How Often Should I Do HIIT?

A question commonly asked at Revive is how often should I come?  When it comes to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) training, it's definitely no walk in the park.  This means we recommend spending 15 minutes or more in your yellow or red heart rate zones to reach a state of EPOC where you're burning extra calories after the classes is finished. Many other factors come into play such as your nutrition, sleep/rest, hydration and overall stress levels.  Even to our most faithful Reviver's, we recommend 1-2 days off per week so that your body can regenerate and get stronger.  On that note, we designed our classes to be low impact so that you can maximize your fitness, look your best, while lessening the risk of injury.  

 

Here is a summary of training outcomes in relation to workout frequency (per week):

1-2 classes:  Improved health and weight maintainence

3-4 classes:  Improved performance/fitness and weight loss

4-6 classes:  Peak performance

***For those doing 4+ classes/week, we recommend a time frame of 4-6 weeks of that frequency with a week of active rest after.

 

Other Factors to consider:

Rest/Sleep:  The more consistent(average 8 hours) and deeper your sleep, the faster your recover.  During sleep/rest is when muscles repair and you actually get stronger - without sufficient rest, over training is more likely to occur.

Nutrition:  You have to fuel your body properly not only to meet your fitness goals but to aid in the post workout recovery process.

Hydration:  Water is the foundation of our bodies.  Aim for at least 2 liters/day and 2.5 liters or more on days you train.

Stress:  Exercise is considered an eustress(good stress), however when too much exercise is combined with negative stress ie. emotional, it can have a negative effect on your metabolism and hormones.