Nearly ten years ago, the New York Times had a piece on the 7min HIIT (“The Scientific 7-Minute Workout” by Gretchen Reynolds). After stumbling upon this article, I realized 7min HIIT could be a better solution for sleep inertia wakeup compared to running. First off, I should be able to do it daily without tiring out my knees. Afterwards, it should also leave me with more energy. And as a hacky bonus, it will allow me to use afternoon jogs to combat stomach bloating.
Anyway, I looked over the 12 exercises. A YouTube video from POPSUGAR Fitness gave a good guide on exactly how to do them. Thursday morning, I gave the 7min HIIT a try.
With my injuries and ailments, I can’t perform all of them, but I can do enough:
- Jumping jacks
- Wall sit
- Push-up
- Abdominal crunch (?)
- Step-up onto chair
- Squat
- Triceps dip on chair (X)
- Plank (?)
- High knees running in place
- Lunge
- Push-up and rotation (X)
- Side plank (X)
Did it wake me up? Maybe. I did not feel sleepy afterwards, but I also drank a can of UCC coffee.
Did it leave me sweaty? No. According to my Apple Watch, the 7min HIIT burned 45cal.
I don’t think it can replace my usual workout, but in conjunction with my PT exercises, it could be a good option to get my blood flowing. However, I do realize that I have to be careful when doing a few of the exercises. For example, doing too many sit-ups a while back caused my stomach to feel funny.
PS: saw many other versions of the 7min HIIT on YouTube; might give those a try in the future.
