Getting Started with HIIT (Without Burning Out)
High-intensity interval training gets results, but most beginners do too much too soon. Here is a smarter entry point.
- hiit
- beginners
HIIT has a reputation for being brutal, and that reputation is partly earned. But the brutality is optional — especially when you are just starting.
The key variable in any HIIT session is the work-to-rest ratio. Beginners often follow programmes designed for intermediate athletes, which means their rest periods are too short to actually recover. The result is not high intensity — it is moderate intensity maintained sloppily. That is the worst of both worlds.
A sensible starting point: 20 seconds of genuine effort followed by 40 seconds of rest. Ten rounds. That is under fifteen minutes of total work. Do that twice a week for a month before you consider adding volume or reducing rest.
Results come from recovering enough to go hard when it counts. Not from staying tired all the time.