HILIT: Want to do high intensity workouts but can't do the impact?

High Intensity Low Impact Training (HILIT) is a style of high-intensity interval training that is focused on getting a person to muscle fatigue and/or target heart rate. HILIT is a just a specific approach to HIIT that reduces the amount of impact involved on the joints during the workout . A traditional high intensity style workout normally includes plyometric moves, which means the feet leave the floor. People who have previous or recent joint injuries, back or joint pain or bone infusions may have trouble doing plyometric exercises without pain, discomfort or even risk of injury. HILIT gives you the benefits of the HIIT, but takes out the impact movements, making them safer for most people.  

HILIT workouts traditionally have you perform an exercise as hard (or fast in the case of cardio moves) as you can for 20-30 seconds, then take a 10-15 second break in between sets. For strength training, this should get you close to muscle failure. With cardio, by the last set, you should be near your target heart rate. 

The benefits of using the HILIT methods is that it gets you close to muscle failure and target heart rate in a shorter amount of time. This is the most time and energy efficient way to workout. Sure, you can reach muscle failure by doing 100 bicep curls with light weights. You can also reach your target heart rate by running for an hour. But as the saying goes "Aint nobody got time for that!" The best benefit to a HILIT style workout is that because it is so efficient, you only need to workout for 20-30 minutes to get the same if not better benefts than a steady state hour long workout (or more). 

Research also shows that HILIT type training has many more benefits than traditional slower to moderate paced exercise. HILIT has been shown to stimulate a significantly higher, total workout calorie burn and EPOC (post workout afterburn) compared to continuous steady pace training. There is also a significantly better increase VO2 max, strengthening cardiovascular output as well as size and number of mitochondria, increasing energy production.

Here is an example of a mixed cardio and body weight strength HILIT Circuit. Remember to work as hard and as fast as you can during the 20 second work period (staying safe with your form). 

High knee march in place 20 seconds, 10-second break for 8 sets. 

Push-ups  20 seconds, 10-second break for 8 sets. 

Lateral shuffle touch  20 seconds, 10-second break for 8 sets. 

Tricep Dips  20 seconds, 10-second break for 8 sets.  

Sumo Squat no jump Burpee (see video clip)  20 seconds, 10-second break for 8 sets. 

Frog Pushups (see video clip) 20 seconds, 10-second break for 8 sets. 

The above is a 24-minute workout. Short, sweet and super efficient. 

Every Fire Team Whiskey® Fitness Caliber Program has a no impact version. So if you have any need to do the no impact version of the Fire Team Whiskey HIIT Workouts, we got you covered with the HILIT version! 

Happy Sweating! 

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