By now you will have cottoned on to my longstanding love of group ex – in particular, HIIT – or High Impact Interval Training. There are oodles of reasons why I love this short but intense workout:
It’s extremely efficient. You’ll get great results in less than half the time you’d spend doing normal cardio training
It provides a lot of variety. Let’s face it, running on a treadmill - whether you include intervals or not - isn’t that exciting. HIIT gives you a cardio boost while mixing up the exercises so you never get bored
It burns WAY more calories in a shorter period of time…
…. and you keep burning calories after the workout. HIIT is similar to resistance training in that the calorie after-burn effect is impressive.
This last point is very important. HIIT increases EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption). EPOC is the amount of oxygen required to restore your body to its normal, resting metabolic state, and HIIT uses a lot of energy to get you back there. You simply don’t get this after-burn effect with steady cardio.
So, it’s understandable that everyone in the fitness industry has jumped on the HIIT bandwagon – some more successfully than others. I have trialled plenty of HIIT classes over the last few years (and will continue to do so) but the absolute winner by a mile so far is GRIT™ .
GRIT is the brainchild of internationally renowned fitness brand Les Mills – of whom I am a long-term fan. GRIT is without a doubt the hardest HIIT class I have undertaken to date. While some classes get left behind the fitter you get, GRIT is one that keeps challenging me – even though I have done it for nearly 3 years (at a frequency of 2-3 times per week).
A GRIT class lasts 30 minutes, in which time you can burn up to 600 calories (if you work to maximum intensity). The programme has 3 variants: Strength, Plyo and Cardio. GRIT Strength includes resistance training, using a weighted barbell and free weights. GRIT Plyo is primarily plyometric moves, making use of a step and weights, and the focus is on jumping and explosive movements. Finally, GRIT Cardio uses body weight exercises where the concentration is on achieving maximum speed with each exercise.
The intention is to get through each exercise, and you should work hard enough to struggle. The short time frame makes it easier to push yourself, which is key.
As with the other Les Mills programmes, GRIT choreography changes every 3 months and new releases are issued – which literally keeps you on your toes. You never know what to expect from each new release, since the movements, tempo and duration of exercises are constantly changing.
During a typical GRIT class, you will sweat through a combination of tuck jumps, mountain climbers, donkey kicks and the much-loved burpees – and a whole host of new moves. GRIT makes any other cardiovascular class you do that much easier, moving you quickly along to your next fitness level.
In my opinion, GRIT is best suited for seasoned gym goers of intermediate to veteran status. I tried my first GRIT class after 10+ years of group ex classes, and was left breathless and nauseous. Beginners should start with gentler classes, and only when they start feeling easy should they migrate to GRIT. I have seen too many front desk staff telling new gym members to try GRIT when they have absolutely no gym experience. It is not a good idea to start out in a class that pushes your body to the absolute limit.
But if you’re fit and looking to take your body to the next level, give GRIT a go. It’s one of the best things you can do for your fitness, disguised as half an hour of pure torture! Book a class and let me know your thoughts - I’d love to hear what you think.
NB: I couldn't have chosen the timing of this particular article better as this week is actually the quarterly launch week for the new GRIT releases. If you fancy trying one out, check out Les Mill's website to find the class nearest you (https://www.lesmills.com/uk). If you are in London, both the Regents Place Health Club (http://www.regentsplacehealthclub.co.uk) and the Bankside Health Club (http://www.thebanksidehealthclub.co.uk) have tons of GRIT classes on each week.
Also, if you can't get to a gym, you can always stream the GRIT releases through Les Mills On Demand (https://www.lesmills.com/uk/ondemand/?gclid=CjwKEAjw8ZzHBRCUwrrV59XinXUSJADSTE5k43vNce2EhQbv5Ov3HDYfRsHO9CBsQIoOb3rVA06SchoCkBvw_wcB)