HIIT Pilates is probably the epitome of the ‘fitness merge’ trend we’ve been seeing throughout 2018. However, both HIIT (High-Intensity Interval) training and Pilates fall into the most effective kinds of fitness. And when they’re combined you get an amazing calorie burn, endurance, core, and full-body strength workout.
The fitness world is one that keeps evolving. One thing that many are realizing is the effectiveness of merging different modes of exercise together. It no longer makes sense to stick to only one form – unless you’re specializing in it. Not only do you limit yourself, but trying to separate everything into different sessions takes up quite a bit of time. And in this day in age, time is money.
HIIT Pilates is not about debating which workout is best for you. Instead, it’s about combining the core-improving benefits of Pilates with the breathing of yoga and the calorie burn of HIIT. Better yet, you are able to do these exercises wherever you want and not be limited to a gym setting,
HIIT Pilates Are Effective And Efficient
Here’s a clear picture of what I am talking about. Imagine yourself holding a plié squat whilst lifting a 4kg kettle bell. You would be swinging it up and down, whilst trying to gracefully move like a ballerina. The point is you’d be using your cardiovascular fitness, strength, core, and coordination to complete this compound exercise. Basically, this is the kind of workout that will improve your multitasking skills rapidly.
At this stage, with fitness dominating the world. It’s crystal clear that we are all meant to get into some cardio, resistance training, and other kinds of stretching or flexibility classes. That’s great, but honestly, who has got time for all of that? Quite frankly, you’d need to exercise for most of the day to get it all in, which is why fitness instructors are pairing opposing workouts because they are far more effective.
I am not just saying this. There is science to back it up! Studies show that a combination of strength and endurance training in one session can result in exactly the same fitness gains as you’d get from two separate sessions. Doctors state that it boils down to increased capillarization. This is a higher number of small blood vessels within the muscle. As a result, your body is able to supply more oxygen, hormones, and energy to exercising tissues. Therefore, even if you participate in just one combination session per week – you can improve your strength, power, and endurance. Better yet, you can achieve these gains more quickly than two weekly sessions of resistance or endurance sessions on your own.
So, if you’re somebody who is trying to save time, then, this should be the best news you’ve heard.
How Does HIIT Pilates Work?
As a fitness coach myself, and according to many others out there, the one pattern we notice most among clients is how many of them love Pilates but despise cardiovascular exercise. The problem here is that they’d all be incredibly strong, flexible, and aware of their body movements. However, they would all admit to not being able to run up the stairs.
Now, you can never have one without the other. If so, you are basically an unbalanced person. And that’s the last thing you want to aim for. Surely, there shouldn’t have to be a separation between those who do cardio and those who do strength. The only way to fix this is to sneak in cardiovascular elements into your sessions. Surprisingly there are ways to do this without too much complaining. This technique ensures that your client is strong enough from a musculoskeletal and cardiovascular sense. So HIIT Pilates makes perfect sense!
It’s short sharp bursts of tough cardiovascular effort followed by rest periods. This gives you the best of both worlds. Of course, you need to take caution when attempting this technique for the first time. One needs to make sure they’re completing the exercises in the correct form. Sometimes, HIIT exercises can be challenging to do initially because you’re doing them at such an intense speed. But, that’s why we have Pilates. It is known as the ‘powerhouse’ of fitness. Pilates teaches you to know exactly where your body is in space and therefore how to improve your exercise technique.
That way your HIIT workouts will be completed a lot safer when you understand the importance of the way your body moves.
Power and Speed Combined
If you tackle a sweaty HIIT session – you will mostly use large, global muscles to elevate your heart rate. This is why in most HIIT workouts, there are so many leg-dominant exercises like squat jumps, plyometric lunges, and plank jacks. But when Pilates is incorporated, the focus moves to the core.
So when you combine these two together and add in a few arm exercises thrown you’ll have a full-body focus. Lastly, it is the smartest change you can make to your exercise routine. Even if you’ve never tried Pilates – you should start incorporating elements of it. This is due to the fact that the basic principles of Pilates teach you to focus on contracting your muscles correctly and fully engaging all your muscles in a specific movement. Sometimes, when you’re too busy trying to lift the heaviest weight or run the longest marathon you forget to focus your attention on the crucial muscles which should be engaged.
Often, this is how injuries occur and improper form. Lastly, it is vital to know how to activate your core throughout any workout no matter what kind. Pilates is the powerhouse that teaches you this, and if you’re pressed for time, you might as well turn it into a HIIT session for maximum results.
