HIIT and the Kettlebell

Have you, like many other heard of HIIT but are not quite sure what it is? You are not alone; let me assure you of this. The phrase HIIT is thrown around gymnasiums and Health clubs and people nod along as if they know what this is but are simply too afraid to look silly by asking.

There is something about the Gym atmosphere which makes people feel vulnerable and self aware that doesn’t happen in the Pub, Grocery Store or in their place of work. I am not sure if it is the scantily clad clothing, muscular bodies, lack of Alcohol or just the vulnerability of everyone knowing your physical limitations but something makes us insecure.

The gym is the worst place in the World to act insecure as there is so much knowledge bouncing around and people are more than happy to share training and diet tips with total strangers. So why are we not sure what HIIT is?

To compound your knowledge of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) this article will be based around the process of HIIT, designing a HIIT routine and the results you can expect by performing this type of work out on a regular basis.

Recent research in Cambridge University (cited in AXA’s health related magazine Better Health) states how just 3 minutes of HIIT can be better than a 45 minutes workout in the Gym. The reasoning behind this is that HIIT challenges your Heart and Lungs and Muscles to the maximum for just a short period of time (very similar to an Animal in the wild such as the Cheetah). This forces the body to improve and actually increases the metabolic rate of the human Body as well as helping with mental issues. The actual process of High Intensity Interval Training is to simply challenge the body for 20 seconds to perform to its absolute maximum and then breaking or a period of 40 seconds. Most HIIT routines will repeat this process anywhere between 3 and 20 times, depending on fitness levels.

When designing a HIIT routine most would be advised to purchase an at home exercise Bike as this is not only convenient but also reduces the risk of injury as the fast intense nature of HIIT makes you more prone to muscular and tissue injuries. As your fitness levels increase it is advised that Kettlebell HIIT training should be your chosen method of Fat Shredding and Muscle sculpting. The very nature of the Kettlebell makes every repetition a gruelling activity and perfect for High Intensity Interval Training to be practiced.

To perform a Kettlebell HIIT routine I would advise choosing one basic compound exercise such as the Kettlebell Swing, Goblet Squat or Kettlebell Clean. Simply adapt the method above of all out action for 20 seconds followed by 40 seconds of rest and repeat between 3 and 20 times depending on your level of fitness.

Performing Kettlebell HIIT on a regular basis will really crank up the metabolic rate and have your engine finely tuned to shred Fat and build rippling muscle tissue. Regardless of the research coming out of Cambridge, mentioned above, I would still perform traditional low impact cardio and traditional weight training regimes and compliment them with Kettlebell HIIT as the more variance in your training, the more likely you are to keep interested and improve your overall athletic abilities.