Blast through workout barriers by adding HIIT to your routine. An acronym for High Intensity Interval Training, HIIT is considered by many experts as one of the most effective types of workouts. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, HIIT may improve everything from aerobic fitness to blood pressure and cardiovascular health.

Benefits of HIIT Workouts

HIIT workouts are versatile and adaptable. In basic terms, HIIT involves alternating short bursts of intense activity with moderate exercise. Harvard reports HIIT as an effective form of exercise for most every age range from teen to senior citizen.

One of the top benefits of high-intensity interval training is that you can get a full-body workout combining cardio and resistance training in 30 minutes or less. Another advantage is the anti-aging effect — HIIT can even help keep you younger longer, says the Mayo Clinic. A well-documented study in Cell Metabolism revealed HIIT as an effective muscle-builder even in older adults, while touting its ability to increase protein synthesis.

Types of HIIT Workouts

One of the great things about HIIT is that it’s so versatile. There are many types of workouts you can do, which makes it easy to adapt this type of training to your fitness level and lifestyle. If you work out at the gym, the treadmills and exercise bikes are likely to have a HIIT preset to make things guess-proof.

Home workouts are also simple to put together. Start with a warm-up, such as a 20 minute walk. Then, you could do 30 seconds of crunches, push-ups, or high-knees as fast as you can, followed by 15 seconds of slow marching and 60 seconds of rest. The HIIT circuit can be repeated twice for an effective workout.