Benefits of HIIT and a Workout To Try At Home | Intersport Elverys

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Looking to learn more on HIIT and find a workout for you? We asked PT and footballer Aishling Sheridan to share her knowledge on HIIT(High Intensity Interval Training) and come up with a workout to help with your training. This is a great workout that anyone can do at home or wherever you have space but is also designed to help with speed and power. Read below to see what Aishling has put together.

HIIT (High intensity interval training) is a style of training which involves intense bursts of exercises(10-60 seconds) and quick recovery which can be completed in a short space of time . HIIT has many benefits including improving cardiovascular fitness, decreasing your heart rate , burning a lot of calories in a short space of time and doesn’t require a lot of equipment. It’s a great way to work up a sweat and not spend too much time working out.

With HIIT it’s important you have the correct footwear as there can be a lot of jumping and vast amount of movements (forward, backward, lateral as well as up and down).  Cushioning on your feet will be extremely important while also adding stability and breathable material (it can get sweaty) . My choice of footwear would have to be the Nike Air Zoom SuperRep runners . These runners are designed for circuit training, HIIT, short runs and other fast-paced exercise so it really hits the nail on the head . It has a wide base with cushioning around the forefoot and also a supportive heel to keep you moving and lifting comfortably.

Below is a HIIT workout for you to try especially if you play sport. For me having a lot of training I sometimes like to look for something quick but meaningful for my training. With football I’m always aiming to improve so I ensure my training outside football reflects this.

I’ve included plyometric & sport specific movements in this workout for anyone who wants to increase their speed and power.
Plyometrics is a type of training which uses speed and force to build muscle power and really should be included in every sport program. It essentially targets those muscles to hit maximum force in a short intervals of time.

This workout will be very beneficial, especially for those who feel unmotivated in the evenings or just want to get something done quick.

The HIIT Workout

30 seconds ON 10 seconds OFF x 5 rounds

Do each exercise 5 times with 30 seconds work and 10 seconds break in between – That’s 1 round.

After each round; Take 60 seconds – 2 minutes rest between 

1. Plyo Push up
2. Sit up with twist
3. Broad jump with monster walk back
4. Step up knee drive
5. Bear crawls
6. Dead bug
7. Squat jumps

Please make sure you get a good warm up and stretch before hand.

1. Plyo Push up

Push ups are a great exercise for targeting upper body strength and power . Adding in a plyometric movement to it activates the fast twitch muscle fibres, recruits more muscle fibres and improves our overall strength and power.

2. Sit up with twist

Sits ups are a brilliant exercise to improve overall core strength and mainly our rectus abdominis . By adding in the rotation at the top, it adds additional oblique work which will help support your core and lower back.

3. Broad jump with monster walk back

Broad jumps are another plyometric exercise which are brilliant for building leg strength and explosive power. With every leap you can create maximal force which will benefit your sprinting and jumping performance

4. Step up knee drive

This is a lower body exercise which targets all main muscle groups in your lower half . By driving the knee upwards this works on hip extension. This exercise is brilliant for improving your mobility and stability (balancing on one leg) which also can be made harder by adding weight in.

5. Bear crawls

This is a total body movement which improves strength , co ordination, stability and overall trunk development. It engages nearly every muscle group in the body making it a brilliant compound exercise which doesn’t require weight .

6. Dead bug

This is probably one of my favourite core exercises . It improves contralateral Limb engagement (moving opposing limbs in tandem) but also strengthens your core and keeps your lower back protected.

7. Squat jumps

This is another great plyometric exercise which improves your explosive power and agility. This will allow you to move faster and quicker especially for anyone who plays sport . It works your lower body muscles and core and does not require any special equipment.

You can check out more incredible workouts from Ashling Sheridan on her page as_athletic_therapy.