Best HIIT Exercises For Weight Loss

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HIIT exercises have become extremely commonplace in recent times due to their numerous health benefits. High intensity interval training offers a host of challenges and thanks to its targeted effects, users can also choose specific movements based around their unique goals. How long should a HIIT workout be? What are some common exercises? Let us take a look at what comprises a HIIT workout and the advantages that you can expect.

But first of all, congratulations on making it this far into our series, Exercises For My Gastric Balloon! You have now covered low-intensity workouts, strength training, and Yoga. If you have been consistently performing these workouts throughout your weight loss balloon treatment, you should be starting to see some incredible results; if you haven’t been as consistent, don’t worry, there’s never a bad time to start improving your fitness routine.

As we’ve previewed, in this blog post, Part 4 of our series, we’ll be discussing the most intense exercises yet – High-Intensity Interval Training. While this may be the most challenging aspect of your fitness routine, it has the potential to provide you with the most effective results. Let’s jump right in!

High-intensity interval training and my weight loss balloon

As the name might already suggest, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) consists of repeating extremely hard spurts of exercise with small rest periods in between. Therefore, you’ll be doing short bursts of a workout, let’s say sprints, followed by a short break.

A good ratio of rest to exercise is about 2:1 or 3:1, meaning if you perform an activity to your max for about 20 seconds, you’ll want to rest for 40 seconds to one minute thereafter. These periods of rest are essential because they make sure our bodies are prepared to perform the next set of actions.

HIIT training is an intense routine, so be prepared to exert more energy than ever before. Remember, when you’re in the middle of a short burst exercise, make sure to give it your absolute all in order to receive the best results. The primary intention of this approach involves the fact that the body is (generally) not expecting to be placed under relatively high levels of physical and cardiovascular stress. As a result, users can normally see results within a relatively short period of time as the muscles begin to adapt.

HIIT workout

What Are The HIIT Health Benefits?

There are many High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) benefits and some of these are actually quite surprising. For instance, did you know that HIIT can be used to improve your performance in other sports that require immediate bursts of energy (such as football, basketball and gymnastics)? Of course, this approach is also ideally suited for those who are passionate about cardiovascular training programs (such as preparing for a marathon). Here are some other lesser-known advantages of HIIT:

  • This technique can help to prevent injuries due to more blood flowing to the muscles.
  • HIIT is often used as a warm-up session before performing other physical activities.
  • This type of exercise will encourage your body to expel any toxins that may be present.
  • HIIT will inevitably increase the capacity of your lungs.
  • Whole-body benefits such as increased balance and coordination cannot be overlooked.

 

HIIT workouts can have various different benefits, with the most common being improvements to your speed and explosiveness. However, if you’re not an athlete training for those outcomes, HIIT workouts also provide benefits to your insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, and blood pressure.

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, HIIT exercises increase your heart rate, leading to various weight loss benefits. Being that you’re burning more calories than when you perform normal workouts, HIIT is incredible for those who are interested in losing weight.

Still, knowing how to do HIIT will involve an appreciation of some basic exercises. What do the professionals have to say?

High Intensity Interval Training benefits

Examples of HIIT exercises

We have already seen that the main principle of HIIT involves relatively short bursts of intense exercise. Oftentimes, people associate HIIT workouts with incredibly difficult exercises. However, you can perform HIIT by doing push-ups, sit-ups, rows, and so much more! As long as you are exerting your energy at your maximum rate, you’ll be doing a HIIT workout.

Having said this, there are some key takeaway points to remember. Let us examine three common options for training and staying active, as well as targeted advice related to each.

HIIT Workout with Weights

Weights can include kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, and even machines. Powerful exercises may be used as compound movements (such as bench presses, squats and deadlifts). You may also choose to perform isolation movements (including bent-over rows and triceps press-downs) if you hope to target a more specific area of the body. These exercises should be performed for 60 seconds or until failure.

HIIT Cardio Training

The best HIIT workout for cardio does not necessarily have to be complicated. For example, pedal as fast as you can on a stationary bicycle for 30 seconds before reducing your pace to a more comfortable level for an additional four minutes. Power sprints, 90 seconds of squat jumps and setting an elliptical machine to hit highest resistance for a short period of time are additional interval training examples.

Examples of HIIT Workouts at Home

HIIT and weight loss enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship and there are plenty of at-home programs to consider. Jumping jacks, skipping rope and running in place will require very little space or equipment. Of course, a 30 minutes HIIT workout with weights can also be performed with nothing more than a pair of dumbbells (or even a few two-litre bottles of water).

Here is a quick HIIT set that is guaranteed to get your body moving:

  • 20 seconds of sprints, followed by 40 seconds of rest
  • 20 seconds of push-ups, followed by 40 seconds of rest
  • 20 seconds of sit-ups, followed by 40 seconds of rest
  • 20 seconds of squats, followed by 40 seconds of rest
  • 20 seconds of kettlebell / dumbbell swings, followed by 40 seconds of rest

 

Feel free to switch out any of the exercises in the set above, just make sure you give it your all!

Interval training examples

Introduce the HIIT training during weight loss with Spatz3

Using HIIT and weight loss procedures such as the Spatz3 adjustable gastric balloon can offer even more stunning results within a relatively short period of time. Not only is HIIT a great way to improve your physical health, but it can often represent a welcome change in relation to somewhat traditional training sessions. If you feel that your current level of fitness has reached a plateau or should you hope to reduce your overall body mass index (BMI), there is no doubt that HIIT exercises could very well represent the breakthrough techniques that you have been desperately searching for.

Using these HIIT workouts, you can begin increasing your activity levels as you continue throughout your weight loss journey. While your gastric balloon has been helping you lose weight, the most effective results are seen by those who fully commit to reaching their goals.

By slowly introducing higher intensity workouts into your fitness routine, you’ll be well on your way towards a healthier and more active lifestyle. Remember, working out alone isn’t enough, you will also need to focus your energy on developing healthier eating habits and transitioning to a more nutritious diet. However, you should be proud of how far you’ve come, and excited to see how much further you can push yourself.

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