access to one of our full 30minute sessions.
Try out a HiitGirl workout for yourself at www.hiitgirl.tv
Book your sessions at www.hiitgirl.com