Why I Love . . . ParkHIIT

I was qualifying as a personal trainer and researching exercise habits in Ireland some years ago. During my studies, I was amazed to see what little understanding there was about the importance of resistance training, so I decided to do something about it. I started a series of HIIT (high-intensity training) sessions in my local park in Ashtown to inform and educate the local community. You don't need to join a gym or lift heavy weights to get started with resistance training.

Sessions are free, and they’re on every Saturday morning. A typical session involves a five-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of intensity and a five-minute warm down. The 20 minutes of intensity consists of bodyweight resistance exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups, planks – the dreaded burpee makes an appearance on occasion too. We work for 30 seconds at a time then take a break for 10 seconds and repeat three times for each exercise with an active recovery jog included between exercises. Usually, we’ll get through seven different exercises in 20 minutes.

The short sessions have an appeal for those who are time-poor and even though HIIT needs to be supplemented with other exercises during the week, the classes are a great motivator for people of all fitness levels to get started.

There are so many benefits to resistance training, from enhancing muscle mass to weight management to helping to strengthen bones. There is something in it for everyone.

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I love it because it gets my weekend off to the healthiest possible start, it motivates me to do more during the week and I get to meet members of the local community in a fun outdoor setting every single Saturday. I love it and would recommend it to all who are curious to see what it’s all about.

[ ParkHIIT ]