BeFIT HERE’S SOMETHING THAT PROBABLY WON’T COME AS A SURPRISE: high-intensity interval training (HIIT, aka intense bouts of exercise followed by brief periods of rest) isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has placed HIIT among its top five fitness trends for four years running, and it seems we can’t go a week without a new HIIT class launching. The appeal is obvious – HIIT is great at getting you fit, fast – but how can you be sure you’re getting the most from your HIIT workout? Personal trainer Matt Crane warns that your body will master any form of exercise that you do regularly, leading to less progress over time. “Your body will get used to this type of training and you’ll need to change the way you work out,” he says. And fitness experts worry that our gung-ho approach to training means we’re missing out on the benefits of performing exercises properly. “While moving fast will raise your heart rate and burn energy, doing the moves right is key to activating the correct muscles and maximising on your workout,” explains personal trainer and gym founder Jess Schuring. Want to fire up your intervals? Read on to nail your next HIIT class.
SLOW IT DOWN
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Sure, HIIT is all about moving quickly so that you break a sweat, but doing an exercise correctly – if a little slower – will mean you reap more fitness rewards. New exercises require muscular and neurological coordination, so give your body time to master the movement. Rushing through it means you risk doing the move incorrectly and stressing the wrong muscles. “Doing the moves properly is key to staying injury-free and getting results,” says Schuring. “Next time you’re doing a burpee, get your chest close to the ground to work your chest and arm muscles. Keep your shoulders over your wrists during
mountain climbers, and keep your chest upright during your next squat jump. Slow down the pace because speed will come naturally as you improve and engage the right muscles.”
MEASURE YOUR MOVEMENTS
HIIT training should feel hard, but how speedily you move will depend on your individual fitness level. How do you know if you’re working hard enough? Fitness instructor Janine George recommends measuring your heart rate. “You should be performing at 80-95 per cent of your estimated maximum heart rate [to calculate your MHR, subtract your age from 220]. This intensity is enough to make you feel breathless and sweaty,” she says. Achieving this intensity will hinge on recovering fully between activity efforts, so aim to get your heart rate down to 40-50 per cent of your max rate before moving again.
TIME IT RIGHT
There’s no doubt about it – high-intensity exercise requires oodles of energy, so don’t try to do it on an empty stomach. “Eat one to two hours before working out and aim to have something that’s high in protein, contains carbohydrates, good fats and includes veggies. Poached eggs with smoked salmon, spinach and avocado on potato rösti is a good example,” says Crane. “I wouldn’t advise doing a HIIT session very late in the evening because it can leave you on an adrenaline high, which might make it difficult to sleep.”
GO BACK TO BASICS
We get it – you don’t want to be the one performing push-ups on your knees while everyone else does the full move. But here’s the thing – you’ll get much better results doing a regression exercise (the easier form of a move) properly than others will get from doing the full move poorly.
“If you progress too quickly, you’ll develop bad form and shift the work away from the targeted muscles,” warns George. “This could place extra stress on your joints, risking injury, and might mean you fatigue quickly as well.” The take-home message? Exercise for results, not for show.
QUALITY NOT QUANTITY
Take note: if you can do two HIIT workouts in a row, you’re not a beast. You’re just not working hard enough. “You should feel fully fatigued at the end of a HIIT session,” says personal trainer Kelly Du Boisson, “So, if you still have enough energy to do a spin class or an hour of yoga, you haven’t worked hard enough and won’t benefit from the EPOC [excess post-exercise oxygen consumption] fat-burning effect.” HIIT sessions shouldn’t last much longer than 30 minutes, but newbies may only be able to cope with five minutes of exercise at such a high intensity – and that’s okay, too. Aim for a maximum of two to three HIIT workouts per week, alternating between these sessions and low-tomoderate-intensity exercise.
PUSH THROUGH THE WALL
Your muscles are on fire and you’re ready to collapse – nope, it’s not time for a breather, it’s time to push harder. “The burning sensation you feel in your muscles will make you want to stop,” says George. “It’s a key indicator that you’re in the right zone, as is feeling breathless. When you’re breathless, your body has been pushed to the maximum, producing energy for muscles without the necessary requirement of oxygen. This results in an anaerobic state that leads to EPOC, which raises your metabolism and causes the body to burn kilojoules for up to 24 hours after working out.” It’ll hurt, but keep going when you feel the burn and you’ll be better for it.
THE GOLDEN RULES
Follow these commandments from Steve Barrett, author of The HIIT Bible: Supercharge Your Body and Brain (Bloomsbury, $15.99), for a next-level sesh. FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE
Some of my PT clients always look for a reason to give up; others ask for a refund if still standing at the end. Make your own judgement call on how hard you should push yourself.
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LEARN IT, THEN WORK IT
This is my mantra. Rather than going all out in the first workout, practise drills and movement patterns. Work at perfecting technique and developing fitness before adding intensity.
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TAKE IT ONE AT A TIME
Work out smart. Aim to improve one rep at a time before you attempt to do an exercise flat-out or try a method such as AMRAP (as many reps as possible in a set time).
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