Guest Post: HIIT Workout

I am excited to bring you a guest post from the fabulous Madeline, my new neighbor! By now I am recovering from surgery and probably slightly active on Twitter in between delirious naps Enjoy Madeline’s post…. I can’t wait to try it out!

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Hi Victoria Runs readers! My name is Madeline and I blog over at Food, Fitness, and Family about yummy eats, sweaty workouts, and my family of three (+2 furbabies). I was super excited when Victoria asked me to write a guest post for her for while she recovers from surgery. I had the privilege of meeting her at the Dirty Girl Mud Run and she is just as awesome in person as she is on her blog. As a recent transplant to Savannah I am really grateful to have her as a friend!

Any-who when I was thinking about what I wanted to write about I decided to stick with the theme of her blog and focus on running. I love running and have run a couple of half-marathons but what I really love are short, intense workouts that get my heart rate up and get the job done. Enter HIIT (high intensity interval training).

HIIT training focuses on getting your workout done in around 20 minutes or less by getting your heart pumping and fast. It alternates short periods of high intensity with longer periods at a lower-intensity, normally on a 1:2 ratio. These kinds of workouts improve your athletic conditioning and lead to a higher percentage of fat loss.

The beauty of HIIT is that you can do it with pretty much any form of cardio. I like to do mine on the treadmill but have also done HIIT on a stair climber, on the elliptical, and in the pool.

Bear in mind, these kinds of workouts are optimal for individuals who have been working out for awhile so do them at your own level. I am not a doctor so always check with one before starting a new workout program