interval training

What's not to love about high-intensity interval training? Not only does HIIT save you time, but it also burns tons of calories, both while you work out and after (even if you're doing nothing at all!). One of our favorite ways to HIIT is Tabata, a type of workout that combines 20 seconds of intense bursts of workouts with 10 seconds of rest in four-minute rounds. Does a short and effective sound good to you? Get started here.

1. Printable Tabata workout: Take it with you; this printable Tabata workout may be the only thing you need all Summer. Packed with so many different types of moves, from backward lunges to burpees, so you don't get bored, this workout will keep you interested in your workout while you burn major calories.
2. 10-minute, no equipment Tabata: For an all-in-one workout, just press play. This 10-minute Tabata workout video combines two Tabata sets with a short warmup and cooldown to get you in and out in just 10 minutes! All you have to do is follow along.
3. And another: Can't get enough of our Tabata workouts? This 10-minute Tabata video workout adds even more intensity to your routine. Play it back to back with the above or on its own for an effective, intense workout.
4. Tabata mashup: Two classic moves, one killer workout. This Tabata mashup workout video combines 20 seconds of push-ups and 20 seconds of squats, along with short rest intervals, for a sweat-inducing HIIT workout.
5. Eight-minute Tabata: Don't have time for a long workout? Tabata makes a great quick and effective workout for when time is limited. This eight-minute Tabata workout is basically two rounds of Tabata, so if you decide to do more, you can repeat this workout.
6. Living room Tabata: Too hot or wet to run outside? Amp up your cardio routine with this printable home Tabata workout. Perfect for any small space, it'll have you doing heart-rate-raising moves like mountain climbers and squat jumps to burn calories fast.

No matter what your favorite way of getting your cardio in, if you're trying to burn calories fast, you should be familiar with HIIT. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, and the concept is simple: do your cardio at a normal pace, but pepper your routine with short intervals — usually 30 seconds to a minute — where you are pushing yourself to the max.

Incorporating HIIT into your normal routine is a smart way to work out; not only are you increasing your endurance and becoming better at your workout, but you are also burning more calories in a shorter amount of time. High-intensity workouts also target belly fat to help you sculpt those six-pack abs. But while high intensity intervals are effective, make sure you space out your HIIT workouts so you aren't pushing your body too much. Alternate with lower intensity cardio workouts, along with your normal strength-training routine, for an exercise plan that's safe and effective.

Here's how to try HIIT:

• A short elliptical interval workout
• A 45-minute pyramid treadmill workout
• A 30-minute indoor cycling interval workout

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If you're familiar with the benefits of intervals while breaking a sweat, consider grabbing a jump rope the next time you head out for a run. Similar to intervals, jumping rope is one of the best ways to work out: not only does it burn 330 calories in just 30 minutes, but it also helps strengthen your muscles and improve your posture, all while you increase your endurance and heart rate. But 30 minutes of straight jump roping is a pretty hefty challenge, so incorporate this fat-burning tool into your runs for the best of both worlds.

To make the most of the jump rope, use this inexpensive tool at both the beginning and end of a cardio session. Here's how to incorporate it into a workout:

1. Kick-start your run by warming up with 10 minutes of jumping rope. This will quickly warm up your muscles (preventing injury) and increase your heart rate. The jump rope is also a great tool for improving posture that can easily transition into proper running form. Best part? You can jump up and down, side to side, or forward and backward — the variety is endless. Varying your steps will target different muscles and also prevent boredom, while warming up your entire body.
2. Take to your cardio! If you're at the gym, try this treadmill series, or head outdoors with this run, walk series.
3. Complete your cardio session with an intense burst on the rope. For two minutes, go all out, holding nothing back! Going all out at the end of your workout is especially beneficial if you are training for a race because it mimics the last moments of competition.
4. Cool down with a stretching series or your favorite yoga postures. Don't forget you can use the rope to stretch out your hamstrings and your calves too!

Interval training is the ultimate fitness mashup, blending the speeds of both the tortoise and the hare. The benefits of this workout — pushing your pace, then slowing down to recover just so you can push your pace again — will certainly motivate you to play with your speed. If you haven't already added them to your cardio workouts, here are seven benefits of interval training.

While cardio exercise is necessary to losing fat all over your body, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity, interval training targets your waistline. Adding bursts of speed can help you lose stubborn abdominal fat, which is a boon for your skinny jeans and your overall health. Having a waist size over 35 inches if you're a woman puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and some cancers.

