In my previous post in my Pursuit of 6 Pack Abs (which was the first one of this series) I described several key nutritional strategies for blasting belly fat and revealing those abs. This time we are going to look at a key training strategy for getting leaner while keeping your hard earned muscle… it’s called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

HIIT involves alternating between phases of higher and lower intensity cardio-type exercise. This type of training has several distinct benefits over traditional LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio, as discussed in my previous blog post “Is Cardio Really That Effective for Weight Loss”.

A few of these benefits include:

  • HIIT can elevate your natural growth hormone levels to use more fat and preserve muscle, while LISS cardio may increase cortisol levels which increases abdominal fat and muscle-wasting.
  • HIIT takes only 15 to 20 minutes to get a significant benefit, whereas LISS needs to be performed at least twice as long to get any noticeable training effect.
  • HIIT will build your speed and power.
  • Long slow LISS cardio may use a higher % of body fat during the workout, but HIIT will consume far more calories during the training session, and will continue to consume body fat long after the workout is done.

The list goes on and on.  I suggest alternating low intensity exercise (for about 30 to 90 seconds) with very high intensity exercise (for about 20 to 30 seconds) for at least 10 minutes (but no more than 20 minutes). HIIT will hit you right where it counts… in your gut (and wherever else you store fat)!  Check out this video for a demonstration and more information:


You can perform high intensity interval training on a bicycle, treadmill, or other cardiovascular training equipment, as well as simply using your own body by alternating jogging and sprinting, or other high intensity activities such as hill running, stair climbing, burpees, tuck jumps, or various body-weight ‘cardio’ type exercises. The short video below demonstrates a few basic cardio-style intervals you can use:



Make time to do your HIIT workouts about 3 times per week, preferably first thing in the morning, and watch your body start transforming! In my next blog post I’ll be introducing a new body-weight training goal I’ve decided to take on … handstand pushups! I’ll be making a series of tutorials for that one as well. I think this one will be quite challenging for me, but it’s only a matter of time until I will conquer it, and when I do you will have a solid plan outlined to do the same.

Stay fit,

Josh