HIIT workouts are all the rave right now. Many celebrities have endorsed this workout and there are different variations but true HIIT workouts are really intense! Some celebrities have released DVDs and online courses whereby you do 40 seconds of cardio based exercises then a 20 second rest then 40 seconds again. This is complete nonsense and it shouldn’t be classed as HIIT, but why?

Well it’s true HIIT is all about getting your heart rate up and down, but it’s also about putting 100% into every workout. If you’re doing mountain climbers for 40 seconds and only resting for 20 you’re not doing it right. Your body doesn’t get chance to recover, so when you start the next interval you’ll be going at 50-60% max! We recommend 20 seconds of 100% then a 2-minute rest so your body can recover in time. It also allows your heart rate to come back down, and then go again. Do this 5 times and you’ll see a big difference going forward.