If you’re a runner who wants to build up your endurance, adding HIIT to your routine can be an ideal way to mix things up—and benefit your miles. Here’s everything you need to know about HIIT for runners, according to a run coach and personal trainer.
What is HIIT?
HIIT is a type of workout that alternates between short bursts of intense activity and periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise. A typical HIIT session might include 20 to 40 seconds of hard effort, like sprinting or fast cycling, followed by 10 to 30 seconds of rest or slower movement. This cycle is repeated for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the workout.
Unlike steady-state cardio (like jogging at a consistent pace), HIIT pushes your body to work in quick, powerful bursts, getting your heart and other muscles working more intensely in a shorter amount of time.
How exactly does HIIT help your running?
HIIT can be a game changer for your running performance. As a run coach, it’s a type of workout I’ll do (and prescribe to clients) if I’m short on time or looking to push my heart rate and lungs.
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1. It improves speed and endurance
HIIT pushes your cardiovascular system, making your heart and lungs stronger. This translates to better endurance and faster race times, as your body becomes more efficient at using oxygen.
2. It builds strength
The fast, explosive movements in HIIT help strengthen muscles, including your legs, core, and even arms, which are crucial for maintaining good running form and preventing injury.
3. It saves time
Runners can use HIIT to get in a great workout without spending hours running. Even a 20-minute HIIT session can be as effective as a longer, steady run when it comes to improving performance.
4. It adds variety to your routine
HIIT can break up the monotony of regular running. Mixing up your routine with high-intensity intervals adds some diversity, making workouts more exciting and less repetitive.
“HIIT helps with running because it improves aerobic capacity by increasing VO2 max [the maximum amount of oxygen you have access to during exercise], which helps to improve endurance and overall performance,” says April Gatlin, CPT a certified personal trainer and master coach at STRIDE Fitness. “HIIT also helps increase speed and power, which decreases as we age.”
The best HIIT workout for runners
A HIIT workout can be formatted in a lot of different ways and doesn’t require any equipment. You can do most HIIT workouts using just your body weight, so you can complete them anywhere.
For runners, a great workout that’ll help with performance is sprint intervals. You can do these on a track, around your neighborhood, or a treadmill. Gatlin suggests the following workout for runners who want to get stronger and faster:
- Warm up for 10 minutes with a light jog.
- Sprint at max capacity for 30 seconds.
- Recover (walk or jog) for 2 minutes.
- Alternate between sprinting and recovering 8 times.
- Cool down with a post-workout walk and/or dynamic stretching.
Incorporating HIIT into your training, even once or twice a week, can lead to faster, stronger, and more efficient running. Whether you’re training for a race or just want to improve overall fitness, HIIT is a great tool to boost your performance.
