12 Week HIIT Cardio Workout Plan12 Week HIIT Cardio Workout Plan
A few days ago I wrote a couple articles about getting the most out of your cardio training. If you haven’t read those yet, click on the links below:
What Form of Cardio is Best For You?
Increase Fat Loss With Metabolic Training
Due to the positive response to those articles, I’ve decided to share with you a 12 week High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Cardio Program.
It’s time to kiss your fat goodbye!
Once again, HIIT cardio is alternating between high intensity (all out effort) intervals followed by low intensity (active recovery – walking) intervals.
Recap: The “Pros” of HIIT cardio include:
1. More TOTAL calories burned due to the AFTERBURN (raising metabolism for an extended period of time after you workout)
2. Up to 9 times more fat loss vs. steady pace cardio
3. More improvements in aerobic and anaerobic health
Your 12 Week HIIT Cardio Program
Design:
This 12 week progressive program includes 3 cardio sessions per week, and is designed to prepare you to eventually complete SPRINT intervals. It may sound scary, but that’s why the first 4 weeks (12 sessions) are the progress stages. These first 4 weeks will prep you for the upcoming sprinting sessions. Every session is a progression.
Warm Up:
Begin each cardio session with a light warm up with some dynamic stretching (not static stretching) to get the body warmed up and the blood flowing. Dynamic stretching includes leg swings, jumping jacks, etc. If you want to do stretch and hold movements (static stretching) do this after your body is warmed up with jumping jacks, leg swings, etc.
Cool Down:
After you complete the cardio session, finish with a slow walk until your heart/breathing rate drops to normal levels.
Max Heart Rate Calculation:
Max Heart Rate (MHR) = (220-Age) * Given %
For example, if you are 30 years young, for the first session, you’d want to elevate your heart rate to 133 beats per minute [(220-90)*.7] and maintain that for the full 20 minute session.
Equipment:
To ensure you’re training in the intended heart rate zone, I highly recommend you invest in a heart monitor watch/strap. I purchased a middle-of-the-line Polar brand heart monitor for $150. You can buy them for as cheap as $75.
Week’s 1-4: complete sessions using any piece of cardio equipment, swimming, or jogging outside (just ensure you stay within the prescribed heart rate zones).
Week’s 5-12: Sprinting is best done outside, in a pool, on a field, or on a racing track. You can also do it at the gym on any piece of cardio equipment (just ensure you stay within the prescribed heart rate zones).
Work-Rest Intervals:
Once you reach the Sprinting stages, after a few weeks you may get bored with the 1:2 work-rest ratio (i.e. 20 sec sprint – 40 second active recovery). If so, feel free to change it to any of the following:
- Work-Rest Ratio: 1 / 0.5 (20 sec sprint, 10 second active recovery), repeat 8-10 times
- Work-Rest Ratio: 1 / 1 (20 sec sprint, 20 second active recovery), repeat 10-12 times
- Work-Rest Ratio: 1 / 3 (20 sec sprint, 60 second active recovery), repeat 12-15 times
12 Week HIIT Program:
Click here to download a printable version of the plan
Week 1:
Session #1: 20 minutes @ 70% MHR (Max Heart Rate)
Session #2: 25 minutes @ 70% MHR
Session #3: 30 minutes @ 70% MHR
Week 2:
Session #4: 20 minutes @ 75% MHR
Session #5: 25 minutes @ 75% MHR
Session #6: 30 minutes @ 75% MHR
Week 3:
Session #7: 20 minutes @ 80% MHR
Session #8: 25 minutes @ 80% MHR
Session #9: 30 minutes @ 80% MHR
Week #4
Session #10: 20 minutes @ 85% MHR
Session #11: 25 minutes @ 85% MHR
Session #12: 30 minutes @ 85% MHR
For the SPRINTING portion of the program, each interval is 1 minute. This 1 minute is comprised of 20 seconds of ALL OUT MAXIMAL EFFORT (SPRINT), followed by 40 sec of active recovery (walking).
Week #5
Session #13: 5 Sprints Intervals
Session #14: 5 Sprints Intervals
Session #15: 6 Sprints Intervals
Week #6
Session #16: 6 Sprints Intervals
Session #17: 7 Sprints Intervals
Session #18: 7 Sprints Intervals
Week #7
Session #19: 8 Sprints Intervals
Session #20: 8 Sprints Intervals
Session #21: 9 Sprints Intervals
Week #8
Session #22: 9 Sprints Intervals
Session #23: 10 Sprints Intervals
Session #24: 10 Sprints Intervals
Week #9
Session #25: 11 Sprints Intervals
Session #26: 11 Sprints Intervals
Session #27: 12 Sprints Intervals
Week #10
Session #28: 12 Sprints Intervals
Session #29: 13 Sprints Intervals
Session #30: 13 Sprints Intervals
Week #11
Session #31: 14 Sprints Intervals
Session #32: 14 Sprints Intervals
Session #33: 15 Sprints Intervals
Week #12
Session #34: 15 Sprints Intervals
Session #35: 15 Sprints Intervals
Session #36: 15 Sprints Intervals
As you can see, we stopped progression after 15 intervals. There is no need to increase it past 15 intervals.
Enjoy the FREE 12 Week Progressive HIIT Cardio Program and share your progress in the comment section.
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Wow, fantastic weblog format! How long have you ever been running a blog for? you made running a blog look easy. The full glance of your website is great, let alone the content material!
burnthefat recently posted..1
Thanks Brad. I totally read it wrong. Your explanation makes sense.
Glad to help
Brad Gouthro recently posted..Salmon Patties
Hello Brad,
I enjoy all the resources that you have on your website and also follow your tweets. Thanks for offering quality content.
I was reading through your HIIT program and I don’t understand something. If you start off doing 20sec sprints (.7) and 40 second rests for 20, then 25 and then 30 minutes you are doing 20, 25 and 30 sprints. Of course you are increasing intensity each week. But on week 5 you then start doing full sprints but only do 5 and progress to doing 15 tops. Is the intensity of the week 5 sprints that much greater? It seems like you are doing less because you are doing less reps of sprints. Could one keep doing the lesser sprints for 30 minutes and use that as a cardio session or must you progress to this ultimate sprint for the benefit?
Thanks,
Sabra
Thanks for the kind words Sabra. Week 1 is comprised of just 20 minutes (not seconds) of steady pace cardio at 70% of your MHR (no sprints). This means you select a speed that you can maintain 70% of your MHR for 20 straight minutes. Weeks 1-4 follow this steady pace style. It’s not until Week 5+ that you begin incorporating sprints as mentioned in the plan. Hope this answers your question. If not let me know.