What is HIIT?!?

Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian, Co-Owner of Nourish Northwest and soon to be Personal Trainer

 

You may have noticed a new group fitness class on the Nourish Northwest schedule called HIIT.  A similar type of class has been on our schedule before, under the names Tabata and Interval Training.  We have given this style class a makeover and are excited to have it back as High Intensity Interval Training.

 

 

The HIIT style class is gaining popularity and was ranked as one of the top fitness trends of 2014.  Its benefits are numerous and include improving fitness levels and cardiorespiratory capacity, decreasing fasting insulin and increasing insulin sensitivity, reducing abdominal and subcutaneous fat, improving resting metabolic rate and increasing overall strength and muscle size.  In addition to all of these health benefits, perhaps the best thing about this workout is that it’s only a half hour long!  Results of a study of Japanese Olympians showed that exercising in quick bursts of intensity was more beneficial in terms of improving fitness than a whole hour of running at a moderate intensity.  And since time is a major exercise barrier for many people, this is a really important discovery!

 

 

So what does a HITT class look like?  The class begins with a five minute warm up and the we get right into the bulk of the workout by alternating brief  2o second work periods followed by 10 second recovery periods.  Each classes involves 6 different exercises designed to increase heart rate, tone the arms, legs and core.  It’s a pretty simple concept, but a killer workout.  The 20 second work periods can seem like an eternity while the 10 seconds of rest barely allows you to blink.  The class is over before you know it and you are left feeling like you got an intense workout with time leftover to go home and make dinner.

 

 

So come see what all the hype is about.  HIIT is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:45 pm.  Hope to see you there!