Hi Hayley. My exercise routine is calling for a HIIT routine after weights. I was wondering if you could give two or three quick routines to do after my workouts. I'm not a hundred percent on what to do. I usually warm up with
rowing, ropes or kettle bell swings etc.
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Try doing your HIIT by incorporating it into your strength training routine, rather than doing it after. Hitting the muscles with some heavy lifting, followed by explosive movements that target the same muscle group, is a great way to not only get stronger but to also burn mega calories during your workout as well as during the hours after. For example, let’s say you just finished a heavy shoulder and leg exercise. Before moving on to the next strength set grab a slam ball and do 10 – 20 slam ball burpees.
Here are a few of my favourite high intensity exercises that I like to throw into my classes:
Upper Body
After finishing an upper body strength set, whether it be chest or back, add in any of these exercises, set a timer for 60 seconds or simply go until you reach voluntary fatigue. Do a heavy dumbbell chest press exercise and follow that with a set of battle ropes. After a back set, walk out into a high plank and do a set of high plank rows on each side or grab a slam ball and slam it 20 times, or both! Have fun with sand bells, burpees (yes, fun with burpess), pull ups (TRX or assisted at the bar), mountain climbers, push ups.
Lower Body
After finishing a lower body strength set try adding in some plyometric exercises, or intense cardio intervals. For example, after a set of heavy squats get onto a treadmill and a steep incline and run 200-400m at the fastest pace possible. After a weighted set of step ups put out two cones (about 2 meters apart) and bound between them (think of powerful side shuffles) or do a set of scissor jumping lunges. And after a set of deadlifts get onto the rowing machine and row 200m as fast as you can, followed by 10 burpee push ups. You can do each circuit one time or do sets of 3 or 4 before moving onto the next. Run stairs, jump on boxes, do tuck jumps or pedal a bike as fast as you can. Just pick something that is going to target the same muscles group as the strength exercise.
And that is all for me for 2016. I thank you all for reading and committing to improve your fitness every single day. For loving and accepting who you are but knowing that we can always be a little bit more. Enjoy the holidays: eat, drink and relax. Make sure to tune in first thing in 2017 as I will be back in action and ready to challenge you all to 10 days of amazingness and promise to help you make next year the best year yet.
