Lose Fat Faster: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – My Sprinting Routine

*** Click here for your printable 12 week HIIT Cardio Program ***

If you’re looking to really take your fat loss goals to the next level, I want you to start incorporating high intensity interval training (HIIT) into your weekly routine.

It may sound like a scary workout that beginners can’t do…BUT…in its most simplistic form, it’s just alternating between high intensity (all out effort) intervals followed by low intensity (active recovery – walking) intervals.

Regardless of your current fitness zone, YOU CAN DO HIIT training.

It doesn’t mean you need to be able to sprint all out. The goal is to find out what kind of training takes your heart rate (beats per minute) to your high interval zone.

This could simply be a fast walk on an incline for a short period of time. You can do that right? Of course you can…especially if you want to lose fat faster and work your heart out more efficiently.

HIIT Heart Rate Zone Formula

High intensity interval zone calculation:

(220 – Your Age) x 0.85

Low intensity interval zone (active rest) calculation:

(220 – Your Age) x 0.85

For example my training zones are calculated as follows:

My high intensity interval zone = (220 − 31) x 0.85 = 161 beats per minute (but I round up to 165)

My low intensity interval zone = (220 − 31) x 0.65 = 123 beats per minute (but I round up to 125)

It’s that simple to calculate.

How to structure your HIIT program:

You will complete 1 high intensity interval (between 30-60 seconds) followed by a low intensity interval/active rest (for as long as it takes for your heart to slow down and hit your low intensity interval zone.

Complete between 5-10 high and low intervals.

Here’s my HIIT workout from this morning:

Equipment: treadmill

Incline: 2.0 for warm up and all intervals

Interval duration: 1 minute high, followed by 1 minute low

High Interval speed: 10.0 mph

Low Interval speed: 4.0 mph

Warm up: 4 minutes at 4.0 mph

High #1: 1 minute at 10.0 mph: HR at end of interval: 146 bpm

Low #1: 1 minute at 4.0 mph: HR at end of interval: 126 bpm

High #2: 156 bpm

Low #2: 136 bpm

High #2: 157 bpm

Low #2: 137 bpm

High #3: 161 bpm

Low #3: 134 bpm

High #4: 159 bpm

Low #4: 135 bpm

High #5: 159 bpm

Low #5: 139 bpm

High #6: 159 bpm

Low #6: 139 bpm

High #7: 153 bpm

Low #7: 140 bpm

High #8: 157 bpm

Low #8: 141 bpm

High #9: 162 bpm

Low #9: 139 bpm

High #10: 157 bpm

Low #10: 137 bpm

Cool down: 4 minutes at 4.0 mph (HR finished at 117 bpm)

Note: I should have up’d the intensity via speed or incline so I could elevate my HR a little bit more to 165. I also should have allowed a little more time for active recovery to allow my HR to drop to 125 before going back into a high intensity sprint.

The Results?

Note: this total HIIT program lasts for only 28 minutes (which includes the 4 min warmup and 4 min cool down…so really only 20 minutes).

My HR Monitor shows 42 mins but this included my 15 minutes of core work afterwards. Essentially my 28 minute HIIT workout burned over 300 calories.

Not bad, but not a lot either…BUT…looks can be deceiving. The real key is the “after burn effect“.

After Burn Effect of HIIT

When you do HIIT workouts, your body will be burning MORE calories hours after you leave the gym! Don’t forget that!

Here’s A Video Of Me Doing An Outdoor HIIT Sprint Workout Program:

Hope you enjoyed this HIIT Sprinting Workout Video and my HIIT cardio program

Be sure to comment below if you liked this HIIT Workout and share it with your friends via the social media icons.

Check out another one of my fat burning Jump Rope Tabata workouts.