HIIT has taken the fitness industry by storm, but the lack of complete knowledge has forced people to commit many errors. Do you also feel tired or prone to injuries after this workout?
If yes, then level up your game. Here are common mistakes that HIIT enthusiasts make
Working out for too long
HIIT workout stands for being short and intense, but some of us take it as a regular cardio workout. HIIT workouts are tailored for four to six minutes of giving your 100%. Adding more time to the circuit never provides any benefit. Beginners often make the mistake of performing long HIIT sessions which leads to muscle breakdown.
HIIT was developed on the idea of burning fat and improving cardiovascular health in a very short workout session. If any routine demands you to perform for more than 10 minutes without increasing the intensity of the exercises then it’s not HIIT.
Skipping warm up
Warm up is an essential part of physical training but using HIIT as a warm-up is a blunder. A HIIT session puts huge pressure on your heart and muscles. Performing these rigorous workouts without warming up will only lead to an injury. As a primary rule, you should warm up for longer for shorter HIIT sessions. Warming up will allow our body to get ready to launch itself into one extreme circuit to another. Let the body move and sweat a bit as HIIT will never hold back in charging your heart rate to its maximum.
Ignoring the rest period
Rest periods are an integral part of a HIIT session as they not only prepare you for leveling up the intensity but also save you from an accident. Skipping a single rest period will mess your strength for the rest of the workout. Going hard is really good but behaving dumb and not recovering is a stupid decision.
So, in what ways can you recover? Well, there are a myriad of avenues which you can tap into. The most obvious one would be a good sleep. You should allow your body adequate time to rest. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to support muscle recovery and overall health. Then, engaging in low-intensity activities like walking, swimming, or cycling can increase the blood flow which helps to remove metabolic waste from your muscles.
And last but not least, getting a professional massage can help alleviate muscle tension, improve circulation, and promote relaxation. If you are gravitating towards this option, then there are spa centers and masseuses who can actively help you recover. Consider using the keywords “spa near me in in Port St. Lucie, FL” to find an appropriate service near you or you can look for a similar one in whichever location you are based at.
In any case, you will have more extensive recovery periods in extremely intensive HIIT sessions. As you get fitter, your recovery period will decrease, but save yourself from burning out in the beginning. The rest periods were not made to hold you back from reaching your best performance but to assist you in doing so.
Performing HIIT without a timetable
Just like every good thing in life, excess of HIIT will only cause harm. When executed without a regular timetable HIIT leads to exhaustion and injury. In the beginning, our body is not capable of handling too many HIIT sessions which not only makes it annoying but also kills our gains. Don’t hit too hard, too early as working out without a proper routine HIIT leads you nowhere.
Avoid sleepless nights and maintain a healthy diet to accompany HIIT. Remember, the idea is to improve and not to cause frequent delays in the form of injuries. At maximum, you should only perform HIIT up to 3 or 4 days a week. Being methodical becomes more critical if you are trying to build muscles too.
I advise on seeking professional help before starting a HIIT session as it can take a toll on your body. Work smart to avoid break downs from this unforgiving workout system.