Gold's Gym Saipan

Pain and Gain, Quickly: 5 HIIT Workouts

It’s fast. It’s furious. It’s effective. It’s High-Intensity Interval Training, your new favorite gym workout.

“But I don’t have time to work out.” Admit it, those words have passed your lips or the thought has crossed your mind, right? It’s okay. We all have been there. The good news? High-intensity interval training. HIIT, as the experts call it, is all about getting maximum results in minimum time. We’re talking fat-burning, muscle-building, lung-busting 10- to 25-minute workouts that experts agree can be more effective than your traditional hour-long cardio or weight-lifting session.

The evidence is in the results. Multiple studies at the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University have found that HIIT is a better fat-burning workout than conventional aerobics. A 2011 study also found that HIIT lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes while yet another study observed that it increases energy and oxygen production.

HIIT can also kick-start your slacking workout routine. In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, examiners observed and measured the benefits of HIIT on healthy but sedentary middle-aged adults and reported that even low-volume workouts reduced the risk of inactivity disorders. Translation: HIIT works quickly and effectively.

We asked Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute specialist Robert Reames to share five HIIT workouts with us.

Mix and match them three or four times a week, aiming for 60 to 75 minutes of total activity in a week—and you’ll be shocked at how quickly you start seeing results.

STRENGTH AND CIRCUIT TRAINING WORKOUTS

THE 9-MINUTE WORKOUT EXPRESS UPPER BODY

Reames likes this workout because it incorporates relatively light resistance levels with fast transitions to “push and pull” multi-joint, large muscle group, upper-body movements. These allow you to maximize tone and conditioning. Get in, get it done, and go on with your busy day!

1) Light stationary jog for 1 minute (Zone 1)

2) 10-second transition

3) Light stationary jog for 1 minute (Zone 2)

4) Push-ups for 30 seconds

5) 10-second transition

6) Squats for 30 seconds

7) 10-second transition

Repeat steps 3 to 6 (3 times)

8) Light jog for 2 minutes while rolling shoulders and shaking out arms (Zone 1)

SLIMTONE 15-MINUTE TOTAL BODY

This one is a short but intense and highly effective approach to circuit training, according to Reames. It focuses on large muscle groups, toning them to perfection while keeping the heart rate high to improve your aerobic fitness.

1) Light stationary jog for 2 minutes (Zone 1)

2) 10-second transition

3) Light stationary jog for 2 minutes (Zone 2)

4) Chest press for 30 seconds

Lie on your back on a bench with your elbows bent at 90 degrees, a dumbbell in each hand, facing the ceiling. Push up until your arms are straight. Control the weights, then lower them until your arms are at 90 degrees again.

5) 10-second transition

6) Lat pull-down machine for 30 seconds (should do minimum of 10 reps; max of 20 reps)

Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, arms straight up and palms facing forward. Pull the bar down to your chest, elbows out. Return slowly to starting position, arms straight.

7) 10-second transition

8) Leg press machine for 30 seconds (should do minimum of 10 reps; max of 20 reps)

Sit on a leg press machine with feet hip-width apart. Set the weight on a challenging yet doable resistance. Bend your
knees 90 degrees, keeping your feet flat against the foot plate. Extend your legs until they are straight but not locked. Slowly return to starting position.

9) 10-second transition

Repeat steps 3 to 8 (3 times)

10) Light stationary jog for 3 minutes while rolling shoulders and shaking out arms

SUPER SLIMTONE 24-MINUTE TOTAL BODY

The advantages of this workout make up for the extra time commitment. “You’ll reap the benefits of this approach not only during your workout but also as you go through your busy day,” Reames says.

1) Light stationary jog for 2 minutes (Zone 1)

2) 10-second transition

3) Light stationary jog for 2 minutes (Zone 2)

4) Push-ups for 30 seconds

5) 10-second transition

6) Front row for 30 seconds

Stand with dumbbell in each hand and your knuckles facing out. Pull the dumbbells up to your chin by raising your elbows to shoulder height. Return to your starting position.

7) 10-second transition

8) Squats for 30 seconds

9) 10-second transition

Repeat steps 3 to 8 (7 times), taking a 1-minute rest period between sets 4 and 5.

10) Light stationary jog for 3 minutes while rolling shoulders and shaking out arms (Zone 1)

CARDIO WORKOUTS

THE 9-MINUTE WORKOUT EXPRESS CARDIO ROWER

(Note: This workout can also be done on a stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical trainer or step unit.)
Really short on time? Then this is the workout for you! “With the 9-Minute Workout Express Cardio Rower, you have the opportunity for a fast-action, heart-pumping workout that is time efficient and will challenge you during the workout while delivering benefits afterward as well,” Reames says.

1) Warm up for 1 minute (Zone 1) 

2) Warm up for 2 minutes (Zone 2)

3) High intensity 3-minute blast (Zone 5)

4) Cool down for 2 minutes (Zone 2)

5) Cool down for 1 minute (Zone 1)

14-MINUTE “MINUTE-BY-MINUTE” BIKE

(Note: This workout can also be done on a treadmill, elliptical trainer, step unit or rowing machine.)

This is a super-intense cardio blast. “It provides the highest ‘acute’ calorie burn factor of any of the five workouts, along with the metabolic benefits once you finish,” Reames explains.

1) Warm up for 2 minutes (Zone 1)

2) High-intensity 1-minute blast (Zone 5) 

3) 90-second rest interval (Zone 2)

Repeat steps 2 and 3 (4 times)

4) Cool down for 2 minutes (Zone 1)