HIIT, AMRAP & DOMS explained.

Blog content provided from the legendary team at Northern Inland Academy of Sport

Workouts come in all different shapes and forms ranging from walking, running, riding a bike, playing team sport, engaging in fitness classes, weight training and everything in between. It may be overwhelming for some to decide what they should do and what will work best for them. Especially when the fitness world is packed with jargon such as HIIT, AMRAP, DOMS, isometrics, plyometrics, Tabata, reps, sets, supersets and so many more terms that many people may not have even heard of.

To help you in your journey on deciding what kind of workouts you should try, here are a few of the trickier fitness terms explained.

HIIT

HIIT is the acronym for High Intensity Interval Training. This term is often used to describe a workout where you engage vigorously in various exercises with little or no rest in between. These types of workouts have risen in popularity over the years with one of the reasons being it does not require a lot of time but works up a lot of sweat and gets that heart pumping.

There are many benefits to this style of work out including improving your cardio-respiratory system, improving blood pressure, and burning fat even after you have finished the workout! This type of workout involves a combination of exercises such as squat jumps, lunges, pushups, mountain climbers and weighted exercises. There are many different variations of exercises to use in HIIT workouts, but all require you to perform them in intensive intervals.

AMRAP

AMRAP is a term often heard when HIIT workouts are mentioned, that’s because AMRAP stands for as many reps as possible and is often used as a type of HIIT workout. This type of workout is based on set time frames requiring you to complete a set exercise or a combination of exercises as many times that you can within the given time limit.

For example, you might complete a 20-minute HIIT workout that is comprised of pushups, burpees, high knees, weighted squats and sit-ups. You might choose to complete each of these exercises for 45 seconds with a 15-second break in between each, and complete as many reps as you can within the 20-minute time limit.  One of the many benefits in completing an AMRAP based work out is that is can be tailored to anyone as it is based on pushing the individual to their limits.

DOMS

DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is common amongst beginner athletes or those who have had a break from their regular exercises. This type of muscle soreness often occurs within a day or two of completing exercise using muscles you may not have used for a while, or after completing high-intensity exercise focusing on these muscles. Even people who do not push themselves to their limit may suffer from DOMS due to a sudden onset of using these muscles repeatedly in the one session.

Whilst there can be risks involved in DOMS, often the soreness will subside after a few days. Progressively increasing your workout load is one of the methods you can use to complete your workout and build up your fitness whilst limiting the symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness.

There are many fitness terms out there, with new ones formulating every year. Whilst some terms are self-explanatory, others may need a bit more research to keep you up to date with different workout styles and to work out what best suits you – we always recommend talking to the friendly team at SportUNE who can point you in the right direction and give you pointers of which sorts of exercises might be best for each individual.

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