If you’re looking for an intense High-Intensity Interval Workout to lose fat faster, then you’re going to want to read this article.
Look, we all know that we have to train hard to get the look we want.
Personally, I want to look like Brad Pitt from Troy.
That’s an incredible physique.
Lean, yet, strong and powerful.
I can almost guarantee he did some form of interval training to get that lean.
Today, I want to show you one of the toughest, high-intensity workout routines that I’ve tried.
The key word is “tried.”
Meaning, I couldn’t finish the workout when I first tried it many years ago.
What is High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
The simplest way of defining HIIT is to think of Sprints.
Sprints consist of:
- Running as fast as you can for 30 seconds, for example. This would be the “High-Intensity” part.
- Then you stop and rest for 1 minute, for example. This would be the “Low-Intensity” part.
- Then you keep repeating the two steps above for however long. “This would be the “Interval” part.
It’s pretty straight forward.
And there are many different variations of HIIT.
This one I’m about show you is very simple.
Sprint up some stairs. Walk back down. Rest. Repeat.
HIIT is an incredible form of cardio that gets you in shape fast.
The Pros of HIIT:
- Burns a lot of calories in a short amount of time
- Burns the least amount of muscle than any other form of cardio besides walking.
- Can be performed anywhere with no equipment required.
As with Anything, However, There are Some Cons to HIIT:
- It’s hard
- Can cause over-training if done too often and for too long
One form of cardio I like better than HIIT is walking only because there are no real cons to walking other than the amount of time it takes, which you can read about here.
I would put HIIT, however, over steady state cardio (not to be confused with low-intensity steady state or LISS), on an elliptical, for example.
I would argue that most of you don’t want to spend the majority of your time on the elliptical and would rather get your cardio done over with.
I remember a quote that I saw about comparing HIIT to traditional, steady state cardio:
“I’d rather punch myself in the crotch than spend two hours on a treadmill.”
Lol.
If you haven’t tried HIIT before, then you can definitely break through some weight loss plateaus and even speed up your fat loss journey.
Just be careful of the hurt box, cause you’re going to be in it after you try this workout.
Stairway To Hell?
This workout can be done on a Stairmaster at your local gym.
However, I recommend doing it at your local high school stadium or anywhere you can find a long set of stairs.
Whichever you choose, the session will be very similar, in structure, to sprinting.
If Done In a Gym:
If on the StairMaster, choose a speed that will make you go fast.
For example, the StairMaster at my local gym has levels 1–20 for speed.
Choose a speed from 10–20 as your high-intensity interval, and speed from 1–3 as your low-intensity interval.
Note: These levels should be dependent on many other factors that are beyond the scope of this article, but this should be a good starting point for now.
Go hard on your high-intensity interval for one minute, then switch to your low-intensity interval for one minute.
Repeat this for 20–30 minutes.
If Done Outside:
If done on stairs outside, run up to the top of the stairs as fast as possible until you reach the top.
If the stairs go on forever, do it for one minute. That will be your high-intensity interval.
Walk back down to the starting position or rest for 1 minute. That will be your low-intensity interval.
If you still need to rest by the time you walk back down, please do so.
Repeat this until for 20–30 minutes.
Remember, if you need more time to rest, feel free. Just aim to shorten the rest intervals to one minute over time.
If you want to see me in the hurt-box, doing this workout outside, you can watch this video:
How To Intensify This Workout (If You’re Crazy)
If you’re feeling crazy, you could do a couple of things to increase the difficulty of the workout.
1. Hop
Instead of sprinting to the top, use one leg and hop to the top.
Then, walk back down and repeat, but with the other leg.
This is seriously going to burn, and it’s a great way to intensify this workout.
2. Jump
You can also jump two or three stairs up until you get to the top and walk back down as well.
3. Go Backwards
If you’re feeling crazy, you can even go backwards, up the stairs.
Just be careful not to trip and fall like I did in the video above 🙂
4. Shorten Your Rest Intervals
If you can, try to shorten the rest time once you get back down the stairs.
You could also just not rest and as soon as you get back down, sprint back to the top.
Obviously, this isn’t beginner friendly, but if you can, try it.
Feel free to try any of these variations and tell me how it goes.
5. Do it Fasted
Fasted training can help you lose fat faster.
The only problem with it is that muscle loss can occur a lot more rapidly.
Calorie Deficit = Potential to lose muscle increases
Fasted Training = Potential to lose muscle increases
Calorie Deficit + Fasted Training = “Where’d my gains go?”
I won’t get into the specifics of fasted training here, but I use Forge from Legion Athletics to counter-act the muscle loss potential.
It’s a pre-workout fat burner made specifically for fasted training.
If you decide to do fasted cardio, you want to use Forge, period.
Bonus High-Intensity Workout
I found this workout from Rusty Moores blog.
I’ve been doing it for quite some time.
It’s his 15-minute Jump Rope Workout For Fat Loss.
If you’re a beginner, or can’t find stairs for some reason, give this workout a try 🙂
– Christian