Tools of choice!

I have decided to implement a little something  I call the tools of choice section. What I am going to do is just write down a thing I have used to help me every now and then and talk about it. For our first one I want to talk about HIIT. (Also known as High Intensity Interval training)

HIIT is doing a lot of hard work for a short period of time followed by a break then doing it all again. It can be on a treadmill where you would sprint then walk then sprint then walk then sprint then walk maybe for like 2 minutes then 1 minute and repeat that 5 times. Or it can be in a circuit situation with movement like push ups, burpess, sit ups, box jumps each for 30 seconds then a rest for 2 minutes then go again 4 times. I tried doing a circuit this week because I was bored at the gym with running on the treadmill and doing cardio that way.

My circuit I just made up myself not knowing what to do or how it would go. Here is what it ended up looking like:

1. 10 box jumps
2. 20 mountain climbers
3. 10 lunges
4. 10 frog jumps
5. 10 push ups
6. 20 second plank
7. rest for 2 minutes and repeat 4 times

So honestly that's a little bit of a lie. That was the dream. In reality I am not fit at all and not that strong so I managed to finish all of those exercises in the circuit 4 times but the break might have been 3 minutes a couple of times and there may have been a couple of big deep breaths in between some of them but I still made it and let me tell you now it is currently the next day and I am sore for sure! And it was really tiring yet it only went for 20 minutes all up.

HIIT is a method that is good for getting the heart rate up and keeping it high. It is apparently supposed to be good at getting your fitness level up quicker as you are elevating your heart rate then letting it drop then elevating it again over and over. Fitness after all is the hearts ability to pump blood efficiently and provide oxygen to muscles to keep working. Hence someone who is fit has a lower heart rate. The faster your heart rate can decrease the fitter you generally are. (All these claims I just made I have done some reading on line a little bit but don't trust me or anything you read on line do your own research!!!!)