HIIT: The Unbelievably Effective 15-Minute Cardio Workout

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is  perfect for anyone who wants a serious workout in less time. A HIIT workout alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or rest, working your body more efficiently to give you maximum results with less time at the gym.

HIIT is super-efficient, and the perfect fat-burning workout for anyone with weight loss goals and a busy schedule. We use this methodology at Koko FitClub to create a variety of powerful 15-minute treadmill  and elliptical cardio programs that provide twice the calorie burn of traditional cardio – no running required. (Try these free downloadable workouts I created to see how well it really works.)

Research continues to show that you can achieve better results in a mere 15 minutes of interval training (just 3-4 times a week) than if you jogged on a treadmill for an hour.  According to a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just 2 weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity as much as 6 to 8 weeks of endurance training.

HIIT works for just about anybody, regardless of ability, as you can adjust your workout intensity level from moderate to advanced. And, it can be performed on either a treadmill or an elliptical machine.

I’ve created a few 15-minute workouts that you can download for free to try HIIT for yourself. Put these MP3 files to your smartphone, jump on the treadmill or elliptical, hit “PLAY” and go! I’ll coach you all the way, make sure you’re keeping proper form, working hard, and having fun while burning fat.

• 15-Minute HIIT Elliptical Tabata Workout: According to Shape magazine, Tabata is the “closest thing we have to a fitness miracle.” The Tabata workout is loved by researchers and fitness pros alike for its unparalleled fat-torching abilities and simplicity.

• 15-Minute HIIT Treadmill Hiking Workout: Don’t just walk on the treadmill…HIKE! To make this HIIT workout  a true challenge without running, we turn up the incline. Feel like you’re actually on a power hike with your trainer on this fat-burning  hiking challenge.

Heading into the New Year, give HIIT cardio a shot. You may be surprised at the results, and it just might change the way you do cardio.

Michael Wood, CSCS, is Chief Fitness Officer at Koko FitClub.  A nationally acclaimed fitness expert, MIchael conducted research as a Senior Exercise Physiologist at the Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia Laboratory at the Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, and has lectured at Boston University and the University of Connecticut. He has been named Boston Magazine’s “Best of Boston” Personal Trainer, and made the Men’s Journal “Dream Team” list of the nine best trainers in the U.S.

———————————————

Want to see how HIIT works in the digital gym?
Download your free 1-day guest pass to Koko FitClub.