HIIT Strength-Training and Cardio
It’s a question we get all the time: how do you break through a workout plateau?
We hear it a lot because highs and lows are a given in fitness. It’s no biggie—we all deal with it from time to time. But what do you do if you can’t seem to find a real “no plateau” workout? Giving up isn’t an option. We know you can push forward—but you’ll need to be savvy about it. If you want an effective way to beat that cardio and strength-training plateau, we recommend the proven workout that’s blowin’ up worldwide: high-intensity interval training (HIIT). It’s a gut-busting workout that gives you advanced results with the most basic moves and in half the time of many popular workouts. Best of all, HIIT will help you burn off some serious pounds and push yourself into sweat victory!
Avoiding the Workout Plateau: Variety Is the Spice of Life
Our bodies are incredible machines that can adapt to any situation. Awesome, right? Unfortunately, that adaption can also impede our gains, no matter how hard we work. First off, our body compensates by burning less fat in the days between workouts. Secondly, our muscles gradually adapt to stress and resistance, making it harder and harder for us to see results, hence: a strength training plateau.
The best way to combat that equilibrium? An intense training program that’ll break through your routine and shake things up a bit. So, instead of thinking, “resistance (training) is futile,” we need to find a way to keep our metabolism on its toes!
What in Heaven’s Name Is HIIT?
High-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, is an intense workout technique that allows you to burn fat like never before. It consists of multiple rounds of brief, but challenging exercises where you give everything you’ve got. Then, you follow each workout with a short cool-down period. When done right, a HIIT workout plan will keep your heart pumpin’, fat burnin’, and boost aerobic and anaerobic endurance.
Crush Your Workout Plateau with an Advanced HIIT Workout
So, how exactly do you break through a workout plateau? Well, one the awesome things about High Intensity Interval Training is that you don’t need any equipment. That’s why an advanced HIIT workout plan is so awesome; the only thing you need to bring is your body, a good attitude, and the drive to go all-out.
Want to see what your routine might look like? We’ve got 2 examples of different HIIT workout plans below:
The 4×4 Workout
In a 4×4 workout, you perform four bouts of intense exercise clocking out at around 4 minutes long. For example, one round consists of four minutes of sprinting, then a relaxed, three-minute period of walking. You repeat each round four times, and you’re done!
The Countdown
With this HIIT workout, you perform 4 circuits of 5 exercises with a decreasing amount of reps:
- 50 mountain climbers
- 40 jumping squats
- 30 push-ups
- 20 split jumps
- 10 tricep dips
- 5 burpees
In between each circuit, you rest for 30 seconds!
Online Options
There are also tons of great HIIT workouts on Studio SWEAT onDemand from Spinning HIIT Workouts, to Bootcamp HIIT Workouts & more!
And More!
Break-through with a HIIT Workout
We know that you’re thinking: “these workouts are great and all, but how are they going to help break a workout plateau?” Well, HIIT works by incorporating both your anaerobic and aerobic metabolism. Essentially, you use up more oxygen than your body can efficiently provide, and it responds by burning a lot of fat way past your workout session. That means that you’re building strength and losing weight on rest days. Slump, over!
The results speak for themselves: high-intensity interval training is so effective that certainsome studies that show that a 30-minute HIIT session can in some cases burns more calories than an hour on the treadmill.
Ready to take on that plateau? Create the perfect HIIT workout plan with Studio SWEAT onDemand’s hundreds of online fitness classes, featuring Spin, TRX, Pilates, Yoga, Kettlebell, Sculpting, and more. Sign up for our 7-Day Free Trial now, and HIIT it with your best shot!
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