Got a Need For Speed?
The most obvious benefit, but still worth noting, is that interval training will make you faster. Picking up your pace when training with intervals helps to increase your speed, whether you run, bike, or swim. If you're working toward a personal record for an upcoming race, then don't skip your speed work. Here are interval workouts for biking, swimming, and running. Triathlon, anyone?

Keep reading to learn five more reasons to kick it up a notch.

A super-effective weight-loss strategy is incorporating intervals into your cardio workouts. Aside from burning calories and saving you time, interval training has been proven to reduce belly fat as well as increase your post-workout calorie burn. If you're looking to get more out of your interval workouts, follow these tips.

1. Move faster: The faster you run, the more calories you'll burn. Step it up during the sprinting intervals and push yourself to the point of huffing and puffing, because remember: the interval will be over after a minute or two, and then you can slow down and have time to recover.
2. Mix up the equation: If you always move at a moderate pace for three minutes and then sprint for one minute, your body will quickly adapt to these demands and you'll wonder why you're not seeing the results you're after. Keep your muscles guessing by varying the interval times both from workout to workout and during the workout itself.

Continue reading for other ways to get more out of your interval training.

Summer days are basically here, so if you want to burn calories in time for your beach plans, it's time to Tabata.

Tabata is a type of interval training — so you know it burns calories fast! The concept is simple: 20 seconds of high-intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for four minutes (after a longer rest, the four-minute rounds are repeated for up to an hour). How intense you're able to sustain your intervals depends on your fitness level, so don't be afraid to take it slowly if you're a beginner. Ready to start? Read on for four Tabata ideas to help you melt away fat!

The living room workout: You can do this 20-minute Tabata workout in any small space, whether it's your living room or your hotel room. The workout gets your heart racing with mountain climbers, squat jumps, burpees, and more.

The 500-calorie burn: Burn 500 calories with an hour-long Tabata gym workout. To do it, choose an area where you can switch from exercise to exercise quickly, and make sure you have all your equipment handy (enough to switch up your exercises every four minutes). Try this trainer-approved version: start with a medicine ball exercise (like the woodchopper or these medicine ball push-ups), move to the cable pulley machine, and finish with twisted BOSU planks, burpees holding the BOSU, or side lunges on the BOSU.

CrossFit style: Can't get enough of CrossFit-inspired workouts? Try our eight-minute Class FitSugar workout video featuring CrossFit trainer Shirley Brown. No equipment needed; work your arms and legs with simple squats and push-ups!

Cardio fun: This fun Tabata workout video from a reader incorporates high knees, spider knees, pliés, and more fun moves for an effective 24-minute workout.

If 30 minutes of continuous cardio activity is too strenuous for you or you can't commit to the time frame, researchers in Canada have found that a 20-minute workout consisting of one-minute intervals followed by one minute of recovery is an effective method for improving your overall health and fitness level.

To experiment with the concept yourself, complete a one-minute interval at 90 percent of your maximum heart rate (calculate your max heart rate here) and then follow with a minute of recovery. Complete 10 one-minute intervals with one-minute breaks in between.
The whole workout will take you only 20 minutes, yet researchers have found that even this small amount of exercise will help increase your energy and oxygen production as well as regulate your blood sugar. From jump rope to battle ropes, we've gathered seven ways you can try out the one-minute intervals yourself. Do each exercise at your maximum for one minute, then follow with one minute of recovery; repeat ten times. Click here to see our interval ideas.

FitSugar community member (and fitness instructor) livinginthin gives us a primer on Tabata training, a type of high-intensity interval workout.

You've probably heard the word Tabata by now (and if you haven't, you will!). So what exactly is this hot new fitness trend, and why you should care about it?

What is Tabata?

The term Tabata was coined after the Japanese researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata, who compared the effectiveness of short, very high-intensity training (bursts of maximal effort for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of recovery, repeated for four minutes in total) to a traditional 60-minute aerobic workout.

Who should do it?

Anyone looking to amp up their fitness level, maximize their cardio time, burn more calories, and blast off more fat in way less time. The key to a successful Tabata session is being able to hit the high levels of intensity (the participants in the Tabata study worked at 170 percent of their VO2 Max — that's killer!). If you are new to exercise, or returning after a long hiatus, you may want to progress slowly with trying a Tabata workout.

Learn more about Tabata, after the break!