Stop Overcomplicating Your HIIT Workout: How to Sweat Smarter
By Tessa — Lifting heavy and lifting you up. Strength is the whole personality. ·
The HIIT Hype vs. The Reality
Let’s be honest: I’m a powerlifter. My natural habitat is a squat rack, moving slow, controlled weight while grunting slightly louder than I probably should. But even those of us who live for heavy triples need a little cardiovascular spice sometimes. Enter High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
If you’ve spent five minutes on social media lately, you’ve probably seen HIIT marketed as the “miracle cure” for fat loss, the ultimate time-saver, or the reason you’ll finally get those abs. Spoiler alert: It’s just a training tool. It’s not magic, and it’s definitely not meant to be done every single day until your soul leaves your body.
I’m 26, I live in Denver, and between coaching clients and trying to keep my golden retriever, Barbell, from eating my protein bars, I don’t have two hours a day to spend on cardio. I suspect you don’t either. Let’s break down how to actually do HIIT without feeling like you’re doing burpees in a blender.
What Does 'Intensity' Actually Mean?
The biggest mistake I see at the gym—and I see it every single day—is people confusing "being exhausted" with "being intense." There’s a difference between your heart rate being high because you’re sprinting and your heart rate being high because you’re doing 400 jumping jacks with zero form.
True HIIT requires you to reach about 85-95% of your max heart rate during the work interval. If you can carry on a full conversation while you’re doing your 'high intensity' round, you aren’t doing HIIT. You’re doing a light cardio circuit. And that’s fine! But don’t call it HIIT.
When I program intervals, I tell my clients: if you aren’t slightly dreading the start of the next work round, you’re sandbagging. But if you’re so gassed that you can’t maintain your form, the intensity is too high for your current conditioning level. It’s a delicate balance.
The Anatomy of a Perfect HIIT Session
I like to keep things simple. You don’t need fancy equipment, and you certainly don’t need to do a million different exercises. In fact, if your HIIT workout has 15 different movements, you’re doing it wrong.
Here is my favorite “no-nonsense” structure that I use when I’m short on time:
1. The Warm-up (5-8 minutes): Dynamic movements only. Please, for the love of everything, don't do static stretching before you sprint. Get the blood moving with leg swings, inchworms, and some light jumping rope. 2. The Work (20-30 seconds): This is the “High” part. Go all out. If you’re on a bike, push the resistance. If you’re running, sprint. If you’re doing bodyweight, pick a movement that taxes your whole system—think kettlebell swings or mountain climbers. 3. The Rest (60-90 seconds): This is the most important part. If you cut your rest short, you won’t have the energy to reach that 90% intensity during the next round. You need full recovery to perform at max capacity. 4. The Reps: Start with 5-8 rounds. If you’re doing more than 10-12 rounds, you aren’t working hard enough during the intervals.
Why Your Knees (and Your Ego) Will Thank You
I learned the hard way last year while prepping for my powerlifting meet: if you ignore your recovery, your performance tanks. HIIT is highly taxing on your central nervous system. If you go home and do 20 minutes of HIIT on top of a heavy deadlift session, you’re not “getting fitter”—you’re just digging a hole you won't be able to climb out of.
I usually cap my own HIIT work at two sessions a week, maximum. The rest of my time is dedicated to lifting heavy. Strength is the whole personality, right? But HIIT is a great way to improve your work capacity, meaning you’ll eventually be able to handle more volume in your lifting sessions without feeling like you’re going to pass out after three sets of squats.
Don't Let 'Perfect' Be The Enemy of 'Sweaty'
Listen, some days you’re going to walk into the gym and feel like a superhero. Other days, you’re going to walk in feeling like a sack of potatoes. On those potato days, your HIIT session might just be a brisk walk on an incline. And that’s okay. You’re still moving. You’re still showing up.
Barbell, my dog, doesn’t care if I hit a PR every day. He just wants to go for a run in the park. Maybe take a page out of his book. Stop trying to optimize every single second of your life and just move with some intention.
If you find yourself dreading the workout, change the movement. If you hate burpees (who doesn’t?), don’t do them. Swap them for sled pushes or row sprints. The best workout is the one you actually show up to do.
Let’s Chat
I’d love to hear how you’re incorporating intervals into your routine—or if you’ve finally decided to give up on the burpees for good. Drop a comment below or shoot me a message. How are you keeping your training fun this month? Let’s talk shop!