The 25 Minute HIIT Running Workout
HIIT training has never been as popular as it is now; the most apparent advantages are the short workouts that often are more effective than traditional cardio methods.
In fact, there are more advantages to HIIT, which are an increase in muscle growth & important hormones.
Still, the training method has to be mastered or at least correctly applied in order to avoid injury while getting the most out of your workouts.
Therefore I have created an entire cardio workout that mainly uses running for you!
Definition HIIT
Before getting right into the HIIT running workout plan it is important to gain a more well-rounded understanding of this training method.
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, which means that this form of training belongs to interval training.
The time under tension is going to be short, while recovery periods are just a bit longer than the sets.
Since the intensity is quite high it allows the workouts to be short which is one of the benefits of HIIT.
By doing HIIT workouts you are going to train your body's ability to consume oxygen, which is also known as increasing your vo2 max.
The HIIT Running Plan
Any good HIIT session should be divided into these three sections.
- Warm-up
- The Workout
- Cool-down
All three phases are equally important as they help you to avoid injury & maximize the results that you get out of your training!
Warm-Up
Before starting any type of workout it is important to warm-up your muscles & joints. Especially with HIIT, the high intensity can cause injury if you didn't warm up your circulatory system, muscles & tendons.
Usually, it works best to divide a warm-up into three different phases:
- Activating your cardiovascular system
Here we recommend doing at least 5 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, which could be running, using the treadmill or any other low-intensity exercise that engages multiple muscle groups at a time.
- 5 Min of Running/Low-Intensity Cardio
- Warming up specific muscle groups
Next, you should warm-up the muscle groups that you are about to train. For running it is primarily your legs & core muscles.
- 10 Squats
- 10 Sit-ups
- 10 Walking Lunges
Repeat 3 times
- Dynamic Stretching
The last phase of a warm-up should be dynamic stretching. Especially for intense exercise that requires a full range of motion, it is going to help you to avoid injury. But even if the exercise doesn't work within your full range of motion (eg. running) it helps you to gain additional mobility!
- 10x Straight Leg Swings Forward
- 10x Straight Leg Swings Sideways
- 10x Knee Raises
It is important to do both sides if the exercise is one-sided. Also try to do the exercise in a controlled manner, whereas the negative part of the motion should be done slowly, while the positive part is going to be explosive.
The entire warm-up should take between 8-12 minutes, which means the breaks between each exercise are kept as short as possible.
The Routine
Now let's get into the actual running workout:
- 15 Seconds of Hill Sprinting
- 45 Seconds walking down
Repeat 3x
- 30 Seconds of running (70-80% speed)
- 30 Seconds of walking
Repeat 3x
- 15 Seconds Of Sprint (90% speed)
- 45 Seconds Walking
Repeat 3x
- Burpees 20 Seconds
- 40 Seconds Rest
Repeat 3x
Cool Down
After pumping up your heart rate in a short amount of time it is important to end your HIIT session with a slow cooldown.
Integrate some short static stretches and steady-state cardio.
In case you are uncertain about how to do some of the stretches you can either leave a comment or search for the stretches on the internet as they are quite popular amongst athletes.
Including warm-up and cool-down, the entire workout is going to take in between 25-30min to complete, which leaves little space for excuses.
Since you can do these exercises nearly anywhere it is quite practical to do, even if you don't have access to a gym!
How Often?
Since HIIT training puts significant strain onto your body & muscles it is important to respect the resting periods. Try to have at least one day of rest before training the same muscles again for optimal weight loss & muscle gain.
- 2-3 times per week
In case you want to train on a more frequent basis, I recommend you to integrate additional upper body & leg workouts which you can find here.
Downsides to HIIT Training
With HIIT jogging & running, there are a couple of physical downsides.
- HIIT training is going to be tough on your joints which is why you shouldn't do HIIT if you have a bad knee or ankle
- HIIT increases your heart rate a lot; therefore you shouldn't do HIIT if you have problems with your heart
Other than that it is an excellent training method to lose weight even with workouts below 20 minutes!
Bonus:
In case you want to take your HIIT workouts to the next level, you should read a book called Anabolic Running. Especially for cardio enthusiasts that want to get a lean & good looking physique, it is going to help as the book comes with very detailed workout plans.
I have used the knowledge & training programs out of the book myself. In addition to my own strength training intervals, it was definitely a big factor that helped me to gain muscle while staying lean & fit. If you want to find out more you can read my review on the book.
Conclusion:
The benefits of HIIT speak for themselves, especially if you are focused on building muscles and a more appealing physique it is going to be the method that outperforms traditional running.
Unless you have problems with joints & muscles the high intensity shouldn't be a problem for your body. The advantage of training for short periods of time is definitely another positive aspect if you are busy in your everyday life.
Please share this article with your friends if you think it might be helpful to them as it helps me to produce higher quality content.
If any unanswered questions remain you can always use the comment section below! Keep training & stay focused on your goals!
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