HIIT training: seven minutes of exercises to do at home

Intense training with seven minutes of physical exercise is recommended by scientists and does not require equipment

Image: Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash

Do you know the importance of exercising regularly, but the strict routine doesn't allow it? A possible alternative is the HIIT training, an intense circuit of physical exercises that can be done with just the body weight and anywhere. In addition to being good for your health, this workout does not require gym equipment and even accessories such as dumbbells and ropes are left out. HIIT training is very practical: it is possible to do the exercises at home and with little space. All you need is a stopwatch and plenty of disposition.

What training is this?

HIIT training turned into a fever after the publication of an article in American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal, which showed 12 quick exercises using only body weight, a chair and a wall. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training, or high intensity interval training . According to its creators, Chris Jordan and Brett Klika, HIIT training has all the benefits of a series of physical exercises of normal duration, but it is performed in less time.

In the program done by Jordan and Klika, each type of exercise should last 30 seconds, with a recovery time of ten seconds between sets. However, recovery also occurs during exercise.

Like this? Well, the workout is designed so that there's an alternation between upper and lower body muscles, giving them time to rest while you exercise. This makes it important that the order of exercises is followed.

In addition to the model proposed by scientists, there are numerous variations of HIIT training available on the internet, with other types of exercise. The fundamental idea of HIIT training is to respect training periods and breaks. But don't be fooled: doing the complete sets in 7 minutes isn't easy at all, and yes, if you do everything right, you'll end your workout tired and sweaty.

Important Tips

Understanding some of the techniques and positions in physical exercises like these is important, as the exercise circuit is known to be uncomfortable. This fast and intense workout is not recommended for the elderly, obese, hypertensive or people with bad heart conditions.
To reach the seven-minute mark, many athletes try to exercise as quickly as possible. This is dangerous and can lead to injuries and fractures. Do the exercise on your own time, there will be no progress if you do it fast and wrong. No problem if you take a little longer!
Since the publication of the study, many have questioned whether exercise actually works or is it another legend about easy weight loss. Experts say that while the motto "any exercise is better than none" is somehow true, exercise alone will not transform your body. It will increase mobility and cardiovascular endurance, it can help with weight loss, but it is recommended that it be used as a complement to other training (because it is considered good for cardiopulmonary capacity, it can reduce the use of the treadmill, for example) or that it be done twice in a row. Also, for best results, it is important to maintain a frequency of training. You can start with three times a week and then build up.
Remember that before starting physical exercise, it is good to consult specialized doctors for a check-up and ask them to monitor your progress (especially if you are looking to lose weight, have health or heart problems).
Wear athletic clothing and comfortable shoes. HIIT is a quick workout, but very intense. Appropriate clothing will not only help you perform better, it will decrease your risk of injury.

HIIT training

Image: Coolmaterial.com

The HIIT training proposed by the scientists is composed of a sequence of 12 exercises of 30 seconds each and 11 pauses of 10 seconds each (the image above describes the sequence):

Exercise 1:

30 seconds of jumping jack
10 second pause

Exercise 2:

30 seconds of wall squat (click here to understand how to do it)
10 second pause

Exercise 3:

30 seconds of push-ups
10 second pause

Exercise 4:

30 seconds of sit-ups
10 second pause

Exercise 5:

30 seconds of step with a chair (get up and down from the chair, alternating the legs with which you give the push)
10 second pause

Exercise 6:

30 seconds of squat
10 second pause

Exercise 7:

30 seconds of chair triceps exercise (see here how to do it)
10 second pause

Exercise 8:

30 seconds of board exercise (see how to do it here)
10 second pause

Exercise 9:

30 seconds of running in place (alternately flex your arms and legs, as if you were running in place)
10 second pause

Exercise 10:

30 seconds of deep squat (see how to do it here)
10 second pause

Exercise 11:

30 seconds of flexion with lateral rotation (see here how to do it)
10 second pause

Execution 12:

Side plank exercise (see here how to do it)

The physical exercise routine became so famous that different apps were created to help users practice (and time) this intense workout, in addition to explanatory videos.

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