As your life continues to evolve, so should your workouts. Whether you use HITT or other popular workout styles, changing things up can keep exercise interesting and engage your body and mind in new ways. High intensity resistance training (HIRT) is gaining traction as an alternative to many recommended styles.
HIRT vs. Other Workouts
When it comes to exercising, the focus in recent years is to push your body hard, but this can take a toll. You need time to recover and burnout happens very quickly. HIRT provides the same health benefits of HITT and other similar structures, yet it is a slower approach and very friendly on your joints. Focusing on the resistance training of HIRT allows you to work out with a more intense focus on how you perform the movements, and this level of focus feeds your mind as well.
Advantages of HIRT
When replacing HITT with HIRT, you sacrifice little beyond the nature of your exercise, and you gain some benefits that cannot be achieved with HITT. Integrating HIRT as the foundation of your workouts builds muscle, boosts endurance, and increases your strength. Compared to HITT, HIRT is easier on your body, so there is less risk of injury, and you recover in less time. HIRT can be performed by people with joint issues that should avoid HITT.
How to Perform HIRT
You will need to use some special equipment for your HIRT routines, such as free weights, kettlebells, and resistance bands. You can start with resistance bands and work up to free weights. A typical HIRT set includes two distinct exercises, such as squats and shoulder presses, and you alternate every minute of the set. Set a specific amount of reps for each minute, and if you finish before the minute is up, rest until the next minute starts rather than go directly to the next movement. As your performance improves, you will find that your rest periods are longer. This is a great way to monitor your improvement.
Taking Your HIRT Routines to the Next Level
Form is the primary focus during your HIRT workouts rather than the number of reps that you complete. Some HIRT routines are timed, and your goal can be to move through all the exercises as many times as possible within the time limit. You can add these types of sets to your routine as you advanced in strength and endurance.