High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT is an acronym for High Intensity Interval Training. This aerobic workout is very good for improving heart and lungs conditioning, as well as for fat burning, especially around the waist. In fact, by doing HIIT, you raise your metabolism and trick your body, so it continues to burn calories for up to 6 hours after the exercise, as if you were still exercising.

The HIIT sequence can be performed at home or in a gym on a treadmill, or outside, on a track or in a park.

A HIIT sequence is made by alternating 1 minute walk and 1 minute run, 1 minute walk and 1 minute run and so on, constantly changing the speed of the walk and the speed of the run.

So, for instance, if you are performing a sequence on the treadmill, you could follow a pattern like this: 1 minute walk at speed 5,00 Km/h, followed by 1 minute run at speed 8,00 Km/h, followed by 1 minute walk at 5,5 Km/h, followed by 1 minute run at 7,5 Km/h, and so on.

Always perform a 5 minute walk as a warm-up before the HIIT sequence, and a 5 minute walk as a cool-down after the HIIT sequence.

Slowly increase the duration of the HIIT sequence, so that your body will not adapt itself and you can continually benefit from this exercise.

Here is a 12 week program that I have designed for you. I suggest you to perform this exercise three times per week, for instance on Monday. Wednesday and Friday:

Once you have finished with the exercise, perform some stretching for the lower part of the body: quads, hamstrings and calves:

Hold each position for 20 seconds, without bouncing. Repeat 2-3 times every exercise.

After the stretching, do the following exercises for the abs

CRUNCH - 4 sets of 15 reps

Do each repetition very slowly, contracting the abs in the upper positiion. Just raise head and shoulder, but DO NOT raise the lower back, that has to be always in contact with the floor.

When you see that you can easily perform 4 sets of 15 reps, increase the reps to 20 and then to 25.

REVERSE CRUNCH - 4 sets of 10 reps

Make sure to raise the legs using the force of the abs, as if you want to push the abs against the floor and make them touch the spine.

When you see that you can easily perform 4 sets of 10 reps, increase the reps to 15 and then to 20.

Let me have a feedback on how it is going.

By Roberto Bocchetti, Certified Personal Trainer NABBA (National Amateur Body Building Association), AIPT (Associazione Italiana Personal Trainer) - www.musclerob.com