As ABC launches Your Move campaign to help Australians explore their health and fitness journey, reporter Marnie Vinall wants to try some of the growing exercise trends across the country. I will travel.
As one of the hottest fitness trends, we decided to bench test high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Key Point:
- HIIT sessions involve short bursts of intense exercise at maximum effort with short recovery times
- Sessions include exercises such as tuck jumps, sit-ups, tricep dips and lunges.
- Classes are often available at gyms and are advertised as convenient and time efficient
This isn’t my first rodeo involving high-intensity exercise.
During Melbourne’s 6 lockdowns, I went through a YouTube dance HIIT phase. There, I squatted and jumped to songs by Hamilton and Disney, blindly following the instructions of a fitness YouTuber.
But this was my first live group class, and I wasn’t allowed to skip moves, work out as I liked, or log off early thinking I’d done enough enough.
This time, there is nowhere to hide.
My local gym already offers these types of classes, so I decided road testing the popular exercise format was a safe and convenient bet.
But first, I reached out to John Hawley, Director of the Mary McKillop Health Research Institute at The Catholic University of Australia, to ask what HIIT is.
“High-intensity training and interval training have been around for athletes for years, but have only recently become popular for general health.
The idea behind it is a “very short, high intensity burst” of exercise followed by a short rest.
For example, a 10 minute high intensity workout with 1 minute of recovery between each 20 minute set.
“Now, what is high intensity? Well, you can barely do it for a minute and then you have to stop,” Dr. Hawley said.
Exercises include tuck jumps, planks, jump squats, jumping jacks, situps, tricep dips, lunges, and more. All of these are aimed at getting your heart rate up to 80%.
Dr. Hawley told me that these exercises greatly increase the heart rate, thus providing cardiovascular benefits while also increasing the strength of the muscles used from tension and resistance.
“You’re doing really well for your spending,” he said.
“It adds a very powerful stimulus to rebuild the cardiovascular and muscular system.”
Additionally, various studies have associated HIIT with improved cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes, including improved fitness, weight loss, and improvements in blood pressure and inflammatory markers.
So I hit the gym in the late afternoon to see how I do short bursts of high intensity.
The class was divided into 3 sections with a drink break in between. Each section lasted about 15 minutes and was packed with 45 second exercises ranging from high knees and bum kicks to burpees, squat holds and planks.
I started off pretty confident, grabbing weights during lunges and jogging in place between exercises, and it didn’t take long for fatigue to set in. Drop the weights in about 20 minutes and I just tried to keep and push the pain away.
That said, 45 seconds never really felt longer than when doing gluteal holds and burpees interspersed with pushups.
I was dreading another round of squat holds when the instructor proclaimed “I did it!” Leading the room through a series of stretches before letting us go. These include runners his lunges, peck, hamstring, quadriceps stretches, and back-releasing child poses.
I was red in the face and sweaty, but satisfied with my effort. The hours flew by and I knew what Dr. Holly was talking about when he said it was an efficient form of exercise. .
So I took my trembling legs home, slowly descended the stairs on the way home, and hopped straight into a warm salt bath as a reward.
Dr. Hawley said non-professional athletes don’t need to focus as much on refueling, but enough food and plenty of water should do the trick.
Also, in addition to doing HIIT classes, I recommend combining them with other forms of training, such as endurance-type exercises such as swimming, running, and cycling. Always try to cool down to help.
For now, I’m going to focus on restorative sleep.
What is HIIT?
HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training, where participants perform short bursts of exercise at maximum effort with very short breaks in between. Traditionally about 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, but these timings vary and can be extended up to 1 minute. Or a little longer.
These explosive periods of exercise are done under anaerobic conditions, which basically means “no oxygen”. That means you can’t do it as long as cardio.
As a result, this type of exercise session usually lasts about 30 minutes.
This type of exercise burns glucose and builds up lactic acid.
How much does the class cost?
HIIT classes often cost between $150 and $200 combined with a gym membership or as part of a six or eight week pack.
Where can I do HIIT?
Gyms that offer HIIT classes are fairly common. Search HIIT to find a gym near you or find a class you love the look of.
Alternatively, your personal trainer may offer HIIT classes. Please check the website.
