A HIIT Routine

Whether you’re 20lbs overweight or 5lbs overweight, a HIIT workout routine can help you burn belly fat fast. Many trainers and body builders believe that it comprises the best cardio for weight loss. Yes, weight loss can be done by combining diet, steady state cardio and strength training, but HIIT will up your fat burning ability to the next level.

HIIT stands for high intensity interval training. The basic premise behind HIIT is that you work really hard for a short burst and then have an active recovery period. For instance, sprinting for 30 seconds then jogging or walking for 1 minute would be a standard rep set. You would repeat this process a number of times to get the best workout.

A HIIT workout offers myriad benefits. Your legs get a good workout with a HIIT workout. You may not even have to perform any other strength training for your legs, unless you want to develop larger leg muscles. And, of course, HIIT cranks up the fat burning potential of your body! Doing the intense intervals causes fatty acids to be released into the bloodstream. Additionally, HIIT results in increased HGH levels. HGH is a hormone that promotes fat burning yet preserves muscle. And if that wasn't enough to convince you, HIIT also puts the body into EPOC mode, which is a state where the body continues to burn calories at an accelerated rate even after the workout is over.

HIIT is not perfect in every way. For example, it is not meant to be done every day. It is easy to over train your body if you're doing strength training for your leg muscles in addition to HIIT. This can be a serious condition where the muscles become over tired and more prone to injury. To avoid this, it is best to vary your cardio routine from day to day.

You can vary some of the stages of your HIIT routine for a more effective workout. First - change the length of your sprint intervals. By working at high intensity for shorter intervals you will exert more effort during the high intensity parts of your workout. This increased exertion will help release more HGH into your system. Additionally, these shorter intervals will release more fatty acids into the bloodstream.

If the time of the high intensity intervals is lengthened, the body will exert more effort. These result in a greater number of calories burned. Longer, high intensity intervals also allow glycogen levels in the muscles to be depleted which causes the body to turn to stored fat for its energy supply.

You can also adjust the length of the recovery period. This is the lower exertion part, walking or jogging, of your workout that gives your muscles a moment to recoup. You spend a certain amount of recovery time relative to the amount of sprint time. If your sprint interval is 30 seconds and your recovery interval is also 30 seconds, you have a 1:1 ratio. If instead, you sprint interval is 15 seconds and your recovery interval is 45 seconds you have a 3:1 ratio.

When your recovery interval is longer, 2 or 3:1 for example, your high intensity interval can be more strenuous. The more exertion, the more HGH your body can release. And giving yourself a longer recovery interval will reduce the risk of over-training your muscles.

Using a shorter ratio of sprint to recovery results in glycogen depletion, lactic acid buildup and a more efficient after-burn effect or EPOC. But the risk of over-training is increased.

In my opinion, the best cardio for weight loss combines these HIIT workout routines resulting in a strong HGH release, release of fatty acids, glycogen depletion, and calorie burning. The first part of the workout is short interval HIIT with a long recovery ratio. A sprint of 15 seconds and then recovery period (walking or jogging) of 45 seconds is appropriate. This is the method that will release fatty acids and increase the level of HGH into your system. I do a 2 minute warm up, then perform this HIIT set 8 times, for a total of 10 minutes.

Add half an hour of steady cardio activity at a moderate pace. This provides an active recovery for your muscles. Additionally, steady state cardio helps burn the fatty acids that short interval HIIT released into the bloodstream.

End with long, high intensity intervals combined with shorter recovery periods. This will fully deplete your body of glycogen allowing for a greater after-burn effect and fat burning once your workout is complete. As a final phase, I perform a 1 minute sprint and a 1 minute jog. The sprint intervals for this portion are not as intense as the first phase, by necessity as your muscles will be slightly tired. It’s best to keep this final phase to around 10 minutes as well.

This gives you a complete 45 minute HIIT workout that provides the best cardio for weight loss. No matter how close or how far you are to your target weight, this routine will help you to burn more belly fat and reach your weight loss goals.