Is HIIT for me?

High intensity interval training, also known as HIIT is a very popular form of exercise right now. It has been trending for a few years and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. That’s because when programmed safely, it’s a very effective form of exercise and doesn’t require hours in the gym.

Anyone can incorporate HIIT into their exercise routine, even beginners just starting out. However, HIIT often gets confused with High Impact exercises like jumping, which many people either aren’t ready for yet or are intimidated by. There are some important considerations when planning this type of programming into your routine. If you aren’t ready for high impact exercises yet, you do have options that are high intensity, but offer your joints a low impact form of stress.

What do I mean by not being ready? Well, if you don’t have the core strength or basic fitness capacity for high intensity exercises, then you run a higher risk of injuring yourself doing high impact exercises. If you have any specific weakness or particular imbalance within your movement patterns, you may not be ready for high impact exercise. Check out this short video on tendons and ligaments and how they take a longer time to adapt to the stress of exercise…as well as a longer time to recover if they do become injured.

This isn’t to steer you away from HIIT at all. It’s a great form of exercise anyone can incorporate as long as you are smart about it. Progress safely from low impact exercises to higher impact exercises to train hard, but train smart. Watch the video below for some examples of high intensity, low impact exercises that you can try at home. If you have questions on any of this don’t hesitate to reach out to us by emailing [email protected].