Speed Up and Transform Your Workouts With Interval Training
Desiree Palculict watches her daughter, Ava Palculict, jump rope. As their smiles show, exercise can be a playtime activity with the right approach.
Staying fit is important. The downside is that it takes time and commitment. Most moms have commitment in spades, but the time aspect is where things get tricky. So, if there are only a few minutes to spare in the day, how do you workout enough to get the job done?
HIIT is the answer. High intensity interval training is a method of exercise that combines short bouts of full-out workouts with short rest periods to burn calories and build muscle at the same time.
Not only can parents tackle fitness, but they can get kids interested in being active and healthy as well. The workouts are usually about eight minutes long but range from four-12 minutes or longer.
Little Rock Family worked with SNAP Fitness’ Autumn Smith to design a simple and flexible routine for parents to get started with HIIT. Along the way, we came up with fun exercises for kids that are cleverly disguised as play.
There is no stretching prescribed for the beginning of a HIIT workout because stretching before exercise has been shown to increase the likelihood of injury, says Smith. However, warmups are a must.
HIIT training routines of 20 minutes are proven to burn more fat than running on a treadmill at a sustained rate for 40 minutes, according to research by Dr. Gail Trapp published by the University of New South Wales. In addition, the body continues to burn calories after the workout, according to research by Antonio Paoli published in the Journal of Translational Medicine.
The hard part is getting to the right level of intensity during the speed rounds, which is about 70-90 percent of your hardest effort. The recovery intervals only require moderate, or 50 percent intensity.
Watching the clock is not ideal for this mode of exercise, so for an easy way to keep up with the intervals, download an app that times your workout.
Be sure to talk to a doctor before beginning any new exercise routine. Here’s a workout to get you started.
Apps That Help Keep Time
Free
Tabata Interval Timer for HIIT for Android: This timer is named after the father of HIIT, Dr. Izumi Tabata. It features no ads, good design, Google FIT integration and the ability to choose your own background music. Not available for iOS.
Interval Timer for iOS and Android: This app allows you to alter the time, sets and rest times. It’s also ad-free and allows for music to be played in the background.
Paid
12 Minute Athlete for iOS and Android, $3: The beautiful design and functionality are great. Just enter the equipment you have available and choose new workouts with instructions and videos.
