Tailor-making high-intensity interval training sessions

Favoured by professional athletes looking to maintain a competitive advantage, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been around for almost a century.

In 1910, Finnish long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi and his coach Lauri Pihkala were among the first to develop an interval system of training, but the transition of HIIT into the mainstream exercise world owes much to Japanese professor Izumi Tabata, who lent his name to the popular Tabata method back in 1996.

Today, with regular exercise all too often sacrificed because of a perceived lack of time, the option of working out to maximum effect in as little as eight minutes per day has won over legions of fans.

In a nutshell, HIIT’s high-energy, accelerated-intensity format is designed for those keen to boost their overall levels of cardiovascular fitness, endurance and encourage fat loss, without losing muscle mass in the process.

Although it means spending less time pounding the streets or pumping iron in the gym, it isn’t a pain-free quick fix. HIIT sessions typically begin with a three- to five-minute warm-up followed by anywhere from three to 12 minutes of repetitive sets of alternating high-intensity/lower-intensity exercise, ending with a cool-down period.

HIIT is a tailor-made alternative to longer endurance or steady-state cardio exercise, and virtually any type of activity can be given a HIIT makeover, from running, cycling and swimming to rowing, weight training, skipping and boxing. Workouts can focus solely on aerobic (cardio) exercise or a combination of cardio and anaerobic (strength training) activity.

The main proviso is to make sure the high-intensity sets are performed near the peak of your cardio ability with as many repetitions (reps) as possible.

The benefits of following a HIIT regimen are varied. A 2013 American Council on Exercise study on Tabata highlighted the cardiovascular-boosting advantages, and with the sheer intensity helping crank up the metabolism, this accelerates the calorie-burning potential both during a workout and in the “afterburn” phase, for up to 48 hours in some cases.

Improving anaerobic and aerobic fitness in tandem also means increased opportunity to burn fat, with an American Council on Exercise Healthy Living report on HIIT citing the potential for effective reduction of abdominal and subcutaneous fat when following an interval training programme.

Other benefits include increased aerobic capacity and the capacity to handle increased lactic acid build-up in your muscles – handy if you’re training for a marathon, triathlon or any endurance-type event.

And if saving cash on an expensive gym membership is another consideration, then the flexibility of HIIT, which can be done at home or outdoors, requiring little or no equipment (unless you’re a serious bodybuilder), could be the way to go.

SAFETY FIRST

The clue is in the name, and prior to starting a high-intensity programme you should be able to exercise for at least 20 to 30 minutes at 85 to 90 per cent of your estimated maximum heart rate (for your age) without suffering any adverse effects. HIIT is probably not for you if you are an exercise newbie, transitioning from a sedentary lifestyle, or if you have serious health concerns such as a family history of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels, are obese or a smoker.

TAILOR-MADE WORKOUTS

Tabata: Named after the Japanese ­professor Izumi Tabata, who conducted a 1996 study into the effect of interval ­training on Olympic speed skaters, Tabata is a single-activity workout with on-off ­periods – 20 seconds of high-intensity ­activity, and as many reps as possible, followed by 10 seconds of rest for a total of four minutes.

Sample workout: For cardio, start with a three-minute warm-up, then sprint for 20 seconds, walk for 10 seconds, and repeat for a total of eight intervals. For full-body, after warming up try a killer set of full burpees.

The LIttle Method: Developed by doctors Jonathan Little and Martin Gibala in 2009, this involves HIIT workouts at 95 per cent peak oxygen uptake with 60 seconds of high intensity followed by 75 seconds at low intensity for 12 cycles and a total of 27 minutes.

Sample workout: Start with a three-minute warm-up then cycle for 60 seconds as fast as possible and at maximum resistance followed by 75 seconds of slow cycling at reduced intensity. Repeat the high/low cycle for the full 27 minutes.

Turbulence training: The brainchild of certified strength and conditioning specialist Craig Ballantyne, this focuses on a combination of strength and cardio training using eight-repetition weight-training sets alternated with one- to two-minute cardio sets for a maximum of 45 minutes.

Sample workout: Start with a five-minute warm-up followed by an eight-rep set of any preferred weights move, such as a dumbbell split squat, followed by one minute of mountain climbers for up to 45 minutes.

Seven-minute workout: A fitness craze that debuted in mid-2013, thanks to an article in the New York Times, this workout was first published in the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal and features a set series of 12 30-second exercises, with 10 seconds' rest between each, and simply requires a wall, a chair and your own body weight.

The workout: After warming up, it’s 30 seconds on/10 seconds off of jumping jacks, wall sits, push-ups, crunches, chair step-ups, squats, triceps dips, plank, high knees, lunges, rotating push-ups and side plank. Repeat the circuit two or three times for a longer workout if required.