Unique Original Articles » HIIT Cardio Medley Workout

In today's health and fitness world, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a very popular cardio method. I recently performed a cardio medley routine that utilized HIIT principles and mutliple machines.

HIIT Explained

HIIT is an exercise strategy that involves short training sessions that involve intervals that are done at a certain ratio. The original protocol called for a 2:1 ratio for recovery and work periods. As an example, a HIIT workout would involve 30 seconds of hard sprinting and 1 minute of walking (recovery).

HIIT generally involves a warm up period followed by 6 to 10 time intervals followed by a recovery period. The work intervals should be done at or near optimum intensity. The recovery period should be roughly 50% of the work interval.

Why HIIT Works

There have been lots of studies on this HIIT protocol. One particular study by Gibala found that 2.5 hours of HIIT was equal to 10.5 hours of endurance training. A study by King shows that HIIT boosts resting metabolic rate (RMR) and may boost maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 Max) more efficiently than doing only traditional, long aerobic workouts. This all means that HIIT should burn fat even after the workout is complete. Yes, long steady state cardio will burn more total calories, but HIIT will burn more fat in the long run.

Cardio Medley Workout

As mentioned previously, I recently did a cardio medley workout. My purpose was to find a HIIT workout that could be done on the step mill. The workout itself was great. It involved a warm up, a cool down and 3 levels of intensity (moderate, somewhat hard, and hard). The workout lasted 46 minutes in length. Here is the workout itself:

Time Machine Intensity Exertion
5 minutes Treadmill Warm up 4-5
2 minutes Treadmill Hard 8-9
4 minutes Step Mill Somewhat Hard 7-8
6 minutes Elliptical Moderate 5-6
2 minutes Step Mill Somewhat Hard 7-8
4 minutes Elliptical Somewhat Hard 7-8
6 minutes Treadmill Moderate 5-6
2 minutes Elliptical Hard 8-9
4 minutes Treadmill Somewhat Hard 7-8
6 minutes Step Mill Moderate 5-6
5 minutes Any Machine Cool down 3-4
*Perceived Exertion is a 1-10 scale

This was a great 46 minute workout that I would suggest you try. It gives you variety (different machines) as well as varied intensity throughout. Pay attention to the perceived exertion level because it is where you are going to really have a profound effect on your workout.
Michael Mahony http://fitnessexpose.com
Mike is a passionate body builder who is always looking for ways to do things better. He also has a passion for correcting the misinformation that is prevalent in the fitness industry today. Mike is currently working on his first eBook, Get Back to Lifting, which is scheduled to be released at the end of December 2011.
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