By now, you’ve probably heard of high-intensity interval training, or HIIT workouts. Perhaps you already include them into your fitness regimen. It consists of alternating high-intensity exercises and low-intensity recovery. Not only is HIIT a great way to spike your metabolic health, increase your VO2 max level, and incinerate fat, but it also can help to jumpstart your gains — all in a short amount of time. However, if you’re new to HIIT, or if you learned bad habits, then you might actually be undermining your efforts and negating your result with the wrong approach or exercise.
You already know that Big Daddy’s Nutrition is the top-rated supplier of everything from vitamins and minerals to weight loss supplements and wellness supplies in Chester County, PA. But we also want you to have the right information when you HIIT the gym to ensure you’re getting the most out of your workouts. Let’s take a look at some of the most common HIIT mistakes and how to avoid them.
Not Pushing Hard Enough
Because they include high-intensity exercises, HIIT workouts need to be fairly grueling. However, it’s common for people to tend to under exert themselves, leading to diminished gains. In fact, it’s recommended that you push at 80% to 90% of your max heart rate. If you’re not using a heart rate monitor, then think about it this way — for HIIT exercises to be effective, you should be out of breath and your muscles should definitely be burning during the “work” interval of your workout.
Ignoring Rest Times
Another common HIIT mistake is not giving yourself enough recovery time in between intervals. Without appropriate rest time, you won’t be able to put enough intensity into the next work interval, leading to reduced energy over the duration of the training session. Remember, you want your heart rate to drop to under 130 BPM before you start your next round of exercise.
Not Warming Up
Clearly, HIIT workouts are extremely physically demanding, and they require a proper warmup before attempting to perform them. This is especially true if you’ve just woken up or have been sitting at the office all day. Make sure you warm up thoroughly with some dynamic functional movements to get your neuromuscular connections firing to avoid potential injuries or other issues.
Not Practicing Proper Form
It’s critical to perform HIIT workouts that you can do with the proper amount of speed and form. As your progress through your exercises, your motor skills will begin to decrease and your stress levels will rise, so it’s best to practice less complex moves so you can maintain the proper form and reduce the likelihood of an injury.
HIIT workouts are an essential part of any fitness routine and workout regimen. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can burn more fat and add energy, intensity, and strength to your routine. For more information on HIIT workouts or to order sports performance supplements in Chester County, PA from Big Daddy’s Nutrition, call us today at 484-552-2762 today.
