Try HIIT For Yourself

Cycling on an exercise bike is recommended as the best form of HIIT as it uses major muscles groups and is kind to the joints. Warm up for two minutes, then cycle for all your worth for 20-30 seconds and then rest or reduce intensity for one minute.  Repeated three times, this adds up to one minute of intense exercise. Repeated three times a week, this exercise routine will take just three minutes of exercise a day.

Many different variations of the same principle can be found. In the study of overweight women we already mentioned, the participates alternated bouts of intense cycling lasting just 8 seconds with lower intensity pedaling for 12 seconds. These were alternated up to a maximum of 20 minutes and three of these sessions were carried out per week.

Rapid performance benefits

Athletes have practiced HIIT for a long time as a means of rapidly enhancing performance. 

In the studies the degree of resistance to pedaling was gradually increased, as performance improved, but it is not clear if this is needed to achieve and maintain health benefits or just desirable.

What are the downsides to HIIT?

Although the rapid improvements in exercise performance in HIITs studies will have been accompanied by an increase in muscle strength and tone, these exercise routines are not intended to build muscle. So if bulging biceps or pecs are your goal, it might be back to the gym for you. HIIT can still help you, but it shouldn't form the core of your fitness routine.

He has now made a complete recovery but found out that he had suffered two warning attacks prior to the one that put him in hospital.  He was unaware of these previous attacks, which are known as transient ischemic attacks (also known as a TIA or mini stroke), caused by interruption of blood flow to the brain.

Precautions to take before you try HIIT for the first time

See your doctor first before trying HIIT, especially if you have high blood pressure or have not had your blood pressure checked recently. This is an important step to take because high blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke and there have been cases of people suffering a burst blood vessel during vigorous exercise. (Stroke, which is a lack of blood to the brain can be caused by a blockage - or a bleed - into the brain).

Do warm up before you practice HIIT, to ensure you don’t damage your muscles as you exercise and your routine unfolds safely.

See your doctor if you experience any adverse symptoms during the high-intensity exercise or feel at all unwell afterwards, and stop exercising when you feel unwell.