Weights Based HIIT Workout
Weights based HIIT workout – cardio that kicks arse!
I’m a big believer in using a weights based HIIT workout for conditioning. I think if you are limiting your HIIT and cardio training to swimming, running, cycling etc you are seriously missing out on some of the incredible benefits that weights based HIIT has to offer.
I use a lot of weights based HIIT in both my own training and my personal training clients workouts. I’ve found it to be an effective way to help reduce body fat whilst preserving and in some cases even gaining muscle mass. It’s a core principle of the CrossFit training approach and is used by professional athletes the world over.
Put simply, weights based HIIT is a fantastic way to train and something we should all being doing if fat loss or general conditioning are amongst our goals.
This particular weights based HIIT workout is a twist on the CrossFit workout ‘Fight Gone Bad’ (cool name for a workout by the way). It was a workout I programmed for my personal training client, Sue.
Now a little about Sue…
Sue kicks arse. She’s the kind of woman who defies every misconception about women and fitness. She lifts weights – heavy ones. She runs. She cycles. She swims. Her workout isn’t a gentle aerobics class and a coffee with the girls. It’s hard work – a mixture of strength training, conditioning, high volume work, HIIT, runs, swims and bike rides of varying lengths.
An example to all women that your gender doesn’t prevent you from training properly. I knew she’d be fine taking on this weights based HIIT workout, as tough as it is!
Warm up – 1000m (very gentle), followed by a 500m sprint row.
4 x 1 minute rounds of…
- Thrusters
- Cleans
- Jump Squats
- Push Press
- Row (on a rowing machine)
Complete a minute of each exercise before moving on to the next.
I loaded 27.5kg on the bar, allowed no rest between exercises but a 2 minute rest at the end of each circuit.
It was a beast of a workout. A total brute, but one that is so effective. I wouldn’t programme something like this too often (once, maybe twice per week depending on the person, their training history and goals), but as part of a wider training programme it certainly has its place.
One of the great things about this kind of weights based HIIT workout is that it’s totally scalable, so regardless of your ability you can tweak it.
A few ways to scale a weights based HIIT workout…
Change the exercises – if you lack a range of movement or technique proficiency, switch things up to reflect your capabilities. Use programmes as a guideline, not a bible.
Shorten the work sets – if you don’t quite have the stamina for 1 minute sets of the exercise, reduce the time to 30 or even 20 seconds. As long as you reach fatigue it’s fine.
Increase the rest periods – if you are capable of a minute of exercise but need a break before moving on, add in a rest period between exercises rather than just at the end of the interval.
Change the weights – mix up the weights to reflect your ability. You have two aims – to reach fatigue and to maintain safe form throughout the set. Pick a weight that allows you to do those things.
Throw some weights based HIIT workouts into your training and you’ll notice the difference very quickly. At first you’ll feel as though you are dying. Within a few weeks you’ll feel fitter, stronger and more capable in the gym than ever before.
With weights based HIIT workouts in your programme, there’ll be plenty of cross over benefits to other areas of your training, including better work capacity, improved technique, improved strength and improved strength endurance which will allow you to cope with higher volume workouts.
When you can cope with higher volume you can train harder, for longer meaning you’ll reach your goals quicker.
Here are a few other examples of HIIT conditioning workouts from the website…
Give weights based HIIT a try and you’ll see the benefits really quickly. You’ll transform your fitness and physique quickly whilst reducing your workout time dramatically.
Published by
3 thoughts on “Weights Based HIIT Workout”