HIIT water workouts should be balanced with more moderate water aerobics training for optimal cardiorespiratory health and performance. Aerobic Intervals with Stephanie Thielen is a 15-minute water fitness video that features six 2-minute blocks of moderate intensity cardio, followed by 30 seconds of recovery.
Poolfit subscribers love high intensity water exercise, but HIIT workouts should be just one aspect of an overall exercise regimen that includes steady-state and/or aerobic interval training, muscle conditioning, stretching, joint mobility and more. This 15-minute aerobic interval routine is perfect for combining with another water workout using the Poolfit playlist feature.
Water Workout-at-a-Glance
Aerobic Intervals does not include a warm-up or cool down because it is intended to be combined with another workout. This water fitness video includes six 2-minute blocks of moderate intensity cardio, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. Each 2-minute block features two water exercises. In the first minute, one exercise is performed at a faster tempo, and the other exercise is performed at a slower tempo with a large range of motion (ROM). During the second minute, those two same two exercises are performed, however the tempos are swapped. Below, Stephanie provides more details about the benefits of aerobic interval training.
Aerobic Interval Training
By Stephanie Thielen
Interval training is built upon alternating two phases within a single exercise session: work followed by recovery. The past several years has seen an explosion of high intensity interval training (HIIT) in all types of fitness workouts such as indoor cycling, treadmill training, muscle conditioning and water exercise. A HIIT workout consists of short bursts of intense work followed by brief recovery, using the anaerobic energy system. While HIIT continues to be popular, the physical demand of a HIIT workout has some downsides:
- Increased risk of injury if proper form is not maintained
- Increased stress on muscles and joints
- Longer recovery time compared to other types of exercise
- Intimidating for beginners who might not have the necessary fitness foundation
There are a variety of ways to program interval training, and it doesn’t have be an all-or-nothing type of approach. Aerobic interval training (AIT) also alternates two phases of work and recovery, but the work and recovery phases utilize the aerobic energy system. Simply put, the workout is non-stop aerobic conditioning, dialing up your work intensity, dialing down your recovery, but never going all out or stopping completely.
- Aerobic interval training has big benefits for your heart in a single workout.
- Improve cardiorespiratory fitness
- Regulate insulin levels and lower blood sugar.
- Increase efficiency of your aerobic energy system
- Improve stamina
- Shortened workouts by producing the same output in a shorter amount of time.
Aerobic interval training can be a way to train and prepare for the more intense HIIT formats. Alternating phases of moderate-to-high work followed by active recovery help to build the stamina and cardio foundation you need for more intense workouts. AIT workouts are also great for when you need to pull away from the intensity of HIIT as you will still gain all the benefits of interval training without the high impact and high intensity stress on the body.
For general fitness, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise most days of the week. To add interval training to your exercise routine, substitute one to two days of aerobic interval training for your regular workout. In 2-4 weeks, you will see and feel an improvement in your cardiovascular fitness and stamina making AIT a great choice for training your heart and improving your overall health.
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Poolfit extends gratitude to Stephanie for helping subscribers understand that AIT is as important as HIIT. If you liked this video, be sure to check out all of Stephanie’s Poolfit videos.