Wednesday, October 8, 2014

3 mile HIIT Run

I'll be completely honest with you: HIIT cardio is not my favorite. But I'm learning to enjoy it and I've come to the point where I do like my HIIT workouts.

It wasn't easy and the best way I could think to do it? Add in something I genuinely do love. I found that combining my love of running with HIIT cardio resulted in a workout that I actually do enjoy.

So you can do this workout one of two ways: outside or on the treadmill. My personal preference is to do it outside so make sure you have a 3 mile loop ready. If you decide to do it on the treadmill then go for 30 minutes, that usually covers about 3 miles. However, I highly recommend running outside if you can. Get some fresh air, grab a buddy, and enjoy the sunshine! Running outside always makes me much happier than inside on the dreadmill.

This is split into 3 phases where it's designed to keep your heart rate all over the charts. That's the whole point of HIIT and the main reason in my opinion that makes it so easy to hate ha! One minute you're happily walking and then the next you have to sprint your little heart out. But at the same time it's very effective!

Repeat this for as many rounds as it takes to get to 3 miles OR 30 minutes on the treadmill:
1 minute brisk walking (4.0 mph)
2 minutes moderate jogging (6.5-7.0 mph)
1 minute hard sprinting (9.0-9.5 mph)

Usually this takes me about 7 rounds (to 28 minutes) and then the last 2 minutes I do a moderate jog to get me home and to keep my heart rate up. If you're doing this outside and can't follow the mph on the treadmill, make sure you don't cheat yourself! Just because your pace isn't being controlled by the machine, be careful not to lag or start giving up. I won't lie to you it's hard but you can do it!

Again, please note I'm not a professional and I'm not saying you have to stick to those exact mileages if you're on the treadmill. Those are just guidelines and mileages that I've found I'm capable of doing but remember we all start somewhere! So if you want to go faster or slower simply tailor it to your abilities but again make sure you're still working hard :)

What's your favorite HIIT workout?

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