Cardiorespiratory fitness is the fitness of your lungs and heart.
To improve cardiorespiratory fitness, you have to up your intensity! HIIT
training, or high-intensity interval training, requires you to alternate
moderate-intensity exercises with high-intensity exercises to get and keep your
heart rate up. Incorporating HIIT
workouts offer a safe and effective way to get fitter and adapt your body to
more intense exercise.
HIIT workouts increase your cardiovascular fitness more quickly
and greater than other kinds of exercise. In addition, it can save you time.
You need only 25-30 minutes for an effective HIIT session. You still burn the
same amount of calories as a longer workout. Some people also find HIIT
workouts more fun and interesting than moderate-intensity options, since they
are fast faced and the exercises change.
To create and use HIIT workouts effectively, you'll need to be
able to distinguish between moderate- and high-intensity exercises. The easy
way to tell the difference is using a talk test. You should be able to talk
during moderate-intensity exercise but struggle to say more than a few words
without taking a breath during high-intensity exercise.
Before incorporating HIIT routines, work out with moderate
intensity for several sessions or until moderate intensity is comfortable for a
minimum of 20 minutes. Once you reach 20 minutes, you can add a HIIT routine
into your training. Moderate intensity exercise options include biking,
walking, jogging, or using a machine like an elliptical.
When you plan to do a HIIT workout, starting with five to 10
minutes of relatively easy exercise to warm up your body. Then, switch to
high-intensity work for 30 seconds before swapping back to moderate exercise
for up to three minutes. Once you recover completely, repeat the process two or
three times over the next 30 minutes.
Remember that working at a high intensity does not mean you should
be exerting your maximum effort. If you experience discomfort or pain in your
chest, lightheadedness, or severe shortness of breath, stop exercising
immediately. If you experience unusual fatigue or joint or muscle pain, talk
with your doctor about your symptoms.
As your body adjusts to the HIIT program, increase the frequency
of the high-intensity intervals, up to five or six intervals per workout
instead of two or three. In addition, you can increase the time of the interval
to make it more challenging.