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Aug 23

The 5 Best HIIT Exercises of All Time – Men’s Journal

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High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is an insanely efficient way to build muscle, improve conditioning, and score a killer total-body workout in no time flat. And good news: You may already be doing some of the following movesthe five best HIIT exercises of all timeas part of your current training program.

Its just that youre probably not doing them the right way. What do we mean by that? Many HIIT newbies mistake the first I in HIIT with an E: endurance.They quickly do bodyweight moves until form falls apart, then rest for a few seconds before going back at itwith quickly deteriorating levels of intensity and technique.

Yes, exercising this way will burn calories, but it wont effectively build power, increase muscle, or work your body all that differently in the long run, explains Tony Gentilcore, C.S.C.S., strength coach and owner of CORE training studio outside Boston.

Compare that to true intensity, which isnt just about going hard. Its about going so hard that you tap into anaerobic metabolism and put your size-yielding, fast-twitch muscle fibers to good use.

Physiologically, neither has much staying power. (This is why exercise intensity always predicts duration.) After about 30 seconds, sometimes less, you hit fatigue and have to fully rest. That rest is what allows you to hit every interval with everything youve got. As a result, you get the most out of them and manage more results logging fewer minutes of actual work.

The quality of the motion and technique is more important than duration, says Gentilcore, who explains that when he programs HIIT workouts for his clients, he focuses on performing maximal efforts for as little as three to five reps.

Speaking of technique, its worth mentioning that the most intense exercises are also the most advanced. After all, to get the entire bodys musculature working and producing high power outputs, you have to coordinate an extensive array of movements and technical cues. You also have to move very challenging loads.

Both require a solid foundation of both strength and exercise form proficiency. For that reason, its important for HIIT beginners to progress to these moves by first honing their fundamental exercises, including deadlifts, squats, lunges, and overhead presses.

Ready to get going? To help you dial up the intensity of your workouts, here are five of the best HIIT exercises of all time. Consider adding one or more to your existing workouts, soon after your warmup and activation drills, or put them all together for a fierce total-body routine.

Why it works: This explosive exercise works the glutesyour bodys biggest muscle groupto their max while also engaging the lats, back, shoulders, and quads.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: At the top of the movement, the base of the kettlebell should face the wall in front of you. If the base of the kettlebell starts to raise or point toward the ceiling, go heavier!

Do 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps, resting 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Why it works: At some point, youve likely performed jump squats, which are great for training lower-body strength and powerwhile sending your heart rate through the roof. This version, performed with dumbbells or kettlebells, generates even higher outputs and empties the tank in shockingly few reps.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: Rather than descending right into the next rep, stand up, pause, take a breath, and reset for the next squat with a focus on rep quality.

Do 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps, resting 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Why it works:This total-body movement generates some of the highest levels of power output possible. Its foundational to the jerk, snatch, and any move that starts from a racked position.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: Grip strength is likely to be a limiting factor with dumbbells and kettlebells, meaning barbells will allow you to use higher weights and complete higher amounts of work with each rep.

Do 4 to 6 sets of 3 to 6 reps, resting 2 to 3 minutes between sets.

Why it works:A variation on the clean, this HIIT exercise involves even more total-body muscle by integrating an overhead pressing component.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: Your shoulder strength and mobility are limiting factors here. Only perform this exercise if you have healthy shoulders, and always use a lighter weight than you do with cleans.

Do 4 to 6 sets of 3 to 6 reps, resting 2 to 3 minutes between sets.

Why it works:This may look exclusively like an upper-body exerciseand make no mistake, your shoulders and triceps thank youbut it actually fries your glutes and core too.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: If youre really short on time, try performing a clean to push press. Just know that you can clean more weight than you can push press.

Do 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 8 reps, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

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The 5 Best HIIT Exercises of All Time - Men's Journal

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