High intensity interval training

High intensity interval training (HIIT) As most bloggers do, I follow other blogs. One great fitness blog is www.fitnessblackbook.com it gives tips on how to get a better look whilst doing the right exercises. I've generally tended to have above average fitness. I lead an active lifestyle, hit the gym 3-4 times a week plus walk/cycle whenever I can. I've never had really low body fat levels though and I'm not sure I'll get there, although having great abs is the 'in' look, and has only really emerged as such over the last 20 years.

HIIT s basically what's relevant to most sports e.g. Football. Periods of intense high level exercise With intervals of rest. Supposedly it's the best calorie burner, with some suggesting a nine fold improvement on the calories burned. I first started an increased training schedule when I found out I was asthmatic a couple of years ago. I was living in Paris and started a training regime of running 5km every two days. Where I lived it was fairly hilly giving good conditions for periods of high intensity and low intensity. Once again when I moved to Nottingham I had the same conditions. London is flat so my running took on a different dimension. I found out I was gaining weight. I've now started doing some hiit and am feeling the benefits.

This usually involves two methods of exercise. Running on the treadmill sprinting for 60 seconds resting for 30, doing it ten times. The second is skipping. Both exercises are good, skipping is harder to keep going at higher pace simply due to the coordination of skipping really fast. Practice does improve the pace of skipping though.

I'm currently 75/76kg and my aim is 72kg. I'll keep that progress updated...