Improve your mood with HIIT

Why practicing HIIT helps you live better and the reasons why to combine it with mindfulness techniques. The science behind it.

HIIT is the training of the moment: this sentence is validated by the great success it is having with fitness enthusiasts and in gym clubs, increasingly attracted by formulas that meet the needs of training in a short time and with effective results. So, what are the benefits of HIIT, how it helps to fight stress and are we able to manage and control our awful days?

HIIT training guarantees effective results for a toned body thanks to the high calories consumption that continues even after the end of the class. It allows you to achieve a Total Body Performance – a greater body awareness that will help you in weight loss thanks to a high calorie expenditure. On the other hand, getting away from the daily routine and going to the gym or run to your favorite space to workout, when you’re overworked with tasks and engagements is increasingly difficult and stressful. There are many factors that generate stress and work is often the lion’s share of it. But a remedy to control stress with exercise is there, and it’s called HIIT.

Fighting Stress with HIIT

If the pressure at work grips you, a HIIT-based workout will help to combat stress and improve your physical and mental state. Not only that: HIIT training helps people who do stressful jobs to benefit from intense training: the more intense the training, the greater the benefits of stressbusting. Researchers at the University of Arizona have shown that reducing stress through HIIT contributes to a 19% increase in job satisfaction.

Researchers found a strong correlation between exercise intensity and stress reduction and, as a result, increased job satisfaction. The study even noted an improvement in personality traits, particularly greater openness and pleasantness towards others. Not only do notoriously stressful jobs, even simpler jobs can benefit from HIIT training. HIIT workouts are simply perfect when you have little time.

The perfect match between HIIT and mindfulness

Although seemingly distant, HIIT and mindfulness meditation are two worlds that – if properly harmonized – could become the picklock to achieve your fitness goals. According to several scholars, it is important that HIIT workouts be done with the same awareness as other traditional classes of mind-body disciplines such as yoga or pilates.

To reach mindfulness it is necessary to follow some guidelines: first, knowing the purpose of the exercises is fundamental to give a logic to the HIIT training we are doing. Your coach explains which muscles you will activate and how your body should feel during the movement.

In order to achieve a state of mindfulness and results through HIIT, you need to be fully aware of what you are doing regardless of the speed at which you are doing it. On the other hand, if you don’t have a full understanding of the intention of the exercise you’re doing, it’s hard to get the response you’re supposed to get, more so during HIIT workouts.  Using the right muscles means preventing injury and achieving the desired results.

How to improve mindfulness in a HIIT class?

During the warm-up it is important to give yourself an intention, a goal to be set during the class. Getting the most out of the class session means getting into a mentality of conquest and at the same time having fun with things that excite. Always during the warm-up it’s a good idea to become fully aware of your body and to receive the messages it sends us. Is it a day to push or is it better to take it easy? Do we feel a muscle pull?
Once the warm-up phase is over and you have defined your goals of the day, your HIIT session can start: but what are the best fitness products for this type of workout? One of the most suitable solutions for HIIT training is Technogym Skillmill, the only non-motorized product that combines power, speed, stamina and agility training. Skillmill is the ideal training solution for sports professionals and for those every day athletes who are dedicated to their fitness and improving their sporting performance. The innovative Multidrive Technology enables you to experience the full speed resistance spectrum. By shifting the Multidrive lever, resistance will vary from zero to maximum, so you can switch to any level between resistance-free running and an all-out sled push.

To complete your HIIT session, you can alternate the use of Skillmill with Technogym Bench, the innovative, functional and strength training station for your home designed to combine maximum exercise variety with minimum footprint by enabling you to perform the largest range of exercises in a very limited space, thanks to its innovative design and enclosed tools.
With over 200 exercise options, Technogym Bench allows the possibility to combine weights, elastic bands, dumbbells, weighted knuckles, and a training mat to empower you to perform endless exercises ensuring various and effective total body workouts.
With Technogym Bench you can also get inspired by included video workout programmes, in fact the all-in-one station includes access to a vast library of 20 to 30 minutes video workouts led by Technogym expert trainers suitable for any type of goal and level to train strength, resistance and core.