Isn’t it everyone’s dream to be super fit and burn more calories in a quick workout? Or maybe it’s just mine?
With two young kids, I’m quite low on time and energy, so I want to get in a good workout that burns max calories but doesn’t take 45 minutes to complete.
That’s why a did a little research and found out that high intensity interval training can maximize my calorie burn in less time and continues to burn calories even after my workout is over.
Find out how I use high intensity interval training in my workouts to make them shorter while still burning fat.
*Disclaimer: The information contained in this website is provided for general informational purposes only. Please contact your physician before starting any new exercise plan.
How To Burn More Calories In A Workout With HIIT
As much as I love taking my brisk, steady, uphill strolls on the treadmill, having two young kids means I have less time to do everything I want to. How can I burn more calories in the same amount of time? By incorporating high intensity interval training (HIIT) into my treadmill routine.
I’ve blogged about the benefits of HIIT before on B&P and while I love doing bodyweight/strength training HIIT workouts that I find on YouTube, it never occurred to me to apply HIIT to my treadmill routine.
HIIT incorporates alternating periods of maximum effort (which I refer to as “cardio bursts“) followed by active rest periods (e.g. moving at a much slower pace to recover).
Not only does HIIT burn more calories than steady state cardio, but it also has “after burn” effects that continue long after you’ve finished your workout.
Studies have shown that HIIT workouts increase your resting metabolic rate up to 24 hours after exercise, which leads to more calories burned in the long run. Other benefits include:
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Improved insulin sensitivity in the muscles (great for PCOS sufferers like me).
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Significant spikes in growth hormone levels (which aid in fat loss).
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Post-exercise appetite suppression.
HIIT is great for people who are short on time and/or hate cardio, because you can burn more calories during an intense 20 minute HIIT session than you would running on a treadmill for 1 hour. In addition, HIIT encourages fat loss while preserving muscle, as opposed to long, steady state cardio sessions that can begin to use muscle as fuel.
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Creating A HIIT Cardio Session
Whether you’re using a treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, or just running outside, you can make any cardio session into a HIIT session. First of all, you will need to get an interval timer.
There are many interval timers on the market that you can buy and carry with you, but I simply downloaded an app called “Tabata Timer” on my cell phone that was free. Using my interval timer, I created a HIIT workout that consisted of a warm up period, an alternating series of cardio bursts followed by rest periods, and then a final cool down period.
My original HIIT workout started out with alternating 1 minute cardio bursts (e.g. full out running on the treadmill) followed by 3 minute rest periods (brisk walking on the treadmill).
As I got better at my workouts, I decreased my rest period from 3 minutes to 1 minute and decreased my cardio bursts to 45 seconds so that my current 30 minute HIIT treadmill workout looks like this:
- 5 minute warm up period
- 45 second cardio burst, followed by 1 minute rest period – repeat 12 times for 25 minutes
- 5 minute cool down period
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What’s The Key To A Great HIIT Cardio Session?
To get the maximum benefits of a HIIT workout, you have to really push yourself during your cardio bursts so that you get close to your maximum heart rate (e.g. the point where you have a hard time holding a conversation).
If you’re pushing yourself hard enough, you should be looking forward to your rest periods (translation – seriously breathing hard!). Be sure to take full advantage of them so that you can go all out during your cardio bursts.
When you’re first starting out, make sure your rest periods are longer than your activity periods and then gradually reduce your rest periods to keep your body challenged and maximize your calorie burn.
Want an extra challenge? Add an incline every so often!
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And that’s how you can burn more calories fast!
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