In 2018 our recurring message was simple. Strength is king. For longevity, strength is one of the strongest predictors of delayed mortality. It also improves your health span, which is not just how many years you live, but how many quality years you enjoy life on your terms doing the activities of your choice.

Back in December we posted an article suggesting strength training may even be better than cardio training to protect your heart from heart disease. This research suggested strength training will also help build a strong ticker. BUT if you want the best protection for your heart, no big shocker here, but the combination of strength and cardio training is your best bet. You need the one-two, strength-cardio punch.

But before you go grind it out for a senseless period of time on your favorite piece of cardio equipment…there is a better way: HIIT (high intensity interval training). Now, I’m not about to suggest you go join OrangeTheory or F45 or whatever local “HIIT gym” has become popular…I’ll outline a couple simple protocols that have been well tested in the lab and real world that you can do on your own. Oh ya and my favorite option here, takes 10 minutes!

First off a quick definition of HIIT training: a combination of short bursts of intense exercise with periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise. In most commercial gyms these workouts often “mix” aerobic and resistance training in the form of bootcamp classes or other. But only the aerobic portion, your heart rate reaching 80-90 percent of its maximum capacity, matters if you’re looking to improve your cardio fitness or VO2 Max. If you have a heart rate monitor great…but if not, you can use your perceived exertion (scale of 0-10) or do an all-out effort (SIT training). Me like SIT, because me like simple!

Herein are a couple of our favorite high interval training methods to build yourself a stronger heart:

Nordic 4×4 interval training

This method generally starts off with a warm up followed by the first 4 minute high intensity burst. For the first 1-2 mins of the burst your goal is to reach your target HR of 85-95% of your max. Following the 4 minute burst there is a 3 minute active rest period of moderate intensity. This process is repeated 3 more times (4 bursts total). Total workout time is 25 minutes.

10×1: popularized by McMaster researcher Martin Gibala

Work intervals are one minute long at a high (but not maximum) intensity. Researchers use RPE: rating of perceived exertion and request the work interval be an RPE of 9. Recovery intervals lasts one minute at a low to medium intensity (3-4 RPE). This one minute burst and one minute recovery process is repeated for 10 intervals. Total workout time is 20 minutes.

Sprint interval training

Work intervals are generally between 20-30 seconds of maximal intensity with longer rest periods, usually 2-4 minutes following each bout of maximal intensity. Research generally starts participants with 4 max intensity bouts. As training goes on it is slowly increased to a maximum of 6 or 7 total bouts. My personal preference is a modification Dave Scott-McDowell recommended to me…30 second bursts, 90 second rests for 5 bouts…total of 10 minutes! 30 seconds all out is incredibly challenging and many times I hit a wall closer to 25 seconds. I love this finisher to earn my sauna or steam!

Research on these methods has mostly been done on either a treadmill or a bike, but it also works on most standard cardio pieces. Don’t have cardio equipment at home? How about sprints on a hill? Or sprints on an open flat surface? Can’t tolerate sprints?…how about swimming or stairs? Follow my drift?…you can get creative, your heart doesn’t know the difference. As long as the high intensity work forces the heart to practice pumping out significant amount of blood, over time it will improve VO2 max, which like strength has also been strongly linked to delayed mortality.

With 2-3 HIIT sessions a week you should start to notice your cardio fitness improve in as little as 2 weeks!