HIIT doesn't have to be high impact, it can be low impact as well

According to fitness industry expert and founder of the 30 Minute Blitz, Carlos Elysee, there is a misconception that high intensity interval training (HIIT) requires a lot of pressure or force on the body in order to create the intense workouts that are designed to make you sweat and fatigue in a short space of time.   Carlos is adamant that this is not the case at all.   In fact, Carlos believes high intensity training is more effective when it is undertaken in a low impact way.   

"The majority of my fitness clients are between the ages of 30 and 60.  Many are still very fit, but carrying old sports injuries or dealing with some developing mobility, joint or arthritis issues," Carlos said today. 

"The key with any type of exercise is to do what is manageable on the body and doesn't cause unwanted injury.    Exercise has to be sustainable.  Exercise is not enjoyable or effective if you keep injuring yourself.

"HIIT training scares a lot of people away because they think it is high impact and requires a lot of robust movement.   Some HIIT regimes may, but my programs don't.  

"I have developed several programs which incorporate high intensity low impact (HILI) exercises that are ideal for people that prefer mainly body weight exercises, or have injuries that they are recovering from or that inhibit more robust movements that have impact on areas like the ankles, knees, hips, back, neck and shoulders.

"Low impact training is all about working the body using body weight as the key force.   It can also be undertaken anywhere and doesn't require equipment or gym membership.

"I have observed so much need for high intensity training over the years, that I have developed two programs to help people to train in a shorter period of time while experiencing results faster. - the Ten Minute Turnaround program which can be undertaken every day, and the 30 Minute Blitz, which can be undertaken three times per week or more.

"My 10 Minute program is designed to introduce people to exercise on a daily basis assisting them to graduate to more intensive programs like the 30 Minute Blitz, as they get fitter.   My low impact regime can be done in the lounge room and include movements and exercises such as:

• 1 minute shadow punches (10 left right combinations then a squat/duck for 1 minute)   
• 1 minute plank
• 1 minute burpees (without the jump and step out into the push up position)
• 1 minute tricep dips (on the edge of a sturdy coffee table)
• 1 minute butterfly squats (from squat position up onto the toes with arms up high and out wide)
• 1 minute standing knee raises (standing position alternate knees to the chest)
• 1 minute push ups
• 1 minute cycle (lying on your back and rotate the legs in a cycle motion)
• 1 minute calf raises (simply stand with arms folded across the chest, up onto the toes and down rapidly for the minute, after 30 seconds you’ll know what I mean)
• 1 minute shoulder press (hold a 1 litre drink bottle in each hand, military press for the minute)
• 1 minute wall sit (lean against a wall, in a 90 degree angle seated position)
• 1 minute crunches (raising solely shoulders off the ground)
• 1 minute lateral shuffle (keeping body low shuffle 5 steps side to side)
• 1 minute V ups (lying on the back, raise legs and upper body into V shape, touch the toes)
• 1 minute bicep curls (use anything with some weight, from drink bottles to vases)

If you want to do 30 minutes of exercise, simply repeat in this order with a short 15 second break in between each minute's exercise.   30 minutes of high intensity low impact (HILI) exercises like these every few days will get you fit fast.

"Even though these exercises are low impact, they are high intensity and you'll find that your heart rate rises, muscles burn, sweat pours and the fat runs away, without any high impact on the body.

"If you do like using equipment, throw in accessories like a swissball, kettlebells, TRX, and you can add some variations that will still provide the high intensity workouts with low impact on the body.

"High intensity exercise gets the metabolism burning faster and it keeps burning at an increased rate even after you stop exercising.   This is one of the main reasons why high intensity training is so good for the body, it gets the metabolism burning at a higher rate during and after exercise."

You can find many high intensity low impact (HILI) exercises using body weight @carloselysee on Instagram or carloselyseePT on Facebook, or simply go to www.30easy.com and enrol to learn the 30 Minute Blitz program for yourself.